GREENVILLE — Gage Denham became the 47th Chief Green Wave in Greenville Senior High School history Thursday night as a homecoming celebration featuring a parade, pep rally, and powder puff football brought students, families, and fans together.
A large crowd lined downtown Broadway and Harmon Drive for the annual Homecoming Parade, with Greenville students naming Denham the 2026-27 Chief Green Wave. The recognition highlighted an evening that combined school tradition with friendly competition ahead of Friday night’s football game.
“It’s a great day; it’s a great week for our kids with all the homecoming festivities,” Greenville athletic director Aaron Shaffer said.
Kate Fox was honored as grand marshal of Greenville’s 2026 Homecoming Parade after being selected by Greenville Senior High School students to lead the annual celebration.
Following the parade and pep rally, the celebration moved to the football stadium, where girls representing all four high school classes competed in two powder puff games. The freshmen defeated the sophomores 6-0 in the opener before the seniors shut out the juniors 12-0.
The freshmen provided the first winning performance of the evening, scoring the only touchdown in their matchup with the sophomores. Their defense kept the sophomore girls off the scoreboard to secure the six-point victory.
The seniors followed with a two-touchdown performance in the night’s second game, getting scoring runs from quarterback Lizzie Shaffer and Kara Blumenstock.
Shaffer put the seniors ahead with a touchdown on the ground, giving her team a 6-0 advantage. Blumenstock added another touchdown run to extend the lead to 12-0 and help secure the victory.
The senior defense completed the shutout, making it a sweep for the winning teams’ defenses across the two games. The freshmen and seniors combined to outscore their opponents 18-0.
While the games gave students an opportunity to compete for class bragging rights, Aaron Shaffer said the evening’s purpose went beyond the final scores.
“It’s a chance for them to come out and have a good time and enjoy themselves,” he said.
The schedule carried students from the community celebration downtown to the pep rally and then onto the football field. For the freshmen, the powder puff game was part of their first homecoming as high school students. For the seniors, the victory added to their final homecoming week at Greenville.
Denham’s selection also added another name to a school tradition spanning 47 Chief Green Wave honorees. His recognition took its place alongside the parade and football games as a centerpiece of Thursday’s festivities.
Shaffer congratulated Denham and emphasized the value of giving students time to enjoy the experiences that accompany their high school years.
“The young people, they don’t realize the time is fleeting, and you know it’ll be gone before they know it,” he said.
With Thursday’s activities complete, attention turned toward Friday night and the next chapter of Greenville’s homecoming celebration.
“So hopefully they enjoyed the night, and we’re looking forward to a good night of football Friday night,” Shaffer said.
Greenville hosts the Sidney Yellow Jackets tonight, Oct. 2, in a Miami Valley League football matchup, with the Little Brown Jug and rivalry bragging rights going to the winner.
