OLD FORGE -- The Old Forge Blue Devils and their many supporters were prepared for a trip to Hazleton Friday night. But even though the game's been postponed until Saturday, there's still a lot of excitement in town.
Signs of support have been cropping up all over Old Forge to let the team know their community is behind them.
On a Friday in the fall in this the self-proclaimed pizza capital of the world, you’ll often see a crowd at a place such as Salerno's Cafe talking about football seasons past. But this year, most are focused on the game ahead.
"They have this team so excited, it's really been a while since Old Forge had this kind of a team,” said Anthony Salerno.
Salerno's is one of a few dozen businesses bearing Blue Devil pride. Around almost every turn, you can see signs of support for the football team that will play for a chance at going to the state championship game. Serge's Barber Shop put a sign up supporting players.
"There's so much support even from opposing teams, even with riverside. Everyone is just so happy to see a local team make it this far,” said Christopher Serge.
You can ask just about anyone in Old Forge. It's a football town. A banner hangs over Main Street all season long no matter how well the team is playing. So, you can imagine the excitement with the Blue Devils making their longest run toward a state championship in school history.
"It's the most excited I've been in my entire life. It is pretty neat to see a team play so good and so tight,” said Larry Benson at Eynon Buick and GMC.
Newswatch 16 even spotted the blue and gold farther 'up the line' in Eynon where Larry Benson took his sign of support to the extreme. The decal on his SUV is in support of his son, center Troy Benson, and his teammates. Dad hopes to add the words "state champions" in a few weeks.
"It’s going to get more extreme than this if we win. We're going to have banners all over the place, it's neat though. It's pretty cool."
The Blue Devils play in their state semifinal on Saturday.