By: Solen Aref
Chances are that if you were on campus last week, you heard about the last home football game: the one and only homecoming game.
Right in the middle of family weekend-the 60th year alumni reunion-and senior day, this homecoming game drew a large spectator crowd of all ages to cheer on the Lutes one last time at home this season.
Prior to the game, fans gathered at Sparks Firehouse Deli for a tailgate celebration to get hyped up for the game and enjoy fellow Lute’s company. Coach Brant McAdams also stopped by to meet some of the fans just before heading over to the stadium.
There was music, and food, and lots of chatter as the place buzzed with energy and excitement for the soon to be game.
Since the tailgate tickets were sold out well in advance, the deli house was packed to the brim, erupting with chatter and laughter.
Just down the street from the tailgate, there were a few tables set up outside of the stadium that small crowds were gathering around. One table was a setup for a chili cook off. Terri Hatton and Mark Bennett, who were both parents of former Pacific Lutheran University football players, were at the game working the table. When Terri’s sons Cody and Lucas and Mark’s son Kyle attended PLU, there wasn’t a chili cook off tradition in existence.
Wanting to start something that parents could participate in to be more involved and have their own tradition, the chili cook off was born.
What started 6 or 7 years ago with a team of five, quickly grew to a large group of parent volunteers.
Terri described how parents of all the football players were welcomed to join, especially freshman parents who “are very included,” to help continue on the tradition all four years their child plays.
The game itself was a true mark of teamwork and unity, from the stands of roaring, enthusiastic fans, to the long line of players cheering on their teammates from the sidelines.
Despite the rain that picked up, the energy of the team and the fans stayed consistently hopeful. The George Fox Bruins brought their ‘A’ game, and unfortunately the Lute’s efforts just wasn’t enough to beat that.
The first quarter ended with no points for the Lutes and the Bruins ahead by 13. While the Lutes picked up 7 points in the second quarter, George Fox was still ahead with a leading 22. A back and forth rally left both teams not scoring in the third and fourth quarter, ending the game with a 7-35 defeat.
While the results may not have worked out in our favor, the game still brought families and individuals together to cheer on a common team and celebrate their hard work this season.
The crowds contained all age groups and types of people. From friends having a good time cheering on their school, babies in diapers, and proud grandparents who came out to see their grandsons play, or their granddaughters cheer. Not once did the players stop cheering each other on.
Second year player Kylan Sadettan explained why the players on the sidelines kept cheering on the rest of their team stating, ”something that’s always been kind of big is supporting and playing through your teammates that are on the field…no matter what, if we’re down, or if we’re up, we always keep the intensity on the sidelines really good, always supporting our players.”
And support the players they did. Second year international student Claudia Sarmiento Garcia attended the homecoming game, which was also her first American football game.
She said “They had the fans in the stands, the cheerleaders, the band, but most importantly, they had their other teammates…it was very inspirational to me.”
Coach Brant McAdams also felt the same way about the team. While this is only his first year coaching PLU football, he is proud of their season and how they played.
When asked about the homecoming game, he said that the boys “fought all the way to the end…all you can ask for is improvement and their best effort.” This season had many things to celebrate, including three other home wins prior to the homecoming game.
While the Lutes may not have taken the win this time, the Lutes showed up, worked hard, and had each other’s backs throughout the entire game, and that’s a hell of a lot to be proud of.
