The Monday Mix- Davie vs Reagan

The night fell with such a quickness and crispness that it felt like...well, football.  It was Finally Friday and I was hanging at the home of the Reagan Raiders to watch what many felt was the game of the week in the Central Piedmont Conference.  For some reason, Reagan AD Alexis McCoy gave me access to the press box for the evening (for which I am eternally grateful).  The box was bustling with activity, as it was accommodating two radio crews.  One crew was from WSJS-600, which was doing its game of the week and the other was from WDSL-1520 from Davie County.  It was packed and there was certainly a buzz about the place.

Naturally, I set my stuff down, grabbed my toys and left with a quickness.  There was so much to do.  The first person I found was my guy Dana from DEWshots. He was good enough to come down and try to capture the Senior Night blackout on that high-falootin' camera of his, which he did in fine fashion.

 

BLACKOUT!



Although there's normally a good-sized traffic jam for Reagan games, they have a GREAT facility as one might expect from a newer high school.  I'll admit that I was scared by the late arriving crowd, as I tweeted before the game:

Yes, I was a little concerned.  This picture was taken shortly before Senior football players and ROTC cadets were recognized.

And there I stood, in a quiet stadium, 12 minutes before kickoff.  Oh, well.  Ladies and Gentlemen, please rise and remove your hats for the playing of our National Anthem performed by the Reagan Raider Marching Band.

Somehow, everything changed about 8 minutes before kickoff.  I knew it was coming, but then again, I didn't KNOW.  See, I knew that the Reagan team ran down the hill at the scoreboard end of the stadium to take the field (kind of like Clemson, but I don't like Clemson so I will call it a Reagan tradition), but I didn't realize what was involved.  It just so happened that I was walking the track when I noticed the student section coming down to the field.  I asked one of the kids what was going on, and he told me.  I immediately reverted to my 17 year-old self and said, "Can I go with you?"  As I turned to run toward the end zone, I suddenly realized that the stadium was now full.  Wow.

Shout-out to the Reagan Raider student section for letting this blogger crash their party on Senior Night.  Enjoy:

Anyway, you know how the game went:  Johnathan Wiseman, whose name wasn't even called the previous week versus Tabor, scored the first two touchdowns and put the Raiders on their heels within the first few minutes.  

Fourteen to zero isn't the worst score in the world, unless you give the ball back to Davie and let their super-quick quarterback Cade Carney run the...

Oh, well.  A Carney touchdown made it 21-0 and the first quarter had not yet ended.  The buzz was gone from the stadium. Worse, I was starting to panic because until that point the Reagan student section was packed, looked cool in black and sounded awesome, which is very important.  I hadn't yet talked to the students yet and all of a sudden I found myself rooting in the press box for something positive to happen for the Raiders (sue me). 

As soon as I started cheering, the Raiders starting moving and pushed the War Eagles to the brink of their own goal line.  The stands were shaking and rocking and it felt like a football game again.  However, disaster struck as Davie's Caleb Mathis picked off Ja'Shawn Joyner in the end zone.  I was just about to give up hope when a Reagan punt before halftime was muffed by the Davie return man (who shall remain nameless and pictureless, lest his mama be reading this blog).  Shortly thereafter, Josh Brice ran it in from the 6 and there was life in Pfafftown!



'Scuse Me While I Haul the Mail

It was at that point that I decided that my window for fan interaction was small and closing quickly.  I had seen Davie against Tabor the week before and new that their athletes were capable of coming out and ending a rally with a quickness.  I moseyed down to the student section to see if anyone wanted to talk.  As I was looking for a victim, the Raiderettes took the field for their halftime performance.  Their music?  Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me, Maybe".  As a former dancer myself for Baylin Studios in Clemmons, NC, I turned to watch the performance.  It was then that I heard something.  It sounded like singing, but it wasn't Miss Jepsen.  It was some of the Reagan student section.  Maybe one day folks will learn that Mr. Finally Friday ALWAYS has his HD video camera at the ready. 



The Marvelous Reagan Dancers!

After my ears stopped bleeding, I made my way downstairs to watch the fabulous Reagan band.  I had heard them a few times before but had never been able to see their full halftime show.  They were and are so good that I took five separate videos of their performance.  Please go to my video page to see all of them- I've labeled them in order.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  Disclaimer:  if you think, "the video is a tad shaky", that's because it was a tad cold and homie had no jacket.  I did my best, guys.  Besides Dana took some great photos like these:

After the amazing performance by the Reagan band, I realized I had just enough time to interview the denizens of the student section.  I quickly went over to what I thought was the general area where my "singers" had performed and made some new friends in the process.  All the guys were Juniors, save for one member of the class of 2013.  They told me what they liked best about Reagan Friday Nights and what I could expect if I visited them for basketball.  Make sure you listen until the end, when one of the fellas realizes that I took video of them singing.  Here's the link to the audio.  Boys, I hope you enjoyed your 'X Factor' moment.

After hanging with the guys, I finally made my way back up to the press box for the second half.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much fun it was up there.  They had a great spread that included barbecue and cupcakes(!), but the personalities were so much more fun.  Special thanks to Ryan Michel, George Folger (whom I hadn't seen in 25 years), Ed Thutt and Journal writer Marc Pruitt for entertaining me while the game plodded along.  Speaking of Marc, you can read his game recap here.  Special applause again for Ed, who honored approximately 7,042 senior band, dance and cheer members over the PA system without taking a breath.

In closing, I would also like the to thank the courageous members of Team Reed who frantically searched for an essential element of the woodwind family while the Davie kickoff team waited on the field to start the second half.  Your bravery is what makes America great.

Anybody want any more barbecue?  Anyone?

Next week, the final chapter:  H. 2. O.

-John