Just imagine the intense rivalry.

Hundreds of students in the crowd. All eyes on their high school team, the Hershey Trojans. For Hershey High School, football games play a big role in bringing together the student body under the lights every Friday night.  

Off the field, number 55 Joey Mishler, a senior at HHS, is just one of the four captains for the Hershey Trojans football team. On the field, Mishler is known as the center and middle linebacker. The other captains are Seth Strohm, Joe Brittain, and Matt Stauch.

Preparation for any task in general can mean a lot of hard work. When it comes to the football players, they practice. Mishler explained that the “Bean Week” is full of hard work and rigorous practices. The “Bean Week” is in preparation for The Cocoa Bean, an annual game that HHS has against their sister school Milton Hershey.

At first, the Cocoa Bean game started as a community service project, but it soon became a televised game every year. Mishler added that it’s not only the work done on the field but also the attitude leading up to the game. Positivity and confidence is key in scoring a win.

“You just have to get the job done,” said Mishler.

Additionally, there is more that goes into football games then just the players on the field.

Colby Firestone and Julia Rippon, this year’s HHS senior cheerleading captains, also play a large role in the games. Rippon and Firestone explain that they create many different routines specifically for the Cocoa Bean.

“It should be really exciting this year because ABC 27 Morning News will be interviewing everyone who plays a part in the Cocoa Bean game, including us,” Firestone said.

Rippon explained that with the added publicity at the game, the cheerleading squad has come up with a dance just for the interview. Cheering aside, they do many other things for the football team. Firestone said that instead of spirit buddies, they give a big basket to the team every Friday  that includes power bars, Gatorade, and other pregame items.

“I believe it’s our job, as cheerleaders, to make sure everyone is spirited and supporting the team no matter what the score is at the end of each game,” said Rippon.

The student body also contributes to the spirited atmosphere at Hershey sporting events. Devin Bratton, a senior at HHS, agrees that the student section can really encourage the players and show support. Even though he doesn’t practice for hours on the field or have to try to remember dances, he still prepares for “Bean Week” like any super fan would.

“My friends and I usually tailgate before the game. This includes cooking food, painting faces, and making everyone excited for the game,” Bratton said.

Bratton then explained that he couldn’t ever imagine tailgating not being a tradition for HHS, especially for The Bean. He said that tailgating has been done for so many years and plans on passing it down to the lower classmen to keep on supporting Trojan football.

The Cocoa Bean brings huge support to both Hershey Trojans and Milton Hershey Spartans. The Trojans are looking forward to playing together and hopefully bringing a win for Hershey.
“You have to expect you’re going to win, you can’t go in thinking anything different,” said Mishler.