Football, Fundraising and Fun for All Ages
WEST POINT – Last Friday, West Point High School celebrated 50 years of football by honoring the original team of 1964 at the beginning of that night’s football game against Pope John Paul II. The folks in and around West Point have been working hard the past couple of months to locate the original players to invite them out for a night of food, football and special recognition.
“This is a year of the four, which has a history of being a good thing for us,” said Amanda Yearwood, guidance counselor. “The team of 1964 was the first football team. The team of 1974 had a very good season and an excellent record. The 1984 team did something special, although I don’t remember what it was at the moment,” she giggled. “Then 1994 was the team that went undefeated and the 2004 team had a really great year. So this being 2014, we are expecting another special year for West Point Football!”
Football seems to bring people together. Whether just watching the game on TV, tailgating at your favorite stadium or playing it yourself out on a big ole football field, it is something we all seem to talk about and enjoy with our family and friends. Some families seem to pass their love of football down generation after generation.
“There are at least three players who are third generation players. Their grandfathers played on the original team, and then their fathers played in the 1980s, and now they are playing,” Yearwood smiled. “We also found some of the original football cheerleaders too. Mrs. Boyd, our home economics teacher, was a cheerleader here in 1964 so she will be at the game tonight.”
Football wasn’t the only excitement at West Point High School Friday night. In the lunchroom, the Math Team hosted a delicious barbeque baked potato fundraiser dinner. The cafeteria was open and lots of people sat around the tables, talking football and enjoying a wonderful meal while catching up on the latest small town gossip and reliving yesteryear.
“We do a potato fundraiser each year before the first game,” said Lucretia Smith, geometry and math team teacher. “It helps fund our tournament season. It enables us to go to math tournaments and pay the registration fees and it pays for the bus and the bus driver. We usually end up selling around 600 plates,” she continued. “We did buy enough for extra plates this time because it’s a special year with the football anniversary tonight.”
As you can see, West Point was the place to be Friday night. Not only was there an opportunity to enjoy a hot barbeque baked potato while helping the math team, but there was also a great chance to celebrate 50 years of West Point football. No doubt the young men and women taking the field tonight will be talking about this evening and this season for many years to come, perhaps even someday getting together to celebrate some Friday night in the future and watching their own grandchildren take the field for some West Point Football.
