Two hours before the game started, viking friends, fans and family line up outside the stadium gates as they waited to get the best seats to watch the Francis Howell vikings football First Responders game against Troy on Sept. 8. The large crowd of over 4,000 people total were all participating in the USA theme of the game for First Responders Night, which honored all first responders in the community.

As the student section arrived, they were given t-shirts, provided by STUCO, that would create an American flag in the stands that’s over 100 feet long. The band included the Francis Howell Middle School band to play the National Anthem together before the game started. After the band was done, the Metro Air Support Helicopter was invited to land on the field and deliver the game ball.

As the crowd waited for the Vikings to take the field, the Jr. Vikings football teams lined up on either side of the field to show support and cheer on the high school football team. As the teams were playing, over the intercom it was announced that different Howell sports teams would be collecting money during half-time in an event called Dash-for-Cash. This event was a challenge to see how much money could be raised by the fans in only 90 seconds. During the fourth quarter, it was announced the fans raised a total of $2,201.