On a perfect September evening, the Friday night lights blazed as this year's queen, Lauren Anderson, and this year's king, Jacob Wiersch, were crowned at Northwestern's Homecoming celebration.

Tiger Stadium was packed with fans and well wishers.

Haley Smith and Alex Bobbyn, 2013 queen and king, were on hand to crown this year's royalty.

Both Anderson and Wiersch reacted to their selection with surprise and characteristic humility.

"Before this year I never even went to a Homecoming dance," Wiersch said.

Just being selected to the court was a big deal for him.

"I went home and casually mentioned it to my mom and right away she called my sister and both my grandmothers and my father and brother, who both were at work at the time," Wiersch said, with a laugh. "She just had to call everyone. She was so excited."

Learning she had made the court was equally surprising for Anderson.

"I was in 'econ' and wasn't really paying attention at first," Anderson explained. "I'm friends with all the members of the Court. My mom told everybody. She was happy for me."

The ladies sharing the limelight included Rachele Cerrone, Rachel Fisher, Lauren Hill, Elizabeth Iobst, Sabrina Mertz, Carly Pierce and Sarah Segan.

The gentlemen included Taylor Breininger, Alessandro Consuelos, Frank Dangello, Devon Devers, George Haddad, Carter Mell and Cam Richardson, all of whom rounded out the Homecoming Court.

The Homecoming Court was presented just after the half-time show.

The ladies were announced alphabetically by their last names, along with their escorts. Pictures and bios of each court member were featured in the program.

Almost all these seniors were just as surprised to have been selected.

"There are a lot of cool kids in our grade," Iobst said. "It's a good feeling to think all my friends thought of me when it was time to vote for the Court."

"I was really surprised to be selected on the court," Hill said. "I have always felt close with a variety of my peers but never considered myself one of the 'popular' kids. I feel very lucky and pleased to be chosen by some of my best friends and classmates."

"I never considered [being selected] so I didn't expect it," said Mell, Hill's escort. "I was in Mr. Frey's class when I heard the news. Yeah, my parents were happy."

"I think it's an honor to be on the court," Segan said. "It's always been a tradition and we've been getting closer. This is something we can look back on."

Dangello said he felt similarly.

"It's a huge honor to be part of the court," Dangello said. "What more can I say."

"Being on the Homecoming Court inspires younger kids in a way," Pierce said. "My mom was very proud of me."

"There are so many girls who could have been chosen," said Cerrone, who was escorted by Wiersch. "Jake is in my Emerging Health class and we drive [to class] together, so we're friends and we were in mutual agreement."

Before the event, there was a lot of chatter about what everyone would be wearing. They flocked to stores and rummaged through closets to find the perfect clothes for a weekend of Homecoming festivities.

Mertz paired paisley with boots, while Consuelos considered a gray blazer.

"At the game, I really just want to express my upbeat, fun personality through my dress, so I'm wearing a colorful dress, a scarf to match, and a jacket to cover up to stay warm," Fisher said.

"The guys decided to go with a preppy kind of look," Student Council President Devers said. "Sweaters and ties, like a college preppy freshman look."

"As long as I look pretty good, I'm not going for the million-dollar dress," Cerrone said.

This is only the second year football players were permitted to serve on the court.

Breininger, Dangello, Haddad, Mell and Richardson had to put their football chores on hold for a few minutes so they could participate in the Court festivities but the Tigers remained focused as the team met a formidable opponent on the field.

"I'll have five minutes to rest my mind once half-time comes," explained Haddad, prior to the event. "People who don't ordinarily come to the game come for this one so you want to give it 110 percent.

"As a player in your senior year, you won't forget this one for the rest of your life."

"Saucon is undefeated as well," said Breininger, referring to Northwestern's football season before the game. "This year, they flipped the schedule.

"The first four teams weren't as much of a challenge."

Turns out the Tigers met the challenge with a 39-14 win against the Panthers.

"This is one of the best teams we're going to play, so we want to get a win for homecoming," Mell agreed.

Richardson, however, was not flustered.

"I just see it as another game," he said casually. "I'm usually not the kid to be all pumped up. I'm not the type of kid to get super nervous about everything.

"I just sit back and relax and play the game I love to play. This is going to be a little different but you've got to stay focused."

His performance on the field was as good as his word.

"The community comes out and supports the Tiger pack and the players," said Devers. "[Homecoming] brings everyone together."

"Traditionally homecoming was a time when students who graduated would come home and back to the community," explained Linda Paist, class adviser along with Michael Sikora. "But Homecoming is something that [involves] the whole school so it has value.

"It's not like prom in that way. All the kids get to dress up."

"There's a greater sense of community spirit for the whole week really," said Wiersch. "[Homecoming] just brings us all together in a way you don't see at any other time, including [students] in all different grades and from all different activities."

The Homecoming game and festivities capped off Spirit Week where all students were encouraged to dress as nerds on Monday; wear pink on Wednesday and black and gold on Friday.

All students could attend the Homecoming dance Saturday night.

"[Homecoming] affects more than just the students," said Anderson. "The families that have lived in the community for a long time enjoy coming back to reminisce about high school. It's a good thing. It's good to remember where you came from."

"For seniors, it's one of the big landmarks of our year," Wiersch said. "For seniors, it's like our last hurrah. This is going to be it for us.

"It's like finishing a novel and starting another one."

"A lot more seniors come to the Homecoming game and the dance," Devers agreed. "We're kind of realizing this is it. It's Homecoming, Mr. Northwestern, and finally graduation [which] will be the formal goodbye, but Homecoming is the start of it all."

Excitement was the watchword for the weekend.

"Being there at the game [and] being there at the dance doesn't compete with instagram," Devers continued. "Personal interaction, spending time with someone, you get to know them better than seeing their Facebook profile."

"[Homecoming] is a very American thing," said Consuelos. "I think because of the difference in educational philosophies, this event would never happen in other cultures. [Here] it's about more than books and pencils. It's about sentiment, tradition and nostalgia."