PARKERSBURG (Iowa) --- The national media spotlight shone brightly on Parkersburg Friday as the Aplington-Parkesburg football team prepared to play what would likely be the biggest game of its season.

The matchup against West Marshall was the first home game since an EF5 tornado ripped through Parkersburg May 25, destroying half of the town. It killed a total of eight people in two communities and destroyed the high school, located next to the football field.

Excitement about Friday's game had been building in Aplington and Parkersburg since it was determined that the football team would be able to play its home games on Ed Thomas Field, which survived the tornado. A-P High School students now study in the former elementary school building in Aplington.

Television boom trucks lined the walkway leading up to the stadium. Camera crews from local news outlets and national sports channels followed the players and the crowds as they waited for the game to begin.

Dignitaries such as Gov. Chet Culver and Sen. Charles Grassley were on hand, along with one of the school's most famous alums, Aaron Kampman, a member of the Green Bay Packers.

And nowhere did that light shine brighter than inside the makeshift locker room, a bright red machine shed located near the field. With only an hour to kickoff, the young men sat mostly silent, their red uniforms still uncharacteristically clean, waiting for one of the most anticipated pep talks of the season. Their cleats clicked softly on the concrete floor as their legs tapped in anticipation.

Coach Ed Thomas walked through the door and stood before his players and camera crews. He paused for just a moment before addressing the young men sitting around him.

"I wish I had some great words of wisdom to share, but I don't," he said. "You are playing two games tonight, and you've already won the first."

Thomas told the young men to cherish the moments on the field and to know that the community was standing behind them whether they won or lost.

"Tonight, every player that has ever played on that field is thinking about you. Every single one of them," Thomas said, his voice cracking with emotion.

And despite his own demanding schedule, at least one of those players made it back to Parkersburg Friday to watch the next generation of Falcons fight to a 53-20 victory in their home opener.

Kampman, a Green Bay Packer and former A-P standout, said his "heart feels pretty good" being back home and seeing the progress the community has made since the tornado.

"This game is a symbol of hope, that things are getting back to normal," he said. "It provides an escape for these people."

Kampman even offered a few words of advice to the Falcon football team, though his words were sometimes drowned out by the sound of the West Marshall team getting pepped up for the game in the same building.

"You go out there and play hard," he said to the men who had taken a knee around him. "Forget about these cameras and stuff. Put all these distractions away from you. ... I am so excited for you. Get out there and cut it loose."

Fan favorites

Falcon football fans began filling the parking lot before 5 p.m., though a constant rain kept most from doing any kind of tailgating. For some, the rain and atypically chilly temperatures were welcomed as nothing more than perfect football weather.

Sophomore cheerleaders Megan Paulding and Katie Busma said their classmates had been talking about the game all week.

"Everyone is really pumped up. I think just about the whole town is going to be here," Busma said.

"I know families from Minnesota and Wisconsin are even coming," Paulding added.

The game also drew dignitaries from across the state, including Gov. Chet Culver, Sen. Charles Grassley and Rep. Patrick Grassley.

In the stands, fans used taped down blankets to save their seats from other spectators and the rain. Stephanie Key chose to weather the rain rather than risk losing her seat. Even though the tornado forced Key to move to Cedar Falls she has kept tabs on the community through her husband, an assistant A-P football coach.

"It's exciting to see this many people here," she said. "When those boys step onto the field for the first time tonight it will be electric."