Photos and story by Sydney Scheer
It was a special night for a small town. Homecoming. The night is not only a celebration of gorgeous homecoming candidates and their escorts in a beautiful ceremony. The night is also an occasion to welcome home alumni. Mrs. Virginia McClain has been coming home longer than anyone else! She is still the longest returning alumna to Luther Homecoming. She watched great-grandchildren, #10 Peyton Wilson, #11 Jace Wilson, and #25 Reed Wilson, play on Wilson Field.
While Luther packs the stands for any game, homecoming is extra special in our town. So many fans came out Friday night that there was a whole quarter wait at the concession stand, if you could wait that long. Lions were everywhere and the Lions on the field did not disappoint.
Just before kickoff, the homecoming ceremony featured four senior queen candidates, and their chosen escorts.
Kaitlyn Fesler, escorted by #56 Blake Christy
Nydra McLaughlin, escorted by #84 Jordan Downs
Soleia (Sunny) Nunley, escorted by #3 Bryce Pearson
Johnna Stottlemyre, escorted by #24 Dakota Pridemore
Flower Girl Miss Sara Voss and Crown Bearer Mr. Lakin Sales took the field with the court. Both are in Mrs. Connell’s Pre-K class. The flower girl and the crown bearer got their que when the queen was named, with directional help of the cheerleaders. The student body voted for their Homecoming Queen as part of Spirit Week.
Miss Nydra McLaughlin was crowned Homecoming Queen. After the ceremony, the escorts ran back to the huddle … not to miss game time.
For the football game, the Chandler Lions visited the Luther Lions. It was a slow start. Luther held the Chandler Lions to zero and Luther only scored six points (#4 Tyler Becker) by the start of the second quarter. Middle of the second, Luther scored (#4 Tyler Becker) and then just before halftime, the scoreboard lit up again as #22 Jesse Cole jumped and snagged the ball in the end zone. Then #4 Tyler Becker got on the board again to round out the half to 28-0. Both the Chandler and Luther bands performed at half-time for grand entertainment.
Second half: OH BOY! It was like a whole new ballgame with an abundance of penalties for Luther. Early in the 3rd quarter Chandler grabbed a safety for two points, and not long after, #22 Jesse Cole scored a touchdown and completed the two-point conversion that followed. Early in the 4th quarter, Chandler snagged a touchdown, pushing their score 34-10. The last ten minutes of the game was scoreless, with plenty of penalties. Close to 20 or more penalties for this Friday night game made it a rough ending. But, Luther Lions pulled out on top!
Defensively, there were two notable “BIG PLAYS”. Senior, #11, Jace Wilson, recovered a fumble which led to atouchdown shortly after. Another senior, #3 Bryce Pearson, grabbed another interception, helping the Luther Lions back to another possession.
The defeat of Chandler marked the first district win for the Luther Lions for the 2017 season.
Next week, Crooked Oak comes to Wilson Field for another home game. It’s also “Teacher Appreciation Night.” Kickoff at7pm. Be there.
#mytown #hoco17
Glad to read the comment from Coach Smith as the number of personal fouls was alarming.! Your pictures are great. The only thing that was notably missing from the story is the fantastic kicks by Jessie Butler. WOW.