In a time where people rarely come together in cities, towns, and villages across the country, it’s hard to form a community. That’s where sports come into play. No matter what your background is, sports can bring people together. Whether it’s filling up stadiums with thousands to watch their favorite professional sports team or going to the local high school stadium to watch the hard-working student-athletes play, many people unite for that small period of time for the ultimate goal of watching their team win. In small towns like Brockport, sports are community builders.
“I think it’s the way we all come together around the same thing,” Brockport High School Principal Michael Pincelli said. “People are eating together, they’re laughing, and it’s just a really fun way to connect with people at your school and school community.”
Friday, Sept. 20 was the start of Brockport’s Homecoming weekend for high school and college football. Events kicked off as Brockport had Friday Night Lights as the Blue Devils hosted the Section V Class B champions Monroe Red Jackets.
The game kicked off at 7 p.m. but the festivities started earlier. When you arrived at the high school an hour before pregame, the parking lot was filled with people from the town. They chatted with each other, played games, took pictures, and ordered food at food trucks that came to serve the community for Homecoming.
As it got closer to game time, the parking lot was empty. The parents, students, and fans of Brockport football made their way from the lot and slowly filled the bleachers row by row, ready to watch their team play.
Brockport Blue Devils Varsity Football Head Coach Paul Carella is a lifelong Brockport resident. He played for Brockport as an athlete and now he’s giving back to the community as a coach and a parent.
“Sports in Brockport, I’ve seen it at all levels, as a player, as a coach, this community takes a lot of pride in its sports,” Carella said. “When our sports teams do well, the community supports it and it really stands out…The band is going to be there, and there’s going to be maybe over 1,000 to 2,000 fans at our game here tonight. It just shows the support for athletics. This connection for everyone brings people together no matter what your background is. It brings people together.”
It was a tough game for the Blue Devils as they weren’t able to pull out the win against a 2-0 Monroe high school football team, but the community stuck with Brockport football no matter what. Stands were filled from the first to the last whistle, even in the 46-2 defeat, the support that was shown for a football game was unmatched.
“It’s awesome, I love all the support from Brockport,” Blue Devils senior running back Brayden Scaccia said. “Homecoming is the best. It gives every kid goosebumps. We try to pull up a couple kids to show them what it’s like. It’s something I have never felt before.”
Sports and community can create an unstoppable team. In a time where you do not see strangers coming together, sports is the game changer. It does not matter what their background, religion, culture or views are because when those lights come on and the kids go out on the field, all of that goes away and a Brockport family is formed.
