Against Solanco: The Milk Jug Is Finally Home!
Last Friday, October 6, was the game I waited all season for: the Milk Jug game. Every year, we face off against Solanco, the winner claiming the milk jug for the rest of the year. Solanco kept the jug for the past couple years, leaving us hungry for a victory.
All the seniors are starving for a win. They watched our team fall in past years, and they want to graduate knowing they have beaten Solanco. As a freshman, I would like to win too, but I also want to feel the vibe of the game. Even as a middle schooler, I never attended a Milk Jug game, but I heard of stories of spectacular plays and chaotic cheering.
After a couple wrong turns, we arrive at Solanco just in time to see their marching band perform. They play songs I recognize, one of them being “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay. Although their band is quaint, they play marvelously and clearly. As they march off the field, our attention turns to the elephant (or rather, mule) in the room. At the end of the field towers a ginormous inflatable of their mascot, the golden mule, guarding a tunnel the Solanco team runs through at the beginning of the game. Our whole band snickers at the mule, wondering when we will get one with a Pioneer.
As the teams are introduced, two Solanco players carry out the Milk Jug. I cunningly wonder to myself if this is the last time they will touch the jug for a long time.
After a performance of the national anthem, the game commences. So far, the game seems to be going in our favor. Our offense is tough and strategic, and our defense is sturdy and relentless. Our band has many opportunities to play some of our favorite songs, and more often than not, we play out fight song.
As we prepare for our halftime show, we have to walk onto the field using the mascot tunnel. It feels illegal, as if I am mocking their team pride. We perform the halftime show okay. For me, it is a rocky beginning, but I get myself together quickly. The field feels as if I were home- literally. So far this season, they are the only other school with a grass field rather than turf.
As I scan the home stand at the finale of the show, I notice many people have left. The Solanco student section dwindled to about half its starting size. Although people walked out on our performance, I am not the least bit offended; they are walking out because we are beating them.
Our team’s success increases exponentially as the game comes to a close. Even the golden mule inflatable knows how this is going to end; it starts to fall to the ground, toppling over onto its stomach. Although time is passing, we keep up the spirit of the Pioneers. Both the offense and defense use the electricity from the stands to power through the competition. I am amazed by the determination of our team. In these moments, I am truly proud to be a Pioneer.
As the game wraps up, we never spare Solanco a single point. We rise as victors 46-0. Our team carries the Milk Jug proudly, grinning ear to ear. As I watch the field, I notice my math teacher, Coach Heyser, overflowing with happiness. I can feel the elation radiating from him from over a football field away. I wish everyone could experience the level of glee he feels in this moment, the feeling that is so positive and powerful that words cannot describe it. If the world would ever be as joyful as Coach Heyser is now, all would be good.
Come Support the L-S Football Family on October 13 at the Homecoming game against Elizabethtown! I wish to see all of you there!
By Alyssa Zaepfel, LS News reporter
All the seniors are starving for a win. They watched our team fall in past years, and they want to graduate knowing they have beaten Solanco. As a freshman, I would like to win too, but I also want to feel the vibe of the game. Even as a middle schooler, I never attended a Milk Jug game, but I heard of stories of spectacular plays and chaotic cheering.
After a couple wrong turns, we arrive at Solanco just in time to see their marching band perform. They play songs I recognize, one of them being “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay. Although their band is quaint, they play marvelously and clearly. As they march off the field, our attention turns to the elephant (or rather, mule) in the room. At the end of the field towers a ginormous inflatable of their mascot, the golden mule, guarding a tunnel the Solanco team runs through at the beginning of the game. Our whole band snickers at the mule, wondering when we will get one with a Pioneer.
As the teams are introduced, two Solanco players carry out the Milk Jug. I cunningly wonder to myself if this is the last time they will touch the jug for a long time.
After a performance of the national anthem, the game commences. So far, the game seems to be going in our favor. Our offense is tough and strategic, and our defense is sturdy and relentless. Our band has many opportunities to play some of our favorite songs, and more often than not, we play out fight song.
As we prepare for our halftime show, we have to walk onto the field using the mascot tunnel. It feels illegal, as if I am mocking their team pride. We perform the halftime show okay. For me, it is a rocky beginning, but I get myself together quickly. The field feels as if I were home- literally. So far this season, they are the only other school with a grass field rather than turf.
Our team’s success increases exponentially as the game comes to a close. Even the golden mule inflatable knows how this is going to end; it starts to fall to the ground, toppling over onto its stomach. Although time is passing, we keep up the spirit of the Pioneers. Both the offense and defense use the electricity from the stands to power through the competition. I am amazed by the determination of our team. In these moments, I am truly proud to be a Pioneer.
As the game wraps up, we never spare Solanco a single point. We rise as victors 46-0. Our team carries the Milk Jug proudly, grinning ear to ear. As I watch the field, I notice my math teacher, Coach Heyser, overflowing with happiness. I can feel the elation radiating from him from over a football field away. I wish everyone could experience the level of glee he feels in this moment, the feeling that is so positive and powerful that words cannot describe it. If the world would ever be as joyful as Coach Heyser is now, all would be good.
Come Support the L-S Football Family on October 13 at the Homecoming game against Elizabethtown! I wish to see all of you there!
By Alyssa Zaepfel, LS News reporter
