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The scoreboard said Sacred Heart defeated Assumption High School 34-26 in a flag football game.  The contest was much more than that, however, as the two schools, along with Trinity and St. Xavier, raised money for research to fight breast cancer.  The two boys’ schools provided dance teams that entertained during halftime. For each of the past two years, the game raised $20,000.

‘Four schools. Two rivalries. One cause.’

by Alec McGuire, Staff Reporter

The crowd roars of excitement and anticipation. The smell of hamburgers and hotdogs fresh in the air. The fans clearly divided into pink and white.

As the clock reached 0:00 to mark halftime, the entertainment prepared to take the field — the Trinity and St. Xavier dance teams.

Trinity played a part in this four-school effort for breast cancer research. Since the first game in April 2008, Trinity and St. X have had dance teams made up of seniors who participate in the halftime dance competition.

Trinity dancers tonight wore white as they are paired with Sacred Heart, and St. Xavier wore pink in conjunction with Assumption.

Trinity dance team member and senior Andrew Deye said, “Pink and white is a game where we can put aside the rivalries between all the schools to accomplish one goal, fighting breast cancer.”

Trinity teacher and dance team coach Jeanna Gonzales said of the impact of the game, “It’s always touching to see the members of the dance team with their families who have had breast cancer walk onto the field for their recognition.”

Trinity President Dr. Rob Mullen said, “The fact that (the game) is raising money and attention for breast cancer awareness is the best part of the event.”

The Pink and White game was an opportunity for students from the four student bodies to participate in something bigger than themselves. Trinity Principal Dan Zoeller said, “To me the Pink-White game is great example of the power of student thinking. The fact that it is the product of a student’s desire to make a difference is inspiring.

“Behind the scenes, it takes quite a bit of work from all four schools to make certain the event is planned and executed.  A lot of students and adults from each school play a part.  The end result, usually on a beautiful April evening, is both fun and impactful.”

The impact is clearly seen in the amount of money raised to fund breast cancer research, more than $109,000 in the first five years.

Of course, being part of the Trinity dance team is not something that everyone could do. Mullen said smiling, “I admire the guys from Trinity and St. X who are in the dance routine. I would have been too self-conscious to do it when I was a senior!”

The game was certainly one of competition. The students’ effort clearly could be seen on their grimacing faces. The game may have been flag football, but the contact would say otherwise.

“It has been fun to see the interest grow from the time my daughter played in the second game. I know these days, winning it means a lot to Assumption and Sacred Heart,” Mullen said.

Sacred Heart senior and Pink-White Game quarterback Sydney Flynn expressed how different it was to actually play football instead of watch it. She said, “It was a bit of a struggle at first.”

Flynn quickly learned how mentally challenging the game can be. ” I thought there was going to be one specific person that I would be looking for, and that was not the case at all,” she said. “I ran into play and they were like, ‘Okay you’ve got this person and this person, and you need to look at the defense’ and I was like, ‘Oh, goodness.’ I have a lot of respect for quarterbacks now.”

The roaring crowd sounded like one of the famous Trinity and St. X football games — the cool night being similar to the ones in early October.

As the game clock reached 0:00, Sacred Heart erupted in joy as the winners of this year’s Pink and White Game, 34-26.