The homecoming game on Oct. 22 against Ranchview was a blowout, with the Cards going 70-0 in a one-sided game. Then during halftime, the coronation began with the introduction of the homecoming court. Seniors Ashton Mitchell-Johnson and Mattie McGrady were crowned the 2021 Homecoming King and Queen.

“Never be surprised by what can happen because you never really know who has your back,” Mitchell-Johnson said.

The remaining senior nominees for king were Logan Lowery, Kale Brakebill, Ty Girouard, and Jackson Thomas. They were all escorted onto the field at halftime by their mothers. The remaining senior nominees for queen were Brooklee Waltrip, Emily Walters, Ally Stinton, and Liberty Davis. These ladies were escorted onto the field by their fathers.

“It means a lot to me to have been crowned because I love this community and all of it has done for me throughout my education, so to be representative of sorts for it, is truly an honor,” McGrady said.

Homecoming week was filled with school spirit where students could express themselves and participate in dress up days, a different theme for each day of the week. The following were this year’s dress-up days:

• Monday – Tacky Tourist
• Tuesday – Decades Day
• Wednesday – Jerseys
• Thursday – Country Western vs Country Club
• Friday – Cardinal Spirit

Students also joined the town of Melissa in attending the homecoming parade and pep rally on Wednesday, Oct. 20. The parade was the longest in school history with multiple floats showing off their organizations and school groups. Once the parade came to an end, everyone gathered in Cardinal Stadium for the community pep rally to praise the many different school programs on their achievements and to pump up the football team for their game Friday night.

Click here to view a drone video of the parade produced by The Batdrone.

The traditional school-sponsored dance that is normally held on Saturday night following homecoming week was postponed until December 4 as a safety precaution until COVID cases in the area have declined; however, students and parents took it upon themselves to organize and host “Faux HOCO” events.

“Big things often have small beginnings because homecoming week started off slow and quickly became very exciting to participate in,” junior Brock Adams, who hosted his grade’s HOCO dance, said.