DAVID HILTON THE FLAG & THE FUTURE

That night, David Hilton felt like he was on top of the world. Just before the biggest event of the year, the Quarry Bowl, he and all his friends were hanging out and having the time of their lives, just enjoying being teenagers while it lasted. It was the rival team Whitney High School (WHS), on their turf, with the odds against them, but Hilton still believed they could win. He led the crowd in, waving the flag through the air. Hilton being the proud Rocklin student he was, he was wearing the Rocklin High School (RHS) Quarry Bowl shirt. It was white with blue writing because the theme of this year's game was white out (RHS) against black out (WHS). He also had on some brown shorts to tie the outfit together. As the game was about to kick off and they were heading in, everyone felt the same; there was no popular group, no weird kids, no shy kids, no jocks — it was just teenagers being a part of their school.

The excitement of walking into the STORM section was electric, the students thundering with applause. That Rocklin High School was a united force; the spirit between those students and the pride they had for their team was at full force. The feeling of cheering for their team for the last time at the Quarry Bowl felt different from previous times. Walking into the crowd, Hilton felt powerful, and leading everyone in made the energy so much higher.

The game was filled with excitement and promise of victory. It was a tight game, everyone on their toes waiting for the results. When the class of 2023 got to see Rocklin High School beat Whitney High School for a final time, everyone was ecstatic. If he had the chance, Hilton would go back to that moment because he felt as if everyone felt the same emotions he did. The RHS students were so excited at the results of that game. Rocklin beat Whitney at the Quarry Bowl. Hilton and his fellow classmates were all out there cheering on their boys that night with so much hope in their eyes.

Hilton had hope, not just for the results of that game but also for his future. He felt that night made him more of a leader and reminded him of the power he and everyone around him had inside them. He felt like everyone had the power to lead that night. Everyone would be off to somewhere new next year, so they had to make the best of that night. Hilton has known his classmates, the people that he was surrounded by, for years. Even if he wasn’t friends with them or didn’t like them, they were the people that made up his life for four years.

Now that all of that was ending, it was a bittersweet realization for Hilton. The class of 2023 was going to college, work — off on a new adventure anywhere but here. Hilton feels that his classmates all have different visions of what their future will be in their mind, a different place where they will thrive. Hilton's future as of now is Cal Poly. He is off on a new adventure to college. It’s not the path for everyone, but for him and some of his classmates, it is. For Hilton, the ending of high school is coming fast, and a new adventure is beginning just as fast. It’s very surreal to him to be going off to college; he feels like a freshman still, and in a way he is: instead of a freshman in high school, Hilton will soon be a freshman in college. He has made many memories in his high school experience, but there are many more that await him. With a flop of his tassel, his new adventure will begin.