Pre-game dance party

Mariner High School students and cheerleaders dance during the pre-game tailgate party before the Kamiak game on Oct. 14. We'd like to see your photos from games tonight and in the future. Submit them in our reader photo gallery.

Mariner High School Senior LaVendrick Smith (center) jokes with freshman Adam Angeles (left) as they dance to "Teach Me How To Dougie" at the tailgate party before Mariner's game against Kamiak.

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ou can hear the bass before you even enter the parking lot. The boom, boom of music greets you as you step out of your car at Goddard Stadium. The Mariner High School football team plays Kamiak in the battle of the Mukilteo School District. It's a Mariner home game and the school's ASB hosts a pre-game tailgate party. The student DJ swivels his iPod to “Teach Me How To Dougie.” The crowd gathered in the parking lot surges forward and begins to dance. An impromptu dance-off begins to take shape between a senior, LaVendrick Smith, and a freshman, Adam Angeles, as they battle each other with their best “Dougies.” Angeles wins, earning himself a giant blue foam finger. The cheerleaders urge the crowd to get louder and toss T-shirts to those exhibiting the best spirit. The sky begins to darken as the sun sets brilliantly in the west. The students continue to dance and vie for T-shirts. The DJ cuts the music as the Mariner Band marches forward into the parking lot. They put on a show and then continue into the stadium, their numbers swelled with the tailgate partiers.

The series: Herald photographers Jennifer Buchanan, Annie Mulligan and Mark Mulligan take a look at Friday night life outside the chalk lines of the gridiron. Join them each week for a look at the people who make the Friday football experience possible without ever catching a pass or running the ball in for a touchdown. Have a good idea for Sidelines? Email Jennifer Buchanan at jbuchanan@heraldnet.com.