Friday Night Lights
Ehra Louise Guiwa | Maui High School, Class of 2028
IEditor’s Note: This month we welcome our new Google® Is Not Everything… columnist, Ehra Louise Guiwa, and thank Angel Alba for her contributions.
In coming-of-age movies, football games are often depicted as the epitome of the High School experience. Crowds are gathered, dressed up representing their school pride, watching the game unfold and creating endless memories.
Meanwhile, cheerleaders, football players, the marching band and the color guard prepare to put on the best show for the moment for which they’ve been tirelessly working. All these elements together make football games a special time. Football games become more than just a game; they become a scene in someone’s own little movie.
Ayden Elaydo, a sophomore at Lahainaluna High School, proudly shares his school spirit at football games. He mentions, “looking at the opposite team, they could be better than us but either way, having the feeling to be at the games is so fun.” Although he is not officially on the cheer team, it doesn’t stop Ayden. “I get to be with the cheer girls and do the thing we love, which is cheering for our team, The Lunas!” Ayden is a perfect example of how showing out isn’t limited to those holding official titles. It’s for those who know how to uplift the people around them.
Likewise, another student from Lahainaluna shares the same experience. While Kyrah Madison Navarro Pagdilao is on the field, she explains, “I’m full of energy and excitement. I’m thinking about keeping the crowd pumped up, supporting the team and hitting every move with school spirit.” Cheer means so much more than lifting the school spirits to Kyrah; it also means cheering for Lahaina, “and feeling the whole community come together.” With each chant, stunt or flip, Kyrah carries the pride of Lahainaluna and her community on her shoulders and she honors it.
A junior at Maui High School, most well-known for breaking barriers by being one of the very few female athletes playing tackle football, Kaylyn Banaag, expresses her love for the sport, “I love that I get the chance to be on the field and show my hard work.” As we all know, football is a very intense game.
The pressure is on the players to perform at their best and being the only girl on the team intensifies this pressure. Still, Kaylyn admires the support from teammates, most especially during times “that we can support each other … like a family.” Kaylyn’s presence on the football field radiates throughout the entire game; whether she wins or loses, she is simply happy to be there.
As mentioned, football is a very intense sport with a lot of physical contact. While watching the game, it has become normalized to see players injured or tussling.
To Baldwin High School junior Jobel Marcos, during games, he is on the lookout that “no one gets seriously injured and that everyone stays safe.” He enjoys being on the Baldwin pep band, which “is honestly really fun, cheering the teams on, and lifting their players’ spirit.” Jobel demonstrates how the pep band maintains an upbeat atmosphere while the players deal with the intensity on the field, reminding everyone that school spirit is about more than just winning and losing.
Behind the scenes, various things go on for these students. Kaylyn tries to relax as much as possible following a pre-game ritual: “I like to eat my pregame meal, get ready for the game, talk to some of my teammates, and listen to my music.” Jobel likes to keep it casual by “talking stories with one and another guessing who’ll win and putting face paint on.” While Kyrah and Ayden prep the cheerleaders, “we help one another with any last-minute touch-ups with hair or makeup, we practice our cheers, warm up, go over dances, and get everyone hyped up.” Coming to football games, we rarely get to hear what the students performing have on their minds or the effort it takes to make sure the night is special.
At the end of the day, football games truly add to the high school experience but we could not have this moment without the fantastic students who put this all together for their school and community. Ayden, for his unwavering school spirit; Kyrah, for reaching out into the community; Kaylyn, for breaking down barriers on the field; and Jobel, for keeping the spirit alive through music—each of them brings a special piece of the picture we often overlook, so let’s remember to thank the students who make every Friday night unforgettable.
Google® Is Not Everything…… is a monthly column authored by high school students. The column’s title emphasizes that education is more than just googling a topic. Google® is a registered trademark. This month’s guest columnist is Ehra Louise Guiwa, a Sophomore at Maui High School. She is the President of Sabers of Law (Maui High’s Mock Trial Club), one of the Executive Vice Presidents for Student Government, Historian in the Key Club, and a student of eskrima under Doce Pares Multi-Style Hawaii. Ehra Louise is in the Law and Public Safety pathway at Maui High and aspires to be a U.S Senator. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, baking, volunteering at church, spending time with family and friends, and exploring. She is the only daughter of Merlyn Guiwa and Reymund Guiwa.