Last Friday, the Big Sky Eagles defended Gertie at the annual GOAT game, winning against Hellgate and keeping the trophy for another year.

This year, the students’ theme was “Top Gun: Maverick,” with accompanying music such as Free Bird and Danger Zone, and the student section geared up in sunglasses and bomber jackets for the occasion. 

According to student body presidents Averi Larson and Cierra Maloney, the preparations for this year’s GOAT game began in June of 2025, and took until January to fully complete.

“We were planning since just before the end of last school year, talking about and planning all of our songs and decorations in September, and we were having to work a lot more consistently at the end of November,” Larson said. 

When asked about the process of setting up and choosing the theme, Maloney and Larson mentioned the other candidates were strong, but Top Gun was the best pick.

“I think we were pretty dead set on Top Gun, our other choices were “Under the Sea” or “Ancient Greece”, but I think once we watched the Top Gun movies through again, the choice was obvious for both us and the other students involved,” Maloney said.  

At the GOAT game, multiple veterans, alive and deceased, were honored by Big Sky due to the Top Gun theme.

“We had their names in the pamphlet handed out to students at the game. We wanted people to submit their loved ones so they could be congratulated, and I feel that’s important to mention with a theme like this,” Larson said.

Big Sky High School’s secretary, Debi Turner, submitted five of the featured veterans, including Donn Lassila, the first student body president of Big Sky. When asked about how she felt having her loved ones featured at Big Sky’s biggest student event, she said she found it cool and very important. 

“I’m glad the student government came together to honor those who served for us, and I thought they were very well respected. I thought it was cool and important to honor veterans for their service,” Turner said.