By Rylee Faehling, Current Staff
West Bend West High School varsity football has given fans something they haven’t seen in seven years: a homecoming victory.
Due to a losing streak that began in 2017, many players and students at West Bend West had never seen their team win the homecoming game. The streak ended Friday when the Spartans convincingly defeated West Bend East 48-0 at the WBHS football stadium.
East’s football team has remained strong through the years. But this year, the Spartans felt like they had a chance.
Sean McElroy, a West junior, has played varsity football as a middle linebacker for the past three years. He knew it was going to be a good game for the Spartans.
“Going into this year’s homecoming game, I felt very confident with the team and knew we could get it done,” McElroy said. “Coming off of the best week of practice and the whole city rushing us on we knew it was our game this year.”
West suffered a tough loss last year when they lost the homecoming game 30-7 in 40-degree rainy conditions. But the team came back stronger and better than ever this year, scoring six touchdowns before half-time.
The team entered the game with a record of 3-4. McElroy says the team was fueled by their earlier accomplishments.
“This year felt different than last year because of our success this season,” McElroy said. “Last year was very difficult being winless going into any game. While this year we had the confidence and prior success to put the game away.”
The game began with a touchdown in the first few minutes, starting the Spartans off with a lead and plenty of spirit. The players weren’t the only ones with spirit Friday night. The win was especially exciting for West Bend West seniors since they’ve never seen their team win a homecoming game.
West senior and 2024 homecoming queen Avah Banks was especially excited about the win.
“It was a really good feeling,” Banks said. “I didn’t have a lot of hope the past three years, now I’m just relieved that we finally won this game for my last year.”
After fighting hard for a victory these past few years, West is glad to finally see the win.
“It feels like my senior year is complete,” Banks said.
(Top photo: Maddox Gripentrog plays in West Bend West’s 2024 homecoming game on Friday. Photo courtesy of Lucas Zills.)
The West Bend Current 
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