It wasn’t the fairytale Disney ending the Suns varsity football team may have wanted Friday evening, but there was still something magical about Del Oro’s second-ever Homecoming game for a sophomore JV running back who saved the day and a senior cheerleader who was crowned queen.
Kaiden Artiaga, the JV player in question, found himself in the role of Lion King after scoring the winning touchdown against Mira Monte in the junior varsity game, in which the Suns won 24-19.
Previously, the Suns JV team had secured wins against West and Arvin. On Friday, the Suns faced a Lions team that kept the game close. At halftime, the Lions held a 13-12 lead. The Suns seemed to be in trouble in the third quarter when Mira Monte increased its lead to 19-12, but Del Oro answered back with a touchdown in the fourth quarter to pull within a point of the Lions.
As suspense and excitement kindled throughout the bleachers with the score at 19-18 in favor of Mira Monte, the Suns managed to roar back with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter. That’s when Artiaga took the ball and scrambled 60 yards for a redeeming, game-winning touchdown. It was an eleventh-hour touchdown run that Cinderella would have appreciated as Artiaga broke several tackles on his way to the end zone. Ultimately, the JV game came to an end, and the Suns continued to shine bright with a final score of 24-19. The JV team improved its record to 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the South Yosemite Horizon League, according to MaxPreps.com.
When asked if that play and final touchdown were specifically orchestrated for him, Artiaga replied, “Most definitely. It was the whole team together because without that, I need my line, and without the line I can’t score.”
“It was its own right, and I had to take it,” he said.
As for the varsity game, Mira Monte played Scar to Del Oro’s Mufasa and trampled the Suns, 45-0. However, there was consolation with fun, action-packed, and memorable Disney-themed performances by each of Del Oro’s classes during halftime. Fourth place was a tie between the freshman and junior classes, where the freshmen proved themselves to be part of the Suns Ohana with a Lilo and Stitch-themed performance, and the juniors prepared a scary and spectacular Monsters, Inc.-themed dance. Second place went to the sophomores, who showed their ways to be wicked with a Descendants theme. Finally, first place went to the seniors, reminiscing on their last year of high school with references to film franchises such as Camp Rock, High School Musical and Teen Beach Movie.
The 2024 Homecoming Court was announced immediately after the class performances. Junior Ernest Jones IV was named Homecoming king while senior Ashley Guerrero was crowned queen. Junior Khushwant Kaur was named Homecoming princess.
“Being named Homecoming queen was such an honor,” Guerrero said. “I was super excited and grateful for all the support. That moment meant a lot to me and it’ll definitely be something I’ll cherish forever.”
Del Oro ends its season Friday at East High. The loss against Mira Monte drops Del Oro to 2-7 overall, 0-4 in the SYHL, according to MaxPreps.com.
For more scenes from Friday’s Homecoming game and rally, check out our gallery below:
