Turkey Jerky claims championship belt

Melissa Krainer

On Nov. 22, the third annual Turkey Bowl took place. Ten teams composed of juniors and seniors competed in the powderpuff game. The morning of the turkey bowl dawned chilly with a little rain, but the teams headed out to the IM field for nine rounds of competition hoping for a spot in the championship game.

During the first round, teams Hot Stuffin, Twisted Turkeys, Turkin 9-5, Turkey Jerky, FeastMode, Touchdown Turkeys, Remember the Turkeys and Autumn Fury competed against each other. The winners were: Hot Stuffin, Turkin 9-5, Touchdown Turkeys and Autumn Fury.

“I am proud of us. The weather is really bad, and I don’t think we prepared as much as the other teams. But I think the first round win was a good warmup for us,” Touchdown Turkeys player Sydney Stroup said.

The second round consisted of Turkey Jerky, Turkin 9-5, Remember the Turkeys, Hot Stuffin, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, FeastMode, Golden Gobblers and Autumn Fury. The winners were: Turkey Jerky, Turkin 9-5, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys and Golden Gobblers.

“We are feeling very accomplished after winning the second round. We are being confident going into the third round,” Golden Gobblers player Deniz Albayrakdileo said.

The third round, teams Autumn Fury, Twisted Turkeys, Touchdown Turkeys, Turkin 9-5, Turkey Jerky, Golden Gobblers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys, Hot Stuffin played against each other. The winners were: Autumn Fury, Touchdown Turkeys, Turkey Jerky and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys.

“It feels pretty good to win the third round. We are just coming out here to play and show them what’s going to happen. Some other teams were talking some smack beforehand, so it feels good to beat them,” Touchdown Turkeys player Ellaina Saylor said.

The fourth round consisted of teams Turkin 9-5, Twisted Turkeys, Touchdown Turkeys, Golden Gobblers, Hot Stuffin, Feast Mode, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys and Remember the Turkeys. The winners were Turkin 9-5, Touchdown Turkeys, Hot Stuffin, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys.

“It’s fun, and we like to compete. It’s all about competition. We’re doing really well so far. We’re confident in our team and in our abilities to win,” Turkin 9-5 coach George Jackson said.

The fifth round was FeastMode, Autumn Fury, Hot Stuffin, Remember the Turkeys, Golden Gobblers, Twisted Turkeys, Touchdown Turkeys and Turkey Jerky. The winners were: FeastMode, Hot Stuffin, Golden Gobblers and Touchdown Turkeys.

“We’re feeling pretty electric. We are focusing on one game at a time. We’re feeling pretty confident after winning all our games,” Touchdown Turkeys player Nora Reed said.

The sixth round was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Autumn Fury, Remember the Turkeys, Turkin 9-5, Touchdown Turkeys, Hot Stuffin, Golden Gobblers, Feast Mode. The winners were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Turkin 9-5, Touchdown Turkeys, Feast Mode.

“I feel tired after playing for so long, but I am really excited to continue playing. I am proud of my team,” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles player Amy Dean said.

The seventh round consisted of Autumn Fury, Touchdown Turkeys, Golden Gobblers, Remember the Turkeys, Turkin 9-5, FeastMode, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys and Turkey Jerky. The winners were: Touchdown Turkeys, Remember the Turkeys, FeastMode. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys and Turkey Jerky tied.

“I feel great, and we’re holding flags when we need to. Gavin Albright and Lanie Wilt are making big plays, and we won against one of the best teams here,” Touchdown Turkeys player Derron Jones said.

The eighth round was played by Hot Stuffin, Turkey Jerky, Remember the Turkeys, Golden Gobblers,, Touchdown Turkeys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys, Twisted Turkeys, Feast Mode. The winners were Turkey Jerky, Touchdown Turkeys, Feastmode, and Remember the Turkeys v. Golden Gobblers tied.

“We did really well as a team and we were super coordinated while on the field. I am feeling confident about my team going in, playing this afternoon” Feast Mode player C.J. Romanowicz said.

The ninth round had Feast Mode, Turkey Jerky, Autumn Fury, Hot Stuffin, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys, Twisted Turkeys, Turkin 9-5 and Golden Gobblers competing. The winners were: Turkey Jerky, Hot Stuffin, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys and Turkin 9-5.

“I’m hurting a little bit and I’m sore, but that shows how competitive this all is and that just makes it so much more fun,” Turkey Jerky player Triumph Kilmartin said.

In the afternoon, the marching band, students and teachers entered the IM field, ready to watch the final few games. The first playoff game took place between Touchdown Turkeys and Turkin 9-5. Touchdown Turkeys won 4-3 and moved on to the championship.

“I am feeling amazing about moving into the championships because this is the most adversity we have faced all day, and we overcame it. We are ready to face off in the championship game,” Touchdown Turkeys player Gavin Albright said.

The second half of the playoffs was between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys and Turkey Jerky. Turkey Jerky ended the game 2-1, advancing them to the championship game.

“My team has worked hard all day, and they played incredibly. I could not be more proud. We got to take home that trophy. I expect nothing less than a win here today from my team,” Turkey Jerky coach Josh Corso said.

The championship game consisted of two quarters, 10 minutes each. By the end of the first, the teams were tied 2-2. Despite being tied for most of the game, Turkey Jerky pulled ahead in the last few minutes and took the title of 2023 Turkey Bowl Champions.

“It means everything to me to win the Turkey Bowl. The fame, the power and the glory are feeling great. The energy is unmatched right now coming off a win,” Turkey Jerky player Kyle Baughman said.