Tigers take High School Madness crown

High schoolers across the Valley made it out to the Imperial Valley Fairground for a night filled of school pride

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA) - Seven Imperial Valley high schools gathered for a night of spirited competition during the annual High School Madness event at the California Mid-Winter Fair and Fiesta, bringing students together to celebrate school pride and community.

The event, held at the Imperial Valley fairgrounds, featured students from across the valley competing in games and challenges to determine which school would take home bragging rights for the year.

“It’s fun seeing other schools here,” Calexico High School senior Sharon Rodriguez said. “It’s fun representing your school and showing your pride. Finally, a chance to show how much we love CHS.”

While the competition between schools can be intense, many students say the event is about more than just winning.

“There’s rivalry, but it’s also like a family that you form with your school and also all the other schools,” Rodriguez said. “You get excited even if the other team wins. It’s something that everyone should go to at least once during their high school years.”

That sense of community keeps many students returning to the event each year.

“It’s a great way to show your school spirit,” Southwest senior Abel Torres said. “I think it shows how dedicated you are to showing how prideful your school is.”

Torres added that the event also provides an opportunity to meet new people from across the valley.

“I think it brings people together,” he said. “You get to meet a lot of new people and make friends.... Every time I’ve come to Madness, I’ve made at least four or five new friends.”

High School Madness has grown significantly since its early beginnings in the 1980s, according to Dannah Knight, a senior at Imperial High School and president of the Junior Fair Board.

"It originally started just in the barns and they would sort of do barn dances with each other,” Knight said. ”Over time it expanded more, and now we're here at the grandstands and we play games with each other, and it's definitely a lot more competitive than it used to be.”

Planning for the event begins months in advance, with the Junior Fair Board organizing everything from the games to seating arrangements for the participating schools.

“We start all the way back in September,” Knight said. “We start planning out ideas for games, we start planning out, even just the smallest details of where the schools are going to sit.“

When the competition wrapped up, Imperial High School claimed first place, followed by Calexico High School in second and Central Union High School in third.

For now, bragging rights belong to the Tigers — at least until next year, when all seven schools are expected to return to the fairgrounds to compete once again.