On February 27, 2025, a new event commenced in the Skyline Gymnasium. It was a face-off of mixed boys’ and girls’ senior basketball players for the Senior Night game. It began at 5:30 pm, right after the conclusion of Senior Night ceremonies.
The traditional Senior Night game for both teams was canceled because of an ice and windstorm weeks before. Subsequently the teams were scrambling for another day to play and to settle their seeding for playoffs. Additionally, seniors and their families wondered if and when they might get another opportunity to celebrate the time and energy they had put into the program and the sport.
Athletic Director Gary Mogg worked closely with the original Senior Night ceremony committee with representatives from both the boys’ and girls’ programs to devise a new plan. To celebrate the seniors and their accomplishments it was agreed that the two programs would create a combined event and scrimmage for 25 minutes, without a halftime and no stop clock.
While the teams were not announced until the day of the game, the event became something no one wanted to miss. As other athletes finished their season, more and more people planned to come to celebrate their friends and peers
The first team, wearing white, was coached by Michael Angelidis and his coaching staff that led the boys during the basketball season. The white team consisted of Graham Hohman, Alexander Wakefield, Noah Coffaro, Aleise Robertson, Abigail Barquist, and Sheetal Acharya.
The second team wore green and Taheem Jones and Morgan Farrar, coaches of the girls program led the team. The green team included Addison McGillis, Hayley Mohr, Risha Anumolu, Evan Neufeld, Leo Gorman, and Jaxon Barlament.
Hayley Mohr and Aleise Robertson started the game with the tipoff as Peyton Pelluer, Skyline’s football coach and referee of the game, welcomed both teams. It was a friendly match, the teams both played casually and with a lighthearted spirit, many of the observers describe the game as a “showcase” for the variety of talents of the players. Even with the friendly spirit, the teams were very competitive and traded baskets on and off for the entirety of the game making it a tight competition. The game began with a quick lead from the green team, but in the end, the white team prevailed and won the game by two points.
Many of the attendees reported their favorite moments were cheering while Graham Hohman dunked or when a three-point shot was made. The crowd had handmade signs for the seniors, including cutouts of their heads, and many of the attendees eagerly waited to take photos with the athletes after the game. The success of this event and the excitement of the crowd has made it likely that the event will return in future years in addition to the traditional senior night game.
