Mater Dei High School - Hi Lights Yearbook (Evansville, IN)

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FOOTBALL HOMECOMING COURT: FRONT ROW Mayor Brock Nicholson. SENIOR CANDIDATES: Felicia Smith and escort Stan Weinazpfel. Queen Clare Becker and escort Mike Hickam, and Laura Gerber and escort Chris Fulkerson. SECOND ROW: FRESHMEN CANDIDATES: Lisa Adler and escort Steve Ricketts, and Kelly Seib and escort Kris Glas- er. JUNIOR CANDIDATES: Krista Elpers and escort Mark Muensterman. and Debra Elpers and escort Jon Raben BACK ROW: SOPHOMORE CANDI- DATES: Denise Purcell and escort J.D. Fleck, and Beth Becker and escort Nick Braun. (Photo cour- tesy of Bruce Wheeler) 21 CROWNING CLARE: Mayor of Mater Dei-ville Brock Nicholson carefully crowns the newly- elected Miss School Spirit, Clare Becker. The festivities took place at half time during the Bosse game. (Photo by Geoff Coates)

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v S h 20 Or O Webster ' s dictionary defines hysteria as any outbreak of wild, uncontrolled feeling. During football homecoming week, everyone at Mater Dei was affected with this spirit . . . Red and gold pride ran rampant through the hundreds of Wildcat fans who cheered their team on to a 24-14 victory over the Bosse Bulldogs. Not only were the ususal staunch supporters present, but also faithful alumni who got caught up in the traditional Homecom- ing Hysteria on that clear October night. At halftime, all the colors on the rainbow filled the sky as over 200 helium balloons were released when Clare Becker was crowned Miss School Spirit. Above the festivities and fanfare, the press box was also a flurry of activity. All around me were other reporters, as well as radio announcers, and scouts from other schools. With all of this buzz, the cheers of the Wildcat fans below me were barely audible. You better say some Hail Mary ' s with a bunch of officials like that, smiled Bob Ashworth as the game ' s referees were announced. Ashworth, Reitz ' s notorious football coach, sat to my right. His team had beaten us the week be- fore, and I knew that sitting next to him during our Homecoming game would prove to be interesting. Turning my attention away from Ashworth, I took in a panoramic view of the activity below me. The cheerleaders were frantically leading cheers to a crowd ravenous for victory. The players on the sideline were nervously pacing up and down, shouting encouragement to those on the field. Mater Dei com- pleted its first screen pass for a first down. Admist the frenzy of the Wildcat crowd, Ashworth leaned back in his chair, chuckling. That ' s the one they tried THE CENTER OF ATTENTION: Just moments after being crowned Miss School Spirit, Clare Becker accepts friends ' congratulations. The newly elected queen wore crutches, due to a broken foot sustained during volleyball practice a week earlier. (Photo by Geoff Coates) against us last week, but they didn ' t get it! The Bosse coach to the left slammed his fist down on the table, muttered, and nervously chewed his gum. At halftime, MD led 1 7-14. The gridders lumbered off to the locker room, and the Wildcat Marching Band members took their places on the field, each with a helium balloon tied to his instrument. For the first time in recent years, the nine members of the homecoming court rode out onto the track in convertibles, making the festivities seem like a parade. After a moment of nervous anticipa- tion, Clare Becker was announced as the 1981 Homecoming Queen. The week-old cast on her right foot could just barely be seen beneath her full-length skirt as she limped gracefully to receive her crown. Cheers and balloons filled the air as Mayor of Mater Dei-ville Brock Nicholson gave her the traditional homecoming kiss . . . twice!! Later Becker explained, I thought the crown was on right the first time, but the next thing I knew it was laying on the ground behind me and we were going P through the whole thing again! After the excitement of the home- coming ceremony, the rest of the game was anti-climatic. The Wild- cat defense held Bosse scoreless in the second half; the freshman cheerleaders wrapped up their whoopie cushion sales; the greenies were probably getting nervous about going to their first homecoming dance. In the press box, Ashworth made fewer wise- cracks and more scouting notes; the Bosse coach grew increasingly up- set with his team; I still felt out of place up there. I thought the crown was on right the first time, but the next thing I knew it was laying on the ground be- hind me and we were going through the whole thing again! — Clare Becker As the final seconds of the fourth quarter ticked away into posterity, the two teams met in the center of the field, shaking hands. The scouts and coaches around me gathered up their papers and departed, leav- ing me alone to look down upon the near empty bleachers. As the final strains of the school song echoed throughout the bowl, I looked up and saw one single red balloon floating up into the clear night sky . . . one last tribute to a glorious night. — Mary Ellert

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Ulster ia cott . WHAT NOW?: Senior Andy Alcorn receives last minute instructions from assistant coach Mike Goebel during the Bosse homecoming game. The MD gridders won, 24-14. (Photo by Geoff Coates) DONT DRINK IT ALU: Lynn Hassler was one of the senior football players who played in his last homecoming game. The Wildcats enjoyed their best season ever, finishing with a share of the city title. (Photo by Geoff Coates) FACULTY FOLLIES: Miss Julie Floyd, English teach- er, portrays MD football coach Frank Will in a Publishers Clearing House commercial. The skit was part of the Homecoming Pep Assembly pre- sented by the faculty. (Photo by Mary Ellert) IF THEY COULD SEE ME NOW: Majorette Amy Cast- leman performs at halftime during the MD-Bosse football homecoming game. A junior, Amy has been a member of the squad for three years. (Photo by Larry Schapker)