Alyssa Bertrand

Nothing is better than enjoying Friday night lights with family and friends. The excitement everyone encounters makes staying late in the stadium worthwhile. Sitting in the bleachers physically watching brings someone a completely new feeling rather than watching it on the television.

Rivalries are a part of every sport and sometimes even among people. The biggest in Texarkana is the Texas versus Arkansas football game. To some, the rivalry between Liberty- Eylau and Arkansas is even bigger and Friday night showed that it was.

There was not an empty seat in sight. The overflow of people in the stadium to watch the game was out of control. Most rival schools try to keep the schools separated at events. The abundance of Arkansas fans made the way to the LE side was not good. Crowds were rolling in around 6:30 for a 7:30 game. Even though these two districts do not have too much history in the public eye, behind the doors the history is unbelievable. LE and Arkansas only recently started playing each other in football. Before 2012, the two schools had not played each other for a while.

I attended the game as LE alumni. I was in the concession stand for a long of time, or I was in the stand by the LE band, which played part of the “fight song” every time LE scored a touchdown. The band played the song twice and I was not by them long. Amanda Baker, LE alumni since 2008, explains, “We have seen this team battle for a few years now and honestly if you watch them actually play, LE is the better team. I hope tonight proves that too. We deserve recognition for the hard work these boys do every day.” Many expressed about the same feelings. I asked people how they felt about the two teams and they said that it is LE’s time this year.

While I was helping, the other workers could feel the tension between the two schools as well. The customer’s attitude was completely different. We gave the same respect to everyone but it was difficult at times. We did not just assume the customers with horrible attitudes were from Arkansas, but they were wearing the team’s shirt. I realized no matter how nice one is to another, if one is unhappy from the beginning, and then someone most likely could not change a mood in five minutes waiting for an order of fries. The lines never ended. The concession stands were still helping people when it was over. The game lasted from 7:30 to around 10:20. We did not think the game was ever going to end because we felt we were there for longer than little more than three hours.

After the game, I asked one of the customers, Ariana Hines, the final score and she said, “66 to 21, we fried some bacon tonight.” That made us all laugh. I was happy that LE won. All week Arkansas was talking down to the LE school district and it was a good feeling when LE was able to prove them wrong.

Football is a family game. Fridays is a time when many teenagers think they can go party, but being at a football game prevents them from doing dangerous activities. I saw many families out there that night, whether there for someone on the football team, in the band, a cheerleader, a member of the dazzlers, or just there for a good family event. There is nothing like a good night Friday nights light.