Prairie View Courtwarming

Prairie View seniors Payton Hopper and Violet Long were crowned 2026 Courtwarming king and queen during a ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6. Gavin and Madilynn were crown bearers for the event. (Except where noted, photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal)

By Roger Sims, Journal staff

linncountyjournal@icloud.com

Prairie View seniors Violet Long and Payton Hopper were crowned 2026 Courtwarming queen and king during the break between the girls and boys basketball games on Friday, Feb. 6.

The coronation ceremony and the Courtwarming dance following the boys game was the culmination of a week of activities. Theme days throughout the week include mismatch day on Monday followed by Back to Neon Day Tuesday, cowboy and cowgirl Wednesday, pajama day Thursday, and PV gear Friday.

Candidates for the crowns were introduced along with some of their background information. Clockwise from top left, candidates included Bailey Hughes with escort Justus Teagarden, Violet Long with Payton Hopper, Amaris Murillo with Ethan Gray, and Charly Gregg with Edward Squires-Riley.

The royal court poses for photos following the coronation.

Opponents for evening were the Santa Fe Trail Chargers, and they turned out to be formidable opponents, with both Buffalo teams taking a loss.

The boys game started out well with Hopper sinking a 2-pointer and surpassing the 500 career points mark. Despite a good effort of both the boys and girls, the Chargers were just too much.

Just moments into the boys game, Hopper hit the career mark of 500 points and took a moment to pose with the banner. (Prairie View Buffalos Facebook)

In the girls game, Addison McCool tries to keep a Charger at arm's length, guard Kennisyn Gochenour brings the ball downcourt, and Kadence Lueker battles for control of the ball.

In the boys game, Nolan Boyd finds an opening to take a shot, Anthony Dokolas brings the ball downcourt and Brody Beattie battles a Charger as he goes up for a layup.

With the Courtwarming ceremony over, the students went back to work, with Bailey Hughes picking up her flute with the band, and Violet Long and Amaris Murillo joining the rest of the cheer squad.