The football team will be playing Timber Creek’s biggest rival, Byron Nelson, on Friday night, Sept. 25, 2015.
Every year, this game is the one that matters the most. Fans from both teams fill the stands shoulder to shoulder. Varsity Cheerleader Alumni, Ashlee Schrader, said that when she attended Timber Creek, “school spirit wasn’t the best, but everyone made sure to make an appearance at the Byron game.”
Since the school opened the students have been painting their bodies, faces and chanting things like, “You can’t do that!” and “I believe that we will win!” through all four quarters. Schrader said, “the atmosphere was full of tension,” and “the two teams were out for blood.”
Just as the alumni have taught the students, the traditions of chants and face painting continue with more spirit than ever, but now that the first generation of Falcons has been gone for a few years, many current students have no idea where this rivalry started.
From the class of 2014, Josh Tester said that it began “because we were built in the same year and were in the same situation.” Tester further explained, that during this time there wasn’t really any upperclassmen at the schools so the Varsity teams consisted of mainly freshman and sophomores. This put Byron Nelson and Timber Creek at an equal level when it came to competing, the football team knew this game would be the only one that was truly fair their first year.
When the guys were put to the test, both teams brought the heat. After Byron won, students reported the bobcats as “cocky,” and since then it’s been a continuous rivalry between the schools not only in football, but all sports. This rivalry has become so immense “Beat Byron” is now an actual game theme rather than “Beach Bash” or “Greek Gods” like other games.
Rumors about Timber Creek football players leaving a dead bobcat on Byron’s field and Byron students urinating in our teams locker room have been circulating through the schools since the very first game. Tester said the story about the bobcat “is a lie,” and confirmed that “it was just a house cat that was run over near the school.” However, the outrageous and somewhat comical stories are part of what keeps the rivalry alive.
The security at these games is increased dramatically. This is because each year student altercations occur out of anger, jealousy or simply because of the rivalry. At the game, students are prohibited from crossing over to the other side of the field or into the opposing teams stands. There have not been any fatal fights between students, but a couple of punches are reportedly thrown each year. Administrators and policemen do their best to keep the crowd civil, but this task has become more difficult as the years go on.
Fans are encouraged to show school spirit and help cheer on the football players this Friday at the Keller ISD stadium. Beat Byron!
