Friday Night Sports Blitz: Week 9 Scores and Highlights<\/a><\/p>\nThe Turkey Bowl\u2019s origins trace back to 2008, when the English and Math Departments squared off in a lighthearted flag football game. The competition grew into an annual \u201cViking Bowl\u201d before fading out after 2015. Now, thanks to feedback gathered from faculty and students earlier this year, the event is making a full-fledged return.<\/p>\n
Director of Del Mar\u2019s Stone Writing Center Linda Eubank said the idea to bring back the game surfaced during a campus meeting last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said the number one thing students and faculty wanted to bring back was the Turkey Bowl, so we decided then to start pulling it together,\u201d Eubank said. \u201cThis is our 90th anniversary here at Del Mar, and so this is a good way to celebrate by bringing the football game back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The revived matchup featured two teams, Valdar\u2019s Warriors and the Helm Holders, chosen through a draft of faculty and staff from across the Heritage, Windward and Oso Creek campuses.<\/p>\n
Even though the game hadn\u2019t been played in ten years, the enthusiasm was undeniable \u2014 from the players to the fans, and especially the referees.<\/p>\n
\u201c21\u201314 blue, if you not here you missing out baby! Wooooo!\u201d said referee and Spirit Coach LaVockea Wallace, while throwing a flag fervently into the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Warriors jumped out to an early 12\u20136 halftime lead and never looked back, cruising to a 28\u201314 victory. But according to Warriors Head Coach and Director of the Student Success Center Omar Villarreal, the win was earned long before kickoff.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to make sure that my team actually reserved the gymnasium,\u201d Villarreal said. \u201cOn Fridays after work, even though we didn\u2019t have to spend any more time in the office, we came into the gym for two hours. We ran drills, we practiced plays, throwing, catching, diving, sprinting. We did all of that so that we would be prepared for today and that we can take home the championship once again.\u201d<\/p>\n
That preparation, Villarreal added, included keeping one key weapon under wraps, standout receiver Albert Hernandez, a long-distance runner who turned heads with his speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was in our back pocket,\u201d Villarreal said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to reveal the secret too soon, but when it comes time to score, we got to have our strongest, best players out there, and everyone has a role.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because even in a friendly faculty flag football game, it\u2019s not just about the Xs and the Os, it\u2019s about the Jimmys and the Joes.<\/p>\n
While the game was the day\u2019s highlight, the event also included a 90th Birthday Tailgate Party with cupcakes, hot dogs, a pi\u00f1ata, student fundraisers and even a \u201cBest Viking\u201d costume contest. The Collegiate High School Dance Team performed at halftime, and DMC students led a \u201cVictory Lap\u201d around the running track to celebrate midterm success.<\/p>\n
Rita Hernandez, Del Mar\u2019s Dean of Student Engagement and Retention, said the Turkey Bowl is a showcase of teamwork, spirit and student involvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents are playing an integral role by providing logistical support to ensure Turkey Bowl 2025 is a successful event,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cArt students designed creative run-through banners, music students performed the National Anthem, entrepreneurial students led concession fundraisers and future EMTs provided first aid and event support.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that reviving the game was about more than friendly competition \u2014 it was about honoring the college\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Turkey Bowl is a great example of Del Mar College\u2019s commitment to cultivating our Viking culture of connectivity among students, faculty and staff,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cMay the best team win.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the Warriors hoisted the newly minted Turkey Bowl trophy, players and spectators alike were already looking forward to next year, proof that some traditions are too good to stay buried.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A revived campus tradition brings together faculty, staff and students in celebration of DMC\u2019s 90th anniversary. CORPUS CHRISTI,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[155,157,156],"class_list":["post-20355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi-headlines","tag-corpus-christi-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}