On September 8th, the long-tradition of Friday nights under the lights of Berton A. Yates stadium returned. The football team had their first home game against Temple. The stands were filled with friends and family and many teams and clubs attended, ready to perform for the 45-17 victory against the Wildcats.
Last year’s match up against Temple was tough, but this year the team was seeking a little retribution after losing.
“The highlight of my night was finally beating Temple 45-17,” senior Isaac Stafford said. “We thought we were going to have more of a challenge.”
The football team can always rely on an excited student section to boost the spirit. Students sit in their designated segment of the bleachers yelling, laughing and cheering.
“The student section gets everyone hype, ” junior Sydney Prihoda said. “It keeps the energy going.”
AFJROTC Color Guard presented the colors at the football game. The cadets marched out in unison to honor the U.S flag and national anthem.
“Holding the American flag was fun because I’ve never been America for a football game,” sophomore Gabriella Basile said. “It was scary at first but it was exciting to get to stand there with my flag and all the people watching with their hands on their heart.”
Back again after a year away, the PitKru occupied the sidelines spurring on the student section. Banging trash cans, dancing, and shouting for the students.
“People should join PitKru,” junior Ava Foster said. “It’s a fun experience cheering for your team and hanging out with cool people.”
Members of student media stood alongside the local media for this game. Having a one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and a heavily recruited team gets a lot of media attention.
“I like taking pictures because it captures moments that you sometimes forget, ” senior Avery Estebanes said. “When you take them with a camera, you get to hold on to them forever.”
The act of cheering in Texas goes down in history as a part of the Friday night lights tradition. Cheerleaders’ goal is to pump up the crowd, but they experience the charge too.
“It was fun being under the Friday night lights with my best friends,” sophomore Addison Geisbush said. “Every time Jordynn and I did something, we just burst out laughing. It was amazing.”
The sound of the band is an integral part of the game experience. The Band played something every time the team made a touchdown. The instrumental keys brought life to the game.
“Having music for football games brings it to life,” senior Jaydyn Lightfoot said. “I’ve been to games that had no music and the atmosphere was dry and didn’t have much going on. When we have that energy and music, it keeps something going on in the background.”
It’s tradition for the choir to sing at the first home game. It’s one of the only opportunities that everyone gets to see what choir does. This year, the group started the game off by singing the national anthem before kick-off.
“The highlight is when we line up on the field and see everybody excited for the first home game,” senior Brianna Keelan said. “You hear the roar, and see the sense of community. It’s awesome to be right in front of that before we sing.”
