By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
While the lights of Gary Field at Colonel Crawford were aglow Wednesday night, football was not being played, but a clash of titanic proportions between students unfolded.
In its fifth year at the high school, the Colonel Crawford Clash of the Classes featured freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors battling it out across eleven events for bragging rights leading up to the school’s homecoming football game Friday night.
The event was coordinated by Student Council Advisor Janet Parsons. Parsons, who organized the event, explained where the idea for Clash of the Classes came from.
“My high school used to do this. I am from Tiffin, and so when I came down here to Colonel Crawford when student council opened up I took it on, and started implementing it here,” Parsons said.
The first event of the evening was dubbed the sled race. No actual sleds were used in the race, rather, students interlocked together as they scooted across a portion of the field. Taking first place in the event were the seniors. The senior class would go on to win three events total during the evening.
Competing in their final Clash of the Classes were Alexus Burkhart, Kerstin Vehrs, and Lexi Wireman. All three seniors reflected on the games.
“I think it is sad, because this is one of our favorite things to do,” Burkhart said.
“This is one of the most fun things about high school, I think,” added Vehrs.
“I am totally going to miss it, Mrs. Parsons does a great job,” Wireman noted.
While the seniors picked up the first victory of the evening the juniors charged into an early lead winning five of the seven opening events. Juniors Harley Shaum and Brody Martin described what their favorite events were.
“I don’t know, I think we enjoy them all, we just like to have fun,” Shaum explained.
“I liked during the scooter races, when the scooters broke and we all just ran,” Martin added.
“The tug-of-war means a lot to us every year also,” Shaum said.
The event wasn’t all juniors and seniors as the sophomores took first place in the chicken relay, while the freshmen took home bragging rights in the tug-of-war competition.
The winners for the event will be named during the school’s pep rally.
Related photo gallery: 2016 Colonel Crawford Clash of the Classes