NC’s Paint Crew shows Warrior spirit once again this school year as the Friday Night Lights of football season begins. The school’s Paint Crew, a group of seniors, show off their avid love of football every Friday night by painting their torsos to correspond with the theme of the game in the parking lot before games. The Paint Crew dedicates every Friday night to showing off their NC pride as they support their beloved football team. Rain or shine, hot or cold, home or away, one can find the Paint Crew in the front row cheering on the Varsity football players with high energy, passionate cheers, and vibrant colors.

 Friday, August 17 marked the first football game of the year. Seniors painted up for the first time, embracing their Warrior spirit that night during the scrimmage at Harrison. The Paint Crew allows seniors to not only display school spirit but enables them to create new friendships and strengthen old ones.

 “Before the game, we all hung out in the parking lot. We just chilled and listened to music. The Paint Crew is like a family because we all hang out together,” senior Andrew Martinez said.

The thirteen “Paint Boys” on this year’s crew took NC’s former motto, “We are Orange” to heart as they celebrated their first time painting up at Friday’s game. They painted their entire abdomens and arms orange, spelling out the words, “Warrior Nation”. 

“Being a part of Paint Crew for the first time on Friday was a blast. I loved getting to paint the boys and spend time with all of my friends before the game,” senior Kelsey Dunn said.

NC graduate Jared Nolen ran 2018’s paint crew. He received the metaphorical “paint stick” from NC graduate Clay Wright, whose younger brother, NC Magnet senior Cole Wright now holds the responsibilities of leading the current crew. Every year, a senior boy at NC receives the “paint stick” from the senior leader ahead of him. Clay Wright gifted the “paint stick” to Jared Nolan who then presented it to Cole Wright. The owner of the “paint stick” chooses who he wants to paint up with him. He and his friend group then become the most avid fans in the student section. 

Typically, only the senior boys paint up every Friday night. Senior girls, known as “Paint Girls”, paint the boys. However, every October during Breast Cancer Awareness month at the annual “Pink Out” game, the girls receive the opportunity to paint up. 

“Getting to paint up for the Pink Out game was so much fun. The girls painted each other and we all got the opportunity to do what the boys do every Friday,” previous Paint Girl and NC graduate, Isabella Keaton said.

The “Paint Girls”, an essential part of the NC Paint Crew, organize the behind the scenes of the student section. They spend hours of their time painting the senior boys, as well as, purchasing all of the supplies.

“They are a part of the Paint Up Crew even though they aren’t always painted up,” Wright said.

While the origin of the Paint Crew remains unknown, the Friday Night Lights tradition managed to stay alive over countless years. With junior Trenton Nolen in line to become the head of the 2020 Paint Crew, the tradition will continue after this year’s crew graduates in May. 

“It will be cool to do it because my brother did it and his friends did it before him. It’s almost like a big family, like a legacy. Cole’s brother Clay did it before my brother, then Cole did it, then maybe I could do it,” future “Paint Stick Holder” Nolen said.

With a legacy to uphold and 9 football games scheduled for this season NC’s Paint Crew will attend each game while cheering on their team.

 “I hope this year’s Paint Squad will hold on to every Friday night together because one day they’ll be reminiscing about the nights with their best friends and realize it really was the best part of high school,” Keaton said. 

Ecstatic to see what their last Friday Night Lights season of highschool holds, the group of seniors look forward to embracing their school spirit and making memories with their best friends.