The athletic season is officially upon as the Pike Liberal Arts School will host their annual Meet the Patriots rally on Friday night at the football stadium.

The football stadium will be at capacity when each of the fall athletes are announced to the Patriot faithful.

“It kicks off the athletic year,” said headmaster Eric Burkett. “It’s a time for us to recognize all the athletes that play sports for us here.”

Each child that participates in anything from Peewee cheerleading all the way up to varsity football will line up on the field and have their name called in front of the packed crowd. Each of the football teams, Pewee, junior varsity and varsity teams will be introduced as will the junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams. Each cheerleading squad, including the champion JV and varsity squads, will also be announced.

“They will get to go on the field,” Burkett said. “Parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles will be in the stands, so it’s a special time for them to get their name called and have the whole stadium full of people standing and clapping for them.”

Burkett believes the event showcases the closeness that the school shares with its athletes along with their family members.

“It’s like a big family,” Burkett said. “It’s the perfect family atmosphere for these kids to be in at least for one night all at the same time.”

Friday night will also be a night of celebration as the two-time state champion Patriots baseball team will receive their state championship rings after they knocked off Morgan Academy in May.

“That’s a special moment for those kids,” Burkett said. “This kind of puts them in a special category. There aren’t many people around that can say they have won two of them. Some of the seniors that have graduated, it’s a special time for them because they can come back and be recognized for their accomplishments.”