Our Homecoming King and Queen, Jose Ledesma and Leslie Camillo were crowned at halftime. Photo by Aleyshka Barbosa

By Johana Lastor and Aleyshka Barbosa

Cold weather never stopped people with determined mindsets. Sitting on the cold bleachers of Boverini Stadium, Oct. 28 was a night that seemed too cold to be watching a football game. Even so, there we all were – students, teachers, parents, even PHS alumni. Everyone was ready to watch the Passaic Indians vs. the Hackensack Comets.

If anyone has ever experienced a football game, it can be  an overwhelming experience. For an inexperienced viewer the game can be difficult. The bleachers were full, the Passaic High School Marching Band and the PHS Cheerleaders ignited the crowd, and everyone was ready to cheer.

What’s worse than not getting to have the last word in an argument? The Passaic Indians intercepted the ball three seconds before halftime! As we were all left with our adrenaline pumping, we were left hanging right before the climax! A few seconds later, the crowd had shifted its attention to the PHS Marching Band, as they gave a stellar performance, leaving the crowd in awe.

After the halftime performance, the night’s special event commenced. The Homecoming Court walked in and brought everyone to his or her feet. Everyone in the Homecoming Court looked fabulous and very cold. Smiles and high hopes filled the stands. The Homecoming King and Queen of 2016 were announced, Jose Ledesma and Leslie Camillo!

I got the chance to interview Homecoming nominees about their experience, before and after the winners were announced. This year, seniors Darshak Rana and Thania Rubio were nominated for the Homecoming Court.

Homecoming nominees spend a lot of time preparing and campaigning for a win. Rubio stated, “The hardest part about campaigning had to be coming up with something creative and eye catching at the same time.”

Rana explained to me that multitasking was his obstacle. “You have to show up to meetings and I have sports, I run Cross Country, and to make posters was time consuming.” Rana shared.

Rubio explained that the Homecoming Court her freshman year sparked her interest in running: “The most interesting part had to be dressing up for a whole week. I mainly did it for fun!”

Rana, on the other hand, stated that he decided to run because it is his senior year: “Homecoming is once in a lifetime event to be part of in high school.”

Rubio’s desired takeaways from Homecoming did not focus on winning, “My expectations going to the Homecoming Court was really to come out of my comfort zone and make memories with many of my friends from the court.”

Rana stated, “I believe I have a good chance but also at the same time all of the competitors do as well. They all made it through the first round and now we are on the same line. Although, whatever happens it’s going to be a fun experience and definitely a time to remember.”

After the Homecoming game, we returned to continue the interview to see their results on where they placed, as well as if their perspective had changed.

Rana stated that he expected a spot in the top four, yet he was not hoping as much going into the Homecoming. Although, after winning runner up first place, he said “it exceeded my expectations” and that he is glad he had fun with his classmates that he will graduate with in June.

Rubio has never campaigned for a position before and explained, “I never had so much attention on me as I did for that whole week.”

Both candidates explained that the entire experience was definitely memorable. Rubio added, “I want to thank everyone who voted! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this experience. It was a lot of hard work and dedication, but so much fun and I would not change anything about it!”

Returning back to the actual game, the Comets won with a score of 48-18. One of last year’s graduates admitted, “I miss the feeling of coming to these football games, even if the outcome isn’t what we hoped.”

Shout out to number #21 Deondre Tosen for his top-notch performance throughout the game and the PHS Football Team. The dedication showed throughout the game proved that PHS students will never give up and that school pride is never  lost.