Going to Greenwood

By Lew
September 10, 2004

Stewart Doreen
Midland Reporter Telegram 09/10/2004

After weeks of preparation, Greenwood is ready for some football -- high school style.

By Jimmy Patterson
MRT Correspondent

At the turn of the 20th century, when the circus came to town, it was the only show in town, the greatest show on earth.


One hundred years later and at the dawn of a new century, the greatest show comes to town every September. It is football. And it is king of the West Texas jungle. No need for a ringmaster, three rings, clowns or wild animals. Not with head coaches, four quarters, bands, cheerleaders and mascots. Football has it all, and no one even has to clean up behind elephants when the lights go dim.


The people in Greenwood for weeks have been readying the town, the stadium, the school and themselves for tonight's home opener against Sweetwater. Greenwood in a way is like a hundred other West Texas small towns preparing for the debut of this year's model. But to hear those involved tell it, it's unique, too.


"It's the only show in town, a huge, huge deal," said Scott Knippa, principal at Greenwood High School said of the home opener. "Not just because of how good our star athletes may be ... people just want to see their kids. And the pep rally every week... it's such an ordeal, people don't even realize."


How big is it? Greenwood may be one of the only towns where its high school football coach has such a vested interest in the outcome of the game and such a love for the kids who play, he gets out with his coaching staff and personally paints the football field the Thursday before each game.


Greenwood takes its football seriously. Listen to Morgan Love, a cheerleader for Greenwood football teams since she was in third grade, and she'll tell you the town's pride is unlike other towns its size.


"I think Friday night's opening game and homecoming are probably the two most exciting games of the season," Love said. "I think everybody's pumped to get back into football and since it's such a big thing in Greenwood, everybody's anxious to come in and help the team. It's one of our stronger sports and people come back year after year just to see what we have going for us."


Bob Purser has been head football coach in Greenwood for 18 years. He says football's popularity in small town West Texas is easily explained but not unique to Greenwood.


"I think it's typical of any small community in West Texas," Purser said. "It's something that keeps people close, whether it's Stanton or Rankin or wherever. Football involves so many kids ... the band, cheerleaders, pep squad, student body. It's so much bigger than any other sport and the only form of entertainment in a lot of small communities. It's about people caring about each other and I think it's why people like it so much in West Texas: it pulls us together."


Purser said the night of a home opener only magnifies how important the game is to small towns.


"It's showtime, so to speak," he said. "It's showtime for everybody, really. You don't want to get off to a bad start. We'll have a good crowd and it's against Sweetwater, one of our rivals. They'll bring a lot of people because they don't like us a whole lot. I's a unique setting for a Friday night in West Texas and for small town football. And the first game's big because nobody knows how it's gonna go. It's the band's first time to march at home, first time for the cheerleaders ... the whole setting is what makes it so important."


All of the factors that lead to the big feel of a home opener can lead to a certain amount of pressure, too, Love said.


"It can be very stressful in some cases," Love admitted. "In some cases it may take two or three weeks to get all the pep rally stuff together. And before the game you have to have the signs and the yells ready and you have to be willing to make yourself look almost like an idiot to get everybody as pumped as you are"


Game time is not the only objective worked toward in the days and weeks leading up to the first contest of the year, but much emphasis is also put on the pep rally. Each pep rally comes complete with a theme, which takes on a serious note this week with the memory of Sept. 11 fresh on everyone's minds. First responders such as policemen, firemen and EMTs will receive tribute at this morning's pep rally, and a handful representing those different professions have been invited to be on hand Friday morning. The theme for the pep rally is "These Colors Don't Run."


"We have a problem solving exercise we do before each pep rally and doing the Sept. 11 theme was Morgan's idea but we talked about it," said Kandy Bolding, cheerleader sponsor, sophomore class sponsor and special education teacher in Greenwood schools since 1998. "We have an unofficial overall theme this year of 'Traditions Today and Tomorrow,' so (Sept. 11) is something we decided to do."


Love said the fact that Greenwood fell hard -- 27-0 to Abilene Wylie -- in its season opener last Friday will not diminish interest or importance in tonight's game.


"The audience will really be ready to go," Love said. "I won't think about losing last week, but about winning this one instead. Being at home gives people a lot more confidence."


Purser said he was hopeful last week's loss was, "So far away maybe nobody noticed." One thing's likely for sure, though: the people of Greenwood will be forgiving and the slate will be clean come the kickoff at J.M. King Memorial Stadium.


Perhaps one of the things that makes football so special here is the extra mile Purser and his staff go for the kids, the school and the staff, making sure there are enough chairs set up at the pep rally and even going so far to making sure the football field is painted before each week's game -- by Purser and his coaches.


"It just goes back to respect for other people," Purser said. "We have a pretty good relationship with the faculty and the band director is one of the greatest guys in the world and he does such a great job. We try to be there for them like they're there for us, and that's probably why Greenwood is so special. We're pretty close out here, and it's important our coaches don't just become football coaches. We need to be teachers and a part of the community and respect the other entities within the other parts of the school. It's important coaches understand the importance of everything else that makes up the school and community."


Love said she expects tonight last home opener before she graduates may be emotional, but she'll try not to think too much about it. Nor will she think about how tired she may get a couple hours after the lights have dropped. She said the work put into the contest is something at which she has to do her best because "That's the job I signed up for" and she won't complain about it.


No doubt she'll miss following Ranger football -- her favorite version of the sport -- while away at college, but like the other people from this small community she spoke of earlier, she plans on coming home -- and staying -- after college.


"Right now my plan is to become a special education teacher, and I hope to come back to Greenwood and teach," she said. "I just think it's a really good school and a good place to live. I've lived here since I was six, so I don't know if I'd know what to do if I lived anywhere else."


One thing Love would know to do for sure if she ended up living someplace else: Come back every fall for the first game of the season.

GoFridayNight Team Pages