Celebration and school spirit were evident at the Klein Memorial Stadium on Sept. 12 after the Klein High Varsity football team secured their first win in nearly four years against their longtime rival, Klein Oak High School.

“We knew that we could beat them if we gave it our all,” senior fullback Jackson Hamilton said. “To say that we beat them for the first time in my four years is a very cool thought.”

The Bearkats fought hard and were up 10-7 at the second half. The Bearkats were tailing with six minutes left until halftime, determined not to lose hope.

“Our coach made a point that we needed to go into the game having the mindset to win,” senior defensive end Lanceton Little said. “We knew we could win if we tried.”

The Bearkats regained the lead at halftime 24-14.

“We fought,” Hamilton said. “We fought hard and we fought the entire duration of the game.”

By the time fourth quarter rolled around, the outcome of the game was uncertain at the Bearkat’s 31-28 advantage.

“The fourth quarter is only 12 minutes long, which equals about 24 minutes of your whole life in football time,” junior running back Kenzo Viteri sad. “Motivation was running through my head and the drive to beat Oak for the first time in a while.”

When the clock hit zero, celebration filled the stands and sidelines as the crowd jumped to their feet in excitement.

“We haven’t beaten Klein Oak in years, plus it’s our senior year,” senior cheerleader, Whitney Roberson said. “Everyone was on their feet and showing their school spirit.”

The win against Oak earned Klein Football the title of GEICO’s Team of the Week.

“We just want to make history as a team,” Viteri said. “Not as a singular player.”

The aftermath of the Klein Oak game has left the Bearkats more motivated than ever.

“The only thought in my head, and I’m guessing everyone else’s was, ‘We did it,’” Hamilton said. “The hard work throughout the week, studying playbooks and film, and all of the practice, had paid off.”