The cafetorium at Straughn High School was filled with football fans and good food Saturday night for the annual Straughn Tigers Football Banquet.

After a meal made up of various items from among those scattered throughout the cafeteria area in everything from casserole dishes to cardboard to-go boxes from area restaurants the honoring of student-athletes began.

The Straughn JV and varsity cheerleaders were honored first. Each cheerleader was presented with a certificate for their hard work during the season.

Senior cheerleader M.J. Cunningham was presented with gifts, including a single red rose from each senior member of the 2003 Straughn football squad.

The JV football team was honored next with Head Coach Jonny Mitchell delivering a short speech about the season.

He said he was extremely proud of the players because after going 1-6 in 2002 they came back, worked hard and went undefeated in 2003 with a 7-0 record. Each member of the team was then presented with a certificate.

The Straughn varsity football team was honored next with Head Coach Trent Taylor stepping behind the podium on the stage,

He began by asking those present to give the JV Tigers another round of applause for a great season.

Taylor then thanked the cheerleaders for all of their hard work and dedication.

Next, Taylor said he apologized in advance for leaving anyone out because there are so many people who make a difference when it comes to Straughn football. He then thanked several people and businesses including the booster club members.

Taylor then called out the names of each varsity player in grades 9 through 12 and presented each with a certificate.

He gave the seniors special attention telling a brief story about each as he called out their names to present them with their certificate.

He talked about the seniors as a group and applauded their efforts as Straughn Tigers.

"The bar has been raised a little higher," Taylor said about the seniors. "Expectations were always high, but now they are a little higher."

The senior members of the 2003 Straughn Tigers recognized at the banquet are Michael Hobbs, Justin Bracewell, Quent Jones, Jesse Davis, Brent Nall, Dawanis Samuel, Dylan Dyess, Jeremy Morgan, Hunter Kinsual, Chad Cottle, Garrett Windham and Scott Crawford.

The parents of the seniors were then presented with a special gift.

Taylor then recognized longtime Assistant Coach Benjie Kinsaul and presented him with a new watch so nobody will ever again be bothered by his current watch as it beeps at the top of every hour.

Special awards presented at the banquet followed with Jeremy Morgan taking home the Kevin Hutto Individual Effort Award.

The Captains Award was a tough choice for Taylor because so many players meant so much to the Tigers. In the end, he decided to present it jointly to the senior members of the 2003 Tigers who played football since 8th grade. The Captains Award was then presented to Michael Hobbs, Justin Bracewell, Quent Jones, Brent Nall, Dawanis Samuel, Dylan Dyess, Jeremy Morgan, Hunter Kinsaul and Garrett Windham.

The final award of the banquet was the Craig Franklin Award annually presented to a player for his leadership and dedication to team goals.

The award was presented by Bro. Jason Green to Brent Nall and Michael Hobbs.

The banquet came to a close with a special power point presentation made up of photographs taken throughout the season.