St Rose of Lima School eighth graders faced off in the school’s annual Pumpkin Bowl event held on Thursday, October 24.

Held at the Saint Rose field right beside the school, the Pumpkin Bowl is a traditional game of flag football between the eighth grade homerooms. This year, they were split into two teams: Team Pepsi, represented by the color blue, and Team Coke, represented by the color red.

Students from every grade lined the sides of the field, with some of them wearing red or blue in honor of the team that they are rooting for. Two seventh graders emceed the game while the rest of the students, as well as St Rose staff, cheered from the sidelines.

It was a close match, with each team constantly taking the lead away from the other throughout the game. In the end, Team Pepsi pulled through for the win with a close score of 63-56. Students from Team Pepsi and Team Coke came together after the game and congratulated the other team for a good game.

For the intermission, a bunch of seventh grade students got the crowd moving by dancing to Cotton Eye Joe. The students all wore cowboy hats for the occasion, with one of the students even running around in an inflatable horse costume. They performed again right after the game finished, only this time people from the crowd got to join in and dance alongside them.

Pumpkin Bowl has been an annual tradition for about eight years, becoming a fun tradition for St Rose students and staff according to Athletics Director Lisa Jackson. She said that Pumpkin Bowl is only one of many events the school holds to make eighth graders’ last year at St Rose special.

“You know, it’s their last year in this school, so momentous traditions like this where everyone can come together and have fun are so important,” Jackson said.

The big game was not the only special activity students had fun with that day. Ellis Family Farm in Woodbury, which is also a school family, donated around 200 pumpkins for students to decorate with paint and stickers before the Pumpkin Bowl. These pumpkins were lined up by Saint Rose field during the game, and students got to pick them up after the game finish.

Director of Mission Advancement Laura Moulder said that this was also the school’s way of celebrating the fall season and apologizing for cancelling their Harvest Fest event. On behalf of St Rose, she gave thanks to the farm, along with Caraluzzi’s and Stew Leonard’s, for their donations and support towards the school’s big fall offering. Even if Harvest Fest was cancelled, she said that seeing everyone coming together and enjoying the season was amazing.

“It just shows that our school spirit is strong and that we’re all here for each other,” Moulder added.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.