THE BLACK AND GOLD Volume 6 Issue 5 Oct. 2, 2026
HOCO Proposals Got the Beat W e
m is s
yo u
M C
By: Bella Beems
MC hates Christmas
Newspaper Staff
MC beats me
This year, with the new generation of high school students coming in, they are bringing back the high school tradition of Homecoming proposals. Homecoming proposal is the same as any other school dance proposal. You might have heard of Promposals, and it’s essentially the same as that. The important part of these proposals is the time and effort that goes into them. Proposals go beyond just the basic ask of “Hey, you wanna go together?” that you whisper to someone in class. Making a sign, getting flowers or other gifts, and just making the person you're asking feel special is what really matters. Sophomore Alyssa Rogers explains her feelings and reactions about her boyfriend, Junior Ivan Bowen, asking her to Homecoming. “It was at my house before we were going to the movies, and I got jump-scared because Ivan was hiding in the corner when I went outside. He asked me with a poster of lyrics from one of my favorite bands. I was excited!” In the end, a HoCo proposal shows that a person cares enough to take the time out of their day to make someone feel special for something as “simple” as a school dance that will only last a few hours.
Editors-in-Chief Laci Burnett Bella Beems Assistant Editor Katlyn Boydston
Reporters Ivan Bowen Layla Griffin Lauraly Lane
Photographers Kiera Kuse Alyssa Rogers
Designer Gunner Delp
Guest Staff Analeesa Busby
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! HoCo Candidates
Check out who is running for Homecoming Royalty and get some information to help you decide who to vote for! pg. 6-9
Cross Country Sets Record
A member of the cross country team sets a new record! pg. 3
HoCo Bonfire Kickoff Check out what’s happening at Sunday’s Kickoff event. pg. 8
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Oct. 2, 2026
Thomas + Lexi
Ivan + Alyssa Eryk + Kelsey
Jackson + Klhoee Cooper + Ashlynn
Leighton + Keddie
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Oct. 2, 2026
Farrell Sets New Cross Country Record
MS Faces Rock Port Loss By: Alyssa Rogers
By: Katlyn Boydston
Photo Credit: Coach Taylor Pictured: Ruby Farrell running in the Rock Port meet.
On Monday, Sept. 28, the Cross Country team had its second meet at Rock Port. Coach Taylor said, “I’m glad the weather has broken, and I look forward to the last month of Cross Country and watching the kids get better.” Coach Taylor’s highlight of Monday’s meet was watching Ruby Farrell almost break her home record.
Photo Credit: Alyssa Rogers Pictured: Grayson Matthews poses in his jersey.
Middle School Football had a game on Monday against Platte Valley. The score was 14-22, bringing the season record to 1-2. Coach Roberts says, “To prepare for future games, we are scouting and becoming better at blocking and tackling.”
“I got 13th place, which was pretty good because it was out of 36,” says Eighth grader Ruby Farrell. Farrell’s best moment of the meet was finishing the race so she could go home.
Eighth grader Aric Bramble, number 4, says his highlight of the game was catching three passes, and he wants to improve his “tackling and running to be better in the games.” He also said they could make a ton of improvement with more practice.
Eighth grader AJ Larabee said, “I did ok and my best moment after the meet was getting McDonald’s.”
Kaleb Derry, number 54, says he his very excited and nervous for the next game against South Holt, but he thinks they are going to do really well.
The Cross Country team’s next meet is this Saturday, Oct. 3, in Savannah at 7:30 a.m.
Their next game is on Monday against South Holt. Come wish our Middle School Tigers luck.
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Oct. 2, 2026
What to Read By: Alyssa Rogers
What to Listen to By: Lauraly Lane
Photo Credit: Pinterest Pictured: John Hart The Last Child
This September, I read a lot of suspenseful books. One of my favorites was The Last Child by John Hart. This book is told in three different points of view: Johnny Hernandez, Detective Hunter, and Levi Freemantle. This book is about Johnny’s twin sister who was kidnapped on her way home from school. Hunter is the detective on the case until a new child, Tiffany Shore, goes missing. He was told to drop the Hernandez case. Johnny feels like the police aren't doing enough to find his sister, so he takes matters into his own hands. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was very realistic. The Last Child makes you think about how you never know what's going on between people. Furthermore, it also makes you think twice about judging someone based on how they look. If you enjoy a realistic, kind of sad book, then this would be the book for you.
Photo Credit: Pinterest Pictured: Cover of Chuck Timely and The Hourglass
If you’re looking for an album that ranges from hopeful lyrics on a positive beat to songs about yearning then I recommend Chuck Timely and the Hourglass. This album is the alter ego of singer Role Model and it talks about how he feels, his yearning, and the hopefulness he has. This is one of my top albums this year and has popular songs like The Wedding, which talks about how Chuck doesn’t want to get married after going to a wedding for someone he knew. The songs on this album are great and sound like heaven to me. I rate this album a 10 out of 10 because it is just phenomenal to listen to and it goes through so many emotions of yearning.
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Oct. 2, 2026
HOCO BONFIRE and Kickoff on Sunday By: Layla Griffin
Student Council is hosting the annual Homecoming Kickoff this Sunday, Oct. 4. It runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Events include Soak a Senior, a jersey auction, a raffle ticket giveaway, and food for purchase. Raffle tickets are $1 for 5 tickets or $5 for 25 tickets, and the prizes for tickets are gift cards for different fast food restaurants. Soak a Senior: you can buy different things to soak one of our seniors; you can buy a cup for $1, a bucket for $ 5, or a Gatorade bucket for $8. Junior Delaney Frakes said, “I'm looking forward to spending time with friends and getting to show school spirit.” Senior Cole Kovac said, “I’m excited for the Soak a Senior” and also “I hope I get soaked by 20 people.”
Photo Credit: Pintrest Pictured: Fire blazing
Softball Gets Rained Out - Again By: Kiera Kuse
This week was anohter rough week for the Lady Tigers. Their game on Tuesday, Sep. 29, against Albany got rained out. They tried to play at least an inning, but only got four pitches in before the field began to flood. Then their game on Wednesday, Sep. 30, against Northeast Nodaway and Thursday, Oct 1, against Northeast Nodaway, was also canceled due to weather. During their practices, Coach Haley Horr said that “with all this rain and not being able to get outside or play, we're just trying to keep things light, but also focusing on the little things that we can do in a game.”
Photo Credit: Haley Horr Pictured: Softball Team poses on muddy field
Their next game is Saturday, Oct. 3, at the MidBuchanan Tournament.
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Oct. 2, 2026
What to Watch By: Gunner Delp
Photo Credit: Pinterest Pictured: Netflix Original Series, You
At the start of the school year, I found myself wanting to watch a psychological thriller/crime drama, and I found the perfect show. You is a Netflix Original series that centers on a psychological killer named Joe Goldberg. The story behind each season changes; however, each season has the same premise. There are five seasons with many twists and much to experience and find out about Joe. He has a traumatic background with his mom running around with different men and neglecting Joe as a child. This left Joe scarred, which he claims is his reasoning for all of his actions. Each season follows Joe running around with a new woman, like his mom with men, and stalking their backgrounds before taking it a step further. This leads to some complications, which shall not be named in order for you, the reader, to check it out on your own. While this series is all about this creepy, stalker-like character, it is also about facing your mental challenges. As the show goes on, we see Joe battling within his own mind about who he is and why he is/isn’t the person he claims to be. I personally love this message that the show portrays because it portrays the importance of knowing who you are as a person.
HOCO Princesses
Vote for me Because I am super cool
Vote for me because I always try and make sure people see me as a positive person,...
Favorite HS Memory: When Gretchyn thought horses didn't exist when Julius Caeser was alive.
Vote for me because I am trustworthy and honest and goated. Vote for me Because you would be making a good decision if you vote for me! Favorite HS Memory: When we were on the summer basketball trip in Branson and someone on the team wet their pants in the hotel room
Alivia Hall
Lillian Wagner
Favorite HS Memory: Gretchyn and Conner arguing everyday sophomore year in every class
Syra Serveas
Shaylee Phillips
Favorite HS Memory: The softball scavenger hunt
HOCO Princes Garrett Marriott
Tanner Graber
vote for me because i can get another nickname.
Favorite HS Memory: Getting rain poured on us a practice then proceeding to slip and slide on every puddle after.
Kale Cassity
Aiden Bramble
Favorite HS Memory: When we all played games in Wardlows class on the last day of school.
Vote for me because I want to be able to go out and show myself as a candidate for hoco
HOCO Queens
vote for me because Homecoming is on my 18th birthday!
Favorite HS Memory: Mrs. Miller
Josie Long
Kelsey Chatman
Favorite HS Memory: Being the ESPN broadcaster at the senior vs. faculty game last year.
Vote for me because I'm a part of the Tung Tung Family with Cole, AJ, and Andrew!
Vote for me because me and Cooper are the GOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kyleigh Black
Katlyn Boydston
Favorite HS Memory:When we started playing a softball game in the middle of a rain storm and then cancelled it 3rd pitch into the game.
HOCO Kings
vote for me becauise I like everyone and try to be nice to everybody
Favorite HS Memory: Mrs. miller
Cole Kovac
Kaiden Myers
Favorite HS Memory: making the friends i have now
vote for me because I'm the first two-termer in DeKalb history. And the tung tung family is poor.
vote for me because me and Kyleigh are the GOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cooper Wachtel
Samuel Geoffroy
Favorite HS Memory: Having practice in the rain.
Party In The
We are The
Champions
Thrift
Shop VS VS
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Oct. 2, 2026
Football Falls to South Holt
_ ._. ._ ... ....
What to Play By: Ivan Bowen
By: Lauraly Lane
Photo Credit: Ivan Bowen Pictured: Dead By Daylight Photo Credit: Black and Gold Newspaper Pictured: Tanner Graber ready to move against the oposing team
Last Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, the Football team went to Oregon, Missouri, to play South Holt. Unfortunately, the Tigers lost 70 - 22 against the Knights. The boys worked really hard during the game and got a few touchdowns. Senior Eryk Mejia states, “I thought for my first game I did very well and the team and I did a great job doing the best we could.” about his first football game of the season. Although the Tigers played a tough game, Coach Wardlow says, “While there were both physical and mental mistakes, the boys did well. They just need more work.” Next week, the Tigers play at home against Stewartsville/Osbourn for Homecoming. Don’t miss it!
Lately I've been playing the video game Dead by Daylight (DBD). DBD is an asymmetrical multiplayer survival horror game where one player acts as a Killer hunting four other players who play as Survivors. The round starts with the survivors spawned away from the killer. The survivors work together from a third-person view to repair five generators, power the exit gates, and escape the map. The killer operates in a first-person view to track, hunt, injure, and sacrifice the Survivors on meat hooks to a malevolent entity to prevent the survivors from escaping the round. I started playing DBD because my friend introduced it to me, and he said it was fun. It took me a while to get the hang of it and learn everything about the game. I like playing it because it can be scary, and it keeps me on the edge.
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Oct. 2, 2026
Don’t Miss This! 05
06
School in Session HS softball vs MB JV MS Football @ South Holt Softball @ King City (V, JV)-cancelled Mound City Cross Country Meet SJ Christian MS Cross Country Meet
07
08
Greenhand Induction/Fall Party Softball vs North Andrew (V,JV) & Senior Night MS Football @ Rock Port Homecoming
09
HS FB vs OSHS (Homecoming)
Week in the life