Dressed in their football jerseys and helmets, the Glendale Nitros and the Hoover Tornadoes made their entrances and stepped on the field for the last game of the football season last Friday night. As the crowd roared, the football players became more pumped to play.

For the fourth year in a row, the Nitros have celebrated the “Battle for the Victory Bell” with a win against the Tornadoes, 49–6.

Five Clark students were able to experience the game first-hand on the field as they played their hearts out as they listened to the crowd’s cheer for their favorite teams. Juniors Minas Berberian and Aram Grigoryan are Clark’s varsity players for Hoover and seniors Armen Shabanian and Hovhannes Amirkhanyan and junior Larny Lopez are on the Glendale team.

Many Clark students from all grade levels attended the football game as well. Junior Bianca Lopez went to the game to support the Nitros. “I got to see a lot of my old friends, witness an intense game, and be around people with so much school spirit,” Lopez said. “The football game was a great way to show school spirit and to bring everyone together, even if us Clarkies don’t attend either school.”

Senior Christian Mendoza, a former football player for Glendale High School, also attended the game to support his old teammates. Mendoza said that he felt bad because he knew he could’ve been there playing but still thought that the game was awesome.

“The fact that it was the last high school football game really made it important to me. It kept me more focused on watching the game than usual,” Mendoza said. Mendoza usually goes to each homecoming game but also tries to go to a couple of games a year, besides homecoming, to support the team.

The game is considered a big victory for the Glendale Nitros given that the team did not let Hoover score at all during the second half. At halftime, Glendale led, 42-6. Throughout the rest of the second half, Hoover’s score remained the same while Glendale scored another seven points. “They had some playmakers and they could score but our defense played good and stopped them while our offense got to score a lot,” Shabanian said.

Shabanian has been on the Glendale varsity team for the past two years and played on their junior varsity team for one year. He said that he thought the game was really fun but was kind of sad that his high school football experience was coming to an end. At the same time, he said he felt relieved because he won’t have to feel as tired since he no longer has long practices and homework to do right after practice.

Before the game, Shabanian was thinking about the game and was going over the plays so that he could be ready when his coach put him in to play. “It was fun,” he said. “I got to play, and I did good,” Shabanian said. “I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”

Junior Minas Berberian got to experience his first homecoming game as a Hoover athlete. Berberian said that the nitros are a good team and it was fun to verse the team. “My team as a whole probably could have worked harder to win but once we looked at the scoreboard, confidence dropped,” Berberian said. “There’s always next year, though.”

Most of those interviewed said that homecoming game is far more special than any other football game. It’s the last game of the year, the stands are packed, and everyone is more excited and pumped up than ever. A mix of cool, November weather and marching band music were enjoyed by football players, cheerleaders and the large crowds, as they sat on opposite sides of the field. Warming up with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee along with a churro and nachos while listening to the “Star Spangled Banner” was the perfect way to enjoy the Friday night lights.

Senior Alin Torosian also attended the game but was there to support Hoover. Torosian attended last year’s homecoming game, too. “I thought Hoover could have played better, but GHS was too eager to win,” Torosian said. “It seemed like GHS wanted to win more than Hoover did, and were more prepared for it.”

Torosian said that the Hoover side was more energetic and much louder than the Glendale side, even though Hoover lost. “Seniors at Hoover are very spirited and support their school well as a whole. Even their principal came to support them,” Torosian said. Torosian agrees with Lopez and Mendoza that the event was fun to watch and that it was a great way to catch up with old friends.