SAN MARCOS — Minutes before San Marcos High School kicked off the 2025 season against Mount Miguel on Friday night, 66 Knights players walked down the stands’ concrete steps and underneath a blue tarp held aloft by the student body, nicknamed The Blue Crew.

The players marched on to the field, jogged beneath the team’s blow-up tunnel, then sprinted between two lines formed by the 34 varsity cheerleaders.

Minutes later, the 200-member band played the national anthem. It was “Friday Night Lights” at its finest.

“The feeling before the first game, it’s amazing,” said San Marcos senior quarterback Kreet Makihele minutes before kickoff. “It’s hard to explain for people outside of it.”

Mount Miguel senior defensive back/wide receiver Brandon Arrington, a 100- and 200-meter state track champi

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