The crowd at this year’s 11th U.S. Army Arena Bowl was ready for some high school football. This year’s arena bowl hosted the largest attendance in the history of the bowl game, with 5,280 present for the game.

Along with the large crowd, there were several players looking to head to Bakersfield College in the fall and play Renegade football.

One of the players is Bryce Royal, running back for Centennial High School. Royal has high hopes of continuing as a running back at BC. His dreams don’t stop at BC, but continue with plans to play at a Division I college and major in kinesiology.

Aaron Kolb, a quarterback from Taft High School, felt that it was an honor to be recognized as one of the best in Kern County. He was excited to have an opportunity to play in a different style of game.

Now that high school football is over, Kolb said he is “Getting ready for the next level; getting ready to move on to BC.”

Kolb hopes to play quarterback for BC and compete. He looks forward to seeing where it leads.

Austin Tijerina, receiver and running back for Wasco, was pumped for his final game of high school football. He was just as excited for his career at BC with football, and a major in nursing and a minor in criminal justice in the plans.

Tijerina hopes that BC won’t be the end of his football career. He wants to continue on to a Division I or II school and then on to the NFL. Tijerina is not picky where he gets to go after BC. His only concern is getting to continue playing football.

The football players were not the only seniors that were featured at the Arena Bowl. Local cheerleaders were also included in the event.

Jasmine Guevara, a cheerleader from Wasco High School, made the squad as well as the squad at BC for the Fall of 2012.  She was part of the half that tried out who made the squad for the Arena Bowl.

Guevara said that BC means that “I get to have another chance at cheering, that my cheer life isn’t over. I am happy because I only started cheering my sophomore year, and three years isn’t enough,” she said.

BC, for Guevara, includes plans to transfer out for veterinary medicine. She is also excited because it is close to home, and she knows a lot of friends including football players and cheerleaders.