Friday night lights in the United States are a staple of school culture and town gatherings throughout the fall. The high school sporting event for the football game kicks off the weekend for students, giving friends and families a night to collectively gather in support of the team. For Hingham High, football has always been deeply ingrained in the community; however, the student section known as the “Red Army” was established in September of 2021. The evolution of the massive movement and involvement of Hingham’s student section has helped unify all grades. Despite Hingham’s loss last Friday in their home opener versus Abington, there seems to be an optimistic outlook for the team’s remaining games with the relentless army of students in attendance.
The hype around the event began when the official Red Army Instagram account announced the game details on their page, including the classic theme of USA. To ignite passion amongst the students, the final message states, “Be loud or sit with mom.”
Then with the opening kickoff, Senior wide receiver and cornerback Ryan Kennedy did the unthinkable. After receiving the ball behind Hingham’s twenty yard line, Kennedy found open space and took off, returning the kickoff for a touchdown in front of a roaring student section.
Scoring the opening kickoff is a play every football player dreams of, but most are never able to fulfill. When asked about the achievement, Ryan Kennedy described, “my goal was to set the offense up with good field position for the first drive. When I saw the gap, my eyes lit up, and I never looked back. Seeing my friends in the stands cheering for me was unforgettable, one of the best feelings of my life.” Despite the exhilarating opening play, Hingham’s hard-fought effort, was not enough to defeat a tough Abington team, with the final score being 28-18.
Nevertheless, a new tradition began on Friday evening when the Red Army introduced the tailgate. Taking place in the far parking lot, Senior Luke Hamilton, manager of the Red Army, rallied students to a pregame tailgate which supplied food and drinks to all that attended.
When asked about how he came up with the idea, Luke Hamilton explained, “having only three home football games for my senior year was quite disappointing, so I wanted to make them a bit more memorable. We thought that having a tailgate would be a way to make lasting memories before we walk over to support our team.” He also commented on the surprising turnout, describing, “It was very successful, we had hundreds of people show up amongst all four grades. Everyone seemed to have a good time and did an amazing job participating in the theme. This is definitely something that we would love to have happen again in the future, whether it’s at an upcoming football game or at a hockey game in the winter.”
The tailgate clearly has the potential to gather sizable crowds and possibly extend the invite to the rest of the town in the near future. The event demonstrates the proactive nature of Hingham High’s Red Army and their ultimate goal of bringing the community together. School spirit is one of the most important aspects of high schools across the world, and Hingham has definitely held a lead in the friendly competition throughout the South Shore.
