The Hall takes on Homecoming

Knights football crushed the Anzar Eagles at Boxer Stadium last Saturday in front of hundreds of fans by a score of 62-20.

“I am really proud of all my players,” Head Coach Richard Robinson said. “It was a big game for Gordie [Smit ­’18], over 100 yards and a couple touchdowns, and JP had a ridiculous game with his runnin, and then defensively, a lot of guys were making plays.”

Smit competed in his first-ever game for Stuart Hall and reeled in four passes for 120 yards scoring touchdowns on three of his receptions. After dropping a pass in the end zone on the first play of the game and then missing a key block on fourth down, Smit responded with a touchdown catch over the head of an Anzar cornerback.

“Honestly I was super upset when I dropped that pass, and I wanted to make up for it,” Smit said. “So I just focused on watching the ball into my hands and making plays for the team.”

Smit’s receiving attack complemented Jorim Powell’s ’18 running assault. Powell, a four-year starter playing in his last Homecoming game, ran for 105 yards on 10 carries. Racking up highlight play after highlight play, Powell kept the crowd on the edge of their seats as it seemed as if he could not be tackled.

“I was a little nervous because my ankle was hurt, so getting out there the first few minutes, I was hesitant,” Powell said. “But the crowd got me hyped, and the adrenaline rushed through me and it was all good.”

Powell is one of five seniors who have been on the team all four years.

“It hits me that I am about to graduate and that this was my last,” Powell said. “Crazy.”

Two of the other seniors are Sam Cormier ’18 and Nick Watts ’18. The duo has been on local news and in the newspapers for their record-setting defense and Saturday was no different. Cormier came up with 5.5 tackles and an emphatic sack while Watts had 4.5 tackles and a sack of his own.

“I am really proud off the team,” Cormier said. “We played physical. Very nice!”

The game concluded just after 4:30 p.m. which gave students just enough time to get home and change in time to make it to the Pine-Octavia campus for the Homecoming Dance at 7 p.m.

The event was attended by over 200 people and featured a barbeque dinner, fire pit and student DJ Phoenix Aquino-Thomas ’18.

The event is typically held on Broadway Campus, but a scheduling conflict caused the dance to be held at Stuart Hall for the first time in recent memory.

Student Council organized themed dress days all week in advance of the game to build up school spirit. They sold shirts to commemorate the event and held a pep rally to honor all fall sports, as well.

“We were really happy with the turnout for the Homecoming dance,” Student Council Vice President Eli Mundy ’19 said. “We had a great spirit week, pep rally included, and couldn’t have asked for a better finish.”