If you spent any time poring over our 2015 High School Football Preview section the past few days, you’ll know the Magnolia Panthers have set for themselves a high bar.
The Panthers return to the gridiron tonight at 7 p.m. for their season-opener against Crossett.
The fact that many of us will be back in the stands tonight to usher in a new season of Panther football is a reminder that summer is over — officially, over — and we have entered a new school year that is, more or less, a blank slate for both students and parents.
It can be anything they want it to be. And, it can be anything we, the community, want it to be.
We all got a chance to prove that Thursday night with the pep rally on the Courthouse Square, which was noisy, well-attended, and enthusiastic about supporting Panther football.
There was a lot of team and school spirit on the street as the band played, cheerleaders performed, and school officials urged the crowd to get excited about football.
It didn’t take a lot to get them excited.
Everybody is pumped up.
We were proud of the way the entire community came out to yell, “Go, Panthers!” The city of Magnolia provided a fire truck to transport the cheerleaders and the streets around the courthouse were blocked. It was a great way to kick off the season.
Now, let’s all have that same spirit at tonight’s game. Head Coach John Panter thinks his team will be efficient on both sides of the ball, playing against a team they dominated in 2014. We have no doubt they will do their job. Our job is to show up, be loud, be supportive, and back the Panthers no matter what.
We’ll see you out there.