Big Red Our Time

Playing high school football has become an annual rite of passage for thousands of adolescent boys across the United States of America as they look to shed the shackles of boyhood and morph into men. Each of these gridiron gladiators can dream of a great quarterback sack or scoring the game winning touchdown. Yet, dreams of state championships are elusive and inhabit the sleep of very few.Embraced by overwhelming support from the Hornell community, the Red Raiders, affectionately known as “Big Red,” were able to overcome the death of a teammate and learned to believe in themselves and each other. Hornell’s motto of character, perseverance, and pride became the hallmark of their lives. Yet, they never learned to surrender. Blue-ribbon players were lost to graduation, and others stepped up to take their place. Ultimately, this small western New York town had to relinquish their crown in the last of their four consecutive state championship games. Yet, Big Red, having entered the New York football elite, took home three state championships and owned the second longest active winning streak in the nation.