Football, dance, cheer, and band seniors came together on Nov. 1, 2024 to celebrate their final night under the War Memorial Stadium lights.
The ceremony began at 6:15PM with the football seniors walking out with their parents and loved ones on either side of them. The Marching Band and Color Guard seniors followed suit and prepared to play their hearts out. Cheer and dance seniors were shortly presented afterwards with flowers in their hands and sashes around their shoulders; football prepared to take on the field.
7 PM brought kickoff, and so began the last game of the season. The Lompoc Braves scored a touchdown immediately in the first quarter. The Bearcats quickly retaliated with a touchdown by junior Tre Clark three minutes into the quarter.
The second quarter brought the Bearcats down when the Braves scored two touchdowns in a row, and brought the score to 6 – 20 when halftime began.
The halftime show was one of a kind: showcasing all of the incredible programs and support at PRHS.
While Jennifer Martinez delivered an impactful message about the strength of breast cancer fighters and survivors over the loudspeaker, the cheerleaders formed a path on the 50 yd line. Many Bearcat and district families and loved ones walked through to highlight the lives of people impacted by the horrible disease. They rang a bell to honor those that had passed while battling and also spoke their names aloud to a crowd who applauded their strength. The women’s water polo team went around gathering donations and selling pink Crimson Crew shirts with $5 of proceeds going directly to charity.
After this impactful ceremony, the PRHS Marching Band and Color Guard then performed an epic set: their eight-minute competition. They began with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” and while they played, the Color Guard dressed in pirate attire sword-fought and battling around the field. Near the chorus of the song, a large prop pirate ship rolled around with sophomore Callie Stuart, playing “Jack Sparrow”, standing at the bow.
They then played “Can you feel the love tonight?” from the Lion King while the performers formed heart shapes across the field. Finally, senior Jake Minnis played an incredible trumpet solo before the entire band jumped into a mob and rushed to the front of the field after playing “Hey Pachuco!”.
After that amazing performance, advanced dance performed an mesmerizing dance that ended with a bittersweet solo routine that highlighted their nine seniors in the center.
In the second half, the Bearcats made a quick comeback. The third quarter was mostly uneventful, but ended with a second touchdown by Tre Clark with only 20 seconds left. In the fourth quarter, junior Kassim Williams scored, bringing it to 18-20 with eight minutes left to tie it up.
The crowd watched anxiously and cheered on the varsity players to secure the win and lead us to a CIF game. With 15 seconds left, they attempted a two point conversion, but unfortunately did not achieve it, ending the game 18-20.
After the game, family and friends rushed onto the field to comfort the players after this loss. The sentimental mood signed the seniors off after a hard-fought game and football season.
