Castaic keeps Turkey Bowl tradition alive
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies referee annual football game at Castaic Middle School
The fifth annual Castaic Middle School Turkey Bowl was full of excitement and anticipation as students watched a close matchup between two seventh and eighth grade teams.
More than 500 students, staff, parents and district office representatives watched Tuesday’s game as the light grey team and the dark grey team went head-to-head on the school’s outdoor field.
“It was a fantastic event — Castaic Middle School was definitely ready for some football,” teacher Karen Gagnon said. “It was a great opportunity for the community and the entire school to come together before heading out to fall break.”
Refereed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the annual event allows students of all grade levels to participate in the schoolwide activity.
“A lot of the kids that go to this school here funnel into (the Youth Activities League),” said Deputy Brian Rooney of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, who has refereed the Turkey Bowl for four years. “It's fun, it's cool. This is the kind of thing kids need to see... It's just more community building.”
A total of 40 students participated in the Turkey Bowl this year. Most of the participants were male athletes but one female athlete, Kylie Ellsworth, joined in on the game as well.
Before the annual event started, students were looking forward to having a good time, while also making a few great plays.
“I like to play all sports really, I pretty much played every sport since I was little,” said eighth-grade student Matthew Gale, 13, who was participating in the Turkey Bowl for the first time. “Hopefully, (I’ll) score a touchdown and hang out with friends.”
“(I'm excited) for the experience of it all and just having fun,” eighth-grade student Ryan Stevenson, 14, followed. “Hopefully, I make a good play.”
Both the light grey team and dark grey team gave it their all, but the dark grey team came out ahead with a final score of 24-20.
“This is the fifth year of the tradition of the Turkey Bowl, so five years since Principal Bob Brauneisen started the tradition, and every year it gets better,” Gagnon said. “You just felt the happiness in the air, the camaraderie, the team spirit, the hope for the whole district and middle school coming off of the news of the grant yesterday.”