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Excitement was tangible as fans made their way to Good Counsel's Kline Stadium for the big-rival football game between DeMatha and Our Lady of Good Counsel high schools Thursday evening.

Although the game is always an anticipated match-up each season, it took on new dimensions this year because the game was televised live on ESPN2.

Dressed in Good Counsel and DeMatha apparel, streams of fans walked along Olney-Sandy Spring Road (Route 108) cheering for their teams. Drivers beeped their horns and shouted as they rode by.

With a crowd of some 5,000 people, school officials worried about parking, but it turned out to be less a problem than it might have been. Many drivers took advantage of auxiliary lots within walking distance of the school, while those who arrived early enjoyed tailgating in the school's parking lots.

The bleachers were filled more than an hour before kickoff.

Portable bleachers, moved from the school's baseball and softball fields, were filled with DeMatha fans, while Good Counsel's blue and gold dominated the main stadium bleachers. Fans also filled the grassy berms surrounding the field.

The game began with Good Counsel President Arthur Raimo leading a prayer, followed by an appeal for Justin Thornton, a Good Counsel student who is battling cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant. The Good Counsel football players honored their classmate by wearing his initials on their helmets.

All of the elements of a classic high school football game were in place. Fans with painted faces, cheerleaders, a marching bands and pom performers added to the enthusiasm of an already electrified crowd.

The excitement of the game was evident all over Olney.

Across town at the annual Olney Community Night, a business expo that typically draws some 2,500 people to Longwood Community Center, there was non-stop chatter about the big game.

"I cannot believe how exciting it is that a school in Olney is on ESPN2," said Wally Warner, a longtime resident of the community. "We're just a small town. It's really a big thing."

The months of preparations involved in hosting ESPN paid off, said Good Counsel public relations and marketing director Stephanie Wilson.

"Everything was just seamless," she said. "It was all smooth sailing, and the fact that our team won was just icing on the cake."

Good Counsel defeated DeMatha, 42-21.

Wilson said she heard only positive comments from both Montgomery County police officers and ESPN officials about the fans and the logistics.

"One of the guys from ESPN said that Good Counsel was one of the best high schools they have ever worked with," she said. "They were great to deal with, too; once the kickoff took place, they took over and we were able to sit back and enjoy the game."