Waiting for the announcer to scream “AND NOW YOUR SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH RAIDERS…” left me with an intense and anxious feeling. Game time.

Standing in the presence of the team by the tunnel was a powerful experience. They’re all decked out in their helmets, cleats and shoulder pads, and filled with pregame nerves and excitement. I’ve never played football, but the pregame experience will never be forgotten. They hud- dle up as junior Gabe Guild begins the ‘Tick, Tick, BOOM!’ chant and

unfolds. Halftime felt like it was straight from the movies. We were down 28-

14, so it would take at least two touchdowns to tie it up. We all huddled up in the locker room waiting for the coach to come in. It was com- pletely silent. Head coach Lonergan was up, and slowly walked up to the board and just stood there. We were all waiting for him to blow. He was different this time. His voice was stern, but he didn’t seem too upset. He started trying to convince the guys that they could make a comeback and win. I couldn’t tell you exactly what he said, but I can tell you that whatever he said, it worked.

The team exited the locker room at half with a positive and uplifted attitude. They went out and scored four more touchdowns in the sec- ond half, for a 42-35 win. Senior quarterback Alex Forslund contrib- uted three touchdowns for the night. Running back Guild finished the night with a school record 342 yards rushing in 30 carries, including the touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the Raiders in the lead.

I had never given much credit to Guild, the team’s running back and safety. But after seeing the plays up close and watching the countless tackles he escaped to run all the way down the field to score, he’s earned my utmost respect. He always came off the field in a humble manner af- ter he scored, something I never got to see in the stand. In all honesty, I never really gave him much credit, and had never recognized his talent. But it’s true, he’s as good as everyone says he is.

Celebrating touchdowns from the stands is exciting. But celebrating the touchdowns from the sidelines is somewhat of a personal victory. No one ever sees how hard the players work and how important scor- ing that touchdown is to them. I have a completely different view of the football team. I have always loved football, but after being a guest coach, I have tremendous respect for the sport.

butterflies fill my stomach. You can hear the roars of the crowd. We take off sprinting past the band, make a hard left and rush through the ban- ner towards the encouraging report of the crowd.

Guest coaching for the football team Friday, Sept. 30 in the game against Shawnee Mission North- west, I was able to observe and get

a hands on experience of what it’s really like to be on the sideline. Even with nearly 45 players suited up, the team couldn’t be any closer. I had only been there for a couple of hours and I already felt a part of their ‘family’. There was, however, a slight height difference between us, making me feel small and insignificant.

Even though they have a 1-6 record, the team was supportive and encouraged each other throughout the entire game. The coaches kept the players heads up and little did I know that the players had their own chants on the sideline. I was completely unaware that they not only relied on the fans for support, but also each other. Most fans never real- ize how much dedication and hard work the football players put into each game. From the stands, you don’t really see each play and how it