Students Triumph in NHS Student vs. Faculty Basketball Flex Game

Phoebe Taber, Heritage Photo Editor| April 27, 2022

  • Jumping up to the hoop, Gabe Parr ’23 slam dunks the ball, earning 2 points for the student team. Parr dunked the ball twice during the game. “I wanted to get the crowd hype, the students. That’s all it is, just wanna get the hype,” Parr said.

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  • Cheering for the faculty basketball team, Kathryn Schiff ’23 holds a sign that says ‘We [heart] you Mr. Nash’. “I really thought there was gonna be more people with signs, but I was like oh whatever. I like doing things they don’t expect,” Schiff said. “I loved the game, it was so much fun to watch. I really wanted the faculty to win, but they didn’t unfortunately.”

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  • The crowd celebrates as the match of student versus faculty basketball continues.

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  • Sharing the excitement, Zach Engels ’22 and Vinay Majjiga ’22 huddle together. Majjiga acted as one of the student coaches throughout the game, while Engels was a frequent player on the court.

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  • Catching the ball, Assistant Principal Mr. Bradley Walker competes in the student versus faculty game. “I’m not as good as I once was, but it was just practice from over the years and you never really forget those skills,” Mr. Walker said.

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  • Sofia Siegel ’23 folds a Powderpuff shirt as she helps operate the selling stand. During the game, Siegal watched the match with audience. “It was so fun, we were all kinda nervous that the teachers would be kinda creamed, but they actually gave up a good fight, especially at the beginning,” Siegel said. “I was really invested in the game cause you knew it really could’ve gone either way.”

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The National Honor Society (NHS) hosted a faculty versus student basketball game on Tuesday, April 26 during Flex as the first event of the annual Warrior Fest. At the event, NHS advertised the Powderpuff football match taking place on Thursday, April 28. 

Students flooded into the gym and filled the stands as the bell rang, all there to watch the fateful match. Faculty such as Principal Dr. Mario Acosta, Chemistry teacher Ms. Natalie Wieland, Volleyball coach Ms. Madison Smith, and Physics teacher Mr. Garrett Mott were all players on the guest team. The student team was coached by Josh Choy ‘22 and Vinay Majjiga ‘22, who both played varsity basketball this past season. The players were mostly in Westwood basketball, however there were a couple student volunteers as well, including Luke Hagen ‘23. 

“It was fun, I had a lot of fun playing against the coaches and everything, I think we represented the student body well,” Hagen said.

The game was quick-paced, with five three-minute quarters. The match began with the faculty rapidly scoring 12 points while the students struggled behind with only one basket. Although it seemed impossible to recover, the students eventually brought more energy and overcame the faculty. The student players indulged in some flashy moves that made the audience go wild. From shooting the ball from half court to slam dunks, the game continually elicited cheers from the crowd. 

The star player on the faculty team was Assistant Principal Mr. Bradley Walker. Through many three-pointers and layups, Mr. Walker had the ball for most of the game. 

“Obviously we want[ed] the win, but I think everybody had fun, students had fun, so that was great,” Mr. Walker said.

The match originally allowed for four quarters, but after the end of the fourth quarter, the staff suddenly decided to add a “fifth quarter.” There was a chance the faculty could score more points, and there was plenty of time left in Flex. 

Throughout the game, the crowd cheered for both faculty and students. 

“It was exhilarating, the feeling when the teachers made a three was awesome,” said Michael Flores ‘23. “They should do this all the time.”

The game ended with students winning 41-40. NHS plans to make this event a yearly occurrence.