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Spirit Week Day Two: Junior Games Preview and Recap

Every Spirit Week assembly features trivial games that are played with the highest intensity. Tuesday’s assembly will feature Mattress Surfing, Tag Royale, and Junk Relay, followed by Ultimate Chicken, Tug O’War, and the Half-Court Shot.

If you aren’t already aware, Monday was a very good day for the Juniors. They took second in dress up (Seniors got 3rd), won the Spirit Stick on Hannah Carter’s “Cotton Candy Surprise” costume, took first in the Chariot Relay behind a miraculous performance from the Brennan Orf and Natalie Ford duo, won Blindfold Dodgeball after a great showing from Lauren Gates and Macey Lottmann, and took first in Floor is Lava after a neck and neck race with the Seniors to the finish.

Chariot Relay: The race did not start well for the Juniors. Atlin Hall got off to a fast start for the Seniors, and Cody Smith struggled to reach top speed. In the second leg, Ben Straub found a steady rhythm, and when Allison Broadhurst fell off of Joey Keane’s sheet, the Juniors saw the opportunity they needed. They took the lead. The Juniors had a scare in the third leg when Natalie Ford slid off the sheet at the turn, but she managed to hold on as Brennan Orf dragged her along the ground at full speed. Alex Daiber took home the final leg, giving the Seniors a wave as he crossed the finish line.

Floor is Lava: For being one of the most anticlimactic games in all of Spirit Week, this year’s Floor is Lava game had one of the most intense finishes of any game in recent Spirit Week memory. Both the Junior and Senior Boys advanced down the court in the first leg at a steady pace. At the turn, the Seniors had a slight advantage. Both teams had smooth transitions, but the Senior Girls were moving with greater pace to start. Around midcourt, Lily Duda slipped up, forcing the square to be taken back to the back of the line. It looked like the race was over. Both teams moved down the court at similar paces, but the Seniors were four to five feet ahead. The Seniors laid down one last carpet square and began to jump to the finish line. However, the Juniors neglected to lay down a square and all came flying off the court and across the finish line. The Juniors finished just two or three people ahead of the Seniors and the pink crowd in the southwest corner of the Arena went hysterical.

Blindfold Dodgeball: In the inaugural game of Blindfold (a.k.a. Birdbox) Dodgeball, the Juniors took another win. It looked like Cody Smith and Zach Benes might get the job done after a hot start, but it ended up being Lauren Gates and Macey Lottmann that took home the championship. Shortly after the court size was shrunken, Gates nailed both of the two remaining competitors to win the game.

Ultimate Chicken: The Seniors and Juniors both received a bye on Monday, while Grades 7-10 competed in the first round. The Freshman and Sophomores both took home easy wins. Today, the Juniors will take on the Freshman while the Seniors take on the Sophomores. While the Freshmen do have a scar lineup that features basketball players Sam Vestal and EJ Williams, as well as football star LJ Minner, the lineup should be no match for what the Juniors are bringing to the table. The Junior team’s height and athleticism cannot be matched by the Freshman.

*The Juniors come into this upcoming Ultimate Chicken as the reigning champions after defeating the Seniors last year in a close game. This year, the Juniors look bigger and better than ever, adding hockey star Ben Parres to the team. Parres will add height and aggression, giving them that extra edge they’re looking for. Returning from last year are Ben Straub, Brennan Orf, Mason Andrasko, Heidi Hightower, Grace Dempsey, and Hanna Ottsen. It’s hard to imagine any grade defeating this Junior lineup.

Half-Court Shot: There was not sufficient time to complete the Half-Court Shot on Monday, so the shots will be doubled up on Tuesday. Ben Parres will still shoot for the Boys and Carsyn Beachy, basketball player and multi-sport athlete, will shoot for the Girls.

*The half-court shot will be taken by the man, Ben Parres. Parres is perhaps one of the grittiest athletes in this school, and there is no doubt in my mind he will sink the shot. Parres was seen playing on the 7th and 8th grade B-team for basketball, averaging close to double digits, and at least four fouls, every game.

Boys and Girls Tug O’War: Both teams received byes while both Boys and Girls Grades 7-10 faced off against each other. The Freshman Boys upset the Sophomore Boys, who this year’s Juniors lost to last year, but the Junior team is a completely different team than it was last year. The Freshman Girls also upset the Sophomore Girls. Both Tug O’War teams will get started this afternoon.

*With perhaps the biggest upset in all of Spirit Week 2018, the Sophomore boys (this year’s Juniors) fell to Jack Powers and the Freshmen. This year, with lifted heads, the Juniors boys hope to bounce back. The hope this year lies on the shoulders of Ben Chereji, an absolute unit. The boy’s confidence remain high with Chereji, but will it be enough to outmatch Jack Powers and the Sophomores or John Fregene and the Seniors? The remaining slots are filled with Ben Straub, Ben Parres, Henry Jung, Bennie Anderson, Max Radloff, Toby Davidson, and Brennan Orf. Bigger is better.

*The Junior class ladies Tug O’War is for sure a top contender this year. With a similar look to last year, the squad contains Heidi Hightower, Grace Skiljan, both Cunninghams, Sophia Sacco, Katie Stout, Hanna Ottsen, and Katrine Freitag. The only new addition to the team is Katrine Freitag, who looks to get her first spirit week win in her first spirit week game.

Mattress Surfing: Mattress surfing, the Spirit Week game that takes little to no skill at all, is one of the fan favorites for Spirit Week. For the boys this year, the surfer is none other than G-Baby Davis. What G-Baby has that gives him the upper edge over his opponents is not only his size, but his athletic determination. However, Davis suffered an arm injury recently, so it is still questionable whether he will be the man for the job today. On the girls side of things, the surfer is Isabella Francois, which is an excellent choice due to her lack of height, helping the Junior girls keep her on the mat. The roster consists of Henry Hartshorn, Justin Fuller, Alex Daiber, Danny Sacco, Mike Lemp, Jack Martin, Koby Schmer, Luke Engelmeyer, Jake Broyles, Ben Chereji, Lauren Zone, Grace Dempsey, Grace Skiljan, Hanna Ottsen, Sophia Sacco, Heidi Hightower, Evie Cunningham, Izzy Cunningham, Josie Christien, and Katie Hobaugh.

Tag Royale: A new game this year, Tag Royale requires speed and agility. When you think the Junior class and speed, you have to think Alex Daiber. Daiber recently led the Juniors to the win in the Chariot Relay, finishing the relay with no problem. Accompanying him is Cody Smith, another member of the reigning champion relay team. For the girls, the Juniors picked out two top cross country members, Ava Hollman and Isabella Francois. This is a can’t miss game for sure.

Junk Relay: Junk relay is another new game for the Westminster community, and from the looks of it, it should be a good one for the Junior class. The team consists of Brennan Orf, Ben Straub, Koby Schmer, Henry Hartshorn, Lauren Zone, Luci Hilboldt, Kyleigh Peer, and Sophia Mullen. The player to watch in this game is no doubt Henry Hartshorn, perhaps the most competitive man the Junior team has to offer. Though not athletic, Hartshorn provides excellent leadership skills that play a role on the team chemistry. Hartshorn and the Juniors hope to get another win in the bag and add to their 2019 Spirit Week Champions Resume.

*Repeated from yesterday