Matt Frye/The Smithville HeraldSmithville senior Mallory Craig accepts the homecoming sash and flowers from last year’s homecoming queen, Lindsay Horton, at halftime of the football game Friday, Sept. 26.
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HOMECOMING brings community pride to Smithville
Camaraderie keeps one family coming back; Mallory Craig, CJ Kenney named this year’s queen, king
By Nancy Hull
The Sexton family homecoming has evolved through the years.
First, Smithville High School homecoming was all about the parade.
“When the kids were little, they were out grabbing candy,” Yvonne Sexton said.
Before they knew it, Yvonne and Michael Sexton’s son, Caleb, who graduated from high school in 2004, was playing in the football games. And Bethany Sexton, who graduated in 2006, was cheerleading.
Friday, Sept. 26, was the last time they’d see one of their own involved in homecoming. Their youngest, Henna Sexton, a senior, is the school mascot.
“We’ve been through it all,” Yvonne Sexton said as she, her husband, her son and father-in-law, Mike Sexton, gathered in the downtown courtyard before the parade.
The Friday afternoon parade and pep rally were full of green — green hair, green beads, green socks, green floats and plenty of green pride.
The warm afternoon hit one of its loudest points during the words from football coach Greg Smith.
“Smithville is about pride, integrity, hard work, and for me, it’s about football,” he said during the rally in the courtyard. “There’s some paybacks coming tonight.”
He was right. The Warriors beat St. Joseph’s Lafayette High School, 35-7.
A school dance on Saturday night, Sept. 27, capped the annual events.
The fact that Mike Sexton’s grandchildren won’t be in high school during future homecomings won’t keep him away in the years to come. The Kansas City native and Kansas City East High School graduate’s memories of his own homecomings pale in comparison to the memories made at his grandchildrens’ homecomings.
“We didn’t have anything like this when I was in high school,” he said. “I played football and might have done the dance thing, but it was nothing like this.”
The sense of community pride at Smithville homecomings will keep him coming back.
“The camaraderie here is pretty neat,” he said. “This is small-town America right here.”
Yvonne Sexton also doesn’t want to miss the big event in the future.
“There’s nothing like this. The whole community is really involved in this,” she said.
It’s about much more than a high school football game.
“This is truly a celebration where everyone in the whole community comes together to celebrate everything,” she said.
Smithville Editor Nancy Hull can be reached at 532-4444 or nancyhull@npgco.com.
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First, Smithville High School homecoming was all about the parade.
“When the kids were little, they were out grabbing candy,” Yvonne Sexton said.
Before they knew it, Yvonne and Michael Sexton’s son, Caleb, who graduated from high school in 2004, was playing in the football games. And Bethany Sexton, who graduated in 2006, was cheerleading.
Friday, Sept. 26, was the last time they’d see one of their own involved in homecoming. Their youngest, Henna Sexton, a senior, is the school mascot.
“We’ve been through it all,” Yvonne Sexton said as she, her husband, her son and father-in-law, Mike Sexton, gathered in the downtown courtyard before the parade.
The Friday afternoon parade and pep rally were full of green — green hair, green beads, green socks, green floats and plenty of green pride.
The warm afternoon hit one of its loudest points during the words from football coach Greg Smith.
“Smithville is about pride, integrity, hard work, and for me, it’s about football,” he said during the rally in the courtyard. “There’s some paybacks coming tonight.”
He was right. The Warriors beat St. Joseph’s Lafayette High School, 35-7.
A school dance on Saturday night, Sept. 27, capped the annual events.
The fact that Mike Sexton’s grandchildren won’t be in high school during future homecomings won’t keep him away in the years to come. The Kansas City native and Kansas City East High School graduate’s memories of his own homecomings pale in comparison to the memories made at his grandchildrens’ homecomings.
“We didn’t have anything like this when I was in high school,” he said. “I played football and might have done the dance thing, but it was nothing like this.”
The sense of community pride at Smithville homecomings will keep him coming back.
“The camaraderie here is pretty neat,” he said. “This is small-town America right here.”
Yvonne Sexton also doesn’t want to miss the big event in the future.
“There’s nothing like this. The whole community is really involved in this,” she said.
It’s about much more than a high school football game.
“This is truly a celebration where everyone in the whole community comes together to celebrate everything,” she said.
Smithville Editor Nancy Hull can be reached at 532-4444 or nancyhull@npgco.com.