By Kazi Nassif

Homecoming weekend kicked off in style on Friday as the students, laden with mums and garters, watched as various groups performed at the third pep rally of the year. Performances from the cheerleaders, Eaglettes, and Hypematic headlined the morning’s events.

Eagle Guard performed a skit mocking the presidential candidates for the upcoming election, earning laughs from the student body.

Junior Agustin Gasperin said he enjoyed the pep rally, citing the beach ball in the crowd as an unexpected source of entertainment.

“I loved when the beach ball was passed around by the student body in the stands,” Gasperin said. “It kept us students amused.”

Gasperin also appreciated the inclusion of the robotics magnet in the day’s festivities.

“I liked the appearance made by the robotics at the end,” Gasperin said. “They launched t-shirts and that was really exciting.”

Later that evening, the stands filled for the football game. The student section was roaring throughout the game, but the Eagles came up short, 37-22 against district rival Lake Highlands. The game was tightly contested, but costly mistakes sunk the Eagles back.

Assistant Head Coach Jason Gunter thought the Eagles had a chance to win the game coming down the stretch.

“Our guys fought hard throughout and battled to give themselves a chance in the fourth quarter,” Gunter said. “With five minutes to go in the game we pulled to within eight points and had some momentum.”

While Gunter said the work ethic was there, he was disappointed with the lack of discipline from the team.

“Costly turnovers and penalties in critical situations were the difference in the game, and we need to take better care of the football and eliminate the mental errors that result in silly penalties,” Gunter said. “We also have to find ways to get defensive stops at crucial times, whether that is by forcing turnovers or punts.”

Though the loss against Lake Highlands was a tough one to take, Gunter believes the Eagles can still be in the conversation during the playoffs.

“With four district games remaining, the opportunities to be in the playoff mix come week ten still remains.” Gunter said.

Senior quarterback Michael Johnson threw for 233 yards and passed for one touchdown, but threw two interceptions, adding to the team’s turnover total.

The Eagles had two fumbles and 12 penalties, contrasting greatly from the clean game they played two weeks before against Pearce, winning 54-50.

Senior wide receiver Deandra Washington was one of the standouts from the game, who had four catches for 52 yards. He also tacked on a touchdown right before halftime to flip momentum, trailing the Eagles with the score of 17-14.

Senior defensive end Mohammed Janneh was disappointed with the results and noticed some pros and cons from the team’s performance.

“We had really good pursuit to the football,” Janneh said. “We had some big plays on offense, but we need to cut down on our mistakes. We also need to tackle better and keep our feet moving.”

Junior wide receiver Colby Bunch-Dennis attributed the loss to a lack of strong execution.

“It was a lack of execution, not a lack of effort,” Bunch-Dennis said. “Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect, and we have to come back stronger next week.”

Bunch-Dennis thought the team played hard and truly gave it their all.

“We came out after halftime and scored again, kept the drive alive and kept our teammates up,” Bunch-Dennis said. “We battled tonight.”

Adding to the anticipation of the game was the announcement of Homecoming King and Queen during halftime. After weeks of voting, the 2015 Homecoming King and Queen will be seniors Paul Pruski and Sydney Nobles.

The players thought the game against Lake Highlands was a tough loss, though they will look to improve on their 1-5 record next Friday against Mesquite Horn.

“Senior leadership over the next few weeks will be an important part of keeping the team focused on the processes necessary to reach that goal,” Gunter said.