Fairhope High School held its first football pep rally in the gym Thursday, Aug. 21, to encourage student attendance at the traditional season opener versus Spanish Fort. Coaches and team members recognized senior players.

Fairhope High School held its first football pep rally in the gym Thursday, Aug. 21, to encourage student attendance at the traditional season opener versus Spanish Fort. Coaches and team members recognized senior players.

Kendall Kirchoff

Pep rally kicks off season opener

Byline photo of Kendall Kirchoff

Kendall Kirchoff, junior editor

August 27, 2025

Raise your hand… Senior Zaylee Bradley calls for sophomore Tug of War volunteers. Sophomores chanted names and held up friends’ hands to get them noticed. (Kendall Kirchoff)

Roping in the spirit… Junior and senior volunteers compete in tug of war to earn bragging rights. Juniors took the win, ran back to their student section and cheered. (Kendall Kirchoff)

Five Six Seven Eight… Varsity cheerleaders chant their iconic “Rock With the Gold and Jam with the Blue” cheer. Students know this to be one of the oldest cheers. “It brings me back to my childhood when I would stand on the fence at the football games and watch this cheer,” said Percy Hardman, varsity cheerleader. (Kendall Kirchoff)

Stand and Applaud… Sophomore football players stand for recognition. Students cheered for their class of players. Head coach Timothy Carter recognized them for their hard work. (Kendall Kirchoff)

Tiny Supporters… Fairhope High’s preschool class listens to Coach Carter speak about the upcoming season. The preschoolers walk alongside older students to participate in festivities.
(Kendall Kirchoff)

Horns Down… Senior Lawson Landry gives a speech to fellow classmates on the upcoming game. He chanted and encouraged his friends to bring home a win against Spanish Fort. “Let’s take down those Toros,” Landry said. (Kendall Kirchoff)

Pal of Pete… Varsity cheerleader Mia Gavras leads Pete the Pirate to the student sections. Pete and the cheerleaders lift the school’s energy by bringing out the spirit stick. (Kendall Kirchoff)

Bring the spirit… Sophomore student section chants and cheers for the spirit stick competition. Cheerleaders cheer “Rock the House” with students to see which grade level cheered the loudest. The grade with the most participation won. (Kendall Kirchoff)

Full of Spirit… The senior class jumps to catch their spirit competition prizes. Traditionally, seniors bring the most energy to make a lasting impression in their final year. (Kendall Kirchoff)

Building community… The pep rally concludes as students link hands and sing the alma mater. The alma mater is a tradition that unifies and fosters community relationships within the student body. Following the pep rally, students socialized on the court. (Kendall Kirchoff)