“Friday Night Lights” (FNL) is a term used nationwide to describe the kickoff to a weekend with a football game. But what is Friday Night Lights without an electric student section? This past Friday, September 13th, Glen Rock got their first taste of this season’s student section at the home opener game against Waldwick. In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the student section’s performance from your very own GRHS cheer captain.
Prior to the game, the buzz and excitement from the student body was high. The theme was announced to be U.S.A. and each grade was required to wear either red, white, or blue. While this choice for our first student section is slightly overdone, our Panther fans took the idea and ran with it. Some students dressed in head to toe body paint, others wore full American flag suits, and someone even rocked a giant red, white, and blue blow up costume. Honestly in all my years at Glen Rock High School I have never seen a more spirited section.
Aside from the amazing outfits the student section wore, their volume was legendary. Coming into the bleachers full throttle, the seniors brought their very own speaker to play classic songs like “Sweet Caroline” and to keep the overall energy up. Between playing songs and chants, the student section yelled every cheer right back to the cheerleaders, something that might seem bare minimum but hasn’t been executed properly in years. As a cheerleader myself, you could tell their hearts were in it and they were genuinely excited to be there and support our school’s football team.
When the clock ran out in the second quarter, indicating it was half time, the student section flooded out to the snack bar, a common ritual that usually ends with only half the students returning to watch the rest of the game. This game, almost every single student was back and cheering just in time for the band and cheerleaders to go out and perform their routines. Looking out into the crowd after the third quarter, I couldn’t tell the game was almost over because so many people were still spiriting in the bleachers. Just after we called out our final cheer to celebrate our second win of the season, the student section stormed the field to congratulate the football team on their amazing win.
For the past few years the student section has not been giving the energy that both the cheerleaders and football players deserve. This year’s seniors are already setting the tone for a fun and spirited season. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the next game and I am excited for a spectacular season!
