McCluer South-Berkeley players stand ready to play Saturday, the team's first game of the season. It was played at a neutral site.
Photo by Mark Guthrel
Life almost seemed normal for student athletes at
McCluer South-Berkeley (Ferguson, Mo.) on Saturday. At least for a few hours.
After a chaotic few weeks in Ferguson, there was some doubt as to whether the school's football team would be able to play its season-opener. But the team kicked off its season against Cleveland NJROTC at a neutral site (Sumner High School) and there were no special pre-game ceremonies or announcements.
There were hardly three dozen fans at the game, according to estimates on Twitter, and the media outnumbered those in the stands. In fact, SportsCenter did a live segment with McCluer South-Berkeley head coach Keith Rhodes before the game.
"We need it so bad. Football to us is like air. We need it," head coach Howard Brown
told the Post-Dispatch on Friday.
Despite the flurry of media and the sparse fan attendance, McCluer South-Berkeley and the Ferguson community got a big dose of fresh air on Saturday.
Check out photos from the game.
