Fans Brave Weather, Delays for High School Football

Stadiums are rarely empty for high school football on Friday nights, but that is the effect of Friday's soggy weather.

In anticipation of the prolonged rainfall, schools across North Texas rescheduled and reshuffled.

Some games, including Bryan Adams and North Dallas began Thursday night. The schools finished the game on Friday afternoon.

"They were having more fun last night, dropping the balls everywhere. The were even calling one of my boys the penguin," said Arnulfo Gandara.

Gandara has two sons who play for North Dallas High School. He was one of about two dozens fans who watched the game at Couch Field.

"Usually on a Friday, it's more alive. We're talking Friday night lights. Texas football," Gandara said.

Dallas Independent School District officials postponed the game due to lightning.

"It's disappointing when you can't bring your band, your spirit team and your cheerleaders," said Dallas ISD Assisant Director of Athletics Stacey Segal. "Obvioulsy we have to do what we can for the safety of our student athletes."

Segal added staffing the games with referees also posed a challenge. Some crews worked games on Thursday night and two on Friday.

"It's a lot of football, but it's something we love doing," said referee Miles McCord.

McCord is scheduled to work more games on Saturday.

More Games Moved from Thursday to Friday

It was the high school football game that many thought would never finish, but that didn't stop some super-fans from sticking it out until the end Friday.

Denton Guyer eventually beat Trophy Club-Byron Nelson 12-10 with a field goal in the final seconds of the game. Getting to that ending was tricky though.

The game was originally scheduled for Friday evening, but athletic directors and coaches agreed earlier in the week to reschedule it to Thursday night due to the impending weather and other events scheduled at the stadium on their usual make-up day, Saturday.

However the storms hit stronger than many expected Thursday, forcing the game into multiple delays for lightning before it ever started, and eventually ending that plan altogether.

So the solution: the game was rescheduled to an even rarer 11 a.m. Friday kickoff.

That's 11 a.m. on a school day, meaning no excused absences for students to go watch, and no extras at the game like cheer teams and bands.

The game again had to be delayed for lightning after just a few minutes of play, but after the mandatory 30-minute wait the sun actually started shining and play was able to go on uninterrupted.

The stadium was mostly empty, but some super-fans and parents did brave the elements Thursday and again on Friday to see this one play out.

"Stayed until they called it off," said Joanna McAdams, mother of a Guyer player. "I was prepared to be here until whenever."

Some fans from Trophy Club even made the trip for both game times, fighting through some bad driving conditions twice to do so.

"Coming up it was just dangerous driving, it was absolutely, it was just coming down," said Michael Petty, whose son is a senior on Byron Nelson. "Never miss a game. I've never missed a game my kids have played in."

And as for that directive from the district that students stay in class Friday morning, well, some took that as a suggestion instead.

Guyer's student section was decently full with seniors who chose to take the unexcused absence to see their team win.

"I mean, why not? It's so much fun, it was even fun in the rain," said Riley Oldham.