It all started with a bus, four of them actually, travelling to Waukee as part of the pack the bus challenge created by principal Evans to force some school spirit back into students who have slowly become mindless drones concerned only with making it to their next class on time, and it was successful with Ames returning with a 14-3 victory over the Warriors sending the Little Cyclones into the playoffs where they powered through to the state Quater final. The first playoff game soon to be known as the ice bowl at Ames High was on the frigid Wednesday night of October 27th. Despite the freezing temperatures, and yes actually snow falling during the game, Ames won 51-14 over Des Moines East sending the Scarletts back to Des Moines and South East Polk to Ames for the second playoff game on Monday night November 1st. This time fans stayed a little warmer but thankfully the change in temperature didn’t change the outcome of the game. Aided by home field advantage and by this time slightly peppy students cheering from the crowds the Little Cyclones were victorious again, winning 24-14 over the Rams, and sending the Little Cyclones to Des Moines East stadium to take on the Dowling Catholic Maroons in the state quarter final. Throughout the first two games school spirit had been building slowly byoed by the realization that if Ames won against Dowling then for the first time since the days of Arnaud the Little Cyclones would be headed to the Uni-dome…and how awesome would that be. So once again there was a pep bus sign up sheet available for students for 5 dollars in the Athletic office, and sign up they did. One student who signed up was two time pep bus rider freshman Christopher Jackson “I enjoy the football games a lot and I enjoy talking to people” said Jackson of why he decide to ride the pep bus down to Des Moines. “It’s a nice way of getting there and it doesn’t cost that much” Jackson was just one of the many students who gathered in front of Ames High on Friday the 5th to board a whopping 4 buses to head to the game. Two of the buses were reserved for over 80 band members who got to join in on the fun this time because Mr.Evans paid for their tickets to the game. At the stadium they made the Dowling band, which was about the size of the Ames Drumline, look quite pathetic in comparison. During the game they provided much needed pep/music to the Ames student section. In the end though, the cheers of peppy students was not enough to stop the Dowling offense, and the Little Cyclones lost 41-10, ending Ames’s state run much like it started with 4 buses headed back to Ames.