Energy was high for Plymouth’s Homecoming game as Plymouth and Novi students, parents and football fans filed into the stands on a chilly Friday evening. According to Congress members and other students, the student-organized tailgate was a great start to the night.

Izzy Tiplady, Congress Secretary and Plymouth Junior said, “It was a huge success! The music was bomb and there was a lot more participation from the other Plymouth sports teams this year.”

The Plymouth Student section was a giant pink mass for the annual Pink-Out. And the Novi stands were represented by students, band members and parents.

Before the game started, Plymouth Athletic Director Luke Swanson sounded confident, saying, “I think Plymouth will win this game.” His predictions proved to be right.

The first half of the game was a defensive battle, with Plymouth and Novi tied at 0-0.   

Despite the lack of points in the first half, energy remained high from the Student Section. Exciting performances from Plymouth Cheer, Plymouth PomPon and the P-CEP Marching Band entertained and wowed the crowds.

Also at halftime Congress brought out the members of Homecoming Court (Emily Britton, Aaliyah Jordan, Mackenzie Osgood, Rebecca Przbylo and Kenna White for the girls; Brandon Boyd, Blake Nowicki, Ethan Touma and Devon Wisniewski for the boys) onto the track with Boise paper boxes. They all reached in the boxes, and all but two of them pulled out a black stapler in jello, a reference to the popular show “The Office”, this year’s homecoming theme. The winners pulled a golden stapler out of the jello– the winners being Kenna White and Blake Nowicki.

When asked if he was surprised, Homecoming King Blake Nowicki answered, “A lot of people were telling me I was going to win, but yeah, you just have to stay humble.”

Homecoming Queen Kenna White had similar thoughts on the victory, “It’s just pretty cool to know people voted for me, and I’m glad that I won with Blake!”

As the third quarter began, the stands were eager for something to happen. Answering that, Junior wide receiver Mike Mathias scored the first touchdown in third quarter, followed by another with five minutes to go in the quarter.

Also during the third quarter, the Council of Athletic and Academic Teams (CAATS), went into the stands with buckets for their “Miracle Minute” fundraiser asking for change. All proceeds went to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), as September is National Suicide Prevention Month.

Bassil Syed, a CAATS member and Plymouth senior, noted, “We chose it because it’s a cause that’s affected a number of people in our school community very closely.“

The event ended up being very successful, Syed happily saying, “A ton of people came out and we raised close to $500, which was really great. Everyone from the parents to the band to the student section contributed, even on the Novi side, and it was uplifting to see such a huge outpouring of support.”

By the start of the fourth quarter, Plymouth took a strong lead (21-0), and the Student Section was going wild with excited chants and cheers. The score remained 21-0 as Plymouth’s defense held Novi scoreless.

The Plymouth fans rushed onto the field to celebrate, waving a Plymouth Student section flag.

“The game had a rough start, but it ended well,” said Senior defensive lineman Luke Fisher, “We came in with confidence.”

That confidence seemed to work well for the Plymouth team, bringing home a solid win for the now 3-2 Wildcats.