Senior Juan Rodriguez was crowned Homecoming King at the pep rally Sept. 26.
“Truthfully, at first it wasn’t on my mind to run until I was asked to,” Rodriguez said. “Then I thought it would be really fun to participate in it, seeing as it is my last year.”
Rodriguez and his skit partner, senior Homecoming Queen nominee Kelbie Black, did a mock soccer match for their skit, in which Rodriguez won.
“Kinzlee, Kelbie and their friends came up with the idea for the soccer skit, and then we added and removed ideas until it was perfect,” Rodriguez said.
When Rodriguez’s name was announced as the new Homecoming King, he was full of gratitude.
“I was thanking everyone who voted for me and the others who made Homecoming possible,” Rodriguez said. “I was also thanking everyone who helped with the skit and helped put up the posters.”
Right after he won and got crowned, Rodriguez started to run off.
“I was wondering why there weren’t any snacks in the big hat,” Rodriguez said. “I might have been very hungry at the time.”
Rodriguez felt that he had a fair shot at winning because of his involvement in many extracurricular activities, but he still wanted to remain humble.
“I understood that band kids in the past have gotten king or queen due to the high number of votes from the band,” Rodriguez said. “Additionally, with me being in cross country and soccer, and with the help of posters (courtesy of Kelbie’s friends), I believed I was going to go far, but I did not want to be too unprofessional about it. My main goal was to have fun, whether I won or not.”
Senior Kinzlee Kepler knew Rodriguez was the right person for her to vote for because of their history and his personality.
“I know Juan because we’ve been in band together for almost 6 years, and I’ve known him since he moved here in 7th grade,” Kepler said. “I voted for him because he’s the most kind and gentle person I know. He is always willing to help anyone at any given time, regardless of their background. I’m so very excited that he won; he worked so very hard for this.”
Student council sponsor Jenn Moore stays busy during homecoming week, but she enjoys doing it.
“[Homecoming week is] a pretty big item on our annual agenda,” Moore said. “I was never interested in the athletic side of school spirit when I was in high school, so I like that LHS HoCo carries a celebratory vibe, which includes everyone in the entire school. It’s something we can all get excited about.”
This year, the homecoming dance was on Sept. 20, and then the following week included dress-up days, a parade, a public and school pep rally and concluded with the homecoming game Sept. 26.
“Homecoming is definitely a lot of fun,” Rodriguez said. “The hype, the suspense and the spirit are exciting. It meant a lot to see people dress up and have a positive attitude, plus the football game was a nail-biter, but we pulled through and got that W!”
Celebrating the school, its current students, faculty and alumni is the purpose of homecoming, and Kepler feels like that was evident this year.
“Homecoming to me means a time where everyone in Lampasas can come together to recognize all of our organizations and take pride in coming together for events like the parade,” Kepler said.
Moore respects everyone on the homecoming court and knows it is not an easy task.
“I would like to say that being chosen for HoCo Court can be brutal, at times,” Moore said. “Those students didn’t ask to be displayed in front of the whole community, but there they were: Each one of them stepped up to the task with honor. They acted like leaders and role models. I appreciate that I get to see how special these moments can be in the lives of our students.”
Rodriguez’s popularity within the school is credited to him being a part of so many extracurriculars.
“I’ve never had him in class, but Juan is just one of those students many teachers know about,” Moore said. “As yearbook advisor, he has always had a familiar face because of his massive participation and involvement in school organizations. His face is everywhere and always smiling.”
Rodriguez’s message as Homecoming King is for everyone at the school to have the best year possible.
“I am very thankful and grateful to be able to be Lampasas High School’s Homecoming King of 2025-2026,” Rodriguez said. “I hope and pray everyone is able to have a fun, positive and amazing year.”
