INDIANAPOLIS | With about 25 minutes to go before the start of Saturday's IHSAA Class 4A state football championship at Lucas Oil Stadium, the chants began.
"R-D-P! R-D-P!"
Hours before kickoff, the Red Devil pride began to swell. Cars, vans and buses painted in Lowell High School colors began migrating to Indianapolis. Two bridges over I-65 reminded travelers of Saturday's showdown.
The first read, "Go Lowell Red Devils" and the other had two painted banners, reading "RDP" and "Finish What You Started."
Lowell did not meet the requirements of the last sign. The Red Devils lost 23-9 to Evansville Reitz, the same team that defeated Lowell in the state championship in 2007. Lowell will honor its state runner-up team with a 1:30 p.m. pep rally today at the high school's gym.
After the saddening defeat, Lowell running back Brandon Grubbe, who gained more yards rushing than any other player in Northwest Indiana history, gestured appreciatively to the fans.
"The crowd's the best part of coming to a high school game," Grubbe said. "To see this many people come from our little town, it just means a lot to me -- for them to come out here, a 2 1/2-, three-hour drive, just to see us play."
A senior, Grubbe pointed, waved and bowed before shouting "Nina!" and blowing a kiss to his girlfriend, Nina Ioakimidis.
"She said I never do anything for her at the games, and I figured it was my last chance and the coaches weren't going to yell at me," Grubbe said.
Grubbe's senior classmates showed up at 10:30 a.m. Northwest Indiana time to grab the prime spots in the front row near the 50-yard line.
Senior Brandon Lopez, a co-founder of the fan group known as The Noisy Boyz along with Lowell football player Anthony DeMario, wore a nautical cap, navy blue blazer and khakis because he is the self-proclaimed captain of the student section.
"People underestimate RDP and that's why they lose," Lopez said before the game. "It's Reitz's day to be wrong."
Lauren Seramur, a senior decked in the practice jersey of friend and fellow senior Nathan Cleveland, said the spirits of the community were up all weekend.
She and friends Natalie Symon and Brianna Surowiec, like the team, traveled from Lowell to Indianapolis on Saturday morning for the afternoon kickoff.
The town's Parade of Lights featured the team on firetrucks Friday night.
On Saturday morning "the whole town of Lowell was at the Lafayette Cracker Barrel," Seramur said.
Lowell sold 3,100 tickets through the school, and Red Devils' athletic director, Don Bales, said an estimated 6,000-plus Lowell fans were in the stands.
With fans wearing the garb of other high schools, including Crown Point, Griffith and River Forest, RDP seemed to stand for Region Devil Pride as well.
Beau Smith, a senior downstate at Frankfort High School, wore a devil costume and cape and had Red Devil temporary tattoos on each cheek.
"I met all these guys at a church camp and went to the state softball game with them (in June)," Smith said. "RDP's infectious, man. It'll get you wherever you are."
More inside, online
Read the region's best coverage, including commentary from The Times' Al Hamnik, Steve Hanlon and Jim Peters, of Lowell's third trip to the state finals in Sports. Plus, visit nwi.com for a photo slideshow from Saturday's Red Devils loss, a video of Lowell's trip to Lucas Oil Stadium and other exclusive online content.
