The second annual Moonlight Madness was bigger, louder, and filled with moments that the students and players will remember when they look back on their high school years.

After last year’s celebration, the team hoped the second one would live up to the hype. 

As soon as doors opened at 7:30, families and friends of players walked into the gym. They filled the bleachers while the cheer team stood on the court waving to and greeting guests.

Once the gym was packed full, the event began at approximately 8:10 pm. Isabella “Izzy” Hernandez, the Bishop Amat ASB Secretary, hosted and pumped up the crowd for the activities to come. 

The night began with a performance by the Bishop Amat cheer team. Despite a slight malfunction from the DJ, the squad continued their set. Its completion was met with a loud serenade of claps and cheers.

Shortly after, the girls’ basketball team was presented with a hype video. The sound of a heartbeat played throughout the video, which represents the idea that the team “Wins As One.” The song “Grinding All My Life” by the late Nipsey Hussle played during the video as well. Each of the girls said their name and struck a pose.

When the video ended, Hernandez came back out to get the crowd ready for each of the girls’ introductions. Each name was followed by the song “I Just Wanna Rock” by Lil Uzi Vert, a series of flashing lights, and cheers. The loudest of them was for junior, All-League selection, Adrianna “Dre” Torres. Over the summer she went viral for her magnificent dribbling skills. The girls’ introductions concluded with the team captains prompting the crowd to support them at their first home game versus La Habra High School.

Next up, 5 girls from the audience were called to play against Torres in a 3-Point contest. The winner of this would then be sent to the championship round after the boys’ introductions. Hernandez said “Go!” and multiple balls flung into the air missing the basket by a wide margin. It was a 2-minute long contest which resulted in an easy win for Torres. 

Then came the song team, who gave an outstanding performance to keep the crowd entertained while they awaited the boys’ team to be announced.

Hernandez returned to center stage to present the boys’ basketball hype video. The video was centered on the many shortcomings that the boys’ basketball team has faced over the years. It mainly focused on the idea that this year was different, and that this team would not follow the usual trend of finishing short of a championship. The song “Scholarships” by Drake and Future played in the background of highlights from the previous season of returning players. The video concluded and Hernandez came back for the boys’ introductions.

Each name was followed by a series of flashing lights and applause. The loudest cheers were for senior All-CIF and All-League selection Manuel Chavez, who broke the school record for 3-pointers made in a season the previous year. The boys’ introductions concluded with the team captains encouraging the guests to show up for their first game against Pacifica Christian at Concordia University in Irvine.

Like the previous 3-point contest, Hernandez asked for 5 boys from the crowd to play against Chavez in a 3-Point contest. The winner of this would then be sent to the championship round following this match. Chavez led the way beating the opposing students as easily as Torres. However, the ensuing championship match between Chavez and Torres was highly anticipated.

At last year’s Moonlight Madness, Chavez beat Torres in convincing fashion. This year, Torres made it known she would not be beaten. Torres threw up what seemed to be shot after shot, while Chavez took his time. Torres came out victorious, beating Chavez in the 3-point contest for bragging rights. 

Then came the dance team. Midway through the performance the dancers were joined by Chavez, which gained a lot of reaction from the crowd.

Following the performance a hula-hoop competition between the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams resulted in a choke job by Nathan Contreras from the boys’ team, giving the girls an easy win.

Coach Chuy Hernandez, the offensive line coach for the Bishop Amat Football team, walked onto the court to garner support. The football team was set to play Oak Hills High School in the high desert in round two of CIF Division II playoffs. Although the game is located about 2 hours away from Bishop Amat, Coach Chuy reassured the crowd that “the Amat family is everywhere.”

The second year of Moonlight Madness concluded with the head coach of the boys’ basketball team, Brandon Ertle, asking the crowd if they would simulate a game-winning court rush. He counted down from three and a massive crowd of students rushed onto center court.

To cap off the event, the alma mater was played and ended the 2nd annual year of Moonlight Madness.

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