Emotions run wild for senior night against Jenks

Landon Thomas, Staff Writer/Photographer|November 3, 2021

Emotions were running high for Senior Brayden Dutton as this was his last night on the home field. “I honestly loved every minute playing for all of the fans since my freshman year,” Dutton said. “I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.”

Senior Night is a tradition where seniors’ high school careers are celebrated at the last home game of the season. On Oct. 22, Yukon football went against Jenks for senior night with members of the football team and staff, pom, cheer, band and color guard all celebrated either before the game or during halftime. Friends and family would escort each senior down a walk on the football field as the people in attendance would hear about their accomplishments and information about their high school careers. Students were overcome with emotions when Yukon lost the game 48-14 as they realized this would be their last time on the home field.
“It honestly has been such a blur to me how fast my time in high school has gone by,” senior Lynlee Cummings said. “I didn’t think that it was over until I heard the endgame buzzer and started crying when I saw my parents come down to the field to comfort me when the game ended.”
The first to walk down and be escorted were the football seniors.
“I couldn’t believe that this was the end of the road; it went by so fast,” senior quarterback Brayden Dutton said. “Some of the best memories I have were with this team on the home field, so of course, it was an emotional night for me, and I feel like I could say the same for everyone else as well.”
While naturally, the football players would be the focal point of those who would be honored, other members who cheered for the game or worked the sidelines were also overwhelmed by their emotions.
“I haven’t cried in a long, long time, but I realized this was the last time I would get to cheer for my hometown crowd, and it definitely got to me,” senior pom member Paisley Huffines said.
After the game ended, seniors who were watching the game in the stands rushed down to the field to say their final goodbyes to football at Miller Stadium. They began to shower their classmates in hugs and congratulate them, followed by many unforgettable pictures and moments that those students will remember for the rest of their lives.
“When I saw my friends that were a part of the team in one way or another start to cry, it clicked to me that this was the end of it all,” senior Paige Adams said.