by Marah Bengel and Paige Anstey

Did you have so much fun at the football game that you aren’t ready to go home? Well now you don’t have to, because you can head to 5th Quarter after the game. This includes food, games, and many more activities.

The YMCA has set up an after home football game hangout and activity space after every home football game. The doors open at 9 pm. The junior high students can stay until 10:30 pm, and the high schoolers stay until 11:30 pm.

The sponsors of this event are the Evangelical Free Church, the First Assembly of God, and the YMCA.

Games include a set up for laser tag, basketball, and an inflatable bounce house course. Food includes hot dogs, chips, desserts, and more.

Lee Havemeier, the Youth Pastor of First Assembly of God, said, “If you have students that are excited about something and are ready to get behind it, we’ll invest in it.” Havemeier said that he plans to invest in more 5th Quarters next year also.

Sophomore Hanna Redler said the laser tag will bring students of all ages closer because they are all together in one room, playing the same game. Havemeier said, “I played five or six rounds [of laser tag.]” He said students must “work as a team to win against the others.” “The laser tag was pretty awesome! The bad thing about it though is I was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans,” Redler said, referring to the heat. Redler, along with some of her friends, attended 5th Quarter on Sept. 5.

Havemeier said, “I think this will bring the community closer together, simply because a family that plays together, stays together!”

“I wish we had more help cleaning up,” Havemeier said. “Other than that, everything went really well. It just went very smooth!”

Both Havemeier and Redler plan on returning to 5th Quarter in the future. Havemeier said that he gives “props” to Kyle Bartholic, the Evangelical Church Youth Pastor, because he “did a lot of leg work in making the connections.”

“This gives the community a chance to get together after home football games,” Havemeier said. “We have a fantastic time [hosting Fifth Quarter.]”

The most memorable part of Redler’s night was “when me and Morgan (Anstey) were battling in the bounce house and then got yelled at for staying in there too long.”

Havemeier said that his most memorable part of his night was “Chandler (Staley) and I going head to head after we ran out of ammo in our laser tag guns.” He would like more people to participate in the future.