How do I go back in life and reincarnate as a 16-year-old Arizona boy singing my heart out to a country classic on my high school’s football field after a big season win?
Because truly the players on the Willcox High School team look like they’re living the Friday Night Lights dream. It’s just about that time again; the nights are getting crisper, fresh stripes are being painted across the green grass, and football season is gearing up for another year.
And apparently, for the high school team in Willcox, Arizona, they have another season ahead of them of celebrating loud and proud to every win to a 1993 Toby Keith classic. While I’m sure a majority of the team members are just about 15 to 20 years short of experiencing the hit in its 90s prime, after every winning game, they line up and sing Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” at the top of their lungs.
Fittingly, the school’s mascot is the Cowboys, so there’s no better choice than “Big Dog Daddy’s” debut single from his self-titled album. The tradition is also nothing new, according to commenters on the massively trending Instagram snippet, noting: “Graduated in 2001… can confirm we were doing it then!”
If this video isn’t the definition of a nostalgic memory in the making, I don’t know what is. The cheerleaders perform alongside the players beneath the glowing red lights as the stands proudly watch on, before everyone comes together in a huddle at the end of the chorus. As many others pointed out, “they won’t remember who won the 4th game their sophomore year in 10 years, but they will remember moments like this,” and a majority also noting just how bad*ss of a celebration this is:
Knowing Keith himself was a big local athletics supporter (mainly for University of Oklahoma sports), he would for sure put his stamp of approval behind this heartwarming tradition. I’m also just glad to see teenagers are getting cultured on the late legend who passed away a little over two years ago.