Tupelo High School is a school full of traditions, and one of the most alive and famous is the Tupelo Boys.

There is evidence in previous yearbooks that the Tupelo Boys date back as far as 1990. They started out as just a group of guys who painted their chest with blue paint to spell out Tupelo and also wore shirts with each letter on one of them. Throughout the 1990s, the Tupelo Boys did not play a very significant role in the pep rallies or footballs games aside from being present with their school spirit always intact. Beginning in the 2000s, the Tupelo Boys evolved to participating in skits and running out with the football team at games. Now there are tryouts held in order to become apart of the prestigious tradition of being a Tupelo Boy.

The current Tupelo Boys for the 2014-2015 year are Reed Thornton (“T”), Jacob Manley (“U”), Walter Goss (“P”), Kyle Alford (“E”), Tucker Sheffield (“L”), Jack Rogers (“O”) and Garrett Hill (“!”).

Earning this position was not easy by all means. The boys were asked multiple questions and asked to perform a skit, dance, or sing a song. Sheffield went to extreme measures such as “twerking” at the end of his tryout.

“I ended by saying ‘So there’s this guy named Troy Bolton, and I really don’t like him because he copied my dance. I had on a number 14 basketball jersey under my shirt, and I turned my back to them, took my shirt off, and sang and danced to ‘Get’cha Head in the Game’ with my basketball,” Alford said, referring to Disney’s “High School Musical.”

During Sheffield’s tryout, he was asked if he would let the judges shave his head, and his response was priceless.

“My answer was only if they would shave #themblankets on it,” Sheffield said.

The boys have huge shoes to fill from Kyle Holliman leading the pack with last year’s Tupelo Boys. Some are skeptical if they can do it, but the 2014-2015 Tupelo Boys have full confidence that they will exceed the standards set last year.

“Last year’s group was an amazing group of guys who really brought a lot of fun into every game,” Manley said. “We won’t be able to be exact copies of them, but we do want to try and follow the same path as them, and just try to involve everyone in the fun.”

In order to fulfill the Tupelo Boy role to its fullest potential, they must have dedication and school spirit. The Tupelo Boys agree that it takes charisma, enthusiasm, and the ability to get the crowd buck wild and embarrass yourself in front of the entire school.

“I believe school spirit is more than just athletics,” Alford said. “It’s more than just academics. It’s more than just the arts. It’s everything as a whole. I take pride in going to out of town camps and telling them I’m from Tupelo High School. That’s good spirit when you take pride in your school, and you’re happy to say that you go to such a great school.”

These Tupelo Boys are expected to be just as great or even better than last year’s and will have no trouble getting the crowd pumped up and excited about Tupelo. THS, brace yourself for a lively year with the newest Tupelo Boys.