29 senior football players lined up on the west side of the stadium with moms, dads, brothers and sisters, as the announcer prepared to list their names and who escorted them onto the field on the night of Sept. 13. It was an emotional moment as players realized they will be moving on in less than a year, forging their own unique paths. Graduation is creeping up closer by the minute.

“I’ve played with most of these guys since sixth or seventh grade football, and seeing it all come to an end is kind of crazy,” said Joey Elza, a senior on the football team. 

Coaches reflected on leadership and how their kids have grown up; meanwhile, seniors recognized the bittersweetness of their last ride. This long-lived tradition honors those in their last year of high school for their commitment to all of the time and effort they’ve put into this sport: it’s called senior night. And it’s an important Oak Park tradition for every athlete.

The purpose of senior night is to honor seniors, allowing them to say goodbye to their teammates. What seems like a simple ceremony can hold a lot of meaning for players, coaches and parents.

As for the fall sports at Oak Park and River Forest High School, each one executes this tradition in their own unrepeatable way. 

The varsity football team, for instance, comes through the cheerleaders and the drill team, and afterwards, pictures are taken before they line up in the middle of the field facing the stadium. Prior to the game against Proviso West on Sept. 13, the managers of the team decorated the player’s locker room for the seniors. There were pictures throughout the years of the boys playing and streamers coming down when you walked in the door.

While the tradition isn’t about the wins and losses, but rather the memories along the way, the satisfaction of winning your senior night game is extra special. The football team prevailed against Proviso West 56-0. “Being able to win that game was amazing. I mean, we kind of knew going into it, but it still felt really good,” Elza said.

Head Football Coach John Hoerster added, “The win felt good because we played well, and we did it in the right way, which gave us an opportunity for almost all of the guys to play, which doesn’t always happen.”

As for the Girls Volleyball team, the seniors all get gifts throughout the day at school from one of the younger people on the team. “It’s weird being on the other end of it,” said player Gaby Towns, who is in her third year on the varsity team. “It was just strange actually getting the gifts rather than having to prep everything.” 

For boys soccer’s senior night, senior Noah Cummings said, “Our moms all made poster boards of pictures of our childhood which have a bunch of pictures of us playing soccer when we were little. It really meant a lot.”

While each sport has its own unique take on the tradition, soccer’s niche is that the coaches get the seniors an orange shirt with their last name and number on it that they can keep. “It’s really nice. And then we’re going to dinner afterwards. So we rent out a whole restaurant for dinner and it’s just us,” Cummings said. 

Head Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Jason Fried added, “It’s nice to just spend time together and not talk about soccer, and just kind of enjoy it.”