The Beginning:

The Pink Out game started like any other. The Black Knights ran through the banner held by the Stamford High cheerleaders, making an exciting grand entrance. Stamford High kicked it off to St. Joseph High School to start the game. SHS quickly fell behind with a score of 7-0. The Cadets continued to shut the Knights out for the first half, making the score 41-0.

Halftime:

Lightening the mood set by the bitter score, the marching band and cheerleaders displayed enthusiasm. The show was full of eye-catching stunts, thrilling dance numbers, and captivating musical performances. The crowd roared with anticipation of what was to come next. They weren’t disappointed by the exciting display of school spirit soaring through the air.  All the students had a great time listening to the marching band play “New York, New York,” “Shake It Off” and “Sweet Caroline.” This animated display of school spirit created an exhilarating environment and gave the team and crowd hope for the final half of the game.

Sign of Respect:

The Black Knights showed their true colors when they got down on one knee as a sign of respect when offensive player, Steffan Harding, was tackled and taken down by a player from St. Joe’s High School.  The football team rallied together to support their hurt player.  Not only did they show respect for their own teammates, but they put their differences aside and showed the same courtesy to the other team when one of the St. Joe’s players got tackled and hurt.  The football team brought to life the real definition of sportsmanship and was able to show the softer side of what can be a rough game.

First Touchdown:

Late in the third quarter, when the disheartened Knights were fighting against fatigue and a gloomy crowd, they finally cut into a 48-point deficit. At first, long faces painted the crowd and players play after play, as the Knights were unable to score. As pressure mounted to score, SHS quarterback, Junior Troy Duncan, took the call and threw the ball to running back Junior Tyrell Diaz. Running through a sea of St. Joe’s High School defenders, Diaz pushed through and scored for the Knights, cutting the deficit to 41. The touchdown gave the crowd a little jolt of excitement but it was short lived as the Knights went on to only score 13 more points, resulting in the final score, 48-20.

Fan Section:

SHS showed a lot of support for the battle against breast cancer during the Pink Out game. Our fan section was bleeding pink and never stopped cheering for our team. The crowd went wild when Diaz made the first touchdown, finally putting us on the scoreboard. Diaz was proud of his achievement. “I felt really good [about the play],” he explained. Mirroring the support from the team after this success, the Black Knights displayed a plethora of cheers and applause. “I can’t believe the amount of support that was shown throughout the whole game. That was my final Pink Out game, but the most spirited,” said Senior Kacey Gill. The score never discouraged the fan section or the players who cheered and fought until the end.