It’s Friday night and the bleachers are packed. The student section is overflowing, and everyone is hyped from the afternoon pep rally. The football team runs out onto the field, and everyone cheers, letting them know that they are here to see. As time goes by, and the game goes on, students continue to watch intently, enjoying a fun time with friends, while supporting their team. As the final quarter ends, and the game comes to a close, everyone is proud to say they’re a bulldog, no matter what the score read.

All of this sounds great doesn’t it? A school with pride and pep. Students that care about the sports programs. Unfortunately, that isn’t the environment that Freedom High School Students have worked to create. “Every time I walk around the hallways I just hear people saying how awful the football team is… That needs to go away, we need to get out and support all of the sports, not just football,” Senior Draek Boggs said.

Freedom Football’s opening Game to Beaver Falls ended in a 39-21 defeat, even after making a surge of points during the fourth quarter. “I think it showed that we have some heart and that we can do something. The fact that we didn’t give up helps me to believe that we can do that every game. We could do that against even better opponents,” Sophomore Dean Ward said.

But, why is it that these boys can manage to pick themselves back up and stay positive about their team, but the rest of the student body can’t? Could it possibly have something to do with their new motto? “Shock the Nation” is something the rest of the student body has been hearing for a while now, but what does it mean? “It’s from a movie that we all like and watch. It’s called “Division Three. The players just say it because their team is not very good and they need to get back on their feet,” Ward said.

Could it be that we, as a school, could use a little of the “Shock the Nation” mentality? “We haven’t been winning much lately, so I think that people are just frustrated and I think that a lot of people are just looking for an answer. They want us to win, they want us to do good,” Ward said.

Is Freedom High School really full of “fair-weather” fans though? Would our student body be more supportive if the bulldogs had better past seasons? “I think [the student body] should be in support of us no matter what, because they don’t understand how hard it is. We have to play the top three teams in WPIALS: Aliquippa, Beaver Falls and Beaver. They don’t understand how hard it is to play them,” Sophomore Scotty Lazarus said.

This could be the year to end all of the negativity. We could be the role models that all of the younger students need to change the face of our schools pride.

Everyone needs someone to look up to, even our very encouraged underclassmen football players. Sophomores Dean Ward, Scotty Lazarus and Zach Greene all three said that Senior Josh Battaglia was the biggest leader on the team.

“He’s not the most vocal leader, but every play he’s going to go out there and give the same effort. Whenever a player is down, he is going to pick them up. He’s just cool, he’s a good student, everything,” Ward said.

“He always gives 100% on every play, he’s not going to quit, no matter what. He tries to be a leader, he tries to help everyone out the best that he can on or off the field. If it is at study table and with school work or on the field he’ll help you if you need something,” Lazarus said.

“Josh Battaglia (is a leader on the team) because he never quits, no matter what happens,” Greene said.

The Bulldogs will be going up against the New Brighton Lions away this week, so lets all get out there to give them the extra support that they deserve.

Especially after last weeks Homecoming game against Sumner Academy and its ending score of 31-14 Freedom.