Westphal, Cahill king and queen of JWP

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton’s Homecoming week kicked off with coronation Sunday, October 9. Crowned the king and queen for 2022 were Jack Cahill and Jessa Westphal.

This year’s king and queen candidates were: Regan Asselin, escorted by Jack Cahill; Annabelle Hofteig, escorted by Sam Carlson; Kennedy Jewison, escorted by Cody Cowdin; Vanessa Terbeest, escorted by Nick Johnson; and Jessa Westphal, escorted by Karson Lindsay. (Hunter Jaeger took Cowdin’s place, as he was unable to make the coronation.) The crown bearers for this year’s coronation were Avery James and Mason Murphy.

Another award given out was “Mr. and Mrs. Lips.” For this title, members of the court wear red lipstick and leave a red kiss on piece of paper. High schoolers vote to decide who has the best lips. Taking home lip-shaped pillows, a sash, and Hershey’s kisses were Cody Cowdin and Vanessa Terbeest.

Captains of the cross country, football, and volleyball team took bids for auction items after the introduction of candidates. The first was volleyball. Westphal talked about the team having an “interesting season.” 

“We are a pretty young team, so it’s been a growth year for a lot of us,” she admitted. “I don’t think our record reflects how we’ve played, though.”

After sharing a little bit about the volleyball team’s season, Westphal started the bids for a volleyball signed by all members of the JWP team. When bids reached $40 bid, Westphal smiled. “Going once….going twice….okay, sold. Thanks, Dad,” she said.

JWP quarterback and captain Karson Lindsay then took the podium to share how the football team’s season has gone. “It’s been a tough start, and we’ve played some tough teams,” he acknowledged. “But we’ve been in just about every game, and our schedule is getting easier.”

Lindsay accepted a $50 bid from a JWP student for a football signed by each member of the team including the coaches.

Last, but not least, was Cross Country. Captains Faith Olson and Ashlin Keyes shared that their season has gone pretty well. “Everyone on the team had personal records at our last meet [in Waseca],” Olson said. She added that the team will carry out the tradition of running the football from the opposing team’s school (this year, it’s United South Central in Wells) to the JWP Football field. She accepted a $45 bid for a jersey signed by all the members of the cross country teams.

To get to know the candidates better, Rider and Strauss started the games of “Never Have I Ever” and “Who’s Most Likely To….” Topics for “Never Have I Ever” included cheating on tests, sleeping during class, and doing homework the morning it’s due. The Emcees asked the court who they thought was most likely to be an hour late to class, complain about getting an A-, and other questions putting the court candidates on the spot.

With the crowning of Queen Westphal and King Cahill, this year’s homecoming week will be very interesting. Instead of the traditional Friday night football game to end the week, the game against United South Central will take place Thursday, Oct. 13, with volleyball facing Triton on Friday.

Dress up days this year are: Monday, Dress like a Teacher Day; Tuesday, BBQ Dad and Soccer Mom Day; Wednesday, Surfer and Biker Day; Thursday, Class Shirt and Color Day; Friday, Bulldog Spirit Day.

Events throughout homecoming are: Monday, FFA Fall Fun Day; Tuesday, Cross Country at United South Central; Wednesday, Lunchtime Karaoke; Thursday, Game Ball Run by Cross Country, Football against United South Central at 7 p.m.; and Friday, Pep Fest, Spirit Walk, and Volleyball against Triton at 7:15 p.m.