Bibb County’s got great vibes… but needs a bit more

For all its vibrant personalities and intriguing athletes, Macon’s high school football scene is missing something.

It is an intangible thing. It is a thing every sports team wants, something they practically need. Fans bicker about who has the most of this thing, particularly in college football.

Bibb County high school football needs more vibes. Simple as that.

Let it be clear, this is not some sort of indictment or even necessarily a criticism of Macon’s football landscape. The kids here are seriously talented, and our coaches are always a pleasure to talk to. The energy in the stands sometimes leaves something to be desired, though.

High school football is inextricably linked to small-town Americana. Perhaps the two are even one and the same. The Friday night lights illuminate the finest that America — particularly the South — has to offer in the fall, even if the weather is a little too hot earlier in the season nowadays.

Now, Macon is no small town. It’s a pretty sizable metropolitan area, at that. But does this mean we should be lacking in football atmosphere compared to neighboring counties?

I found a good example of the “vibes” I’m referencing when the Northeast Raiders — the squad I would argue is Macon’s best football team by a pretty wide margin; head coach Jeremy Wiggins has crafted a premier program that competes with the best of the best in its classification — traveled over to Dodge County for what was a de facto region championship game last month.

There was a lot on the line. The Raiders were seeking their first region title since 2009, and a win over the Indians would give them complete control over their fate and leave only a game against East Laurens between Northeast and the trophy.

Knowing this, the Eastman fans brought some energy. While the crowd wasn’t at sellout level, there was a decent throng of Dodge County supporters in the bleachers. The concession stand was slammed. The band brought the energy (though this is never a problem in Macon, at least not in my opinion).

Possibly the best part of the atmosphere was the PA announcer, who further riled up the crowd as the game began.

“The boiled peanuts are hot, the drinks are cold,” the man on the mic hollered. “Ladies and gentlemen, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, because right now… You are in… INDIAN TERRITORY!”

Tone-deaf word choice with the phrase “Indian territory” aside, it should be noted that the word boiled was pronounced “bald,” and the word indian sounded more like “INDY-AAAAAAAANNE!”

That craziness just added fuel to the fire, though. It’s the type of thing Macon needs more of. You find similar atmospheres at the Shamrock Bowl in Dublin, or up at Mary Persons home games.

I believe it’s partially because Macon has too many schools. With seven public schools and seven private schools, it’s no wonder why it’s difficult to draw a passionate crowd.

It seems reasonable to assert that Macon is lagging behind in football fans, yes. With 14 high schools, seven public and seven private, all playing football every week, it’s pretty difficult to draw a crowd.

While I do wish the turn out was a bit better for some of our public school,, I also know it’s difficult to solve that problem — and again, “problem” is a strong word; it’s not as if the stadiums are completely empty, nor does it truly matter in the grand scheme of things how many fans attend a game.

There is one silver lining to Macon’s slight shortage of “vibes,” though, and it comes in the form of the fans who do show up and show out.

At that same Northeast game on the road in Eastman, a solid throng of Raiders fans made the hour-plus drive to watch their team play. The group clad in black, red and yellow attire — some folks even had Northeast jerseys, which I’m sure take some effort to procure — cheered and whooped all night as the Raiders won the crucial game in hostile territory.

The Northeast faithful were — and are — a truly endearing group. The Raiders even interacted with the fans during the game, cheering in sync with their supporters.

When there aren’t as many fans at some games, it makes the ones in attendance even more special.