Friday night lights wouldn’t be the same without the constant cheering from the student section. The pure school spirit is evident in the dedication to PHS athletics these students exhibit. Through the cold, rain and wind they never fail to show up for the Panthers. Having this constant support gives the home team an evident morale boost during competition.

“When we are loud all game, you can see it help on the field,” junior Ryan Cordes said. “It shows that we are behind them.”

During the crazy year that was 2020, the student section was not what it usually is. With limited attendance at fields and gyms, the number of students who could attend games was little to none. However, with the majority of the COVID confusion behind us, the PHS student section is back and better than ever.

“We have had some good turnouts for football and volleyball,” senior Abby Bradley said. “Everyone in the student section was participating, even the underclassmen.”

Most people go to games to sit with people they know to relax and enjoy the game. But for the passionate young men and women with orange and black body paint, this isn’t the case. To be a member of the PHS student section is to be loud and chaotic.

“We don’t want the quiet kids in the student section,” junior Ryan Cordes said. “You need to be loud, not care what others think, willing to go all out and most importantly support PHS.”

One long-standing tradition at Panther home games is spelling out P-A-N-T-H-E-R-S on the chests or stomachs of the students in the front row. Then on their backs are the names and numbers of their favorite player on the team. Although this creative, artistic form of support is extremely fun for the Panther enthusiasts, it can cause some very cold nights. 

“There have been some very cold nights at the Panther Stadium,” senior Jay Washington said. “If we can help the team out then it’s all worth it in the end.”

One of the highlights of the student section is homecoming week. For not only football, but volleyball there is an added amount of energy in the section. 

The student section can take up almost a fourth of the whole stand during these memorable events. With the pep rally led by student council president and senior Keaton Rowton, along with homecoming festivities, they encouraged many students to attend these games.

“I think it was our biggest turnout because it was heavily publicized throughout the school,” Bradley said. “Keaton did a great job getting people to go to the game.”

As the fall sports season comes to an end, there is no doubt that the student section will pick up right where they left off in the winter.