In their homecoming game this year, the Wolves fell to the Riverview Sharks, 28-14. However, the circumstances around this loss were anything but typical. A massive rainstorm on the original night of the game forced the competition to be postponed until the next morning after just a few minutes of the game was played.  

   Before the rain began to pour, the energy at the game was downright electric. Senior Anthony Deluca exclaimed that, “The game was absolutely insane! One of the loudest I have ever heard!” The Wolves got off to a hot start riding the energy of the crowd, with senior Clayton Brown scoring a touchdown early in the game to put the Wolves up 7-0. The defense also came up with a nice stop against the fearsome Sharks offense to put their team in a position to go up two scores early. However, that was when disaster struck.  

   As the rain came down, students and players began to evacuate the field and stands. Many students crammed into the cafeteria or under the covering in an attempt to stay dry during the downpour. While there was initially optimism that the game could be restarted, the persistence of the storm forced administrators to postpone the rest of the competition. When the game resumed early the next morning, the shift’s impact was apparent immediately.  

   Senior Kian Salazar said that the lack of crowd noise combined with having no band or cheerleaders led to the team having no energy throughout the game. Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Sharks came out hot, scoring three touchdowns in consecutive drives to go up 21-7. Senior Jacob Bradner said of the Sharks, “They came out of the gates ready to rock and roll and we came out a little flat, and they capitalized.”  

   However, the Wolves were not going to go down without a fight. Junior Malik Hassoun got into the end zone to bring the Wolves within one possession of the Sharks. But the Sharks continued to pile on the points, scoring another touchdown to bring the score to 28-14, which would end up being the final score for the game.  

   The odd circumstances around the game have led many on the team to ponder what the outcome would have been if the storm had never moved in on Friday night. Bradner said that in the initial start of the game, Riverview, “…showed up late and seemed very disorganized.” It is not out of reach to say that dysfunction combined with the rowdy home crowd could have led to an emphatic Newsome win. However, nature had other plans.