There are 17 sports at Saint Cloud High School, yet football is the most attended sport. Is it the bright lights? The loud cheerleaders? The supportive dancers? The helpful athletic trainers? Or the players on the field? Friday Night Lights is considered a way for the town to get together to watch their high school football team and support whether it’s a win or a loss.

      After asking many students at Saint Cloud High School what sport is their favorite to attend, the majority of the students chose football over and over. A student said they enjoy supporting football because “it is entertaining and a good way to get together with friends and they enjoy dressing up to the different themes every week”. Another student said, “I’m super excited for our first pep rally, which is Barbie vs. Ken theme, to kick us off to our game against Gateway High School, which is also a pink out game in support of breast cancer awareness". After asking many football players what their thoughts were on having a big crowd, they said “it’s fun to hear and watch the way they cheer for us.

     However, many players also expressed that "it is harder to have fun with the crowd, when this year due to the building of our new field, not many students go to our games”. This could be due to the fact that our home games are 25 minutes away at Austin Tindall Park. After speaking with athletic director Coach Smart, he was able to compare last year’s attendance numbers with this year’s numbers and there is only a slight drop in attendance, overall.

     Although, there’s been a change in numbers, there hasn’t been a lack of school spirit! If you haven’t gotten the chance to go to a Friday Night Light game, the experience compares to no other. Just showing up helps support your Saint Cloud football team, so don’t forget to spend your Friday Nights with the team.

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