Homecomng 2021 With Some Extra Fun Twists

Homecoming—An Exciting Day with Parade, Skits, and NAIL-BITING Football!

Enthusiasm was high for the return of Sayville High School’s Homecoming festivities on Saturday, October 16, 2021. Last year, this popular tradition had been eclipsed by COVID-19 and Homecoming 2020 was absent from the fall calendar.

So this year, Homecoming 2021 was a welcome sign of normalcy with some extra twists:

1. The two undefeated Suffolk County Division III football teams—Sayville and East Islip—were preparing to clash in a fight to remain undefeated,
2. Sayville football Alum and Notre Dame’s star player Jack Coan was visiting his hometown and would be watching from the stands, and
3. There was a “friendly wager of dinner with their high school coaches,” made between Sayville’s and East Islip’s rival celebrities Gregg “Gio” Giannotti and Boomer Esiason (of WFAN/Boomer & Gio Show fame)—loser would treat the winner—that was riding on the final score of this match up.

Traditionally, during the week before the Homecoming Parade, Sayville High School classes demonstrate their competitive school spirit by participating in daily, themed activities—this year it was Formal Day, Tropical Tuesday, Country vs.Country Club, USA Day, and finally Spirit Day with a Pep Rally.

Throughout the week, high school faculty noted and recorded the level of enthusiasm each class displayed. Those Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who wore their class colors or worked after hours to build tissue-paper floats and practice dance routines contributed to the scores. The week's totals would be tallied with those earned at the Saturday culminating events—the Homecoming Parade and Class Skits—by the Homecoming Judges, comprised of members of the Sayville Rotary Club. Their decision would be announced during the third quarter of the Football game.

Saturday, October 16, 2021 was a lovely and temperate day for the Homecoming Parade. Colorful Floats, designed and built by students, were loaded onto flatbeds and lined up in front of the Sayville Fire Department. As the Parade moved through Downtown Sayville, cheering spectators were treated to the much-missed pageantry. The blaring horns from the Sayville Fire truck and emergency vehicles led the marching groups. The Sayville Rotary were followed by the Sayville Teachers Association. Squads of Sayville Youth Cheer marched before the Sayville High School and Middle School Cheerleaders and a small army of Football Youth Club members kept step with their coaches. Then came the main attraction—the High School Class floats based upon Musical Genres. The Freshman float depicted a large roller skate to represent Disco Music, the Sophomore float with hay bales and scarecrows smacked of Country Music, the Junior Float displayed MTV in big letters for Pop Music, and the Seniors showcased a large guitar and their exuberance for Rock and Roll.

Right before the game, the Freshmen and Sophomores performed their skits. This was immediately followed by the Sayville Football team charging through the Sayville Banner onto the field. Once Sayville High School Junior Amelia Wells sang the National Anthem—her extraordinary voice bringing goosebumps of awe to the thousands of standing spectators—the game officially began.

A tense first quarter—with Sayville behind—added to the already charged atmosphere between teams. Even though Sayville pulled to a small lead right before halftime, there were no guarantees who might win the game.

During halftime, the Juniors and Seniors took the field to perform their skits. As the second half of the game resumed, back in the Press box, the Sayville Rotary Club Judges began their challenging work to decide which of the classes deserved First place.  The Judges followed a criteria based upon the week-long spirit totals provided by the faculty, the number of participants in the parade, the float construction and visual appeal, the choice of music and choreography, the enthusiasm as well as the thematic cohesion before they could render their final decisions.

Once it was all tallied, the classes were ranked: Seniors came in First, Junior were a close Second, Freshman were Third, and Sophomores were Fourth.  Special thanks to the Rotary for their efforts: President Amy Hutchison, President Elect Drew Baldwin, Rotarians: Chris Imperato, Chamber President Eileen Tynzar, Debbie Walsh, Jillian Cassar, Pam Raymond, Fern Spies, Chris Olsen, and Sue Kubelle.

Oh, yes, the game? It was a decisive victory for the Sayville Flashes with a final score of 51-44 over East Islip! Bon appetite, Sayville coaches!