MARYSVILLE — The spectacle at the Marysville-Pilchuck High School pool on the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 28, pitted male and female athletes from M-PHS and Marysville Getchell High School against each other in a friendly, light-hearted competition that helped support the Marysville Community Food Bank.

The girls’ swimming and diving teams from M-P and MG faced off against boys from the two schools’ football teams in a series of four swimming and diving contests, from the 200 medley and free relays, to diving and an inner-tube relay.

“We raised about 75 cans of food and a few dollars,” said Jaci LeGore Hodgins, head coach of the M-P and MG girls’ swimming and diving teams. “Of course, we’d always like to raise more, but every little bit helps.”

While the girls turned out 21 from M-P and 12 from MG, the boys were only able to recruit 12 from M-P and four from MG, but what the boys might have lacked in relative numbers, they made up for in literally making a splash, with M-P’s Ricky Jacobsen in particular inspiring the event’s student judges to pick up their chairs and move back in anticipation of his cannonball dives.

“The football guys always put in a great showing,” LeGore Hodgins said. “M-P’s Drew Hatch threw one heck of a reverse, which everybody held their breath as they watched. It’s really fun to see who steps up and is willing to go for it, whether they’re swimming or diving.”

“The boys did a lot better than I expected,” said Serena Corbett, a junior and a team captain from M-P. “I think the entire event was super fun, and anyone that didn’t come to watch definitely missed out. It’s always cool to show the other sports teams what swim and dive is all about.”

“MG’s Brooke Wherley ripped some of her dives and was a show-stealer,” LeGore Hodgins said. “We want her to throw dives like that at Districts and State.”

Although students on the sidelines held up numbers to score the boys’ and girls’ dives, no official score was kept for the competition.

“This is a very casual event,” LeGore Hodgins said. “Its mission is to bring our two schools together to do something fun that helps people.”

What LeGore Hodgins most hopes that the community takes away from this event is the number of young people in Marysville who have big hearts for their hometown.

“I’m impressed every year with how the football players handle themselves at this event,” LeGore Hodgins said. “It’s a wonderful Marysville goodwill games, and I’m honored to work in a community where we have such support from our pool staff, football coaches, students and parents, that we can all come together and do this every year. The M-P and MG swim and dive girls deserve major kudos for their organization and participation as well. It’s a real gift to work with these ladies.”