Football season officially arrived at EHS with the annual Orange and Black Scrimmage on Friday. The scrimmage opened up the boys season, exciting many fans and members of Orange Rush.

Senior and Orange Rush leader Austin Ruesch said the scrimmage was an important game for the fans.

“The football team gets a preseason scrimmage and so do we,” Ruesch said. “We’ll be ready for the real games.”

As a leader of Orange Rush, Ruesch hopes to bring more personal cheers to the student fan section that are targeted toward what is happening in the upcoming football games. He said he can tell that everyone is excited for the season, including senior Jessica Peters, who said that football season is “a good time of year to be in Edwardsville.”

The freshman, sophomore and JV teams played prior to the varsity team ending the night. Many varsity players used the scrimmage as a way to prepare for the season.

Senior and varsity left tackle Garrett Burns said it’s a great way to give starting players confidence going into the season.

“It’s always a good warm-up to see who can perform in high speed situations,” Burns said.

Senior and varsity inside linebacker Andrew Holderer said Orange Rush is ready for football season.

“The fan section at the scrimmage was one of the biggest since I’ve (played for EHS),” Holderer said. “It’s a really great way to just experience the atmosphere of playing under the lights on a Friday night.”

Friday nights at the football field aren’t only enjoyable to the football players. Peters believes that the turnout from the student body and the community on Friday helped get everyone excited for the upcoming season.

“Everyone is in such high spirits and decked out in orange and black,” Peters said. “(It’s) pretty awesome to be a part of that.”