Grandville Football. The heart and soul of the Grandville community. Friday Night Lights. What every student looks forward to as they sit in class during the fall weeks, counting down the days until Friday. They can already hear the noise of their shoes pounding the bleachers as they sprint to claim their spots for the game. Grandville football has made some reputation for itself, especially the student section, packed with students from grades 9th to 12th. Where every middle schooler dreams of one day being able to stand. Where every freshmen makes their way farther and farther down the section’s bleachers and one day before they know it, they’ll be hanging over that maroon rail chanting at the new freshman “Go home, Freshmen!”

“As a freshman you look forward to finally being on the rail one day and being in the front, getting everyone else rowdy,” Marlee Remenap, a senior at Grandville, exclaims, “It’s what all of high school builds up to.” My brother, Karsyn Luke, and his friend, who are currently seventh graders at Grandville Middle School, repeatedly mention that the one thing they are most looking forward to in high school is, “the football games and being able to sit in the student section.” Olivia Troost, a senior, believes that the student section at Grandville is “the best of the best.”

Let’s play some football, Grandville! “That first touchdown is what sets the mood for the rest of the game. It gets the whole student section up on their feet and hyped up,” Maddie Gkekas, another senior, added. So what makes all this so special? “For me, it’s like one big family coming together. It’s like the whole city of Grandville is there watching. Also, there’s something for everyone. The band is playing, the cheerleaders are stunting, players are tearing it up on the field, and the rest of us are there cheering them on. Everyone is doing what they love to do, and we are all there together,” states Marlee Remenap.

From homecoming games, to rainy nights, these games will forever be remembered. “My favorite game would probably be the homecoming game sophomore year. I’ll never forget it. Just being with all my friends in that moment, nothing else mattered, even if it was raining,” Taylor Sheldon stated. Others of us will remember the nights we took home some sweet victories. “The Rockford Game last year. Grandville was scoring touchdown after touchdown. We killed them and you know it always feels good to beat Rockford. There was so much energy in the student section, even the parents were going crazy,” Olivia declares. 

How can I experience this? Well, the getting involved part is pretty easy. “Go to the games, dress up, and cheer. It’s simple,” advised Grandville alum, Emily Fontaine. Taylor continues on to say, “Go all out and get rowdy, because before you know it, it will all be over and you’re going to wish you had done more and cherished it a little bit longer. You never know when these games will get taken from you.” And the bulldogs take home another win!