Battle Ground Academy held their 84th Tug-of-War over the Harpeth River on Tuesday afternoon where the Platos defeated the Greers.

The annual event dates back to 1935 and pits 350-plus Upper School students against each other, with students representing two literary societies, the Platos and the Greers.

Students dressed in athletic clothing, painted their bodies with blue and yellow, and donned gloves to fight rope burn, with dozens of parents, school staff and alumni cheering them on from the bridge overhead

“This is like nothing else,” BGA Head of Upper School Josh Montgomery said.

In less than a minute-and-a-half, the Platos pulled the rope past the center of the river, after which students from both sides jumped in to celebrate the end-of-year tradition.

BGA senior and Platos member Preston De Jong said he has been competing in the annual tradition since he was in eighth grade.

“To win our senior year really means something,” De Jong said. 

The Platos now lead the Greers with a record of 42-40 with two official ties.