Football: Lengthy travel process lands Bethel in Odessa.

When Shawn Santomassimo stepped into Ratliff Stadium for the first time, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

High school football stadiums in Washington aren’t built like Ratliff. Rising tall into the West Texas sky, massive concrete bleachers and a scoreboard bigger than the side of most two-story houses.

Like the rest of his Spanaway Bethel (Wash.) teammates, Santomassimo, a senior linebacker for the Braves, had to take a few minutes simply to process the information flooding into his brain.

“It’s awe-inspiring,” Santomassimo said. “For our brotherhood and our team to come down here and play a team like Permian under the lights, it’s amazing.”

Bethel plays in a 4,500-seat stadium.

But that’s part of the reason Bethel head coach Gavin Kralik has brought his team down to Odessa to play the first of a two-game series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Kralik, a high school football connoisseur, wanted to give his kids a chance to play under the Friday night lights, the Texas football atmosphere that inspired a movie and routinely packs thousands of fans into stadiums across the state.

“This is a big opportunity to play in a big stadium in front of a huge crowd,” Bethel quarterback Justin Hordyk said. “This would be a big eye-opener if we were walking in here in front of a bunch of screaming fans with the lights on.”

By scheduling the Braves to come to Odessa two days in advance, Kralik has given his kids a chance to get used to their surroundings.

Leaving early Tuesday morning, the Braves flew to Odessa on two separate flights. Hopping from Seattle to Dallas, and then from Dallas to Midland, the first group landed just after 4 p.m., the second group landed right before 6 p.m.

By 6:30, the Braves had started practice on the Ratliff Stadium turf.

“This is the first out-of-state trip for any of our programs,” Bethel School District athletics director Dan Heltsley said. “There were a number of small hurdles to get over.”

First and foremost, Bethel, a school with an enrollment of 1,332 students, had to clear the trip with the superintendent, the school board and its 18-team district, the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association’s South Puget Sound League.

Under SPSL rules, Bethel’s schedule is supposed to consist of eight league games against the SPSL’s South Division, and another game against a team from the North Division.

But clearing those hurdles didn’t take long. Raising the money for the $35,000 tab — none of the money for the trip came out of the school district’s coffers — took a little more elbow grease, but the Spanaway community made sure the team’s financial needs were met.

“Our booster club handled the fundraising, the coaches didn’t have to do much at all,” Kralik said. “We had strong parent support, strong community support. We’re not a wealthy community by any means, but the people we have worked really hard.”

Coming down to Odessa two days in advance leaves plenty of free time for the Braves, who are scheduled to have one more practice at Ratliff today before Thursday night’s game.

Kralik is planning to use that time to bring his team together. Practice started on Aug. 18, and Bethel opens SPSL play next week.

The Braves want to step off of their return flight to Washington ready for league play.

“Obviously it’s not what we’re used to,” Santomassimo said. “We want to use this time to come together as a brotherhood, learn not to let adversity and other things bring us down.”

Flying nearly 2,000 miles to play a football game can only bring a team closer together.