All things must come to an end–vacations, jobs, school years and, of course, seasons.

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, the varsity softball team played against Chaparral High School (CHS) for their final home game of the season. As part of an annual tradition, the team honored their seniors at this game. This year, there were three: Sydney Boulaphinh ’24, Julia Hay ’24 and Ally Cartwright ’24.

After warmups, each senior was escorted onto the field by their family and presented with bouquets of flowers and rocks painted with their initials and numbers. Underclassmen players read off speeches for each individual player, highlighting favorite memories, accomplishments and future plans.

To end Senior Night and mark the beginning of the game, the three seniors sang the national anthem. Struggling to finish singing through laughter and tears, they were then joined in song by the crowd in the stands.

Ultimately, the Jags lost 20-10 to CHS and did not advance to Regionals.

“Our game against Chap being our last [home] game and our senior game, it did not go as well as we had hoped,” varsity captain and second and third baseman Ally Cartwright ’24 said. “I really wanted to win, so I gave it my all, but I think it was hard for the team to refocus after the senior festivities. Even though we couldn’t pull off a win, I know everyone on the team tried their hardest to give the seniors a good last game. I had a lot of family and friends [who] came to watch me play, which meant a lot to me. It was a nice way to spend one of my last-ever softball games.”

Gallery • 12 Photos

media by Claire Bauer

Varsity softball captain and shortstop Sydney Boulaphinh ‘24 smiles as she walks onto the field with her father during Senior Night before the team’s game against Chaparral High School Oct. 3. Boulaphinh, Julia Hay ‘24 and Ally Cartwright ‘24 each received flowers and a rock painted with their name and number to celebrate their last home game with the team. Then, younger players took turns giving speeches, and the seniors sang the national anthem. The final score of the game was 10-20 L. “The [painted] rocks [have] been a tradition to remember all the past players. By leaving the rocks on the field, they know they will always be a part of Rock Canyon,” Boulaphinh said. “The team was very emotional due to it being our senior game and it was hard to refocus. I went all out for our last home game and the team tried their best. They fought for the seniors.”