It was an incongruous placement for a trash can, some might have thought- winking down from a lofty height of 50 feet, poised expectantly for the flames making their way up the stacked wood, looking for all the world like the requisite angel on a very peculiar Christmas tree.

But the battered, misshapen trash can, a long-suffering memento of a revamped student section, seemed a fitting tribute to a football team that’s seen 10 straight victories so far this season.

This year’s annual bonfire pep rally celebrated in anticipation of the playoffs in Royse City tomorrow night.

“We’ve been preparing for West Mesquite this week,” senior wide receiver Eric Sutton said. “The game plan is good, and if we execute it we should expect a win.”

Organizing the bonfire is a time-consuming process run by the senior class; in order to prepare, a burn permit must be authorized and wood pallets put together in a specific manner.

“I thought it went really well,” Director of Student Activities Susan Waldrep said. “The fire burned super hot; too bad it wasn’t a little bit colder. The seniors did a really good job getting it together, they did a good job building the bonfire. We had a good crowd, so I’m a happy camper.”

But the bonfire is not exclusively for the seniors.

“It was really cool to get a feel for what the next couple of years at Texas High are going to be like,” freshman Haley Wood said. “The traditions here are awesome and getting to experience one tonight was great.”

As the flames died down, however, the class of 2017 found themselves the ones most emotional. 

“[This bonfire] is definitely more unique than any other one,” senior Carson Jones said. “I feel like I have a real connection to this one, since I’m a senior and it’s my last one. Tonight I realized that this might be the last time I ever take a picture with some of these people. And it’s just sad because you know we’re one school and we’re all united tonight, but soon we’ll be going our different ways.  I’m just really glad to cherish my high school experience with these people.”