Seven Hills' senior soccer players
Senior night has been a long-lasting tradition at high schools across the country. Seven Hills is no exception to this. Almost every sport has a senior night. Senior night is a night that is dedicated to celebrating the graduating seniors on the team. Some students have been on a team for all four years of high school and some have even been playing the sport since they were first able to.
Senior Rhys Ceron, a varsity soccer player, says his senior night is special because it helps him reflect on how much he has grown as a player. For Rhys, senior night helps bring back memories from past playing seasons, and hours of practice and games. One memory is how when a goal was scored in a tournament game, the entire team was excited. He says his teammate senior Harrison Zhang was getting congratulated for weeks and would get high-fives in the hallway. When saying his favorite tradition on the team he says “Whenever we score a goal, we act like it’s a game winning goal in the World Cup.” He says this to show how closely bonded his team are to each other.
During the week of senior night, people make announcements, signs, and the overall atmosphere is electric. A favorite tradition among the school is the fat, cardboard cutouts of the players’ heads that get brought to the games. Seeing a massive cardboard cutout of a friend is hilarious and brings so much excitement to those who get one. Another tradition at Seven hills is senior banners, all of the seniors on all the teams pose for photos to be taken and hung around the school. These traditions highlight the importance of senior leaders on teams.
Senior Evie Cooper, a varsity tennis player, told me about how one of her favorite parts was when “(my) coach told me what he appreciated about me being on the team and how I’ve grown as a player and a person.” Her senior night was full of laughter, joy, and friendship. When asked about family and friends showing up, Evie said she had family come in from out of town, and a couple of friends came, which made the entire night even more special.
For many of the seniors, it is the last season they will be able to play the sport, so everyone makes sure to show up and show out for their friends. Senior night is bittersweet for most. They are excited to play, yet sad that their senior season is finally over. It helps put high school into perspective, and it is a way to wrap up senior year. Senior night brings together different grades, different teams, and different sports. Everyone shows up to support one another.
