The Varsity Football Team probably imagined their first home game differently. The Bulldogs lost their first game at home with a very clear 47-21 victory for Homedale. The atmosphere on the football field on September 13, was buzzing with excitement. It was a beautiful night, and everyone was looking forward to the game.
However, the visitors from Homedale were able to pull away from the Bulldogs early on. At half-time, the score was already 40:0 in favor of the visitors. Unfortunately, even the half-time huddle could not prevent the defeat. Although the Bulldogs finally scored in the second half and were even able to hold the guests to seven points, they still lost by a clear 26 points.
Despite the tough loss, Kimberly High School fans supported the team until the end.” ... our fans really were the best,” said Frans, a player on the team. “Even though we didn't deliver like expected in the first half, they never stopped believing in us.” The theme of the night was military support, and the crowd did not disappoint. Many students and parents showed up in camo to support their team and celebrate the military. They sang, cheered, and celebrated every success, no matter how small. Even though the evening did not end with a victory for Kimberly, the atmosphere was still good, and many people had fun.
The evening also provided our team with a valuable learning experience. Frans sums up the situation aptly: “In my eyes, we didn't lose. I think that everyone played well, and that it was more of a learning game.” Despite the defeat, the team can take a lot from their experience and build on it in the next home game, especially the strong second half. “The first two quarters we made some mistakes which led to touchdowns, but in the second half, we definitely showed that we were the better team”.
Of course, the motivation for the next home game is now all the greater. “Yeah, motivation for every game going forward is very high,” said Kenyan Hernandez, another player on the team. The team is hungry and wants to present itself even stronger next time. Kenyan sums up the situation as follows: “We are a team with a lot of talent; we’ve just got to play our own game for four quarters.” The team is convinced that it has not yet reached its full potential. That, of course, bodes well. Now everyone is hoping to cap off the next home game with a win.
The Bulldogs took the loss to heart and came out firing the next week, defeating top-ranked Sugar-Salem 17-14 on a last-second Eddie Paz field goal. The win spoiled Sugar’s homecoming.
Kimberly has a bye this week, but will take the field the week after for a Homecoming game against Filer High School