The football team kicked off the year Aug. 11 by scoring two truckloads of sports drinks from fans and family members. It was the annual “Sports Drink Scrimmage,” popularly known as the “Gatorade Scrimmage,” hosted each year at Foundation Field to collect needed hydration for the coming season. 

Just the week before, the team participated in a scrimmage to round up clothing donations for the PLCS Community Closet. These scrimmages provided a glimpse for spectators of the team in a game setting. For the Aug. 11 scrimmage, the players were split up into the Black team and the White team, with most of the starters on the Black team. 

Clemenger said, “The scrimmage is always really interesting… It was a good mix of kids making plays on both sides of the ball.“

Players enjoyed getting back out onto the field with spectators. Starting wide receiver Roy Skogerboe felt an emotional reaction when he stepped back on the field as a senior.  

“It felt a little heartwarming,” Skogerboe said, “because I got to see everyone come back and watch us for the first time, even though it wasn’t like a real game. It was so fun to see everyone.”

The teams took the scrimmage seriously, and the Black team hit the ground running. They were making big moves early. 

Skogerboe said, “[The] first play the White team had on offense, we had a Pick 6 right off the bat, and I think that got the momentum for the Black team going.”

The sports drink scrimmage is an annual tradition, and Skogerboe said this year was his favorite. 

“I think we did really good, to be honest. It was better than past years I’ve experienced and got to be a part of.”

The scrimmage is a great way for spectators to see the forthcoming team as well as a way to round up donations. Although donations aren’t required, the team is never disappointed by the numbers.

Head Coach Tim Clemenger said, “This year feels like the biggest [amount of donations] yet. I don’t believe that we have ever had two full truckloads of sports drinks.”

Two truckloads may sound excessive, but the team goes through more than a hundred in a week. 

Clemenger said, “We have about 100 kids on the team, so when we feed them the night of the game, we put that on ice. It looks like a lot, and it is a lot, but we go through about 120 of those every game.” 

Bottles not used on game days still end up in players’ hands.

Clemenger said, “Sometimes we will have some [drinks] left over after the season, so we will give it to them when they’re working out. Sometimes coaches will use it as an incentive at practice.” 

For example, Clemenger said, “[A coach] will say, ‘Hey if you block a punt, you get a Gatorade’… [The Gatorade] goes right to the players.”