East Valley varsity football team is tackling more than the opponent

QUEEN CREEK, AZ - J O Combs High School's first ever football team will hit the field for the first time Friday night making history.

"Its really cool for us to have this and have a Friday Night Lights game and feel like a varsity school," said Marly Johnson, a sophomore and varsity cheerleader.

Students are hoping to fill the stands with community members. But that might be tough.

School principal Brenda Mayberry said many of the residents aren't familiar with the new high school.

On top of that parents say the down economy and foreclosures in the area is making it tough for fundraising.

"Sometimes it has to go outside of what's in the budget...so it leans on kids raising money,"  said Matt Fairbanks, a parent and booster club president.

The cheerleaders each have to raise over a thousand dollars for camps and uniforms.

Football players also need to make touch downs of their own for funding for equipment and travel costs to play other schools.

"We go all around Queen Creek and Mesa, everywhere we can possibly go to get some sponsors," Johnson said.

But while dollars are down, spirits are high for students.

"These are great kids and the best way to support them is come, come to the school, come to the events," Fairbanks said.

To help raise the funds they need, students are selling banners to hang at games while booster club members re busy planning the school's first ever Oktoberfest.

For more information contact the JO combs Booster Club chs.boosterclub@gmail.com .