The 4th annual dodgeball tournament is taking place on April 24 from 5:30pm-8:30pm in the auditorium. Twenty teams have signed up and are ready to compete for their title as dodgeball champs.

As everyone knows, the teams have to pay a forty dollar fee when they enter the competition. A portion of these proceeds go towards the winning team’s medals and prize money. The team will also have their names engraved in the dodgeball plague that is held in the Pumas’ trophy case for everyone to marvel at. Many people are eager for the tournament and are anticipating who the teams will be and how well they will play.

“It’s grown into something real popular,” principal Serrano says.

Junior and dodgeball committee member Olivia Thompson says, “It’s something we try to work on every year trying to get more and more people involved so they can experience what a good time the dodge ball tournament is.” This tournament is just as prominent as state football or basketball game. It is also set up accordingly:

“The first couple rounds of the tournament, what we do is we randomly put teams against each other,” Student Government Adviser Brandon Keeling says. “We keep track of their record during those two rounds…how quickly they either win or lose.”

Based off those times and the records, the teams are ranked. The top seed plays against the worst seed and the game will play on from there until a winner is announced.

Many students are anticipating whether or not the infamous “teacher team” will arrive at the event again. “I would love it if they did,” Keeling says. “We had a teacher team two years ago and it was a lot of the math department,” Keeling says. Even though the team did not win, maybe these two years in between have given them enough time to train and brush up on their skills in time to join and win this time around.

“Students always like to see the teachers do fun stuff like that,” Keeling says.

In addition, this year’s tournament is expected to be better than the last. “I think it will turn out really great,” Thompson says, adding, “It’s not just for juniors and seniors who are going to prom, it’s for all grades so it’s [going to be] exciting to see a lot of people come out.” The event is a good time for everyone.

“People enjoy being a part of it…and appreciate the tradition,” Keeling says.

Will previous champs return for a second taste of victory, will the infamous “teacher team” pull up and take a shot at winning? We shall see.