The chants of encouragement coupled with applause from spectators was all one could hear outside of the annual homecoming dodgeball tournament. 

The audience was a key component that contributed to the mood of the night, as audible groans were emitted from the audience when favorite teams lost matches and screams of excitement erupted at high points in the game.

The dodgeball tournament, set up by leadership, occurred in the old gym on Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. Lasting until 8 p.m, the stands were filled with a combination of administrators, teachers, parents and students as they rooted for their favorite team. Multi-colored Styrofoam balls flew through the air, sometimes flying into the crowd as players took their best aim at opponents.

Junior Joshua Hobbs, who was also chair of the dodgeball committee, was part of the winning team, named the “Big Brains.” Hobbs’ team’s win was unexpected, due to the number of people playing.

“I was really happy. Even though I was not as hyped up as the rest of my team it was still a lot of fun,” Hobbs said. “I was kind of surprised because there were a lot of upperclassmen playing and we actually won.”

Hobbs and the rest of the team went on to play a match against administrators, who were stretching and warming up on the sidelines prior to the start of the round. The staff team lost as the students managed to catch and deflect many of the balls thrown at them.

Despite not winning, many teams left with their spirits high. Junior Conor Mohre brushed off his losses, instead finding humor in other team’s misfortunes.

“Losing felt fine because we beat the robotics team and they were the best team out there, so we were technically the best,” Mohre said.

Leadership supervisor Sarah Jarem was especially enthusiastic, as she enjoyed the suspense and intensity of the matches. Jarem has participated in dodgeball games held at previous schools, as well as staff competitions at Hagerty.

“I love watching kids get competitive, especially when they play against teacher or administrator teams,” Jarem said.

Nine groups in total played, with all types of participants, ranging from swim team members to programmers on the robotics team. Senior Sam Jones did not expect much victory, as he had not practiced and had never been part of a dodgeball competition, however, he wanted to enjoy time with his friends from the robotics team.

“I am mainly excited to just get out there and have fun competing and hopefully surprise some people with the skills of a group of nerds,” Jones said.