EDITORIAL: Cleveland shows its support

By Jesse Olmstead, Chronicle staff

The only way a box office ticket line was avoidable was to arrive around 6:30p.m. On such a lovely Friday night at Cleveland High School, there was only one reason a line of mass proportion could have evolved; Cleveland was playing Corinth Holders – a game that had been on fans’ minds for weeks. So they came into the stadium – parents, kids, even Cleveland’s own school staff – crammed in between metal detectors, which protected us during the game. The sounds of music and conversation (some related to football some not) filled the air, but when 7:30 hit, “LET’S GO RAMS” was the marvelous battle cry. This battle cry was more pride-filled than anything, and when the clock hit zero, that chant was no different.

Throughout the game, Cleveland’s crowd had its ups and downs. When Corinth scored an early touchdown, it took the cheerleaders, announcer, and most importantly, the lady with the cow bell, to keep the massive crowd’s spirit high. However, when Cleveland started to come out on top, there was nothing that could stop Ram fans. With all the emotions that had been raised by the game, it seemed the parents got the most of it.

Stomping their feet and waving their arms, the parent section was amazing. To see the school’s fellow parents on their feet and into the game was fun for many as they looked on. Impressively, it seemed these parents had a recollection of their high school days; the battle for best support between the parents and students was not even close. As many students chatted or just watched, the parents cheered until their lungs were sore; the parents kept in mind they were cheering for a high school football game as well. This is something that can be appreciated by much of the community, as most of our school faculty looked on with smiles on their faces.

During halftime, some of Cleveland’s amazing students were out and about. Many sat along the fence near the field where they had been watching the entire game, and though they did not get near the parents’ interest, many had a lot on their mind about this game. CHS student Pratik ‘J.J.’ Ambelal said during the game, “It’s great that a lot of people came out.” After a long conversation about the lady with the cow bell, Ambelal also said, “I really wish I would have brought MY cow bell.” A nice fact is that many students showed up, which shows Cleveland High will do just fine when it comes to cheering on their sports. Many students had been excited all week, since talk of the game exploded via Facebook.com.

In the end, not only did Cleveland’s football team and fans defend their house, CHS has discovered an old tradition. This very tradition was started back when the school was a part of 10-10; before many people can even recall. This tradition is that of “Cleveland Pride,” and of being a high school Ram. They are, once again, an honor in our area.

At Thursday night’s game against Southview, will the parents remain the top fans, or will the student section discover their true “in-school” spirit? The Cleveland Chronicle lays down that challenge.