On the night of October 17, 2025, the opening whistle blew, a sound that felt like the beginning and the end of hard work, determination, and relief. With adrenaline running through their bodies, the seniors felt a genuine and confusing mix of emotions.
Senior Emilio Andres Cabrera felt especially emotional during his last game of the season after reminiscing memories with the team.
“Yeah, I cried during the ceremony because this is my last game, my last opportunity to play in our home field. The other part of me was happy because we won, and I got to finish that cycle of my life,” Cabrera said.
Most of the players honored had spent a long time on that very same home field. Senior Landyn Rayan believes that his passion for football is what eventually kept him in the sport.
“I tried every sport, and football eventually was the one that stuck. I enjoyed playing it and it was just really fun. My mom was the one pushing me to do all these sports. She is always there for me when I need her to be,” Rayan said.
Although for some of these students their sports careers have come to an end, they will continue to pursue their dreams out of high school. As they close this chapter of their life, some, including senior Mekhi Flax, will take the time off to enjoy the time they still have as kids.
“I already know what field that I want to go into and how far into that field that I want to go. I am just enjoying the last part of my youth spending time with friends, making memories, and obviously building myself up to get to that point of success in the future,” Flax said.
Others such as Cabrera are already planning for their future out of high school and what their new dreams look like. Cabrera wants to pursue a career in the automotive industry as an automotive technician after high school.
“My plans after this are to go to college, not for big studies but for working in car collision repairs,” Cabrera said.
During these past years, these seniors have been on the team working hard and pushing through to be where they are now. This hard work earned them some memorable moments.
“The gold bracket championship and the feeling of accomplishment that came with achieving something that had never been done in our school before was just beyond anything else that I have done on the team. Even though we did not win, looking back, it was still great to think about all the memories that were made that led to that moment. The seniors that we had on that team were not only great role models, but some of the greatest friends.” Flax said.
Throughout the evening senior cheerleaders were also recognized; they wore stashes, and each got their very own chance to fly on an assisted prep stunt. Senior cheerleader Roselyn Plasencia Vargas feels that she is unable to grasp that her cheerleading years are coming to an end.
“Honestly, it made me kind of sad at first, like it really hit me that I will not be cheering at any more football games or making memories on our home field. Cheer has been a big part of my life, so realizing it is almost over is crazy. I am grateful for all the moments, but it is tough knowing I will not get to feel that Friday night hype again,” Vargas said.
These athletes received overwhelming support from friends and family members who attended the event. Senior Jaznei Hopkins was one of those very dedicated and supportive friends which brought posters and flowers to celebrate her loved ones.
“It made me sad because I also realized that would be my last football game there as well. I had an amazing time that night and I wish I could go back,” Hopkins said.
A bittersweet feeling of sorrow crossed over the coaches as the seniors walked the home field one last time. They are extremely proud of each member of the team, especially the seniors.
“I feel sad because we put in a lot of hard work, you know all good things have to come to an end. I am very proud of the guys and the young ladies as well, but I am proud that they got better as the season went on. I feel sad for the seniors they are a good group of kids and I thought they really did a tremendous job from even over the summer,” Football coach Matthews said.
