The Wildcats capped off their regular season with a nail-biting 36-35 win over Fenton on Senior Night, pushing their record to 6-3 and securing their spot in the playoffs.
The game itself was a battle from the start, with Fenton taking an early lead. The Wildcats responded, tying the score multiple times throughout the game. As the teams traded touchdowns, Fenton edged ahead at halftime with a 28-20 lead.
“I was never nervous: I always believed in my team. And I know that if we all work hard, we can get through anything. No matter what is against us,” senior Robert Lee said.
In the second half, the Wildcats came out strong, scoring a touchdown and converting a critical 2-point attempt to even the score at 28-28.
The action continued with Fenton adding another touchdown, but the Wildcats answered with one of their own, pushing them up 36-35 by the end of the third quarter.
A defining moment came in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats made a massive fourth-down stop, sealing their one-point victory and leaving the team and fans celebrating.
“When we won the game on senior night I was extremely happy and proud, both at myself and how far our team has come. We’ve worked hard everyday to get to this point. And I’m very happy that the work we put in and outside of practice is paying off,” Lee said.
Set against a playful “White Lies” theme, the night also honored seniors from football, band, cheer, and dance. Fans filled the student section wearing white shirts, each inscribed with a humorous or ironic “lie” about themselves, like “I love homework” or “I never procrastinate.” Pep Club leaders, embracing the theme, held up a large white sheet that read, “We hate sports.”
“We buy the sheets in bulk and come up with something funny to match the theme. We wanted people to know it was White Lie Night, so we wrote it big, then added, ‘We hate sports,’ because obviously, they don’t hate sports—they’re here cheering,” Pep Club adviser Elizabeth Mastroianni said. She added that seniors would sign the final sheet over the weekend as a memorable keepsake from their last home game.
For some, the night held a sense of nostalgia. Natan Pryzbylko, a senior in the marching band, described the experience as “bittersweet.”
“Since it was the last football game I’ll ever perform with the marching band (unless we get a home game for playoffs but that’s uncertain), there were a lot of very solemn feelings in all the band seniors. However, the halftime show we performed is probably my favorite we’ve ever done, so I felt like that combined with the celebration of completing 4 years of marching sort of counteracted the realization that we’ll never get to experience it again,” Pryzbylko said.
With this win on Senior Night, the Wildcats head into the playoffs with renewed momentum and a strong finish to their season.