Under the Friday Night Lights

November 21, 2008

Who would ever imagine that the place to be on Friday nights was actually at school? Well during the fall and throughout the football season, there was no better place to catch up with your friends after a long week full of homework assignments and tests than at the football game on Friday night.

Often the buzz began much earlier in the week around the halls and classrooms as friends decided where to meet up before the game, who was going to drive, and where to go out after the game.

No matter who the opponent, or our team’s record, when the stadium lights came on students, teachers, and parents crowded the home side bleachers of Panther Stadium in support of our friends and classmates on the football team as well as in the band and on the drill teams.

Throughout the season, pep rallies were held to cheer on our teams and boost school spirit. The Spirit Stick competitions often led to very creative and competitive schemes in an attempt to get the judges’ attention, but ultimately they were awarded to the loudest and most spirited class.

During halftime of each home game the Panther Pride Marching Band took to the field along with the Silverbelles to perform a medley of songs they spent hours practicing after school that same week. I recall one tune the Pride seemed to love to play the entire 4 years I was there, the “Conga” by Gloria Estefan. I can recall hearing it from my days at freshmen football practice to the last home game my senior year. “Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga, I know you can’t control yourself any longer” You know the rest!

After the game ended, friends would often load up in cars and retreat to their familiar hang-out spots to socialize. Back in the day, cruising Gause Blvd was a popular past-time for many and a rite of passage for any student who just got their driver’s license and talked their parents into letting them take the family car out.

When the Friday Night Lights finally went dim and the parking lot emptied one thing was for certain the weekend had officially begun.





Note:
Due to the length of this video it may take a little longer to buffer and play when you first press the play button.