Camouflage vs. Neon

Despite rain falling all day, Friday night’s game at Chapel Hill High School was able to be played.  Fortunately the steady rain ended before the match-up between Carrboro and Chapel Hill kicked-off. The excitement around the game was electrifying; both teams were undefeated coming into the game, with a record of 5-0.

The field was in great condition despite all the rain Chapel Hill recieved

The wet field didn't stop the Tigers and Jaguars from playing an intense and exciting game. The final score was 22-9, with Chapel Hill picking up their sixth win of the season and keeping their undefeated status alive for another week.  Carborro drops to 5-1. The game had a two-point conversion and a safety, leading to the unusual score.

Carrboro got on the board first with 7:19 left in the first quarter.  Matt Maqsoud blocked a Chapel Hill punt and Trai Sharp recovered it for a touchdown. Both teams threw interceptions in the first half and then focused on their running games in the second half. But the Chapel Hill defense showed to be the deciding factor in the game; they forced two turnovers and held the Jaguars to 1-for-11 on third downs.

Chapel Hill starts with the ball deep in their own territory

While the game was exciting, the atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. The Chapel Hill and Carrboro students were on their feet the entire game and eagerly watched each play. Chapel Hill’s student section, the “Tiger Roar”, cheered all game. The Tiger Roar could be heard across the field in the Carrboro fan section. The Carrboro students were not to be outdone by Chapel Hill.  Carrboro students would match Chapel Hill cheers and it became a competition between the student sections to see who could be louder.

The neon-clad Carrboro student section may have been smaller than the
Chapel Hill student section, but that didn't stop them from cheering all game

The Tiger Roar and Carrboro’s student section were dressed in themes. Chapel Hill students wore camouflage to the game, while Carrboro students wore neon colors. The themes change each game and it’s a way for students to build excitement for the game throughout the week. Sometimes the themes correspond with the visiting team, while others times they’re just fun, such as the camouflage and neon themes.

While the Carrboro vs. Chapel Hill game was fun to watch, it was the student sections that made this game unique.

There's a Flag on the Play

This week’s Friday Football Frenzy crew traveled to Durham to watch two rivals play each other. Hillside took on Southern Durham for a much anticipated conference match-up at Southern Durham. This was the PAC 6 conference opener for both teams.  

The rock "S" on the hill at Southern Durham

While last week’s game featured two new programs, this week’s game featured two rival schools. This game has been on Brad Alford, a NCHSAA staff member's, radar since the beginning of the season. He graduated from Southern Durham and filled-in Quanta, Tiffany and I on all the traditions of Southern Durham football and needless to say, we were excited to head out to Durham to watch the game.

The Hornets Breaking through their Banner.

Both teams, at some point in the season, were ranked in the HighSchoolOT.com OT Top 12 Poll this season. Southern Durham was ranked 4^th before dropping out of the poll in Week 4 after losing to Jack Britt. Hillside was ranked #4 in Week 5, and will remain in the poll after beating Southern Durham 33-21.

The Spartan's Defense getting a Pep Talk from the Coaches.

The Spartans came into this game 2-2, starting the season with two wins before dropping two straight. The Hornets came into the game 3-1, starting the season with their only loss and winning three straight on the road, including a win in South Carolina against Canes Bay.

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Southern Durham knows how to Run a Concession Stand,

they had a Grill for Hot Dogs and a Fish Fry.

The anticipation among the Durham community for this game was extremely high; cars were backed up trying to get into the parking lot and parking spots were a high commodity. Southern Durham brought in extra bleachers to be placed on the track for over-flow of fans.  

The weather was gloomy, with heavy cloud cover and a rain storm that hit halfway through the first quarter, but the temperature was chilly and it finally started to feel like real Friday Night Football weather.



The Spartan's Crowd Braving the Rain and
Cold Weather to Cheer on their Team.



Unfortunately penalties played a big role in the game. It began to feel like every play had a flag associated with it.

Southern Durham ran for big first down during their first possession of the game, but a holding penalty, pulled Southern Durham back to their own 20 yard line. Hillside during an early possession actually scored a touchdown, but it was called back due to an illegal shift. The excess of flags on plays hurt both offenses from getting a rhythm. But it was Hillside’s Khris Francis who dominated the game, he ran for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Hornet Cheerleaders Watching their
Team Score Another Touchdown.

But it wasn’t just the football game that stole the show on Friday night. The Spartan and Hornet cheerleaders cheered the entire game, despite the rain and chilly weather. Both squads kept the crowd engaged as the rain poured. The Southern Durham band at halftime was exceptional and didn’t let the wet weather dampen their spirits.

The Spartan's Color Guard Tried to Stay Warm before
their Halftime Performance.

The Spartan's Band and Color Guard didn't let Damp Weather and a
Wet Field Stand in the way of a Spectacular Halftime Performance.

As we’re learning from attending different football games around the state, it’s each community that makes NC Friday Night Football so special. It’s the student-athletes on the field, playing through every whistle and leaving it all on the field. It’s the band members and cheerleaders, dedicating their time and talents to enhance the football game experience. It’s the parents of the athletes, band members and cheerleaders, supporting their children. It’s the high school students supporting their classmates, and the community members showing-up and supporting their local high school students. Without the community support, Friday Night Football definitely would not have the special atmosphere, that makes it so unique and fun.

The Hornets Beat the Spartans 33-21.

- Elizabeth Lancaster



What's In a Tradition?

Quanta and I started off the Friday Football Frenzy series with a trip out to Cleveland High School to watch the Rams battle the Heritage Huskies on September 9^th.

The Entrance to Cleveland High School

The football game between Cleveland High School and Heritage High School was like any other high school football game: cheerleaders were on the track, the band performed at halftime, and high school students packed themselves in the student section and laughed about their day and discussed their big plans for the weekend; but there was something missing on the field, a senior class.

The Cleveland Side of the Stands was Packed

The Husky Cheerleaders waiting for the Team

The Rams Charging onto the Field

Cleveland High School and Heritage High School are two new schools that opened last year in Johnston County and Wake County, respectively.  Last year, the schools only had freshmen and sophomore classes and fielded junior varsity football teams in their introductory year.  This year, the schools have added a junior class and varsity football for the first time. 

The Coin Toss, Heritage Won

The game was lopsided with a final score of 48-6, with the Rams picking up their second win, compiling a record of 2-2 and Heritage dropping to 2-2 on the season. The Cleveland team was extremely disciplined, despite their lack of senior leadership, while the Heritage team racked up penalties throughout the game and had several costly turnovers, resulting in Cleveland touchdowns.

Cleveland's Cheerleaders Getting Crowd into the Game

The beginning of the game was packed with action. Cleveland scored the first touchdown of the game with 5:21 left in the first quarter. Heritage responded in 17 seconds with a touchdown of their own, but missed the extra point. Cleveland had a strong offense. Isaac Martin scored three touchdowns before halftime. The Huskies had a tough time slowing Martin down. Tre Joyner, Cleveland's quarterback had a strong showing throughout the game.  Interestingly, the first 7 Cleveland kickoffs were onside kicks, a strategy rarely seen. The Heritage defense fought all game and it took some time for the Heritage offense to settle down and complete plays.

Heritage's Cheerleaders in Action

As I watched the game, I couldn’t help but wonder if these schools had any traditions yet and more importantly, are traditions purposely constructed or are they the developed, adjusted and refined over time?

Cleveland's Band 

As I spoke with multiple students from Cleveland, I learned that they wanted to start their own tradition but weren’t positive what they should start. Students from Heritage said they wanted to start a student section at away games. Only five students traveled from Wake County for the game and were eager for more students at their next away game.

The Husky's had Five Students at the Game, but that didn't Stop
these Students from Trying to get the Wave Started

The funny thing about traditions is that they can rarely be purposely started, especially when the student body continuously turns-over every four years.  Traditions build over time and each team and student body following the traditions they like and changing the ones they don’t like. Traditions at Cleveland and Heritage are starting to be created, but only time will tell which ones continue on.

But at Friday night’s game, it became obvious that these first year programs have a bright future. The parents, student bodies and communities have showed their commitment to the football programs and watching these programs create their own unique traditions is going to be exciting.

-Elizabeth Lancaster