On Thursday, Oct. 20, the senior girls battled it out with the junior girls in the annual flag football game, Thompsons Turf War. Formerly known powderpuff game, it is now a dedication game for a former teacher, Sandy Thompson, who worked at RCHS for over two decades.

Before the game there was a dedication for  Ms.Thompson. The pavilion behind the cafeteria was dedicated to Ms.Thompson because she had always wanted somewhere for the students to have their own space. 

She had saved up money from the graduating senior classes and put much of her own money into the fund for the pavilion. All of the players of the game, cheerleaders, and members of the band came together to bring school spirit and honor Ms. Thompson. The dedication brought many together as a community and now this will be an event that honors Ms. Thompson for years to come.

The speeches that were given by teachers in close relation to Ms.Thompson displayed her kind and caring personality. Thompson’s Turf War and many other fundraising events have raised money for a scholarship in Ms. Thompson’s name. The scholarship will be given to a student going into a CTE program after highschool. 

Days before the big game, the coaches of the teams planned practices to get all of the girls prepared for the game. The coaches of the teams were senior and junior boys on the varsity football team.

 Senior coach Landon Joines is on the Varsity Football team

 “It was an honor to coach the senior girls. They were more dedicated this year,” said Joines. “After the loss they had last year, they wanted to win this year,”

 Senior Anna Wilson who played in the turf war.

“I really loved all the supportive energy between my teammates, coaches, and the girls on the other team. Everyone was hyping each other up and congratulated them and it was great to feel and give that support. It was also nice that there was that connection across the teams. Even though we were playing against each other, some of the juniors and I would pat each other on the back — it was competitive but sportsman- like and just a great environment overall.” said Wilson. 

Wilson continued, “Knowing I was honoring Ms. Thompson gave me more of a purpose and power to play, I wanted to not only win for her legacy, but I wanted to have a good, fair, and family-like game because that’s what she stood for,”

The senior girls took home the win this year. It was a hard fought game between the grades. The seniors started off with the ball and had a good run. The ball was intercepted by the junior team which eventually got them a touchdown. This motivated the seniors to come back and dominate the competition. Scoring four more touchdowns to finalize the game.

Pictures taken by Brandi Wimer