Hokies 4 the Hungry (H4TH) is a combined effort with the Montgomery County Christmas Store to provide meals and discounted gifts for those in need during the holidays. It is a tradition that the MVs have supported for several years and is one that many members of the band look forward to participating in. Events include a week-long interband competition with bonus point items, and “canned bean” deduction points to harm other sections in the competition.
On gameday, the band disperses to tailgates to collect more cans and raise funds for the store to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, and toys for their discounted Christmas store. It is a lot of fun for members of the band, but it is even more important to be supporting such a great cause in our community!
The Golden Knights Precision Parachute Team! (photo courtesy of Andrew Single)
First Half
The first quarter resulted in a tied score of 0-0, with both the Clemson Tigers and Virginia Tech Hokies showing off their strong defense. The excitement came when Clemson went for a field goal. Hokie’s Keyshawn Burgos blocked the kick, and Quentin Reddish recovered the ball, rushing it 77 yards for the first touchdown of the game! This ended the first half 0-7.
Halftime
This week’s show was Dark Disney, highlighting Villainous themes from several Disney classics, including “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, “Anthem of Evil” from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, “Breath of Life” by Florence & the Machine (written for Snow White and the Huntsman), and ended the show with the main theme from The Pirates of the Caribbean, written by Hans Zimmer. The show was full of several moving shapes and lines, creating impactful images on the field. As always, it was another amazing performance in Lane Stadium full of cheers and excitement as the fans’ favorite themes from Disney classics were shared.
Roaming pep bands! (photo courtesy of Andrew Single)
Second Half
The second half was not as hopeful for the Hokies, as Clemson scored two touchdowns and held the Virginia Tech offense from any attempts at earning any points before the end of the third quarter. After the small break, Clemson pushed the Virginia Tech defense down the field again to score their last touchdown of the game. The Virginia Tech Defense still pushed to keep Clemson from running all the way down the field, however Clemson made their last advances with a final successful field goal attempt. However, the Hokies were not done. With Virginia Tech quarterback, Collin Schlee, making his debut during the second half, he threw a 14 yard pass to Ayden Greene, adding one last touchdown for the Hokies within the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. The game ended with a Clemson victory, 24-14.
Although the Virginia Tech Hokies were not able to clutch a victory, the Marching Virginians won big this week with the Hokies 4 The Hungry canned food drive! In total, the Marching Virginians collected 21,217 cans within the band, beating the band record set last year! Congratulations to the MV Nets for collecting the most cans and most points during our interband competition!
MVs unloading cans after a successful food drive! (photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Christmas Store)
Furthermore, a HUGE thank you to the Clemson Marching Band for donating 2,200 cans and $800 to our cause during their visit! The band also collected additional cans and monetary donations during our roaming pep bands, bringing our final count to a total of 24,518 cans and $16,000!
We want to give a big thank you to everyone who participated in our food drive to support the Montgomery County Christmas Stores and those in need in our community during the upcoming holiday seasons!