EDITOR’S NOTE: The Manteca Unified School District students that agreed to be interviewed by the Bulletin spoke under a condition of anonymity.

The car rolled to a slow stop around the corner, out of sight in the nearby cul-de-sac. The door swung open and the driver emerged, a gangly teenager wearing ratty jeans, a burgundy T-shirt and the look of concentration.

He peered around the neighborhood, surveying the scene. Looking … looking … looking …

Bingo! Target acquired.

He reached back inside for his foam-spitting rifle. With the NERF gun cradled in his hands, this wannabe assassin tiptoed past two properties and onto the cross street, moving into shooting range like a whisper in the wind.

Moments later, there was a commotion and shots fired; his gun laying down a wave of spongy, rubber-tipped bullets. 

And just as quickly as he arrived, he was gone again.

Tis the season of Senior Assassination on high school and college campuses across the country, and the live-action game has garnered the attention of enthusiasts and authorities alike here in the Central Valley.

Among locals schools, Sierra High has banned it outright and Manteca High has asked students not to “shoot” each other during after-school activities.

“Little kids have NERF guns. It’s a safe, fun game,” said a Manteca Unified high school student. “We try to make it as safe as possible. No (moving) cars. Don’t break the law. Plan things out. Don’t do something stupid and crazy.

“My mom was nervous about me playing, but I feel like this is much safer than people going to a high school party and doing stupid things.”

There is little mystery to the objective in a game such as this. 

Players and/or teams hunt each other with fake weapons, mostly guns and water balloons, each vying for the “kill shot.” Points are awarded for each kill – captains are typically worth more – and the player or team with the most points wins.

The Bulletin has confirmed that a large percentage of the senior classes at East Union, Lathrop, Manteca, Ripon and Sierra high schools have or are currently playing the game.

At one local high school, the game is played out over multiple rounds, with each round lasting two or three days. The game, the creator said, can drag on for weeks without naming a winner.

“It all depends on the students’ involvement,” the creator said. “In years past, they’ve played until it died out.”

Another senior class has turned their game into a tournament, where the lowest-scoring teams are eliminated each week until a champion is crowned.

School officials and local law enforcement have voiced their displeasure with the game.

Earlier this month, the Ripon Police Department issued a press release, warning the community about the safety concerns the game poses. Players have been to “often lie in wait in the darkness at homes, schools, businesses and even at church, in order to ‘assassinate’ their target,” the release said.

Players also hide in bushes, beneath parked cars and inside the canopy of trees.

One homeowner turned his dog loose on a player wearing a ski mask and carrying a plastic gun because he thought he was going to be burglarized, according to Ripon Lt. Steve Merchant.

Last year, a Golden Valley High School (Merced) student was arrested and four others were disciplined after an incident involving “real-looking” water pistols alarmed residents near school grounds, according to a report in the Merced Sun-Star. 

One creator found himself in front of Manteca Police after triggering another student’s car alarm as a way to lure them out of the house. A neighbor thought the creator was breaking into the vehicle and called the cops, despite the creator’s plea.

“I told them about the game and they still called the cops on me,” the creator said. “It was kind of crazy but I made sure everyone knew it was just a game.”

Students say the game is all in good fun and allows many of them – mostly seniors – to share in one last experience before summer and graduation sends them off in different directions.

“I think it brings out the competitive side, especially in the guys, but it’s cool to see all the strategies,” one creator said, noting that the game has galvanized the senior class as they make their final paces toward graduation.

“I’m hanging out with people I’ve never hung out with before. I’m talking to kids I’ve never talked to before. It’s cool working together.”

Said another creator: “It’s a bonding event. We’re just having fun with everyone on campus. It’s like a celebration of the end of our high school careers.”

There is honor amongst assassins. The game is governed by rules set forth by its creators and upheld by the game’s umpires. 

For instance, shooting has been banned on at least three MUSD campuses and school-sanctioned events, realizing the distraction, confusion and panic that teens wielding fake weapons could create.

Many have outlawed the use of vehicles in their hunts and regulate the type of weapons that can be used. In one local game, creators have permitted the use of fake swords, NERF guns and one water balloon per person.

Other rules include:

• Players cannot enter a house even if the door is unlocked, unless given permission;

• No drive-by shootings. Cars must come to a complete stop before the shot is taken;

• No stealing or destroying weapons or ammunition;

• Each kill must be witnessed, recorded and/or photographed for scoring;

• If a player is shot by anybody besides the team hunting them, the kill does not count but you will be frozen for two minutes;

• In a multiple-team game, players can freeze their pursuers for two minutes by shooting or using a permitted weapon against them;

• One school incorporated care packages that contained gifts or tools, such as the ability to revive a “dead” team member or recruit another student;

• Safe zones are to be observed at all times, and such places have included all school district campuses.