Nearly 100 Hempfield High School students jumped at the chance to have spherical objects hurled at them at speeds more than 50 miles per hour.

It was all part of the school's annual Dodgeball Classic, which was put on by teacher Andy Wise's marketing class and the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club.

The event, held in Hempfield's older gym Feb. 27, featured 16 teams, each comprising six players.

Logan Pennell, a member of the FBLA, could not play because he injured his shoulder playing lacrosse, but he still worked the event as a photographer. "We put out announcements throughout the school," said Logan. "The teams are made by the students."

Student Elli Yaeger participated in the dodgeball event for the first time. "I think it's a great way to build school spirit," Elli said. "I'm part of the business club, the FBLA, and it's our job to fundraise and advertise this."

Elli played on a team alongside fellow FBLA member Nora Small, and Small recruited lacrosse teammates Aubrey Whaley, Kacey Klinger, Sam Earheart, and Haley Knouse.

Student Junior Abiola did not have a team moments before the competition was set to start. He was prepared to play as a one-man team but fortunately bumped into a friend who needed another player to fill his team.

"It's just fun," Junior said. "It's fun to get together and have a team and throw balls at each other."

The team consisting of Nathan Louie, Mason Koehler, Cole Ferchalk, Grant Slutter, Marcel Boyreau, and Ethan Ashba won the championship, and the prizes included six Army gym bags with Army swag, six entrees from Texas Roadhouse, Lancaster Stormers tickets, and gift cards from Cafe East, Friendly's, and Sharp Shopper.

Wise said, "The champions will live on throughout history by having their picture taken with the Hempfield Black Knights FBLA Dodgeball Classic Championship school trophy."

The team consisting of Bennett Allgyer, Nick Schoelkoph, AJ Georgelis, Justin Ly, Luke Over, and Isaac Kelchner placed second.

Hempfield High principal Bill Brossman even joined in on the fun, competing in his work attire when a teacher team was shorthanded. "Sometimes as a leader you have to jump in when needed," Brossman said. "It's a great event. I love that it's a student-led event. It really fits into our vision for Hempfield High School. It's exciting to be a part of something that reaffirms the culture we have here."

Brossman added, "It's an opportunity for the FBLA to learn about leadership and marketing and how to organize and publicize an event. It fits in well with our business class, and it's a cool thing for the kids, too."

Wise noted that dodgeball is the ideal sport for this event. "The soft dodgeball doesn't play like a traditional ball, so it levels the playing field," Wise said. "There's no true dodgeball league or competitive atmosphere. Everybody loved dodgeball as a kid, and this really brings it to life in a school setting."

Wise added the Dodgeball Classic is a way for students to apply what they are learning. "It's a fundraiser for our FBLA club," he said. "It's part of an academic class, our marketing class. They plan it top to bottom. They write for sponsorships. They put together brackets. They put together prize packages, hang posters, and create registration packets. It's nice to give them something hands-on to do instead of just theory."

Future Business Leaders of America, a business student organization, has multiple divisions, including high school, middle school, postsecondary, and professional. Hempfield's club has 30 members and meets on Thursdays. "We talk about business topics beyond the classroom and participate in different regional-, state-, and national-level events," Wise said. "We have speakers in quarterly to connect with our students, and we create an atmosphere for our HHS business students to thrive in school and as they move on to additional educational and professional opportunities."