One of the best parts of senior year–before graduation, of course!–is what’s called senior night. This isn’t the senior night before school starts where everyone makes t-shirts and stays up all night but a time to celebrate our senior athletes. Senior nights traditionally coincide with the last regular season home game or the last time seniors are guaranteed to play on their home court or field. Sometimes, the underclassmen decorate posters or the fields/courts with pictures or field chalk, or they put Solo cups in the fence to spell out sweet messages. When you’re a senior honored on senior night, all the attention is on you! Your parents come and walk you out in front of the crowd, and your coach gives a small speech about you, making the night special and memorable.
The first senior night of the fall season was Varsity Girls Tennis, which celebrated their lone senior, Jodie Coble, on September 21, in many creative ways. They wrote in chalk all over the courts, put cups in the fence to spell “WE ♡ JODIE,” and got her a few small gifts. Along with some delicious cupcakes, they gave Jodie a framed team picture with everyone’s names and a giant tennis ball they had all signed. Athletic Director Mrs. Katherine Bryant even spoke about Jodie at the match after her parents walked her out, making her senior night a special one. “I appreciate everything my team did to celebrate me,” Jodie says.
The next senior night of the season was Varsity Volleyball on October 9. Their original game was scheduled for the week before, but a power outage in the gym right before caused the game to be postponed–but it was worth the wait! Volleyball’s two seniors, Jessica Proctor and Juhee Desai, were honored before the team’s last regular season win against Halifax Academy in five sets. The team made each girl her own poster with pictures of them throughout their years playing volleyball, and a gift bag with a signed team picture, flowers, candy, and a signed card. Both young ladies were walked out by their parents on their special night.
Varsity Boys Soccer held its senior night on October 10. Seniors Parker Eatmon, Owen Smith, Eduardo Ruthes, and Ben Taylor were all celebrated before their game against Grace Christian, one of the best teams in the state, which ended in a hard-fought tie. The boys were walked out by their parents and gifted a framed picture of their team. Senior Ben Taylor said he appreciated the turnout at what they knew would be a tough game.
Last but certainly not least, the final senior night of the fall season was Varsity Football on October 13. This team honored the most seniors (6!) of any fall team, celebrating Marti McKnight, Parker Sherrod, Isaac Calhoun, Cooper Epps, Ben Pitt, and Jordan Wright. The boys were surprised with a big, colorful cardboard display on the field congratulating them, as well as oversized cardboard pictures of their faces. They each had their numbers sprayed on the field in red, white, and blue chalk and were walked out by their parents.
Many seniors were celebrated this year, and all the different teams put lots of effort into these senior nights, making each senior feel special. We’re sure that these successful celebrations will only build the anticipation for seniors playing winter and spring sports as they look forward to their own senior nights.
