The 17th Annual Turkey Bowl, a soccer match that pitted the YISS Dads’ Club United against the YISS teachers and staff, was held on Saturday, November 23. The game consisted of three action-packed 30-minute periods.

After team introductions were announced by the energetic emcee duo Mr. Brandon Moore and Mrs. Kimberly Moore, the players made their entrance by ripping through paper banners held by the elementary cheerleaders. The roster reflected the cultural diversity at YISS, spanning eight different countries across five continents.

The first period saw the Staff Team start strong with an early 2-0 lead, but DC United did not give up easily and continued to push forward, ensuring that it was not a comfortable lead.

The first intermission provided time for the elementary cheerleaders to entertain spectators with a cheer and dance routine and the emcees to call out the first round of raffle prize winners.

The second period saw several substitutes brought on for both teams, and the match continued with goals flying in left, right, and center. DC United fought back hard, but the Staff Team led the game with a score of 3-2 before entering the final period.

The final period was a tense affair, with the DC United pushing forward at every opportunity. There was some stalwart defense from the Staff Team, but wave after wave of attack proved too much. The DC United secured two goals to balance the score at 4-4.

Some thought that the game might have to be decided with a penalty kick shootout for the third year in a row. However, a late goal by Mr. Rob Harrison sealed the 5-4 win in favor of the Staff Team to give them the honor of lifting the trophy for the first time in two years.

The post-game turkey lunch allowed the entire community to enjoy a delicious turkey spread with mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetables, dinner rolls, cookies, and pumpkin pie. Special thanks to Dads Club and PTO volunteers, MS yearbook photographer Bria Lee, Juhyun Sung for his photos and video, Mr. Mark Ludwig for sound support, emcees Mr. and Mrs. Moore, and the fans for making Turkey Bowl an exciting community-wide event!