Families, friends and Tualatin community members all gathered outside of the Riverview Community Bank for a local Tualatin High football pep rally before the season began.
There was food to be served, a raffle to be won and rounds of cornhole to be played. All of it organized to celebrate the potential of this year’s team.
Along with the community situated at the tailgater, Tualatin High even brought their own band and cheer team.
As football practice had ended that afternoon, and school buses filled with coaches and football players turned the corner into the parking lot, the cheer team grew into formation and the band prepped their instruments.
One by one, players huddled together between the crowds of families and friends. The band played their first notes and all at once, they exploded with the familiar sound of the Tualatin High fight song. All the while, the cheer team raised their pom-poms and gave a performance. This would only be one of many times throughout the season the band and cheer team would get together for the team.
Once the band had quieted down and the performance was at a close, the only natural next step was a few brief speeches, starting with one of the generous donors to the football team: Riverview Community Bank.
The Tualatin bank branch decided to donate 25 dollars to the team for every touchdown the football team scored. This was a continued tradition of what had been done the year prior.
The bank representative became very fond of the team, thinking that they were a much-valued asset of the community.
“If you guys weren’t good gentlemen and playing the game right, we wouldn’t let our company logo run around your field. Every time you see that logo run, it’s because you represent it well,” he said.
This was followed by cheering and a wolf chant from the team as head coach Daniel Lever was up next. He was simply excited about being a part of the team.
“There is something extremely special about the Tualatin Timberwolves in this community and I am so proud to wake up every day. My feet hit the floor and I can’t wait to get to school. I don’t feel like it’s work, it’s unbelievable,” Lever said.
By then, the gracious guests’ and players’ stomachs were rumbling with the scents of hot dogs and hamburgers sifting through the air. This led to the bank representative grabbing the mic. and announcing that everyone could “serve up.”
To say the least, no one would be hungry for much longer.
