It’s that time of the year again. The biggest Friday night game of the year for the team, student section, and the community of Utica. The football team took on the Warren Mott Marauders which were four and two heading into the game. The Utica Chieftains were heading into the game zero and six.

The Friday night game headlined a day full of homecoming events. The band storming the halls, and the homecoming parade helped create a spirited atmosphere for the game.

As the game kicked off, the student section and fans were anticipating a hard-fought game. Within minutes of the first quarter the Chieftains scored a touchdown which left the stadium rocking.

“When the first touchdown was scored everyone was going crazy,” senior John Tisch said. “That touchdown really pumped up the student section and gave us a lot of hope.”

After the touchdown, both teams were battling hard. By the end of the first half, the Chieftains were only down 9 points. The halftime performance show was headlined by the band and the dance team. The band performed “I Want You Back”, “My Girl/I’ll Be There”, “Heard it Through the Grapevine”, and “Ain’t no Mountain High Enough.”

“It’s always really fun to perform for such a large crowd,” senior Amara Booker said. “ The atmosphere was great to perform in.”

After the band performance, the Utica varsity dance performed to “Two Step.” For many senior dancers, it was emotional to dance at their last homecoming game.

“It was bittersweet dancing at the game. I am sad that it was my last homecoming game that I would dance at,” senior Julia Meguid said. “However, it is great to be able to look at the student section and see all of my friends cheering for us!”

The atmosphere of the game not only helped the football players, but also the dance team.

“The atmosphere at the homecoming game was particularly great because there were so many more there,” Meguid said. “It helped us increase our energy and sustain our performance.”

As both teams headed back onto the field, the attention then shifted back onto the game. Unfortunately, the odds weren’t on Utica’s favor as the Chieftains didn’t score another point during the second half. The hard fought game ended with the score being 45-6 in Warren Mott’s favor.

Nevertheless, the homecoming game brought a wealth of Chieftain pride and support and created an unforgettable atmosphere for everyone involved. “The student section made the atmosphere incredible to play in,” senior Christian Gegovic said. “I would like to thank the fans, parents, teachers, and the whole community for coming out and supporting the football team.”

Despite the score, the homecoming game was a night most will remember. The game highlighted the week as it certainly helped lead into the homecoming dance. From the fans, students, parents, dance team, teachers, and the band they all made the night special.

These week long festivities we’re all put in place to get everyone in spirit for the big homecoming dance. Students from tenth to twelve grade goes to the dance and many students look forward to the formal event.

“I was looking forward to homecoming all year because it was my first one,” sophomore Carson Nicoletti said. “The decorations were really sweet but i do have to say that the music wasn’t my taste.”

The dances theme this year was ‘Under the Sea’ and the basis of it was an underwater theme that involved a lot of blue and green and also a huge octopus made out of balloons was hung up in the center of the gym where the dance took place.

“It was really cool and the decorations really looked amazing,” junior Rima Maroki said. “The music was really good and I’m very happy with how it turned out.”

Every student seems to like the homecoming dance for many different things. Some like to dance, some like to be in group settings, some just like seeing their friends, and some kids like all of those topics.

“Homecoming was a blast, the decorations were beautiful,” senior Jonathan McGee said. “The atmosphere was amazing and the dance seemed much more organized and put together this year compared to my two past homecomings.”

During homecoming one of the main things, obviously, is the music being played because it is a dance after all. The school tends to get a new DJ every year and this year followed that same pattern.

“The dance was super fun, it was better than i expected,” senior Nicole Coleman said. “The DJ played some pretty good jams and it was just all around a really good time with my friends.”

Also outside of the gym there are decorations set up all over the hallways which made for a good spot for students to take pictures. Another thing they had was jugs full of water in the cafeteria so every student could stay hydrated during the warm dance.

“All the things they had set up really surprised me, it was really cool,” sophomore Brianna Confer said. “And if I’m being honest the best one was the water it was a big life saver for me and many more throughout the whole dance.”

The dance this year took place on Saturday, October sixth. The times for the dance were 8:15pm-9:30pm. The 8:15 time was the latest you could show up but the dance officially started at 7:30pm that day. At the end of the dance lanyards and stickers were also handed out.

“It was really fun, the DJ was good,” junior Cameron Arafat said. “It was a very good and fun experience because it gave me an opportunity to hangout with some of the kids in school I don’t get the chance to see that much.”