Homecoming is where the community unites to celebrate school spirit and create memories with family and friends. At Ripon, we’re known for many things when it comes to homecoming, but there’s nothing quite like the lights, atmosphere and excitement of the Friday night football game. On Sept. 20 our Ripon Indians (1-3) faced off in a heated game against the Hughson Huskies (4-0), their first league match-up of the season. With Hughson’s undefeated preseason (scoring 122 points in three weeks while only giving up 14) and Ripon’s rough start, many people believed the Indians wouldn’t be able to compete with Hughson. However, the varsity team didn’t let that get in their heads and saw this as an opportunity to prove themselves. Although Ripon lost 28-7, it was a close, one-score fight until the fourth quarter. “Our team did a great job at competing against a strong team,” senior Eric Guevara says. “We held them back to the closest game they’ve had all season. We need to fix some little problems, but we are doing great.” Senior teammate Nathan Gaines agrees. “A lot of people counted us out, but I believe that we held our own,” he says. “I think we proved [ourselves].” Ripon’s defense kept them in the game until the end. They started off rough, giving up a touchdown pass on the very first drive, but they quickly dialed in after that and didn’t allow a single point for the rest of the half. This gave the offense a chance to tie it up and take the lead at any given moment.
“We need to clean some things up offensively and get our players who have been out [with illness and injuries] back in there,” Guevara explains. “If we do that, we will see some success in the near future.” With a one-score game in the fourth quarter, the Ripon crowd was cheering and full of energy. In the stands, the band played in uniforms as senior Chloe Lautenslager conducted them to the best of her abilities. There was an intense amount of exhilaration throughout the night. “The support we get from the stands influences how we play and how hard we push ourselves,” Guevara continues. “I tune out everything when I’m in the zone, but it’s motivating to have our hometown crowd [having] our backs supporting us.” As the fourth quarter went on, the Ripon defense was understandably exhausted and unfortunately allowed two more Hughson touchdowns. Despite the 28-7 loss, the game was fought with heart and perseverance. The team still kept their heads high and supported each other after the game. Junior quarterback Joshua Brawley explains, “Everybody has each other’s backs. That’s the thing I love about this team. There’s so much chemistry [and] there’s so much brotherhood.” As for Ripon’s other match-ups against Hughson this week, JV won 45-0 and the freshmen won Thursday night 42-8.
Unfortunately, Ripon’s offense struggled to capitalize. They would go down the field into Hughson territory on several drives, but could not seem to convert. Whether it was incomplete passes or drive-killing penalties, they would be forced to punt on all of those possessions. By the end of the first half, the scoreremained 7-0. “I felt like our defense held up against their offense pretty well, especially in the first half,” senior Logan Lefebvre states. “But as the game went on I think ourdefense started to run out of juice. As far as offense, I felt like we could drive down the field but we couldn’t finish drives with points.” As the boys headed into the locker room, the cheerleaders took the field. The girls had gone above and beyond during the entire homecoming match-up against Hughson, but they especially shined during the halftime performance. They danced their hearts out to the beat of the music swiftly and efficiently. When the Indians came out of halftime, their defense made another stop. The offense though had the same struggles as the first half. By the end of the third quarter, the defense began to get tired and eventually allowed another Hughson touchdown. The Indians never gave up, however, and after this they mounted their first touchdown. The score was 14-7 by the beginning of the fourth quarter.
