Downtown rally cheers Spoofhounds into fall
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Lydia Mitchell, left, leaps into the air after winning the frozen T-shirt contest during the community MHS Spoofhounds pep rally on the courthouse square.
Maryville came out in strength on Thursday to salute the boys and girls of autumn.
Hundreds of local residents lined Main Street on the courthouse square during the annual Chamber of Commerce pep rally designed to recognize Maryville High School Spoofhound athletes participating in interscholastic fall sports programs.
As master of ceremonies Matt Gaarder took the stage — an 18-wheeler with a flatbed trailer on loan from the Nucor-LMP steel plant — the Northwest Audio-Visual-provided public address system blasted out (what else) Elvis Presley’s classic 1956 recording of “Hound Dog.”
Teams recognized during the hour-long rally included cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. The event came to a climax with the introduction of the Spoofhounds football squad and head coach Matt Webb.
The football team filled the stage and part of the street below, and each player wore a gray T-shirt with a stylized Spoofhound logo on the front and the hashtag #BeBOLD on the back.
Webb, who created the “Be Bold” slogan, said the phrase is intended to remind players to make bold choices that reinforce positive character traits and lifestyle choices.
“It’s a reminder to step out and be bold in how you represent yourself and how you represent your team,” Webb said.
As has become a tradition, the rally was filled with high spirits and games intended to drum up as much Spoofhound spirit as possible on what happened to be the first day of school.
In addition to athletic recognitions, the MHS Marching Band performed, as did the drill team, cheerleading squad and Dazzlers dance team.
One of the zanier highlights was a chilled T-shirt contest during which Lydia Mitchell froze out the competition by pulling on her icy garment well before any of her rivals.
Mitchell, tongue firmly in cheek, said she won as a result of constant practice.
“I get dressed every morning,” she quipped.
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Maryville High School vocal music teacher Vanessa Parsons, center, along with a couple of cheerleaders, greet Spoofy the Spoofhound on the courthouse square during a community pep rally designed to kick off the fall interscholastic athletics season.
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Head coach Matt Webb introduces the Maryville High School football team during the 2017 Chamber of Commerce pep rally. Also recognized were student athletes set to compete in other fall sports, including cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.
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Maryville High School students try to knock over bottles of water using softballs placed inside nylon hose. The game was one of several performances and stunts incorporated into the annual community pep rally on the courthouse square.
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High school students race to flip over sets of plastic cups during one of several games held to entertain the large crowd during Thursday’s community pep rally. The evening also included performances by the MHS Dazzlers dance team, MHS Marching Band and MHS cheerleaders.
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Real fans of the Maryville High School Spoofhounds surround a bronze sculpture by Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby titled “Da Fans,” which depicts a pair of friends sitting in the bleachers during a sporting event and rooting for opposite teams.
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Maryville High School cheerleaders form a human pyramid during Thursday’s community pep rally on the courthouse square.
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
The Maryville High School Dazzlers dance team entertains a crowd of several hundred people who turned out Thursday evening for the annual fall sports community pep rally hosted by the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce.
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Flag team members execute a drill during a performance by the Maryville High School Marching Band during Thursday’s community pep rally on the courthouse square.
