The football team, band, Eaglettes and all the students who hadn’t already left held their fingers like talons and sang the alma mater. Their white t-shirts read “Meet. Defeat. Repeat.” On the opposite side of the field, the home side, Pearce fans celebrated a 28-12 victory.

For the first time in three years, Richardson’s class of 2014 witnessed a defeat against Pearce. Because it was their Homecoming game, the Mustangs sat on the home side.

Halfway through the first quarter, Pearce scored a touchdown, Richardson still struggling to get their offense on track. Before halftime, the Eagles put a touchdown on the board but missed the extra point.

“The game is going really well,” senior Ryan Hance said. “It’s a hard game. Both teams are keeping it together on defense, but there isn’t much movement of the ball.”

The half-time show included performances by both schools’ marching bands and color guards and a performance by the Eaglettes and Pacesetters. In addition, the Mustangs homecoming queen was announced.

By the third quarter, the score remaind 7-6, but the Mustangs were driving down the field.

“Right now I’m trying really hard to be excited because we’re down by one point, and we only have two minutes left in the third quarter and anything could happen,” senior Melody Iro said. “I’m really nervous, and I hope our team pulls itself together.”

With such a close game, most fans stayed on their feet cheering.

“The crowd was really excited. They were all cheering on the team and were very into the game,” senior Theresa Keller said.

The fourth quarter saw both offenses move the ball much more effectively. After the Mustangs put seven more points on the board, the Eagles put up six of their own making the score 14-12. That was the last time the Eagles found the end zone while, in the final eight minutes, Pearce stretched their lead by 16 points.