The Manhasset community celebrated homecoming with a parade down Plandome Road and a 35-8 football win against Mineola on Saturday, Oct. 18.
“Homecoming in Manhasset is very special,” said Richard Roder, principal of Manhasset Secondary School. “It’s really an opportunity, in my opinion, for the entire community to pause for a second and reflect on the accomplishments and all the success that our students and staff and school community have experienced, and the alumni that come back to reflect on and appreciate their experience in Manhasset.”
The parade stepped off on Colonial Parkway with administrators, board members, community members, faculty, staff and students marching as supporters lined the streets to cheer.
The crowd was led by the high school marching band, which senior member Blake Ashenberg said has grown from 10 to 20 members to over 25 members during his four years of high school.
“It was nice to do it one more time and see everyone, and now that I’m a senior, be part of that and feel like we’re leading the charge,” he said.
The high school cheer team followed behind alongside cheerleaders from fifth through eighth grade.
“Showcasing Manhasset pride during the parade was so much fun,” said co-cheer captain Milan Rizo. “We got to see a lot of our parents, our family members – all in the crowd cheering us on as we wave our poms along with our small girls, who are part of PAL which we help learn cheers to get them ready for cheer in high school.”
Rizo leads the team alongside co-captain Siena Franzese.
“Siena and I became best friends through cheer, and so just being able to have this full circle moment where we met and we ended cheer as best friends, it’s really special,” she said.
The day concluded with a 35-8 football victory over the Mineola Mustangs.
Senior Cooper Harley scored the first touchdown.
“Us coming out on our opening drive and definitely scoring gave us momentum,” Harley said. “Just hearing our cheerleaders and our crowd going insane really kept our momentum going and pushed us to win that game.”
Harley said his final homecoming game feels like a full-circle moment.
“We remember all the seniors discussing homecoming and leading up to it, and we thought it was so far away, and now we just had our last homecoming game, and it was very emotional,” he said. “It was a full circle moment.”
Henry Jervis, also a senior on the football team, echoed the sentiment.
“It’s kind of emotional when you think about – like, you’ve dedicated six years to the sport, and it’s finally coming to an end, but you gotta think about the pride that you got to wear your school’s name on your jersey,” he said.
