Friday Night Lights are back. The varsity football team at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School (IBW) played its home opener against Dallas High School on Friday, Sept. 12. The Guardians battled the Dallas Dragons, ultimately losing the game 65-0.
Before the game began, IBW students gathered in the senior parking lot for the Pre-Game Tailgate, hosted by IBW leadership students. The tailgate included free food, music and all-around excitement for the football game.
Many students also participated in the light switch theme, showing their school spirit by wearing black if they were a freshman or junior or wearing white if they were a sophomore or senior. The tailgate provided students with face paint and glitter to match their outfits.
Anticipation surrounded this game because Dallas High School beat IBW last year, with a final score of 41-22. Therefore, the Guardians were eager for a rematch.
Heading into the game, the team’s mindset was to “Punch them harder than they punched us,” said Robby Scharf, Head Football Coach at IBW.
As the sun set, Dallas scored the first touchdown just four minutes into the game. By the end of the first quarter, the Dragons were in the lead 17-0.
Between the first two quarters, the one-minute break was filled with t-shirt tosses within the student section. Many students received dark green shirts with “Back to Back PIL Championship” printed in white lettering, a reminder of IBW’s success last football season. This phrase spread hope around the crowd because even though IBW was losing, the team still has the potential to achieve greatness this year.
In the second quarter, Dallas scored four touchdowns and racked up 27 points. After 24 minutes of play, a 20-minute halftime began with the Dragons in the lead.
During halftime, the IBW leadership students played many pop songs from the mid-2000s, which kept the energy in the stadium high and fans excited to watch the rest of the game. The crowd sang, danced, waved their hands in the air and enjoyed the bubbles produced by a hand-held machine. The atmosphere in the stands created a stark contrast to what was happening on the field below, where the Guardians faced a tough challenge.
The Guardians were then welcomed back onto the field by the cheerleaders and the cheering student section.
Shortly after the third quarter began, Dallas scored a touchdown, bringing the score to 51-0.
The varsity cheerleaders at IBW increased the excitement in the student section by competing in handstand walking competitions and performing stunts and flips to show off their skills.
As the third quarter came to an end, cheers such as “Who are we? Ida B.” filled the bleachers.
In the third quarter, Dallas scored three touchdowns, resulting in a 65-0 score.
As the final quarter began, IBW was eager to score. However, they were unsuccessful. The game ended in a loss for IBW, 65-0.
“Everybody showed up, that’s one of the biggest student sections I’ve seen in my time,” said Kannon Walter, a junior at IBW and a tight end/defensive back on the varsity football team. “The energy was there, even when we were losing; it was amazing.”
In the upcoming months, the IBW football team has plans to face off against a minimum of seven other football teams from across the Portland area, with the possibility of playing more games if the team advances to the playoffs.
The next varsity football game will be at home against McDaniel High School at 7 p.m. on Sept. 19; the theme will be Minion Out. Be sure to show up and show out in your best minion outfits and support your IBW Guardians!
