Turpin football celebrates Homecoming and the school's 50th anniversary on Friday, Sept. 25, when the Spartans host West Clermont at 7 p.m.

Both teams enter the Eastern Cincinnati Conference matchup at 2-3 overall and riding one-game winning streaks. Turpin is 2-2 in conference play, fifth in the ECC standings, while the Wolves sit eighth at 1-3, according to MaxPreps.

The pregame festivities start well before kickoff. A 50th Anniversary Kickoff Event runs from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Turpin cafeteria, featuring school tours, a projection mapping art display and historical commemorations. Class of 2020 alumnus Aadhivan Ramkumar's original string quartet composition, "Golden Jubilee," will be performed by four current Turpin musicians, as we reported Sept. 24.

At approximately 6:42 p.m., the school will introduce its three most recent principals and invite graduates from each decade to stand and be recognized, according to a Forest Hills School District Instagram post. Turpin opened its doors with a dedication ceremony on Aug. 22, 1976. The Spartans' first-ever football victory came that same fall against Anderson.

On the field, Turpin quarterback Will Schmittauer has been the engine. In the Spartans' Sept. 18 win over Loveland, Schmittauer threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to C. Poland on the first play of the third quarter, added a 30-yard rushing touchdown and connected with Poland again on a 10-yard scoring strike. James Wolfer contributed a rushing touchdown in the second quarter of that 42-21 road victory.

West Clermont arrives with its own momentum. The Wolves beat Milford 43-41 on Sept. 18 on a last-second touchdown pass from quarterback Colton Abner to Ethan Davidson. Senior running back Caleb Abshire ran for a career-high 204 yards on 33 carries, The Clermont Sun reported.

The win marked a turning point. First-year West Clermont head coach Jeremy Pflug told The Clermont Sun his team simplified its approach after an 0-3 start to conference play. "We are going to change the identity of our program by playing as hard as we freakin' can," Pflug said after the Sept. 18 victory over Milford.

Tickets are available at goturpin.com/special-events. Turpin's next game is Friday, Oct. 2, at Anderson in an ECC rivalry matchup.