The Elyria Catholic High School community displayed its panther pride on Oct. 12 when the school was featured on WOIO Cleveland 19 News’ Friday Football Frenzy program. The show, which airs during the early-morning news program, features a high school each week during the football season.
About 200 students, faculty, staff and families braved the chilly, pre-dawn weather to show up at Reaser Stadium for the festivities. Stadium lights burned bright as the crowd, many wearing clothing featuring the school’s signature green and white, filed into the stadium.
(See photo gallery above.)
WOIO reporter Vic Gideon and camera man Dan Kelly worked with school officials, including President Annie Heidersbach, Principal Suzanne Lester and Annie Cunningham, director of communications and marketing, to schedule segments featuring aspects of EC’s academics, athletics and extracurriculars. The school’s mascot, the EC Panther, cheerleaders, band members, the football team, girls’ volleyball team and cross country team were among those featured on the segments that aired live beginning at 5:45 a.m.
It happened to be homecoming weekend at EC, so students were excited about the upcoming weekend athletic contests, the grand reunion of alumni planned for Oct. 12 and the homecoming dance on Oct. 13. Gideon chatted with members of the girls’ volleyball team, who won their conference title on Oct. 9 by defeating Beaumont School, as well as the soccer team and the football team, which played Holy Name High School in the homecoming game on Oct. 10. Unfortunately, the Green Wave defeated the Panters 24-7 on the gridiron.
Volleyball Coch Laurie Cogan recapped the girls’ victory the previous night as team members cheered and cross country team members ran laps around the track.
Between live segments, the crowd warmed up with hot chocolate, coffee and donuts at the concession stand. Some students played cornhole on the sidelines.
Gideon also talked with EC science teacher Stephanie Platt and seniors Edy Solet, Madison Queen and Luke Ueker about some of the science highlights at the school, including the anatomage table.
Cast and crew members of the school’s fall play, “Radium Girls,” and Erin Bennett, teacher and director, also did a live segment on the show. The play will be staged at EC Nov. 12, 14 and 15.
Highlight of the event was members of the homecoming court lining up by the large, inflatable panther to cheer on football team members as they raced onto the field for their segment. The band, flag corps, cheerleaders and students also showed their panther pride by gathering in the end zone for the alma mater as the sun rose.
The show ended with Gideon posing for selfies with groups on the football field.
Elyria Catholic, founded in 1947, has 537 students and more than 8,500 alumni.