The student section at Friday night’s West Ranch playoff game, which was comprised of students from West Ranch, Saugus and schools across the district, was named the “SoCal Student Section of the Week” on Sunday.

Following the tragic Saugus High shooting, West Ranch invited students from across the district to come out and show their support for Saugus with a “blue-out” at their home playoff game. 

The community responded, as the stands at Valencia High School were packed with students, parents and community members from across Santa Clarita dressed in Centurion blue.

Related: West Ranch Completes Historic Comeback To Advance To Division 7 Semifinal

“I told our kids before the game, ‘I really don’t know what to say,’ because when I got into teaching I didn’t think I’d have to be talking about this kind of stuff,” said West Ranch Head Coach Chris Varner. “But I said, ‘Look, Saugus, Hart, all these teams are our rivals, but they’re our family. When somebody messes with Saugus, they’re messing with the whole valley, and we wanted to be SCV strong tonight.’”

At halftime, a moment of silence was held and five balloons were released into the sky in honor of the five victims of Thursday’s shooting. 

The only thing that could break the silence were the words that many have carried with them in these recent days, as the student section broke out into a chant of, “Saugus Strong!”

A combined SCV student section chanting as one community #SaugusStrong pic.twitter.com/3dO7MhDC1u

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) November 16, 2019

When the Wildcats scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead, they were met with cheers not of “West Ranch” but of “SCV” from the united crowd in the home stands.

The unified front was enough to earn all those in attendance Student Section of the Week honors from Manny Alvares, O.C. Varsity writer and SoCalStudentSections.com owner and operator.

The SoCal Student Section of the week, the West Ranch "District"

We'll have an article on the District (all 6 SCV District Schools, including the Saugus Blue Crew) at https://t.co/elvJnQOMU3#saugusstrong💙 https://t.co/AsRWJODqYk

— The Student Section Report (@StudentSectRep) November 17, 2019

The evening offered a brief respite from the tragedy hanging over the community, a chance to come together, support each other and heal. The strength of this community is truly what makes us all Saugus Strong.

KHTS Sports is your place for the 2019 Santa Clarita high school football season and your Santa Clarita Dodgers coverage. Find all the latest news and updates on your hometown schools here as they compete in the Foothill League, Heritage League, Western State Conference and GSAC.