A Night Under Bright Lights

Charlottesville, Virginia, may not seem like the hub of football or football fans, but the students of Charlottesville high school are here to prove this notion wrong. If one were to walk past the Charlottesville high school football fields at around 7 p.m. on a Friday night, they would see dozens of students flooding through the gates into the crowd already milling around the bleachers. Whether the theme is rave, pinkout, or wild west, the students show up dressed to the nines and ready to cheer until their voices give out. 

Friday, Sep. 20, was the second football game of the season at CHS, and the student body showed up in full force (and full cowboy attire for the wild west theme), ready to cheer their team to victory. The anticipation was palpable in the air as the game started; however, after ending the second quarter with a disappointing 39 guest-0 home score, any hope for a win was abandoned. After talking to several students, it was clear that because of a current losing streak for the varsity team, no one who had attended was expecting a win. 

The excitement was by no means over. At halftime, as the moon rose over the field, the CHS marching band descended from the bleachers where they had been keeping the crowd entertained, and walked onto the field to applause. As Aydalin Swift, a junior at CHS said, “Honestly this is the reason I come to these games, just to see the band play.” This sentiment seemed to be shared by many of her peers, and it soon became apparent why. The CHS Marching Knights gave a spectacular performance that the stands watched with rapt attention, as the scores were carried out with precision and triumph. 

After the band finished, the crowds dissipated substantially, and the remaining crowd broke into small groups, some headed for the snack bar, some for the grassy hills and a quieter atmosphere. Groups of younger students from the adjacent middle school, seemingly awed by mingling with the older kids, roamed carefree throughout the crowd. 

Even after an ending score of Guest 49, Home 0, there seems to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that next Friday, everyone will show up to do it all again because, for most students, it’s not about the game. It’s about spending a night with friends under the bright lights and having an excuse to dress up and celebrate simply being alive.