Friday night football calls for the return of crazy costumes, body paint, and unique hairstyles as students return to the stands.

Etowah has a few traditional themes that take place every football season. One of them is “Lights Out Wolverines,” (Blackout) which will occur on Oct. 22. Students will dress in all black for the “Battle of Towne Lake” against Woodstock. Another well-known theme is “Lei Down a Dub” (Hawaiian) on Aug. 27. Students dress in Hawaiian outfits by wearing leis, grass skirts, and brightly colored, flowered shirts. This is always the first home game at Etowah to say “Aloha” to the upcoming season.  

“My favorite football game is the Blackout against Woodstock. It is really cool that Etowah has this theme every year because I think it shows how much spirit our community has, and it is cool how everyone comes together to cheer on Etowah,” Cooper Gilreath, sophomore, said.  

This coming football season Eagle Connections, Etowah’s spirit club, added some new themes. One of these themes is “Bippity Boppity Boop the Raiders,” (Disney) and takes place on Sept. 10 against North Forsyth High School. Students can dress up for this by wearing Disney-inspired outfits, from princesses to superheroes. Some other new themes this year are “Hoedown Showdown” (Wild West), “Kiss the Warriors Goodbye” (Rock and Roll), and “Sweet Dreams Raiders” (Onesies). 

“I am really excited for the Disney theme because I love Disney, and it is a theme we have not had before,” Savannah Pullen, freshman, said.  

Students are excited for the upcoming games because of how COVID-19 negatively affected the previous year. Last season, pandemic restrictions imposed limits on ticket sales and social distancing at the games. Fortunately, the restrictions that were in place due to COVID-19 are no longer being as strictly enforced.  

“I am excited for the football games because it shows things are going back to normal and it brings our community back together,” Astrid Medina, junior, said. 

Make sure to dress up in safari gear on Friday, Aug. 20 for the game against Creekview.