When the Freedom Area High School Bulldogs football team runs to the locker room at halftime, three of the players stay on the field.

Senior Joshua Battaglia grabs his trombone, freshman John Blinn gets his tenor saxophone and freshman Michael Keith straps on the five drums that are sometimes calledthe quints.

Then they line up in a formation very different from football to play the music of Elton John in the marching bands half-time show.

They march, dance and play their instruments while wearing their football uniforms, including bulky shoulder pads. Though all Bulldogs wear the schools red and white colors, the uniforms of the instrument-playing football players stand out in more ways than one.

Michael and Donna Keith of New Sewickley quip that they never know what color their sons uniform will be at half time. Sometimes it gets really muddy, his mother said.

It appears that no one in the Beaver County school districts thinks any of this is unusual.

John, who has been playing the sax since fifth grade, said performing as an athlete and a musician on game nights issomething that has been going on in Freedom for years. He said he didnt start playing football until this year.

I played soccer for most of my life but it had stopped being enjoyable, said John, the son of John and Sherrie Blinn of Freedom. And, I am a bigger guy, so I decided to try football.

At 6 feet tall and weighing in at 200 pounds, he fits right in as a tackle. He and teammate Michael, a wide receiver, are pleased that they get varsity playing time in their freshman year.

Football coach Tim Dubovi says, I never cut anyone. As long as they are showing up for games and practices, they will be rewarded.

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Three Freedom Area football players march in the band