Mustangs Tackle the Titans

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Payton DiSario

The referees participate in a moment of silence before the game to honor the father of Jake Hall, junior. The stadium held fell into a hush just after the national anthem.

Living through a modern-day pandemic is bizarre and unfamiliar, to say the least. Growing up through it, however, creates a completely different story. Despite the changes, school has begun and Friday night lights have drawn an audience to cheer on the Mustangs once more, especially on their Senior Night against the North Oconee Titans.

The stands honored the football and cross-country seniors before the game, while the cheerleaders and marching band seniors took the spotlight at half-time to fill the absence of what used to be a show. Although the sight of administrators wearing masks to distribute the senior roses seemed peculiar, the bright lights shining and the roar of the bleachers made the seniors feel right at home.

“I was so grateful to be at the game, at the stadium and in the presence of others. It meant hard work being recognized, and I’m so proud of this year’s senior class for being so strong,” Landon Knight, senior cheerleader, said.

The night’s significance did not fall solely on the seniors’ shoulders. Ola dedicated the game to the father of Jake Hall, junior quarterback. From a moment of silence before the game to the bows fastened in cheerleaders’ hair, the Mustangs came together to give the Halls the full support of the community.

“We weren’t only playing for the seniors, we were playing for [Hall’s] dad,” Chandler Fowler, senior fullback, said.

Excitement fueled the stadium as the game jumped between teams, but the Mustangs came through with a final score of 37-30, claiming the lead over the Titans in the fourth quarter.