Team spirit on full display in Bastrop

BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) - For 12 days, Bastrop dug through the ashes -- and then there was football.

Thursday’s night game against San Marcos on Bastrop’s own turf was more than “a game” for a team that has 11 players homeless due to the wildfire.

“The football games really do bring the crowd together,” said Corey Shewell, a student at Bastrop High School .

For all it destroyed, the fire didn't take away from the band, the cheerleaders or the team’s spirit.

For Steve Fletcher, being able to watch his grandson on the field made the statement “GO BASTROP” a bit more spirited than usual.

At any high school football game in Texas, you will hear cheers for team work, passion, and of course victory -- in Bastrop those cheers are not just for the team, but for the entire stadium.

Melinda Gardner works at Bastrop Independent School District and the words of a co-worker turned into t-shirt that is now emblazoned everywhere: "Beauty from Ashes."

“She said the fires are still burning, but the fire of Bastrop burns stronger and we said we got to get that on a shirt,” said Gardner.

The half-time had the prerequisite band and drill team, but it was also spent paying tribute to the first responders who have been battling the wildfires – some firefighters even left the active scene to make it to the game.

Phrases like “Believe” and “Bear Down” are now the rallying cries that will continue to be echoed long after Thursday’s night game ends.

For a team, a town and a community that has been through the wildlife, there will be a few new cheers along the way.

The Bastrop Bears ended the night on a high note: 48 to 23.