The start of the new football season came quickly for most students. On Friday, Aug. 11, the first scrimmage game was played this school year and on Friday, Aug. 18, the first conference game was played. Participants in the student section, marching band, and cheerleading squad reflected on the differences between the two types of competition. Senior cheerleader Mika Shaw detailed the differences on the field.
“There are so many differences,” Shaw said. “At a scrimmage, they don’t keep track of the score, and the scoreboard doesn’t really follow the game. Each team is given a specific number of plays at the end zone, and then they switch. These [conference games] are just a lot easier to follow.”
While a tangible difference was apparent between the two games, one distinction that was not visible to the eye, was seen in the form of school spirit.
When asked what the biggest difference between a scrimmage and conference game is, a student section member stated, “Definitely the school spirit, I’d say, because it is way more important to show pride at a real game than a scrimmage,”Junior Camden Schrettenbrunner said. “[The conference game] is a lot more fierce and taken more seriously.”
Other students agreed with this statement, arguing that the school spirit was down for multiple reasons. Junior cheerleader Ainsley Powers related how the student section affects her excitement on the field.
“A scrimmage is a lot shorter than [a conference game],” Powers said. The student section is so much bigger this time and so much more fun. [It is] definitely more fun to cheer at these games. These games go later, there is more energy and the boys are all on the sidelines for us to cheer for them.”
More minute differences were considered, such as the uniforms of the cheer squad, and the presence of the marching band.
“We originally weren’t supposed to actually cheer, but because it was a really hot day, we decided to, and wore tanks with shorts,” Shaw said. “For this game, all the seniors have their own uniforms, and then there are the varsity and JV uniforms. I’m happy we did cheer, and it was a fun time.”
At the scrimmage game, due to the lack of halftime and the instability of the game formatting, the marching band did not make an appearance or perform. However, in the first conference game of the year, they premiered the first movement of their new show, “A Happenin’ Holidaze,” set to be performed at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“As a member of the band, I think home games that I participate in are more fun, compared to away games or scrimmages, that I don’t play in,” marching band member sophomore Jacob D. Brown said.
Most students felt, though, that the major difference between scrimmages and conference games was the level of commitment and energy to the student section and just cheering in general.
“I feel like people at a normal game are more like into it, and a scrimmage is more chill,” marching band member freshman Zeke Jacob said.
Running for freshman class president, Blake Wilson agreed with this statement, while also thinking that the scrimmage and conference games were both equally fun for him.
“The scrimmage was a very fun time for me and all my friends, and there are some key differences between a scrimmage and conference game,” Wilson said. “Today there are a lot more people than there were at the scrimmage, and a lot more people are into this game, than they were at the prior.”
Some students were able to draw the simple similarity between a scrimmage and conference game, understanding the major improvement that happened from the last couple years to this one.
“I think that this year, between the scrimmage and the conference game, everyone is more involved collectively rather than individually,” junior Seth Gastineau said. “This year everyone is with the football game and the chants. The Tiger Cage has been on top of it this year, and this year is going crazy. This is just a year that we’re all united and coming together and going crazy, better than we ever have before.”
