Everybody gets in the game at Half Hollow Hills East homecoming

A Half Hollow Hills High School East tradition is students participating in Competition Night the Saturday evening after the homecoming football game. Students from each grade take part in  events like the three-legged race or tug-of-war.

For freshman, it’s part of the introduction to their new school.

But for some seniors, it’s a last chance for their class to make a mark.

“It’s a pretty big deal. I mean, we want our last year to be memorable, right?” says senior Taylor Rashti, who like many of her classmates wrote “SENIORS” on her arms. “We are definitely looking to win.”

Another aspect of Competition Night is the opportunity for those not involved with varsity sports to compete for their class.

“The football players and the cheerleaders, you know, they had a chance to do something today for homecoming, and now a lot of kids not on those teams can try and win,”  senior Michelle Mora said Oct. 7.

The seniors showed their enthusiasm throughout the evening, screaming loudly much of the time and finishing first in most of the events.

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: High school homecomings across LI

But that didn’t dampen the experience for freshman like Meghan Kalenborn.

“I love this,” she said. “It’s so cool to be playing with the older grades, getting to know them . . . and seeing what it’s like to be a senior, I can’t wait for that.”

“By next year, we’re done here,” senior Mora said. “So we need to win today . . . sometimes, you meet people who graduated, and they’re like ‘We won as seniors,’ so yeah, I need to be able to say that.”