By the end of the week on Friday, campus usually slows to a sleepy hum as students gradually leave. But September 26th wasn’t just another Friday — it was Bish Bowl Friday, where the exhaustion of a whole week was exchanged for glitter, pride, and football. Students swapped office hours for face paint, tests for spikeball, and the library’s quiet for the lively bustling of the quad.
One key Bish Bowl tradition has been “Black Out,” where students dress in all black, the color Knights wear on the gridiron that night. From left to right, Sophia Cameron (‘28), Madison Gasaway (‘28), Kaitlyn Kuo (‘28), and Sanjeevni Vaidya (‘28) sport their blackout clothes. Sydney Mafong (‘26) said her favorite part of Bish Bowl was the Blackout and “seeing everyone get into spirit and all wearing the same color.” She explained that students wearing the same color adds to the hype of the game because “we’ll have lots of people from the entire community supporting [the football team].”
Before the big football game, energy and school spirit were already building across campus with concurrent sports games. The JV Girls’ Volleyball team defeated Francis Parker at 3 p.m. The Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team played them again afterward at 5 p.m. and won. Dr. Santiago Camacho, Upper School Math Teacher and the Assistant Coach to both Girls’ and Boys’ Varsity and JV Volleyball teams, noted that the players were “locked in,” the environment was great, and that it was a “good win against an opponent that is traditionally good.”
The Knights arrived two hours before game time to warm up, run drills, and practice plays to prepare themselves for Bish Bowl physically. But Reid Dielman (‘28) also emphasized mental preparation. Before the game, the team met together at midfield, and Reid said, “Being with your guys really takes stress away from [the game].” He also explained that teammates participate in a pregame chapel to calm the players down by taking time to breathe.
Although the 26-28 loss was shocking and disappointing for many, Bish Bowl this year reminded Bishopians of what the game really stands for — the energy of the crowd, the pride of the school, and the joy of belonging.
As Tejas Gluth (‘28), a Class of 2028 Class Representative, put it best, “It’s our tradition and it brings together the school and the community.”
