- Monica Amaro was at a marching band competition in Texas to support her daughter when she noticed an unusual sight
- Her daughter’s rival high school football team showed up together, in uniform, to watch the band
- Amaro, a “band kid myself,” tells PEOPLE she knows “the significance of this and what a rare sight it was”
The stands of high school football games are usually filled with fans and families of the players, as well as the school’s marching band and cheerleaders. But what you rarely get to see is the football team showing up to cheer on the marching band.
TikTok user Monica Amaro shared an instance of a local football team doing just that. While attending the Texas UIL Regional Marching Band Competition in Abilene, Texas, she noticed a group of football players, all dressed in their team’s jerseys, show up to support the school’s marching band.
“As I was a band kid myself, I knew the significance of this and what a rare sight it was,” Amaro shares with us.
Football team walking into its school’s marching band competition.
Monica Amaro
Amaro was attending the competition to support her daughter’s marching band, though it wasn’t her daughter’s high school football team that showed up — it was actually that of their rivals. According to her, the Roscoe High School football team has been stepping out to support the marching band at their competitions for about six years now.
“I competed in many a competition in my day and was even a state marching band champion,” Amaro adds, “and I have never seen this.”
Roscoe High School Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Jake Freeman was a member of both the marching band and football team when he attended the high school he now works at. Speaking with PEOPLE, he says this was incredibly common when he went to high school in 1992, as “the band wasn’t just a side act.”
“It was respected, celebrated, and cherished. Just like football, band demanded commitment, hours of practice, and intense focus,” he says. “I poured as much heart into band practice as I did on the field, and that sense of community support, of being valued, was something I felt in my heart.”
Freeman says he’s been bringing the football team to support the band at their competitions for five years, “Because without the band, Friday nights just aren’t the same.”
“Their music and energy light up the whole atmosphere — they support us, and it’s only right that we support them back,” he continues.
“It’s more than just showing up: it’s about teaching my players to value what the band does, to recognize the blood, sweat, and practice they pour into their craft. I want my team to see the discipline, the teamwork and the dedication. They understand that the band is as essential to our spirit as any play we run.”
Amaro complimented the Roscoe High School football team herself, saying, “The whole football team showed up, sat in the bleachers, and cheered for their band. It made me emotional and I just knew it would touch others.”
“Going through the comments, it’s evident that this is rare and it honestly healed something in these former band kids’ hearts (the commenters), who thought they’d never see anything like this,” Amaro continues of her TikTok’s reach. “It speaks volumes about this school and their pride, their community, and their support for one another.”
“It’s bigger than football. I’m trying to build young men who understand respect, who know the power of a positive word, who see what encouragement can do — not just for a teammate but for the band members who are right there doing the hard work with them,” Freeman says. “I still remember what it was like to hear my friends in the stands calling my name, feeling their support when I needed it most. I want every student to feel that same sense of support.”
