Photo by Mark Guthrel McCluer South-Berkeley players stand ready to play Saturday, the team's first game of the season. It was played at a neutral site.

Photo by Mark Guthrel

Photo by Mark Guthrel

Photo by Mark Guthrel

Photo by Mark Guthrel

Photo by Mark Guthrel

Photo by Mark Guthrel

Life almost seemed normal for student athletes at McCluer South-Berkeley (Ferguson, Mo.) on Saturday. At least for a few hours.After a chaotic few weeks in Ferguson, there was some doubt as to whether the school's football team would be able to play its season-opener. But the team kicked off its season against Cleveland NJROTC at a neutral site (Sumner High School) and there were no special pre-game ceremonies or announcements.There were hardly three dozen fans at the game, according to estimates on Twitter, and the media outnumbered those in the stands. In fact, SportsCenter did a live segment with McCluer South-Berkeley head coach Keith Rhodes before the game."We need it so bad. Football to us is like air. We need it," head coach Howard Brown told the Post-Dispatch on Friday Despite the flurry of media and the sparse fan attendance, McCluer South-Berkeley and the Ferguson community got a big dose of fresh air on Saturday.Check out photos from the game.