“Friday night under the lights! Where would you rather be?” announcer and Upper School history teacher Ted Curry voice blares over the loudspeaker.
The Kinkaid Falcons and the St. John’s Mavericks squared off at Rice Stadium last Friday, Oct. 7, for the 44th time since 1979. The matchup between these rivals is one of the most anticipated games of the year, as well as an all-school and family event. Even the parking lot was filled with tailgating festivities as students and families from both schools showed their team pride.
“The parents, cheerleaders, student section and band all showed out with their Falcon pride to give the team a reminder of what they were fighting for,” said sophomore Carlton Walton.
Recently, the Falcons have dominated the rivalry, winning every game since 2012.
The Falcons came into this matchup ranked number three in the SPC with a record of 6-3, while the Mavericks held the number one spot in the conference, going 7-2.
With the top rankings, the stakes were high. One team would advance to the SPC championship, while the other would go home with their season over.
Early in the game, it was looking like a shutout for the Mavericks, with the Falcons scoring on two straight drives to jump out to a 14-0 lead. Eventually, things got a little hairy as the Mavs finally woke up and proved why they were the #1 team in the SPC. Tiding on the back of running back Cole Allen, the Mavericks stormed back into the game and took a 21-14 lead in the third quarter, forcing the Falcons to make a response. Sensing a shift of momentum, the Falcons turned to the running game to look for points. Behind their dominant offensive line, the Falcons bounced back on the Mavs in the 4th quarter to end up winning the game 35-21.
Running back Miles Roeder had one of the most impressive performances ever by a Kinkaid player, rushing for a total of 365 yards and three touchdowns. With this win, the Falcons, who were predicted to finish last in the conference, secured a spot in the SPC championship against Episcopal. In the words of Sophomore long snapper Kavin Mukerji, “They wrote us off. We ain’t write back.”
