For the past few years — at least three winless seasons — the Burch High School Bulldogs football players have had no trouble hearing coaches call plays from the sidelines because it’s been a while since there was a crowd big enough to make much noise.

There have been times when the crickets were louder than the fans in the stands. But, that’s also because the fans were most likely outnumbered by the crickets at the Burch football field.

But, all that changed Friday night when the home bleachers of Phil Sizemore Stadium in Delbarton were nearly full with BHS football fans.

Fans roared when the Bulldogs made big gains on the field and when the Dogs scored touchdowns. It was excitement that hasn’t been seen in that stadium in a long, long time.

It even seemed to get the Burch players pumped up and it made the game much more exciting.

When players made a good play, they gave high-fives and did chest bumps in the air. The crowd continued to cheer even louder. It was as if the pride has been restored to Burch High School football.

It’s about time.

For far too long, the stands have been empty for Burch football games. But, Friday night, when Burch played Betsy Layne, Ky., the parking lots were filled, the roadsides were lined with cars all the way out of the hollow and the bleachers were packed with proud Bulldog fans hoping to see their team get a win. And, although Burch lost to the visitors, the BHS fans didn’t get up and leave right after halftime.

Fans remained in the stands cheering on their team, holding out hope with the players and coaches that the Bulldogs could pull off the win in the last few minutes of the game.

I’ve covered Burch football for 15 of my 17 years in the newspaper business. The crowds have never been as big as the crowds at football powerhouses like Matewan and Gilbert. But, the crowds have gotten thin over the past few years at Burch, as the Bulldogs struggled through a few years without a win. There have even been Friday nights when I’ve counted the fans in the stands during a timeout.

I’ve seen the program at its best when it was making a run at a state title and the crowd Friday night was as loud and proud as it was in those years when the BHS football team was in the playoffs.

That’s great for the Bulldogs program. It’s needed a fan-support boost for several years. I hope the crowds continue to swell.

Fan support means so much to the players. It’s so disheartening to a player when he looks up in the stands and sees only 20-30 people, which isn’t even all the parents that could come watch their kids play.

Plus, it helps to have a loud crowd behind you when you’re playing. Players love to hear the cheers when they do something good. They work hard for their moment in the spotlight and it’s nice to have someone there watching and cheering them on.

Hopefully, the Burch faithful will continue to grow in numbers and the crowd will get louder each week.

The Bulldogs play the next three games at home. That gives Burch football fans a chance to get out and cheer on their hometown team.

I see the Bulldogs making strides toward getting back on the winning track. They’ve got a good coaching staff and talented players and now that there are fans behind them, I think they’ve got all the ingredients for a big victory.

I think there is faith in the Delbarton communities that their football team is headed in the right direction.

I’ve got a feeling that fans will be rewarded with a win this year. Maybe even a few. I hope the stands are packed out with loud and proud cheering fans when that happens.