On Jan 22, University High School endured two losses. The first one was the loss of their boys’ varsity basketball game against their rivals, Eaton High School. The second was the loss of some parts of their hallway, as a result of a drunk driver crashing into the school itself.
On Jan 22, the University gym filled with Eaton students dressed in all black and University students dressed in all white. All basketball players ran out while many fans were cheering. As the anticipation was building throughout the gym and both school sections, the game started.
During the first quarter, University was leading in points. While Eaton was catching up, University just kept getting further and further. With University being ahead of Eaton by 21 points, Eaton closed that gap with the help of Rowen Messinger (26). Eaton worked as hard as they could to bring the points up in the game, showing the audience how their practices really paid off. Approaching the fourth quarter, the scores were getting close, even tying at one point. By the end of the fourth quarter, Eaton managed to bring home a win.
EHS student Easton Hobbs (28), said, “Honestly, I just feel like the rivalry game is maybe the craziest basketball game I’ve ever seen. Just the high emotion of playing against University, obviously, and it was Rowan Messinger’s ‘revenge’ game because last year, that was the game he tore his ACL. Just to see my teammates ball out and just have an all-around team performance felt pretty good.”
Hobbs is a sophomore swing on varsity, but has sat out the games for the past two weeks due to an injury. Hobbs said, “Not being able to play the game I love, it was kind of sad, honestly. Maybe a little depressing not being able to play, but I’m always going to be there for my teammates, and I felt like I became a better teammate over the stretch of me being injured. But having to sit out against UH, I definitely had some sad feelings towards it, but at the end of the day, we won as a team, and that’s all that matters.”
After the game, the Greeley Police Department got a call not long after the game had come to an end. Responders arrived at the scene of University High School a little before nine p.m. Because a drunk driver crashed into the front doors of the school and down the hallway. The intoxicated driver was identified as 28-year-old Eduardo Perez. Perez has had three DUIs in the past, making this his fourth.
EHS student, Luis Garcia (28), said, “It’s kinda insane going from University to Eaton and then watching that happen to University. I mean, transferring to your own rival school is definitely a big change and stuff, but I would’ve never thought or imagined that University would lose in basketball against Eaton because they were pretty good, and get a car crashed into the school the same night. It’s pretty insane watching any school go through that, let alone your old school.”
No one was hurt or injured in the accident. Responders took Perez into custody when they arrived at the scene. While people were on campus and in that hallway when the car ran through it, everyone got out safely and unharmed. School resumed on the normal schedule the next day.
