Sequoyah Spirit on Display: Spirit Week and the Second Annual Homecoming Soccer Game
Photo Credit: Matt Hutaff
After the very first homecoming game in Sequoyah high school history last year, the Gryphon soccer team has gained new players and made new efforts. The Gryphons have had to overcome tough games and support each other as a team. The team’s hard work and perseverance paid off with a final record of 4-4-2 (four wins, four losses, and two draws). Coming at the end of spectacular Spirit Week that set the tone in mid-October, the setting for the 2024 Sequoyah homecoming soccer game against Mesrobian High School was October 17 at Jackie Robinson Park.
Spirit Week kicked off with Nintendo day and a Skittle eating contest. The rest of the week consisted of jersey day, everything but a backpack day, “Death by Disco” day (the theme of the homecoming dance on Friday), and most importantly, spirit day. Spirit day was Thursday, the day of the homecoming soccer game; the Spirit Committee encouraged students to attend the game and wear green in support of the Gryphons.
Similar to last year, many supporters came to cheer Sequoyah on, upping the stakes for the team. The Gryphons were at a small disadvantage, considering their prized strikers Luca Lombardi ’27 and Emmet Thomason ’26 were out due to a broken leg and a pursuit of the Sequoyah Finance Club, respectively. These absences, however, did not keep the team down. Renowned for his offense, Shanti Moran ’26 scored the first goal of the day. He stated that in order to foster a good team dynamic throughout the game, it’s important “to get in the right mindset.”
The game continued at a steady pace, as the team got into their “grind-mindset,” determined to give it their all. With parents and siblings coming to support as well as the JV soccer team cheering from the sidelines, the halftime score of 1-2 intensified the crowd’s anticipation. Bringing both the score and Sequoyah’s prospects for the game up, Noah Datum ’27 tied the game 2-2 in the second half. Datum, a sophomore, received well-deserved recognition from the crowd for this homecoming game. Datum explained that “soccer’s always been very present in my household, so that’s my motivation to keep playing.” He also highlighted freshman Alexander Merriam ’28 for the “exceptional” “way Alexander performed in the game,” demonstrating his sportsmanship and the team’s camaraderie.
When asked who he thinks deserves a medal for their gameplay, Coach Ben Moran lauded goalkeeper Andrew Fyke ’26. Although the JV soccer team doesn’t play the homecoming game, Coach Moran also highlighted the team’s efforts, noting that they “overcame a lot and worked and worked and worked, which made it fun to work with them.” Overall, he was proud of both teams and their hard work.
This year’s Sequoyah homecoming soccer game ended with a tie. With another spooky spirit week behind us, next year’s annual homecoming game awaits. Congratulations to Sequoyah Soccer for a season well played!