So my nephew got into the Pelham High football team this year, and I wanted to catch all his games. Figured finding the schedule would be simple. Boy was I wrong.
The Website Wild Goose Chase
Went straight to the Pelham High homepage. Spent like twenty minutes clicking every tab – “Athletics,” “Calendar,” even the damn PTA section. Found last season’s outdated schedule buried in some PDF archive. Current season? Nothing. Why do schools make this so hard?
Remembered they use that MaxPreps site for scores. Pulled it up, searched “Pelham High” – got results for Pelham schools in Alabama, Ohio, freaking Florida. Tennessee wasn’t even on the first page. Filtered by state… found the team page littered with ads that crashed my mobile browser twice.
The Phone Tag Hassle
Called the main office Tuesday morning. Lady told me athletics handles schedules. Called athletics – no answer. Left voicemail. Next day? “Call booster club” message. Booster club gave me another number where someone finally answered Thursday. Dude sounded exhausted: “Schedule’s been on locker room door since August.” Helpful.
Social Media Detective Work
Got desperate. Checked the school’s Twitter. Found retweets about fundraiser car washes but zero game dates. Local community Facebook group had someone asking about tickets… bingo! In the comments, a mom posted screenshots of her son’s paper schedule. Blurry as hell but workable. Typed it out verbatim:
- Sep 8 – vs Centerville (Home)
- Sep 15 – @ Springfield (Away)
- Sep 22 – vs Oak Ridge (Homecoming)
- Oct 6 – @ Franklin (Away night game)
- Oct 20 – vs Henderson (Senior Night)
Sent this to my brother. He texts back ten minutes later: “Wrong Henderson. That’s Hendersonville’s schedule.” Apparently three counties have a Henderson High. Almost threw my phone.
The Final Workaround
Drove to the school Friday afternoon. Guard wouldn’t let me in without student ID. Sat outside gate until practice ended. Flagged down some kid with football gear. He pulled crumpled schedule from his backpack. Took photo of ink-smudged dates. Moral of the story? High school websites are useless. Your best bet is bribing teens with Gatorade.