A highly anticipated football game began between the four Westview classes on May 24. On one side stood the sophomores and juniors, on the other, freshmen and seniors. At the end of the night, the sophomores and juniors took home the win, 16-0, with two touchdowns scored by Soraya Souvanaphong (11), wiping out the freshmen and seniors.
For Battle of the Classes, this tradition is more than just a fun activity for students to partake in during football’s off-season; it’s a way to unite the classes by playing together.
“The goal is to increase student involvement and to connect different roles and communities on campus,” football coach Mitch Donnelly said. “I’ve had several girls say this was the most fun thing they did in high school. That’s cool to see how happy they are. Football’s a unique environment; there’s nothing else like it where you’re under the lights, being announced with a lot of fans. It’s really hard to replicate that experience.”
For Battle of the Classes, all Westview girls were welcomed to join and participate in practices 4 times a week for about a month leading up to the game. For many of these girls, it’s their first time playing football. After spending weeks attending practices, Fatima Raza (9) said she learned a lot about football and was anticipating the game.
“I was a little nervous at first about going up against the sophomores and juniors,” Raza said. “But it was all fun and love at the end. It challenged me to go out of my comfort zone and try new things because you never know if you’ll like something or not.”
The teams were coached by senior football players selected by Donnelly. Coach Joshua Radafshar (12) said that the practices were organized with practice plans and thorough training..
“They’re learning the fundamentals, the plays, and coverages that most football players would know,” Radafshar said.
The senior coaches received guidance from Donnelly and had a practice template for defense and offense. Raza said that the joint team of freshmen and seniors allowed students who don’t typically interact to grow closer.
“It was a fun experience because all the seniors were hyping me up,” Raza said. “We were all laughing and having fun, but also working hard every day.”
This evening, the juniors and seniors will be teaming up to play against the juniors and seniors of Mt. Carmel. This is the first year Westview has played another school during Battle of the Classes. The senior coaches are preparing for the competition.
“We’re taking a lot of precautions, and we want to rebound from our regular season games because we lost to Mt. Carmel originally during football season,” coach Talan Artates (12) said. “We also know some people from Mt. Carmel on the coaching side. They’re our friends, but as Westview, we want the enjoyment of kicking their butt. When a door closes, a window opens.”
Donnelly aims to keep the competition friendly during the upcoming game.
“Hopefully, it’s the right kind of competition,” Donnelly said. “It’s really about bringing the communities together.”
