In Bastrop County, high school football is a family, community bonding affair
Texas high school football teams enjoy fervent support under the Friday night lights from a varied cast of fellow students.
Bands, drill teams, cheerleaders, mascots, student trainers and ROTC cadets put in days of hard work well before the first fall kickoff. Students at Bastrop, Cedar Creek and Smithville high schools spoke during recent game action about the strong bonds they develop and the love of keeping their teams and crowds pumped up.
“It takes a lot of dedication to learn all the cheerleading material and routines. The fun part is, we get to hype everybody up during games,” said Cedar Creek High School cheerleader Vanessa Segovia.
“I love building a sisterhood on the drill team,” said Marissa Gonzales, a co-captain with the Cedar Creek High School drill team.
Smithville Tiger mascot Faith Silvey said, “I love interacting with the kids in the stands. Taking pictures with them during games is the most enjoyable thing about being a mascot.”
Smithville High School band director Robert King lauded the dedication of his students.
“The band members put in many hours to prepare for our marching productions during games,” King said. “They start with summer camps in late July to have the music and drill prepared for the first game at the end of August. The band adds to our show each following week until our complete production is finished in mid to late September.”
Students also perform throughout the school year — during winter and spring sports events, at UIL competitions and community parades, concerts and dedication ceremonies.
‘An extra set of eyes’
Before stepping on the playing field, student athletic trainers prepare with classes on anatomy, injury prevention, wound care, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and other emergency procedures, said Jeremy Tjarks, chief athletic trainer at Cedar Creek High School.
“Student athletic trainers help by being an extra set of eyes while practice or games are taking place. There have been many instances where my upper-class students recognize a potential problem or emergency and immediately alert the certified staff,” Tjarks said.
Cedar Creek High School junior Juliana Nichols said she enjoys “being a student athletic trainer because it’s an opportunity to take care of the health of student athletes. We are gaining medical knowledge while building new bonds among ourselves.” Braelyn Davis, a Bastrop High School student athletic trainer, said: “I want to go to college to be an athletic trainer, so this is definitely getting me ready for it.”
‘It’s all really worth it’
Bella Simpson, drill captain with the Bastrop High School Honey Bears, said, the group is more of a family, and they share a close bond.
“It’s really fun to work with everybody — to teach them new things and watch them grow,” she said. “It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of early mornings. It definitely gets stressful at times but it’s all really worth it in the end.”
Bastrop High School cheerleader Ella Davis, who is vice-president of her sophomore class, said: “We have lots of practices and it’s lots of hard work, but also lots of fun cheering for our team.”
For Smithville High School sophomore Jade Hernandez, her love for cheer leading runs deep.
“My cheer team is my second family and I get to support my school every Friday night – it’s just the best feeling for me,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas high school football: From players to band, a bonding affair
