It was a harrowing night at Tunkhannock Area High School. Teachers, police and firefighters rode on donkeys to raise money for FFA.
FFA stands for Future Farmers of America. Advisor Rob Gustin said the donkeys last came to Tunkhannock around 20 years ago. One of his students said they needed to make their comeback. Gustin thought it was a brilliant idea.
“We’re raising – we’re doing meat chickens. We’re doing – every year we participate in skills competitions. So, we need the money for transportation to travel and do competitions,” said Gustin.
His students spent months preparing for Friday’s game. Sophomore Ava Robinson’s last two months were packed with planning meetings. She said it was absolutely worth it. Especially since her mom, Ashley Napoli, played on the Tunkhannock Intermediate Center team.
“It’s like definitely one of the most fun fundraisers I’ve ever been to,” said Robinson.
The game is pretty simple. There are two basic rules:
- Players have to stay with their donkeys at all times.
- Players can only take shots while on donkeyback.
The intermediate center faced the high school teachers in round one. It got nasty. The announcer called for a time-out just minutes into the game.
“Oh god. Ladies and gentlemen, we need a pooper scooper,” echoed over the gym speakers.
Justin Muthter won round two against the Tunkhannock Police Department for the primary center. He said his “passion for the sport” led him to victory.
“It was all for fun, we’re here for a good cause and it was just being ‘one with the donkey,’” said Muthter.
He was confident the Tunkhannock Primary Center would beat the high school teachers in the final game.
“It’s over before it starts,” said Muthter.
The championship ended in a “sudden death” tie-breaker round. Whoever made the final point would win the game. The high school teachers got the ball three times, but they missed every shot.
K-12 physical education teacher Mike Franza took the ball for the primary center. He shot the winning basket as cheers rang through the gymnasium.
