Rivalry was real, stands were packed, and coaches were hyped as the junior and senior boys faced off in Northview’s annual Mandex volleyball game to support a great cause.
Mandex is an annual fundraiser organized by National Honors Society (NHS) to support the charity Family Promise. This organization fights homelessness in West Michigan by finding them shelter, support, and a lifeline. Through Mandex, NHS was able to support Family Promise by raising over $450 for their cause, and drew the attention of many passerbys that stopped in to watch the game. The event itself was electric, a game in which the junior and senior boys face off in a heated series of volleyball games. The seniors won in a tie break. They brought hype and passion to every point wining the final with a score of 17-15.
Senior NHS president Keiarrah Reid dove into all of the specifics for Mandex, including renting space, facilitating lunch sign ups, and more. Her initial recount of the environment prior to the start of the game proves describes an exciting atmosphere.
“When we got there, there were already a lot of people wondering what was going on. They were packed in the gym. It was really fun. The boys and the coaches were very in their zone, and a lot of people were coming in, seeing what was going on. It was a nice environment,” Reid said.
It is no secret that both the planning of Mandex and also being in charge of the event itself is a lot of work. With many different bits and pieces swirling at the same time, it fell on Reid to address any and every situation arising.
“As NHS president, you kind of have to just do a bunch of little logistic jobs that aren’t really anyone’s real job. You just kind of do them to fill in. So, getting practice space, making sure everyone knew what they had to do for pictures, flyers, and promotion, filling in when we had to do sign-ups and stuff, and then at the event, setting up,” Reid said.
Senior track and football player Brady Hutchings’ involvement in Mandex was different from others. He suffered an unfortunate ankle injury during one of the first plays as he went up to jump for one of his sets. He did not let it ruin his night and came away with a positive.
“I think the best part of the game was probably at the very start when we went to the net and shook hands and then we all got in a circle and were cheering,” Hutchings said, “I got hurt early on, so I didn’t really play that much, but it was still a really fun experience.”
Senior volleyball player Emma Armstrong is no stranger to Mandex. She chose to coach the junior boys team last season and came back for another round of intense volleyball this year. Armstrong’s second coaching experience proved to be very different from years prior.
“There was so much more excitement in wanting to play this year. They really wanted to play . . . Definitely more fun this year knowing we could win,” Armstrong said.
The event was well organized by NHS, who was able to provide an entertaining and intense spectacle of junior vs senior competition. If you missed it this year, make sure to tune in next year when the juniors seek to claim their victory. The Mandex game is typically the Wednesday prior to Fling, so don’t miss out.
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