The running back was so nervous, he puked shortly after the team took the field.

But senior Lukas Hartley could relax by the second possession of the game, when he ran over a defender to score a touchdown for Paradise High School in the first game since the California town was destroyed by a wildfire, the Associated Press reported.

Thousands of people drove from throughout the region to fill the stands at the school, which was spared by the fire that killed 86 people and burned nearly 19,000 buildings in November. Classes were held in an office building nearby for the remainder of the school year, though the football field was ready for graduation in May.

Despite the school reopening, the team was missing more than one-third of its players, who like the rest of the town have scattered since the tragedy. But the squad nevertheless pulled off a 42-0 rout as residents and refugees cheered them on.

“I think this (game) is going to show people that (Paradise) is not gone,” 38-year-old Jennifer Siemens said from the seat she arrived hours early to reserve. “So many people have donated and helped us from all over the country. Now they can see why, you know?”