SHENANDOAH, Pa. — In Shenandoah, it's a tradition that signifies the start of something that's looked forward to every year.
"In the early 2000s, Joe Ruth was the head coach and he came to the Quarterback Club and he said, 'We have this big game coming up. What can we do to get these guys fired up?'" said Brian Rooney, who helps paint the helmet every year.
It was then this tradition, which has been going strong for 20 years now started. The painting of the Shenandoah Blue Devils helmet to celebrate the start of the high school football season.
"People go through Shenandoah and they say, 'Wow, look at that, that's pretty cool.' It gets people pumped up especially at times like they are now, football season is here, we're going to play football," Rooney added. "That alone picks people up and says, 'Hey, we're getting back to normal.'"
Usually, the helmet is painted at the intersection of Main and Centre Streets in the borough, which is the main drag of town. Right now, it's in front of the high school because there's construction being done at that intersection. People probably see this and wonder how it's painted.
"The hardest part is putting the stencil down," Rooney said. "It's like 10 pieces to the puzzle. Then we paint the outline, we get it all cleared out and painted, then we put a devil down, the holes and face mask and then we're ready to go."
First-year coach Ed Moran tells us one of the reasons he took the coaching job was because this tradition shows that the community has a lot of pride.