The smell of fresh spray paint on the dewey hill has pervaded the Galena Unit School District campus every Friday morning of homecoming week for over 30 years. This year’s homecoming, along with heavily welcomed new traditions like powder puff football and class games, came with something else that instead pervaded the hallways with tension: a partially blank hill, with numbers of volleyball players and names of golf players and cheerleaders, and very few football numbers.

In past years, all fall varsity athletes have been allowed to paint their numbers and names onto the hill, even though it has typically been known as a football ritual. This year’s change caused some tension, especially between golf and football.

In protest of this changing tradition and the large space the golf team took up with their names and their current record, the majority of the football team decided against painting the hill.

Football team members were contacted with questions about how they felt and if they supported of the team’s decision to not paint the hill, and they players declined to comment.

Members of the boys golf team painted a large display of the record over the last two years, “24-0”, and while some football players felt this was a direct attack at their losing record for this year, golf members claim that it was truthfully just a proud statement of how they have an undefeated record.

Senior golfer Barrett Bell was asked about the hill, and how he felt about the football team’s actions and his own team’s actions, and he declined to comment on the subject, stating that he did not want to “start beef” with anyone again.

The homecoming spirit was building all week long, with float constructing, dance practicing, and hallway decorating. For some, the strain of the protest from the football team dashed the high hopes for the rest of the week.

“It was just frustrating to have a divided school during the week that was supposed to be the time that we all felt the most together. Everything turned out okay and I still had a ton of fun with my whole class!” said senior golfer Lily Kurt.

Students and staff alike agree that while the tensions about the hill, or rather, the lack of the hill, may have toned down the school spirit, it was brought right back up by the plethora of games and activities that were aimed at pulling the classes together.

“Homecoming was still fun, and the boys not painting the hill changed the mood a little bit, but our class still came together and was able to have a great last homecoming.” said senior Hannah Wubben.