Tulsa School's Fans Cheer For The Visiting Football Team

The competitive spirit of Oklahomans is always on full display this time of year. Parents, teachers and students cheering on their favorite high school football team, but occasionally there are stories that go far beyond the gridiron.

At Lincoln Christian's football field in east Tulsa, one football game Friday night was very special for a visiting football team.

Seeworth Academy in Oklahoma City very rarely has a large crowd at their home games, let alone on the road. But thanks to some help from an unlikely source, many of them experienced a playoff type of environment for the first time in Tulsa.

The Lincoln Christian Bulldogs have developed quite a following. A 53-13 record over five years and a state title will do that, but Friday's game against Seeworth Academy wasn't about what happened on the field.

"This isn't about wins and losses," said Ethan Vanse.

Vanse is one of Lincoln Christian's campus pastors. He says Friday is about what's happening in the stands.

"I think when you hear their story, there something inside of us that says I want to do something for them," said Ethan Vance.

Seeworth Academy is a charter school that serves underprivileged and at risk youth. While their classes may be full, Seeworth Academy football coach Robert Walker says the same can't be said for their football stands.

"A lot of the kids that we work with don't get this much support," said Coach Robert Walker.

So Friday, for the first time and maybe the only time, hundreds of Lincoln Christian fans switched sides to sit in the visitors' section.

"It's about supporting someone who doesn't have support," said Donna Yarnell, Skiatook.

"I think everybody has been in that situation when the big school gets all the attention," said Rick Elliott, Tulsa.

Fans cheering on their opponent and throwing any competitive home field advantage to the wind. Some of them even made Seeworth Academy signs, all of it for this moment. It was something Seeworth Academy's football players will probably never experience again in their high school careers.

"A lot of these kids they really don't know what the playoff experience is like, and this is about as close as they may ever get to it," said Robert Walker.

Ethan Vanse says it's a chance to show the students life is about far more than football.

"Life isn't about what you take; it's about what you give," said Ethan Vance.

"We'll remember this long after the season is over," said Robert Walker.

The football game had a late kickoff because of a crash on the Turner Turnpike.