As soon as I walked into Aledo High School’s Bearcat Stadium, I immediately felt as though I belonged. People who were complete strangers to me were saying hello, and everyone from the traffic director to the women who I purchased my ticket from were cheerful. After my encounters with these select people, I was excited to see what the rest of the night had in store for me.

It was the annual breast cancer awareness pink out game for Aledo when they faced the Azle Hornets. The cheerleaders, fans, football players, and even a few coaches were sporting some pink for the game. As the team warmed up on the field in preparation for the big game, you could see the uniformity of them all. They were all encouraging one another and practicing in such discipline. It was as though they had done this same routine a thousand times before. When the band entered the stadium while playing and marching around the track, the crowd began to stand and cheer. The opposing team’s band and drill team even clapped when the Aledo Bearcat Regiment marched by their section. With more than 215 members, the Bearcat Regiment have been UIL State Finalists five times in the last 16 years, their most recent in 2015. Needless to say, the band is one of the most prominent in the state and well recognized within the school district.

The stadium filled up completely 30 minutes before game time and the student section looked like a sea of pink. The stadium was so loud I couldn’t hear the person next to me talking. You could see the excitement in the crowd’s eyes as they waited for the Aledo Bearcats to run onto the field.

Two minutes before game time, the announcer had everyone stand for a moment of silence in recognition of those who have battled breast cancer and for the local first responders. After the moment of silence, the Bearcat Regiment played the national anthem and it was time for kick off!

The game was off to a great start! When the first touchdown was scored, the crowed didn’t stop cheering until the extra point went through the uprights. No matter how many touchdowns Aledo scored, they celebrated with class.

The score was 21-0 when I sparked up a conversation with the man next to me, Bubba. Bubba has been to every game, home and away, since 2004. His two children graduated from Aledo High School and he has continued to go to every game since. As I was talking to Bubba, he began to tell me how, “the Aledo football team has the biggest hearts. They may not be the best players, but they have the discipline and the dedication to take it all the way.” No matter the score, Bubba always stays till the very end of the game to congratulate the team. He says, “he looks forward to Friday night to see the boys play till the very end.”

The score was 56-0 at the end of the first half and the crowd was still into the game just as much as they were when it first started. I was about to start exploring the stadium when Bubba told me to sit down and wait for the halftime show because, “I was not going to want to miss this.” As the band began to prepare for their set, ‘The Color of Film”, I started to sit at the edge of my seat for what was about to come. The Regiment got in their opening positions and a single flute started to play. Once the flutist’s solo was over, an instant chill went up my back as the rest of the band began to follow her tune. I could hardly take my eyes off of the band as they were marching from one formation to the next while playing their instruments with full force. The color guard were wearing grey dresses that flowed so sweetly to the beat of the music. Every step they took was so graceful and completely in sync with the band. When the ten minutes of music was over, I couldn’t believe they were finished. I wish I could have heard them play all night. Bubba was right, I did not want to miss that performance.

When the band was finished and the second half started, I made my way over to the student section where I met two Aledo senior girls, Madison and Skylar. I started to talk to them about what it felt like to be at the game when Aledo won the UIL State Finals in 2014. They both said, “they were proud of the guys on the team and were happy all of their hard work paid off.” When I asked them if they were going to go to the state game this year, their response was, “Hell yes!”

The second and third string football players were subbed into the game around the middle of the second half. They were able to play all the way through the fourth quarter with the final score being 69-0. Despite this being such a high scoring game for Aledo, the class the players showed was incredible. Each player went and shook the Azle player’s hands and exchanged some words as well. It was really nice to see the humility of these young men. After the game was over and each team said their “good jobs” and “good lucks”, the men headed to the field house.

All in all, the Aledo High School football game is a night I will never forget. There is certainly something to say about the fans and players that represent the bearcats. The Aledo High School football games are not just games; they are an experience.