For over half a century, Mount Michael has celebrated one of its most recognizable traditions: the annual War Ball tournament. Known for its competitive energy and enthusiastic student turnout, War Ball has long been a staple of the school’s student activities. While the tournament continued this year, several changes to organization, rules, and overall encouragement made the 2026 event noticeably different from previous years.
As Nathan Mullin ’26 put it, “War Ball is a famous tradition at Mount Michael that has been passed on for every single year that anyone I know has been a student.” War-ball is a game unique to Mount Michael and is comparable to dodgeball, though it includes several important differences. As the game progresses, new boundaries may be introduced. Players are allowed to pass slightly over the half-court line, encouraging more confrontation between players. Play can also be expanded to the three-point line. In the final stages, the boundaries may expand to full-court play, creating a free-for-all environment for remaining players. The rules of the game evolved to be what they are today over the years between 1967 and the early 2000s when it was just a tradition at Camp Mount Michael during the summer. It later became the Catholic Schools Week and Homecoming Week tradition it is today, sporting the modern rules students are familiar with, barring the changes made this year.
Several rule adjustments influenced gameplay throughout the tournament, including an increase in the number of referees and more surveillance of the eliminated students. Dean of Students Mr. Tyler Linder explained, “Working directly with Mrs. Schleimer and the student council… we agreed on some established rules, how they would be enforced, the timeframe and all the things… All meant to curtail any deviant behavior.”
This year, War Ball was held on the evening of Jan. 28, the Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week. One of the most notable outcomes of this year’s tournament was the freshman class defeating the seniors. Traditionally, seniors have performed well in War Ball due to experience. Mullin said, “[War Ball] is part of the most exciting thing that happens during Catholic Schools Week, and its especially exciting for the seniors who get the grand opportunity, generally, to crush their underclassmen every single year.”

This year, however, the number of freshmen who attended well outnumbered the seniors. Despite the long history of seniors dominating their first match against freshmen, the freshmen persisted and defeated the senior class in a nail-biting showdown between Bennett Sailer ‘29 and Brady Quinlivan ‘26.
Though this year the seniors did not crush any underclassmen, the juniors certainly did. After obliterating the sophomore class in an intense round, they went on to humble the freshmen. This year was the first tournament in years that the junior class has won, finally usurping the long-held senior streak. The juniors were nothing short of ecstatic to experience their win.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, discussion turned toward the future of War Ball. Some students and staff have mentioned the possibility of another War Ball event later in the year, though no official plans have been announced. While this year’s War-ball tournament differed from those in previous years, it remained a central part of Catholic Schools Week and a strong Mount Michael tradition. Linder said, “I’m not opposed to my deans having more War Ball nights, like an intramural type thing… maybe not even class versus class, maybe day student versus boarders. Mixing it up more in that regard. I think the more frequently we do it, it can still be competitive, but it won’t be as crazy as it has been in the past.”
With over fifty years of history and continued student interest, War Ball continues to adapt while maintaining its role as one of the school’s most well-known events. The future of War Ball is changing, but one thing is certain- War Ball is not leaving anytime soon.
As of now, it appears that Mount Michael will continue to build on decades of tradition in fresh and interesting ways.