By Genevieve Turner

Sports Editor

Friday night football at Horn Field usually draws thousands of spectators. Parents, teachers, students, and other local fans show up to cheer on the Lions.

This year is a different story. 

Red Lion beat South Western 43-21 on Horn Field Friday night. The event marked Senior Night for the Lions cheerleaders, marching band and football players. 

In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, only a few family members were allowed to attend a game that brought a big win for the Lions.

The team started out with an early lead, scoring their first touchdown only four minutes into the first quarter. They kept up a strong defense against the Mustangs, surrendering three touchdowns, but not surrendering an overall win. 

Both teams each scored three touchdowns over the second and beginning of the third quarters. The end of the third quarter and the fourth quarter were filled with major gains by the Lions. 

They scored three more touchdowns as well as field-goals, and a  two-point conversion. 

Junior wide receiver, Jeffery Nyamekye scored a 99-yard touchdown, one of the more impressive moves of the night. QB Randy Fizer rolled out to the right, finding Nyamekye who caught the ball, broke a tackle, and powered downfield.

Senior football players were disappointed that due to PA’s guidelines limiting the number in attendance at outdoor sporting events to 250. This meant that their friends and siblings could not come. 

“I wish my brother could be here,” Senior RB, Brock Holloway said. 

Many siblings could not attend because each football and cheer senior got two tickets each. 

Alongside the Lions, were the RL Cheerleaders. 

“A cheerleader’s job is to cheer on every player,” Senior Margaux Rentzel said. “Having no fans here gives us the opportunity to be as loud as we can for the football players, and be crazy and spirited because we are all that they’ve got.” 

“I wish that my friends could be here on my senior night because I have really grown with them every football game,” Rentzel said. “I looked up at the rowdies and I looked at my friends, and this year I won’t be able to look at the rowdies and see my friends cheering me on.” 

Rentzel and Senior cheerleader Emily Padre both felt that more pressure was put on them because the cheerleaders would be the only ones cheering on the football team. 

 “I wish my best friend could be here,” said Padre. “She’s at home right now, but she’ll be streaming the game.” 

Home sporting events are live streamed to the YouTube channel RL Sports Live.