The entire football team and student body cheered as he made his way onto the court, dressed as what he was about to become, a king.
Senior Jimmy Mcanally was crowned Homecoming King during the pep rally Sept 20.
“I couldn’t exactly pinpoint one emotion that I experienced when Jimmy won,” said Homecoming Queen nominee Meredith McBeth who partnered with him. “I felt pure joy and excitement because I knew that he deserved it. I felt an overwhelming sense of a supportive community as the crowd began roaring for him.”
Jimmy has been active on the football team for a long time, allowing him to form a relationship with the players.
“We’ve been playing football together since 7th grade,” senior football player Slade Olson said. “It’s always been fun having them [Jimmy and his twin brother Daniel] on the team and seeing them have a positive outlook no matter what is happening. Jimmy is very funny, he’s always fun to hang around, he always has something funny to say and is always positive. No matter how upset you are, he always makes you laugh.”
Jimmy didn’t plan to run for court, but to his surprise, the football team campaigned for him, and when nominees were released, Jimmy’s name made it on the ballot.
“Most of the time your Hoco king and queen are the popular kids or couple in the school,” Slade said. “The football players came together and thought about it and said we need to make this a memory for Jimmy and show him we do want him to succeed. We do care about him.”
Not only does the football team care deeply for Jimmy, but many members of the student body and community do as well.
“Jimmy’s teammates and coaches love him as much as we do,” Meredith said. “In practice, players do their best to try to help him be the best player he can be. He has a supportive soul and has always been a light in school.”
Meredith decided to approach Jimmy to be her partner for court and said it was an honor.
“I have always gone to school with Jimmy and he has always been the kindest person,” she said. “Out of all the boys on the court, I wanted to be paired with him.”
Meredith planned the skit with Jimmy, performing to the song “Hot” by Young Thug featuring Gunna, and a sample from the movie “Frozen” where the character Anna is saying “it’s coronation day.”
“It was special to see the team and the student body erupt with applause for him when he walked out on the court during the pep rally,” athletic director Troy Rogers said. “We couldn’t be happier for him.”
Once all the couples had performed their skits, they were brought out for the king’s announcement. When Student Council sponsor Jenn Moore announced Jimmy’s name, the football team and students cheered.
“It felt good,” Jimmy said.
Meredith now describes her relationship with Jimmy as “a form of respecting royalty.”
“Out of all the boys, why not Jimmy?” she said. “Watching any of the boys play football and get all fired up is inspiring. However, watching Jimmy’s attitude towards the game is more heartfelt. He truly loves football and you can tell by how he celebrates with his teammates. Although I didn’t quite know him as well as I know others, I knew who he was as a person.”
