After being named district champions, the football team is moving on to playoffs, and this next step in the competition came with the team deciding to bleach their hair blond.

Defensive end Maxim Newton (11) shares why he thinks this is a common tradition.

“I guess it’s just a thing we do throughout the school,” Newton said. “Not just football but everyone to show togetherness.”

While at first it may be hard to believe that something as simple as bleaching your hair would bring about a sense of solidarity, kicker Dylan Riggins (12) echoes Newton’s feelings.

“I think it just creates unity among the team,” Riggins said. “It gives them something to represent that team coming together and just having eachothers’ backs.”

Chemistry teacher and receiver coach, Derek Sides feels that it’s a way for the team to just enjoy being teengers.

“I think it’s funny,” Sides said. “I think it’s fun to let kids be kids and this is a way for them to be kids and have fun with it.”

While the idea of the team bleaching their hair seems like a good thing, some feel that the execution was a bit lackluster.

“Some [peoples’] hair is interesting,” Riggins said. “Some peoples’ were more orange than others, some peoples’ were more blond, some peoples’ were more silver. But it’s just funny to see everyone with blond hair.”

Wide receiver Stetson Sarratt (11) also feels that some bleach jobs could have been better.

“Some people really messed their’s up,” Sarratt said. “They sent pictures and it was bad.”

Students are wondering why the team decided on the blond for their hair color of choice. Some feel that it was the most ordinary color.

“I feel like it’s the easiest and I guess the most natural,” Riggins said. “Instead of doing like red or something crazy like that. It stands out a little less.”

While others felt the complete opposite.

“Maybe [they chose blond] because it stands out more,” Newton said. “It’s one of the brighter colors so you can see it throughout everybody. If you see people with normal hair and then you see the whole team with blond hair you just know they’re together.”

Another question that has arisen is if the players regret dyeing their hair, but most of them are content with their decision.

“I don’t regret it at all,” Riggins said. “I went to the lady that cuts my hair and I said can you bleach my hair blond and she put the stuff in… and she washed it and it was blond. But no, I don’t regret it.”

Although most of the team has bleached their hair, a few people still hanging on to their natural color are brainstorming alternative traditions.

“[An alternative would be] if everyone wore the same thing,” Newton said. “Like getting a certain accessory or something that matches and we all wear it.”

The newly blond members of the team strongly feel that everyone should participate in the tradition.

“I really think they should dye their hair,” Riggins said. “There’s still a few that haven’t done it and I think that if they don’t do it they might not be fully, 100%, invested into the team”

The people that haven’t dyed their hair are probably breathing a sigh of relief as the new bleach jobs have brought a fresh wave of banter into the football locker room.

“There’s been who’s the ugliest one, which one has the worst dye, and stuff like that,” Sides said.

And you can guarantee that some members of the team didn’t hold back when sharing their opinion about their teammates’ new hair.

“Tahraun [Aldridge’s looks the worst] because it’s gray,” Sarratt said. “It was orange, now it’s gray.”

Newton also shares this opinion.

“Easton Kinder’s [was the worst] before he toned it,” Newton said. “But right now I’ll have to say Tahraun Aldridge.”

Coach Sides also gave his input.

“I don’t know who has the best,” Sides said. “But I can guarantee you they’re all tied for first for the worst.”

Although some feel that none of the dye jobs came out good, others think that some of their teammates look pretty good with their new hair.

“I think Hunter [Trojacek] is kind of rocking it right now,” Riggins said. “It makes him look 12, but he’s rocking it.”

Despite the friendly teasing, the team feels that, at the end of the day, their decision to dye their hair has brought them closer together.

“We’ve been together every single day for the past three years,” Sarratt said. “I think we’re already pretty close and this was just a fun thing that we could do to be even more of a team.”