In a rare Thursday night game, the NC varsity football Warriors (6-3) faced off against the Etowah Eagles, ready to show the opposing team that the Warriors always come out on top. With the NC student body packed into the student section and the proud families of the seniors cheering in the stands, the Warriors stood ready to win their last home region game of the season.
Before the game started, NC’s seniors walked down the field on the 50-yard line at 6:50 p.m. to receive recognition for the hard work they put in over the last four years. The line started with the football players, followed by the cheerleaders, band and guard, sports medicine students and the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) students. With teary eyes, friends and family cheered for their senior, allowing the bittersweet feeling to seep into the atmosphere. After loads of warm hugs and sincere smiles, the seniors bid farewell to their entourages and fell into position before the game began.
“It’s a really connected and talented team. I’m going to miss the family, the experience and the constant memories. Winning with 70 points up on the scoreboard is definitely my favorite memory. I started [on first string] my junior year, and I just love the game,” senior Center Josh Dahan (67) said.
Kicking off at 7:30 p.m. sharp, the student section rallied into the stands to throw baby powder into the air like every other game of the year, encouraging the football players that the fans showed no fear. After winning the coin toss, the Warriors began the game on offense. Sophomore Wide Receiver Iago Guimaraes (14) showed out with an explosive first touchdown with 10:26 seconds left on the clock in the first quarter. The team’s mood instantly increased, reflecting their incredible start, and shortly after, senior Kicker Michael Hill’s (12) kick flew through the golden posts, granting NC a 7-0 lead. Despite the exceptional push off, the Eagles’ offense fought their way down the field. The Warriors’ defense struggled to combat their plays, encouraging the coaches to take their first time out. Quickly, NC took the ball back with seven minutes remaining in the quarter. The teams stayed at each other’s throats, fighting over who held the ball and where they could wander. The Warriors, however, proved themselves superior by scoring another touchdown, this time by Wide Receiver Micah Billingsley (3) with 5:15 counting down until the second quarter. Directly after the touchdown, the sports medicine teachers pushed past the players to assist Quarterback Jonas Ruiz (50). Unfortunately, Ruiz dislocated his knee, taking him out of the game for the rest of the night. Shaken up by his teammate’s injury, Hill’s kick bounced off the left post, resulting in the loss of the extra point for NC. Unable to recover quickly enough, the Eagles took the opportunity to score their first touchdown. Luckily, the players seized the ball with ease, and Guimaraes scored an additional touchdown before the end of the quarter. This left the Warriors in the lead after the first quarter with a score of 21-7.
Following a quick huddle before the start of the second quarter, the players ran onto the field, radiating that untouchable energy. Running Back Zach Belyeu (8) came out with his first touchdown of the night with 11:22 left in the quarter, showing the Eagles that NC does not quit. With the Eagles now on offense, the Warriors once again struggled to hold them back, resulting in a second touchdown from their team. The pressure piled up, with a score that showed 28-14, and the crowd sat muted in the background. Both teams battled on the field, staying neck and neck, trying to earn their win. With NC reaching out first, Defensive End and Running Back Arquevious Echols (0) scored the final touchdown in the quarter with only 3:50 seconds running on the clock. At the end of the half, NC secured the lead with a score of 35-14.
The NC marching band performed its show-stopping “Madeline Steps Out” performance at halftime. With each senior dressed in their favorite costume from previous years or wearing a silly hat, the team glistened under the starlight, displaying their dance in perfect harmony. The sheer sentimentality on the field, followed by the excited cries in the stands, encouraged the electric atmosphere that helped carry the football team’s unwavering dedication to the game.
Ringing in the second half with a banger, Defensive Tackle Christian Williams (55) recovered the ball from a fumble by the Eagles’ offense. The Warriors interpreted this as a sign to show out for the spectators, and Belyeu scored his second touchdown of the night with 10:26 seconds left in the quarter. After the touchdown, the teams, once again, battled each other by the 50-yard line. In a twist, NC achieved a turnover and stole the ball from the Eagles. This ignited a spark since Belyeu scored two touchdowns in a row within two minutes of each other, followed by a touchdown by Echols with 23 seconds and a fourth touchdown by Linebacker Lewis Richards (11) with 16 seconds left. The third quarter ended with NC holding a significant lead over Etowah at 61-14.
A devastating third quarter for the Eagles left NC players and fans bouncing off the stands, excited for their team to win by an extreme margin. On the sidelines, players talked of the teams running the clock, assuming that the Eagles accepted defeat. If the crowd rocked rowdily before, when Running Back Brayden Ward (38) scored the final touchdown of the game, the cheers echoed through the stadium even louder. With everyone on their feet, the clock hit zero, and the players walked down the 50-yard line to shake hands with the opposing team.
NC’s football team showed out for their last sure home game of the season, as the seniors viewed the pink sunset that settled over the Emory Sewell Stadium, turned to the black and white starry sky for one last time. Celebrating with their teammates on the field, the blinding flashes of cameras captured the moments of happiness and tears, as the bittersweet feeling of graduating settled around them. The football team still plays one last region game at Wheeler Wildcats on October 30, another Thursday night game, and expects to finish the season with a bang.
“It doesn’t feel real [that this could be my last home game ever]. All the memories that I’ve made in these stands with the different groups of people I’ve been friends with are just playing through my head, and it’s surreal. It’s just kind of a full circle because my freshman year, it was my brother’s senior night here, and now it’s my turn, and it’s crazy,” senior Olyvia Graham said.
