The clink of the whisk and the faint sizzle of bacon danced in the air as an exhausted, but enthused, senior student body president Caroline May prepared the bacon and eggs with her fellow seniors at this morning’s annual bacon fry. The bacon fry commemorates the state line rivalry that has been aflame for over a century.

“Although I was really tired, it was really fun to get to prepare the food with all of the seniors instead of the past years when we just got to get the food,” May said. “We were all chanting and getting really excited for the game while we were cooking, and it was just a really great moment for the senior class to bond.”

Despite the bacon fry lasting only lasting 35 minutes, it took weeks of preparation and student volunteers arriving two hours early to set up.

“The main part of getting it together was just making sure that we had enough grills and enough fryers,” senior class President Anna Graves said. “We had to go to the grocery store and get all of the food, and get it ready, the cafeteria workers helped us a lot. They made a lot of the food. Really, the most important thing was making sure we had all of the student volunteers. Without them we could not have all of this food, there is no way. Everyone helped so much.”

The bacon fry is a tradition that remains with students throughout their lifetime.

“Bacon fry is one of those traditions that has been around for as long as I can remember and it’s really good for Texas High because it’s a bonding experience for the senior class,” student council adviser Susan Waldrep said. “They come back for their 10 year or 20 year reunion, and these are going to be some of the memories they recall. Being up here before dawn, cooking and it’s a good way to start the day because it gets that spirit level up pretty high. They’re cheering for the radio station and it’s just a good deal.”

After a week of spirit days and preparation for the most intense game of the season, the bacon fry is acts as the final celebration of the game to come.

“I feel like the bacon fry gets us all pumped up,” junior Chase Watkins said. “I mean it’s game day and everyone finally realizes that today is the day. At this point the seniors have never like made the bacon, and now they get to make the bacon, so I feel like it’s a little more special. The seniors getting to react with the younger kids and showing them the traditions that we’ve always done and putting the flags on the cars, the cheers, the chants, all that.”