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Ananya Nandyala

Junior Aj Hickey stands on the sidelines of the field with his teammates while waiting for the game to begin. "Personally, I didn't grow up here, but I know for a lot of the guys it was a big deal for them as they were excited to play against their friends," Hickey said. As a result of the animated crowd on the stands, Hickey wants to work on listening to the calls better and calming his nerves.

Excitement and adrenaline bustled in the air, radiating from the mass of white and green-clad fans as they waited on the stands for the most anticipated game of the season.

With Rock Hill’s recent transition into the 6A division, the Blue Hawks are required to overcome new challenges including their face-off against Proper High School. The Prosper and Rock Hill varsity football teams competed against each other on Friday, Sept. 23, at the Children’s Health Stadium.

This game was referred to as the “Pride of Prosper” game as it was the first time two Prosper ISD schools would compete against each other. To highlight this unprecedented event, Prosper and Rock Hill organized a rival week to boost morale within both student bodies. 

“The Rival week festivities were just a way for everyone to have fun, while proving how competitive both schools are,” senior Amande Le said. “All of the activities allowed Rock Hill to hype up the football team before their big game, and it showed them how supportive we truly are.”

For both schools, the rival week consisted of various activities such as different dress up days and pep rallies to promote the game. Throughout the week, The Gates of Prosper Chick-fil-a held a spirit competition to see which school could raise the most money. Rock Hill was announced as the winner of this competition before the halftime show at the game. 

“Knowing that the whole town of Prosper was at the game and that we were playing against the people we grew up with made the atmosphere so competitive yet spirited,” senior and varsity football player Ty Townsend said.

The hype created for the rival week was a success as both the home and away sides of the stadium were filled with fans. The game consisted of Rock Hill’s largest student body section to date, and everyone showed their school pride. 

“The loud crowd motivated me to play better as we felt more support,” junior and varsity football player Amar Williams said. “The first couple of drives were crazy loud, and we couldn’t really hear calls or signals. So I want to work on focusing better and keeping the team energy up.”

The Blue Hawk fans were decked out in white head to toe and waved “#LEO” (love each other) signs in the air. Students also waved white rally towels in the air and often threw baby powder in the air to show support.

“The student section had really high energy with everyone buzzing with excitement waiting for the game to start,” Le said. “It was really fun seeing all of the creative signs that people brought to the game. Seeing how the Rock Hill student body came together to cheer on our football team and bring a positive energy was nice.”

During the halftime show, Prosper ISD surprised all the fans at the game with a drone show. After displaying the logos for both schools, the spectacle ended with the words “We are Prosper” to emphasize the unity within the district.

“Although we lost, having the whole school and town surrounding us made us feel as if we had a great community to rely on,” junior and varsity football player Cyncere Lindsey said. “The game was like a love-hate relationship since we’ve known the PHS players for so long. Even though we wanted to beat each other, it was still a friendly competition.”

Despite Rock Hill’s 49-0 loss against the Eagles, the Prosper ISD community united for the first ever crosstown rivalry against the two schools. At the end of the game, both teams went to both sides of the field to applaud one another, truly showing how “We are Prosper, We are One.”