LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — Over the past few seasons, Cedar Crest High School has become can't-miss football in Lebanon County.
Some of their fellow students make sure that anyone, anywhere, can see the Falcons play at home.
"I like that feeling, that atmosphere that we get on a Friday night," said Cedar Crest High School Broadcast Video and Film teacher Cody Hassler. "Hearing Mr. Rohrbach, our principal, announcing and saying, 'Shout out to the live stream team. They do a great job,' and I think the kids enjoy that."
While many schools began live-streaming events during the pandemic, the student media production at CCHS Today has taken things to another level.
"Just walking around and going from side-to-side, all the players are like starting to recognize me, 'Oh hey,' And they tell me to get like a shot of them on camera," recalled senior Jack Williams. "It's really fun. I enjoy it."
"If you're seeing an overhead shot, I switch to a more personal shot of people on the field and then I direct the people who are on the field," said student Autumn McKelvie. "'Oh, can you go get the student section, or go to the band, or don't look at that right now, if someone's hurt.' I kind of direct all of that."
The multiple camera angles at each game, play-by-play, on-screen graphics, and even promos for each game have the feel of something you'd watch on TV on Saturdays and Sundays.
"We pay attention to the schools in Florida, Texas, California, and Hawaii. There are these states where this is a normal thing to have these big broadcast productions with huge studios. And so we started to feel like. 'Hey, we're kind of there with them,'" recalled Hassler.
"The kids are motivated by that because they want to be the best. You're watching professional sports. It's like, 'Aw, that graphic is really cool, can we try to do that?'"
From kickoff, until the clock hits zero, the live stream team is there and it's not just for football.
"I went to every single football game, almost every single basketball game and I did some lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey and I loved streaming those," recalled Williams.
But, when it comes to CCHS Today and the broadcast video classes, the recognition extends far beyond the county line.
"We have nationally recognized film groups and shows that have been recognized nationally. We have a news magazine, a vertical show, active on social media, and of course, we have our sports live streams that we do," listed student Leah Jaeger.
Whether the students are passionate about sports, film, or just creativity, teamwork can be seen on the field and in the classroom.
"You don't know what that person across the table wants to do until you start working together," claimed Hassler. "And then you realize, 'Wow, they're really creative and they do things totally different than me.'"
There are life lessons learned each day in class, but for those who want to continue in this field, the results speak for themselves.
"I had a student who messaged me the other day who had an interview with the Giant Center to run cameras and as he was talking about what he did," Hassler said. "He said their jaws were on the floor, like, 'You were doing that in high school?'"