Our beloved football team has made history again this year by winning their first state title since 1968, but in a way you wouldn’t expect. To set the scene, during their playoff run this past season, the boys carried on the tradition of singing the “Panther Fight Song” to the crowd, as is done after every win. The tradition has been said to bring tears to the eyes of the spectators, as the genuine passion and grit of the boys can be felt throughout the duration of the song. The touching performance of the fight song after the first playoff game against Oak Harbor in early November left the entire stands speechless.
“The boys have true talent, on the field and on the mic. I was speechless the entire time, everyone was,” Emerson King ‘26 an avid football fan said.
The Monday after this post-game performance the boys had a true surprise. Coach Maul had scheduled an impromptu meeting, with no telling why. Many thought it would be a regular film meeting to review plays for the next game. The boys had no idea what they were in for. “Coach Maul sat us down in the front of the room and stayed there silently, staring back at us. I honestly thought we had done something wrong, that he was telling us the playoff game was rigged, and our win wasn’t counted,” Xavier Losh ‘26 said. But what Maul actually had to say was a total shock. He said that after the heartfelt fight song performance, so many parents, students, and faculty, not only from Prep but as well as Oak Harbor, had emailed him expressing their adoration for the fight song rendition.
Maul continued by stating how because of how touched everyone was, he had signed the boys up to compete in the state’s choir tournament. When asked to recall his decision, Maul stated, “I knew right after that performance that these boys had some real talent, and it needed to be shared to the world. I did what was best for the program and don’t regret it for a second.”
The road to state wasn’t easy. With such a late start in practicing, the team started having to combine football practices with singing lessons. Coach AJ Middleton reported, “The locker room was filled with such joy and passion…for singing.”
All their hard work paid off in early March when the 50-man team traveled to Washington State University and competed in a two-day competition. After the first day, spirits were down. “We missed some beats, some guys were out of tune, all around didn’t have a good performance overall.” Matthew Tessin ‘26 said when reflecting on this first day. Even with this initial obstacle, that didn’t stop them from giving it their all on day two.
The team waited anxiously all day as they were the last performance of the competition. “When it came time to perform, we knew what we had to do, and we got it done.” Stephen Kassab ’26 said. The boys gave an outstanding performance, leaving the entire competition in tears. A five-minute standing ovation followed their performance, making it clear who was the overall winner. The boys secured their title and headed home.
When reflecting on this event, many boys said it was their favorite event of the season and a “true reflection of what Panther Pride is.” Coach Maul added, “We are constantly challenging our guys to be multi-sport and diversify their athleticism. This demonstrated how well rounded our team is, how much range the boys have, and it won’t be the last time they share these talents with our community.”
