The Sights and Sounds of the ITCL

For fans of high school football, the game is only a small part of a Friday night in northeast Ohio.  The sounds of a marching band, the cheerleaders, the smell of freshly cut grass, the smell of popcorn, and the bright lights of the stadium cutting thru a cool, crisp fall evening all add up to the atmosphere that makes high school football such a passion with area fans.  The anticipation of a Friday night starts Saturday morning when you wake up, and read the morning paper on last night’s games.  The anticipation builds as the week goes on as we go to work, or school, passing our time until we wake up Friday morning.  At that point we begin to count down the hours till kickoff.     One of the unique similarities among ITCL schools is the small community atmosphere in all the towns where an ITCL game is being played.  Many parents, grandparents, uncles, and cousins, come out to the game to support their players, band members, and cheerleaders.  The success of a community can be determined by what “our boys” do on a particular Friday night.  A small town can be a “buzz” when the hometown team wins a big game.  We all love to see them succeed, but sometimes we must also give them encouragement when they fall short of their goals.  On those disappointing nights, the “armchair quarterbacks” will discuss what went wrong over a cup of coffee at the local diner the next morning.  The coach should have passed the ball when he ran, or they should have run the ball when they passed.      On a typical Friday night we can walk through the gates of our local stadium and be greeted by our friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or even perhaps some of our fellow alumni.  We do some small talk about our family, work, or whatever, but the conversation will always drift to “what do you think about tonight’s match-up?”  After all, that is the REAL reason why everyone is there, isn’t it?  That’s when we take our place at our favorite spot in the stands, along the fence, or on the hillside.  Within two hours we come away with new memories, and dreams about what this years team can do.      If you think a home game is not an advantage on the high school level, think again.  “I can remember playing football at McDonald my sophomore year and the crowd was deafening. We could not hear a thing on the field. I can remember we ran a sweep to the McDonald sidelines and I was the ball carrier.  I was hit so hard that when I got to my feet I didn’t hear a sound, but I ran back to the huddle as if nothing happened,” Crestview’s Paul Cusick would recall.

Whether you attend a game at scenic Firestone Park, or along the train tracks in Lowellville, fans of all the schools have a memorable game at their stadium that they can recall.  Be it as a fan or a player, we all remember a comeback game, an upset win, or a last second catch that provided a big victory.  If you have followed any of the ICL or TCL schools for a number of years, you have witnessed many great players, and several great teams.  Who was the best player or team?   Just about every school has someone or year that they can nominate.  This new Inter-Tri County League will provide area fans future heroes and tremendous teams.  After all, we live in the birthplace of football!      “I truly believe that the ITCL offers one of the state’s best leagues. The ITCL is a great showpiece for local, small school football. The energy at the games is playoff-like weekly. I believe that it has risen the level of play to a new height for all league members,” Cusick would remark about the league.      As far as the other things that make up a Friday night game.  It wouldn’t be the same without those cheerleaders rooting our team on to victory, or the great marching bands that perform at half time.  It is not just the players, but also a whole student event that makes a Friday night so unique.  It is important that we all recognize that the youth of our communities should be thanked for the great entertainment, and dedication that they provide.  Get set for another year of excitement, thrills, and fun, as our local kids provide those sights, and sounds that make Friday night so special.

Photos courtesy of Scouting Ohio from Nov. 11th, 2006 playoff game between Crestview & South Range. -ITCLFootball.net article