Most of you will remember my column back before the fall sports season began in August titled, “What happened to the passion?” I presented a challenge to Bulldog Nation to rise up and begin to instill the passion for Hart County athletics back into our community, and it has worked and I greatly appreciate getting to see it at every game I cover. But one problem still remains.
As the Dog’s took on the Franklin County Lions at home on Nov. 1 in football, I couldn’t help but realize how quiet our fans were and how invested and how loud Franklin’s fans were despite being down 22-9 at that point. I wasn’t the only one who seemed to have thought that, as I got a text from a friend who will remain anonymous that said, “Why is our crowd dead? This is pathetic. You may need to write another column.”
So here I am, writing yet another column and this time, it is geared towards the fans who will be traveling to the Georgia/Tennessee line on Friday night. The Dogs last traveled to Ringgold in 2021 and fell to the Tigers 30-21, and during that game, I was the sideline reporter for WKLY and quickly realized something that gave the Tigers an advantage that night — their fans. They were rocking all night long. From pregame until after the final whistle. I remember mentioning on air how passionate their fan base was that night up in Ringgold.
So here is my challenge to those who will take the 198-mile journey up to Ringgold. Show up, be loud, and help make the difference in the game. We have seen so many times across all different sports where fans make a difference in the game. One that personally got to witness was this past weekend as Georgia Tech hosted previously ranked No. 4 Miami for homecoming weekend on the Flats. Georgia Tech’s fans played a massive impact in the game and even head coach Brent Key and multiple players agreed in the postgame presser. So call the Dogs on every kickoff, chant defense on every third and fourth down, make some noise when someone on the sideline is waving their hands in the air for you to get on your feet and make some noise. Let’s cheer on the Dogs, as they have worked tirelessly to get back to the state playoffs. Bulldog Nation, I hope you all accept this challenge and I will see you up in Ringgold.