- November 1, 2024
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Pirate Nation filled the stands with barbecue chicken during its season opener against the Bulldogs. Photos by Jeff Dawsey
Students paint themselves with #BBQ chicken, Matanzas High School's latest trend. Photos by Jeff Dawsey
Bianca Mathews and her mother Jacqueline Rogelio get unique hairdos to represent barbecue chicken.
Coach Ty Saterfield shows off his barbecue chicken towel after the Pirates win over FPC.
If you’ve spent any time around Matanzas High School – especially the football team – this year, you’ve probably wondered, “What does barbecue chicken mean?” This particular entrée has become a phenomenon amid the blue and black – and it came by way of chance.
During a summer 7v7 football game, defensive line coach Ty Saterfield felt his guys weren’t playing with any momentum, which led him to begin yelling “Barbecue chicken! Barbecue chicken!”
“When I started yelling it, everybody's level of play went through the roof,” he said. “We needed some juice; should've been eating (making plays) all day. So I thought of something everyone likes to eat.”
Since that game, Matanzas has used it as a battle cry. Even the other coaches and administrators have adopted the trend and made it a school theme.
“It's fun because it's ours,” said head coach Robert Ripley. “Our players and coaches have embraced it and made it about us. The school loves it. It’s created a great atmosphere right here at MHS.”
Some have asked if BBQ chicken represented the opposing team to which Ripley denied. He did, however, tell me that the team has developed a new meaning for it that has yet to be revealed.
“It’s a positive message that we as a staff and team have built for our team,” he said.
Coach Sat equates BBQ chicken – precisely the sauce – with “staying in the moment, having fun, playing fast, making plays and looking good while doing it.”
“I yell it before the game, after a huge play, in the locker room and just randomly,” he added. “It doesn't matter…anything to keep the sauce brewing.”
Say what? “When I started yelling it, everybody's level of play went through the roof.”
TY SATERFIELD, on giving birth to the barbecue chicken trend
Hungry yet? The Pirates currently have two barbecue companies who sponsor them: Bayne's BBQ, which provided Matanzas the pregame meal before FPC, and Woody's BBQ.
