Friends and family came to watch several upperclassmen compete for the title of “Mr. OL.”  Hunter Bishop, Jake Brown, Colsen Eubank, Cameron Houck, Grant Manock, Destin Peebles, Neo Sansone, Clayton Saville, and Rei Silva practiced for weeks to showcase their qualities on March 23.

Opening dance, sportsmanship events, a talent portion, Q&A session, and finally, the crowning of Mr. OL entertained the audience.

“I went to the event last year, and I thought it looked really cool,” said senior Angelica Estrada. “It’s filled with the most spirited guys and girls.”

The contestants and their escorts began to practice for this event several weeks prior with rehearsals twice a week for about two hours. They would run through the show several times until it came out perfect, but all that work paid off the night of the show.

“The amount of work and fun that goes into this pageant is unimaginable,” said junior Colsen Eubank. “It’s super fun to be a part of this. Claiming the title is only a part of it.”

This event also served as an opportunity for new friendships among the many contestants and escorts. The young men and women formed bonds through the long hours of practice and preparation.

“My favorite part is getting to meet the other contestants and escorts and building new friendships. It’s been amazing to be apart of this event because of them,” said junior Clayton Saville.

Finally at the end of shownight, senior Rei Silva was crowned “Mr. OL 2018” along with his escort, Angelica Estrada, who was awarded “Most Valuable Escort.”

“With my friends clapping behind me and the audience clapping, I couldn’t have felt more happy for myself and my escort. I hugged everyone around me,” said Silva. “This will be a memory that I will always think about.”