By TATUM  MAPES

Photos by ANDREW VINES

Oct. 13 marked the fifth year in a row in which the the Redlands East Valley’s varsity football team defeated their Citrus Belt League rivals Redlands High School in the annual Smudge Pot game. This win cemented the Wildcat’s status as the best-performing varsity football team in Redlands, following their triumph over Citrus Valley in the Grove Bowl near the beginning of the season. The final score was 19-7.

The Wildcats established their lead over the terriers early in the first quarter, with two touchdowns thrown by junior quarterback Myles Herrera to seniors Billy Bowens and Seth Zappia. The score of 12-0 remained for the rest of the quarter and first half.

In the second half, REV’s potential for an additional fourteen points was squandered by two interceptions by RHS linemen Brian Landon and Edward Wirtz. Finally, in the third quarter, Redlands High School scored their only touchdown of the game, much to the delight of RHS’s student section, the Boneyard. The last quarter was a treat for REV fans, as senior Gabriel Clark scored a rushing touchdown for the Wildcats, ensuring the win and retaining the blue and red Smudge Pot for the fifth year in a row.

A notable moment in the game was the appearance of a streaker in the third quarter wearing nothing but bright blue underwear, a white mask and an American flag on his back. He sprinted from the southwest end of the stadium straight across the field to a roaring crowd and finally jumped onto a wall, threw his fists up in triumph and quickly escaped. The man’s identity, as well as his affiliated school, is still unknown.