Were You Ready for It?

Taylor Smith 
Staff Writer
  It is Friday night, the lights are shining down on the field, and the crowd roars as the players run on the field. “Bees! Bees! Bees!” The football players hear distant chants. As they begin warming up, the chants seem to fade away. Everything is a blur. “Thump, thump.” Their hearts beat faster and faster. The announcer says, “Let the games begin,” and the annual Bonneville versus Hillcrest Civil War commences.
  The traditional Civil War football game first started in the fall of 1992 whereas the most recent game took place on October 6, 2023. Every year the game is held at Thunder Stadium, the shared Bonneville-Hillcrest field, and the teams alternate being home or away. This game has been a long standing tradition; Civil War week is one of the biggest occasions at Bonneville High School. A few BHS student organizations and clubs take charge of Civil War week: StuCo was in charge of dress up days and Hope Squad was in charge of organizing lunch activities.To help the school spirit shine through in preparation for the upcoming game, at the end of the week, StuCo put on an assembly in the main gym. During the assembly, the cheerleaders taught the school cheers, and StuCo nominated teachers to judge which side of the gym had the most school spirit. After the cheers ended and scores were tallied, the football players decided to make a grand entrance. With music playing as they entered, they ripped the Hillcrest posters to hype up the crowd. The intensity and urge to win was palpable as the athletes encouraged the crowd to attend the game and reminded their peers to support all BHS athletic teams.
  There are many amazing athletes who are aspects of how the football team strives. One of the Featured players is Mateo Madreno, a senior on varsity. He plays wide receiver and anywhere else he is needed. Multiple people have had worried thoughts on how they play, as Mateo says, “Everyone has a job that they are scared of messing up.” Going into any game, especially a rivalry, emotions are very mixed, so relying on the team is crucial.
  Hillcrest’s Varsity football team came to the Civil War game with an undefeated season, and continued their streak with this game. Shortly after kickoff, the kick return, when a returner catches the kick and tries to advance towards the end zone, brought the ball up the field all the way to the 15-yard line. Tyler Myrup, a junior on the BHS team, reached for the legs of the kickoff returner and took him down. As the game continued, Hillcrest proved themselves worthy of taking home the title of champion. As for the BHS freshman team, their season finished on a high note; the team brought down Hillcrest as a whole. 
 Civil War always offers a variety of characteristics to the game such as sportsmanship, competition, courage, and optimism.For this year, no matter what grade, each player left his heart on the field. Especially for the graduating athletes, leaving it all on the field was the only option.
Although the Civil War is just one night game for each team, it goes far beyond that. The game brings dress up weeks, games at lunch, pep assemblies, and loads of spirit for everyone. No matter who is participating, everyone can find joy during the Civil War!

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