The Friday Night Lights burned brighter than usual last week at Vero Beach High School as the Citrus Bowl filled with a sea of red and blue for the 13th annual Scholarship Foundation of Indian River County Football Classic and Pre-Game VIP Barbecue.

Fans didn’t let the rain deter them, turning out in force to cheer on the Vero Beach High School Fighting Indians and the visiting Sebastian River High School Sharks, while at the same time making a touchdown for education.

The Scholarship Foundation, founded in 1964 by Dan K. Richardson and members of the Rotary Club, has since awarded need-based scholarships to the tune of $11.8 million to 2,920 Indian River County students.

“This past May we awarded 112 scholarships to 55 students for a total of $699,500,” said Camilla B. Wainright, executive director, noting that recipients attended 19 colleges and universities in seven states and Washington, D.C.

“We are fortunate to benefit $2 from each ticket sold for the game tonight. So thank you to all who attended and helped make it possible for us to continue our mission of serving the students in Indian River County,” she added.

“The need in this community is still huge,” said board member Gaye Ludwig. “We have a range of people with different income levels and different abilities to pay. But at almost every level – middle class to people with great need – it’s very difficult to cover their cost of school. We’re helping kids go to college, but more significantly, reducing the amount of debt. Some of these kids couldn’t go at all if we weren’t helping them.”

“Dollars for Scholars made it more possible for me to go on to college,” said Courtney Smith, a 2009 scholarship recipient and University of South Florida graduate, who now teaches second grade at Osceola Magnet. “It gave me extra money, where I wouldn’t have tons and tons of student loans.”

A tradition since 2006, the Football Classic is one of the most anticipated games of the season with its north/south county rivalry. The Fighting Indians again trounced the Sharks with a final score of 21-0 amid a torrent of raindrops and mud puddles, continuing their undefeated 2018 season with a 10-0 record.

Scholarship applications are available now for 2019 awards; the application deadline is Jan. 30, 2019.

For more information, visit sfindianriver.org.