Friday, October 16th, marked the third Homecoming in Village School history. Every Homecoming is special, but it was clear, weeks earlier, that this particular Homecoming would be different. There is no doubt that everyone on campus has been eagerly anticipating the grand opening of Viking Field. We have seen it being built, piece by piece. Right before our very eyes, we saw the aesthetic beauty of the artificial grass being put in. We saw the sheer size of the scoreboard that dwarfed our previous one. We heard the new sound system blast music from one end of the campus to the other. It was, well…flat-out-awesome. It has been the perfect script. On the school’s 50th anniversary, we are able to unveil a brand new stadium for our community to enjoy.

Now lets fast forward to Homecoming day. The energy on campus was at an all-time high. The Village School drumline and Varsity football players paraded through the halls of each building on campus. The Viking youngsters were all shaking hands with our Varsity football players, who were handing out tickets to the game. The pep rallies in the afternoon got things more revved up for the excitement to come. School was out. The Party on the Patio had begun and good times were had by all. Oh, and a lot of food that isn’t very good for you, but who cares…it’s Homecoming!

Vikings started to pile into the new stadium by the dozens. The bleachers were packed with screaming supporters sitting shoulder to shoulder. At 5pm, the middle school football team got things kicked off for the first game of the double-header, which was a first in Viking history. The Vikings battled hard and went back and forth before falling to Texas Wind, 22-6. The boys fought hard the entire way, making everyone proud of their competitive Viking spirit.

It was almost time for the nightcap of the evening, The Varsity football team roared out of the tunnel, wearing their beautiful baby blue uniforms. The first score of the game went to the Wind, but it didn’t take the Vikings long to answer. The first Viking touchdown of the game came on a rollout pass from Lewis H to Alex M on a 70 yard play. The Wind scored again to take a 14-6 lead, but after that, it was all Vikings, all night long. The Viking’s second touchdown came on a 72 yard touchdown run by the teams leading rusher, Draylyn D. This touchdown made it 14-12, Vikings still trailing. Then the defense got involved. Senior, Earl W, made a huge play by stripping the ball loose and recovering the fumble! It was Vikings ball inside the red zone and poised to score again. A couple of plays later, Draylyn D would have his second touchdown of the night, which was capped off by a converted 2 point conversion by Dami O. Vikings now had their first lead of the night, 20-14. A Max P interception later, and the Vikings had the ball right back. The next score would come on a play action pass from Lewis H to Alex M, for their second hookup of the night. The Vikings now led 26-14. After another defensive stop, the Vikings would add one more score before the half, as Draylyn D rushed in his third touchdown. Lewis H would cap on the 2 point conversion, and the Vikings would take a commanding lead, 34-14. The Wind looked to answer quickly before the half would end, but Max P would come up with his second interception of the game to end the half.

The second half was more of the same. The next two touchdowns came via the pass. The first was from Draylyn D to Alex M. The second was from Lewis H to Andrea T. The Vikings had now scored 42 unanswered points, and now led 48-14. The final Viking touchdown came from Draylyn D, who tied his own school record with 5 total touchdowns in the game. He also set a school record by recording his 25th touchdown of the season. The Vikings ended up winning the game, 56-34. It was a dominating performance, with huge plays being made on both sides of the ball.

The Viking’s performance on the field was the ultimate culmination in what was a special day for the Viking community and family. The new stadium provided the added glitz and glamour to the amazing event, but the energy and substance came from the players, students, families, faculty, and our returning alumni. It was a great day to be a Viking. We are writing our history. 50 Years, Viking Strong.