As a crowd of students, parents and school officials gathered outside Grays Harbor PUD headquarters Monday evening, a single man tapping on a 10-key was adding up dollars and pounds of food to see whether Hoquiam High School would retain its Food Ball title for another year, or if Aberdeen High would finally get one in the win column.

In the end, a Bobcat emerged wearing blue and gold, announcing it was Aberdeen that took home the title of 2016 Food Bowl champions.

With the victory Aberdeen ended Hoquiam’s six-year winning streak, and the total showed the Bobcats had won by a pretty fair margin. Aberdeen collected a total of 8,011 pounds of food to Hoquiam’s 4,262. For each dollar each school collected, another 10 pounds was added to its total weight; $68,276.57 for Aberdeen, $58,696.48 for Hoquiam. Put together, Aberdeen had 690,776 pounds, while Hoquiam had 591,226.8.

“Nobody loses in Food Ball,” Hoquiam ASB adviser Bonnie Jump told the few members of each team present as the totals were tallied. All proceeds from the 35-year-old contest benefit local food banks, feeding hundreds of families in need across the region.

Ashley Kohlmeier, Aberdeen’s ASB adviser, told both teams she had “heard nothing but good things from the public” while they were out canvassing area businesses.

The student chairmen of the winning Aberdeen squad included Brendan King, Nadia Wirta Daniels, Jake Metke, Bailey Harper, Patric Haerle, Jillian Swor and Haley Farrer.

The streak is over. After six years of domination, this year it was Aberdeen High School’s mascot that got to come through the door of the Grays Harbor PUD office to signify it was Aberdeen who took the title of 2016 Food Ball Champion. When the total food weight and money collected was tallied – each dollar counted for 10 pounds of food – Hoquiam High’s 591,226.8 pounds fell almost 100,000 short of Aberdeen’s 690,776. DAN HAMMOCK THE DAILY WORLD

DAN HAMMOCK THE DAILY WORLD