Friday Night Lights

“BRIIIINNNGG!!” The tenth period bell rings right on time- 2:35pm. On how the students of West High have been looking forward to this day. It’s not just any regular end of school day bell. It’s Friday night! On top of that, it’s the homecoming football game tonight. For the first time in nearly 15 years the team is having a winning record. The entire town is amped for the hopeful defeat of the biggest rivals of West High- the Northerly Way Bulldogs from the next town over.

With a population of less than ten thousand people, West High is situated in a perfect location for the full-blown football-oriented town of Chesapeake Bay to have their full support. With the week leading up to the big game this Friday the people of the town have not disappointed when it comes to supporting the so- far successful young team. Blue and white posters decorate nearly every window and yard in town. Matching streamers and balloons have also been bestowed upon local restaurants the team is known to frequent (thanks to the proud moms who brought it upon themselves to decorate so extravagantly). The way the town has prepared for this game gives players no choice BUT to win. Imagine an entire town preparing, supporting, and cheering for your team to just go and lose- talk about a disappointment! Needless to say, the boys have been feeling the increasing pressures of this game a little more than most.

Seeing this, the new Head Coach of the team (Coach Rivera) has been steadfast in giving his players advice, words of encouragement, and mental toughness for the much-anticipated game. He even rallied all of the cheerleaders together to help encourage the team throughout the week, all the way up to the homecoming pep rally Friday after school. The small gymnasium quickly filled as students and teachers packed into the stands. It was a sea of blue and white everywhere you looked. When the football team ran out onto the center of the basketball court the entire gym exploded with thunderous cheers for the boys. Win or lose- everyone loved them anyways.

Now was the cheerleaders time to show the players their support and encouragement. Each girl wore a homemade blue t-shirt with white painted glitter letters. They matched the blue tops with their white cheer skirts and Keds. Running up to the boys, each cheerleader handed a player a hand-written note about why they were an integral part of the team, what made them special, and why the school needed them in order to win the game. Each boy plays an important role and the girls wanted them to know that. The girls made sure the players didn’t read their notes until after the rally. Then, the girls sprang into cheer. A special cheer they worked on just for the rally that day.

After the ladies were finished, next on the agenda was a speech from Mr. Brown- the school principal. As Mr. Brown was thanking the ladies and just about to get into the meat and potatoes of the rally, a beautifully distracting owl flew right overhead- perching itself atop the rafters of the gymnasium. Principal Brown couldn’t help but be awestruck by the striking beauty the animal held. It’s body, just over a foot long, was a light tan color with a white heart shaped face surrounding its dark eyes. As if it knew all eyes were on him, the owl flew a few circles around the gym, ducking down past the basketball nets, then finally out of the gym the same way it had entered. Once the trance the entire school had been put under by the bird was gone, the rally continued as planned. After Mr. Brown was finished with his speech, there was music, accompanied by games, and snacks for those who wanted to stay and conspire with the team. Everything seemed to revolve around the boys in that football team and that's because well…it did. For this town anyway.