Story and Photo By Samantha Sanburn
Orange v. Blue; a rivalry that has existed for over a decade; Madison v. MacArthur. The M&M bowl game is the biggest of the year, next to Homecoming. The stands are “orange-d out” every year with school spirit rampant across the stands. But before the game, there must be an event to pump up the student body. Two words: Pep Rally.
The event is set for Friday, Nov. 4 at 8:15 in the auditorium. This year, the pep rally is receiving national coverage because of the schools’ connections with the organization Gridiron Heroes. A cause close to the Madison community, Gridiron Heroes is an organization that supports and funds players who have sustained spinal cord injuries. David Edwards, a former Maverick, worked closely with the Gridiron Heroes organization. Student Council and spirit groups are selling “rowdy towels” for $5 and are giving all the proceeds to the Gridiron Heroes. A supporter of Gridiron Heroes, former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner will be attending the game. CNN will be at the pep rally to cover the festivities.
“I’m really glad CNN is televising the pep rally and that we are receiving that kind of recognition as Madison High School and for our good football program,” junior Alex Smisek said.
The pep rally also has some games planned. A few faculty members are going to participate in an M&M ice cream eating contest. Those faculty are choir director Michael Murphy, English teacher Joseph Guyer, coach Jason Hendrick and assistant principal Joseph Williams. They will be fed the ice cream by choir director Edie Cooksey, English teacher Carolyn Landess, CATE teacher Michelle Hendrick, and AP secretary Carolyn Gesell, respectively. The next game that’s on the agenda is a take on the ol’ egg race. A student team and faculty team will race across the stage on scooters with an M&M on a spoon.
This may seem easy, but there’s more. Three members from the softball and baseball team will be throwing dodgeballs at the students on the scooters. “Rossi’s Racers” consist of assistant principal Zeena Rossi, science teacher Janeen Kellogg, coach Robert Cummings, and science teacher Glenn Hitzfelder. Competing against them are four senior football players, “Streety’s Studs” made up of Justin Jones, Isaiah Carter, Nate Hernandez, and Mark Erlich. The big, bad dodgeball crew is made up of softball players Ashleigh Pachecano, Nicole Clodfelter and Trini Spriggs and baseball players Trey Domino, Roert Koenigsberg, and Josh Breiten.
“[The M&M bowl] shows a friendly rivalry between Madison and Mac,” dance director MaryAnn Barrow said.
Pep rallies are a great way to unite the student body, faculty and community. They set the tone for how the game will go, and the mentality the team has when they walk on the field.