Friday, September 5th — Harrison fought a tough game against Beavercreek and came out with a win, 28–21. The football game was exciting to watch, and seeing the players work together as a team was amazing.
But there’s more to Friday night football than just what happens on the field. Outside the game itself, there are other fun things that make the games feel the way they do: the student section, the concession stand, and just hanging out and talking with your friends.
Friday night football games bring the whole town together to cheer on the team. You’ll see just about everyone at the stadium from cheerleaders, to students, to police officers and medics working.
I asked many people that came to the football games a question. A junior from the student section what is the most noticeable part of the game experience. She said that “what you will most likely see first when you come in is a big student section.” Our students do a great job of showing up to support the team and the school. The students are arranged by grade level, with seniors in the front and freshmen in the back. Each football game has a different student section theme. Some themes this year have been purple out to support suicide prevention, a pink out for breast cancer support, Jersey night, and Hawaiian night. Students go all out to dress up in the theme, including face paint and elaborate outfits.
When you come to a football game, you’ll see our school pride on full display. The football players give their best on the field, the cheerleaders work hard to get the crowd fired up, and the fans stay loud and engaged the whole time.
Friday night games are also important for younger players. Some JV and freshman team members get to dress for the varsity games, and if the team is far enough ahead, they may even get to play. Even beyond high school, the junior high is represented at most games, because many junior high students come to support their future high school. You can often find them chatting in groups behind the bleachers. On the HYF night, there are also tons of elementary school kids.
Football games are a great thing to do on a fall Friday night. One junior supported this by saying “what many teenagers do for fun is come to big football game.”
Many people had many different thoughts about the football game and how it went. For us, this was an exciting victory, but for the other team, it was a disappointing loss. When I talked to the other team, they agreed that maybe they didn’t try there hardest, but they made it the good of it and tried as a team.
All the groups who experience the Harrison Friday Night Football experience know that it is a special time. Teenagers, police officers, elementary kids, grandparents, and the older adults all come together, because even though people experience the Friday-night lights a little differently, we all experience the magical energy of the game.