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FOXBORO - They came in many forms on Saturday. There were alumni, youngsters barely out of middle school, current students and parents watching their child's final high school football game.

All were faithful and many were half-frozen. And though the crowds - who were divided by allegiance with Walpole on one side and Bishop Feehan on the other - were dwarfed by the sheer size of Gillette Stadium, their energy seemed to make up for their numbers.

At the final in a series of six Super Bowl games at Gillette Stadium, Feehan emerged victorious 26-20, and for some with ties to the school the experience was somewhat of a trip down memory lane.

"I grew up in Walpole and went to Feehan," said Robert Mulrey, 46, of Dedham, who graduated from Feehan in 1979 and still pledges his allegiance there.

"I'm tired of Walpole," he admitted. Mulrey said he recognizes some of the names of current Feehan players, but doesn't know any of the players personally. He does know the team is much better than when he attended school when they were "something like 4-6."

Al Desisto, 47, of Attleboro attended Saturday's final Super Bowl game with his two sons, both sophomores at Feehan, though they were nowhere to be found halfway through the game.

"I'm not hanging out with them," he said. "We just agreed on where we were going to meet."

Desisto said the location was nice because there are two local teams playing close to home. He also enjoyed the location of his seats, compared to sitting at the endzone during Patriots games.

"This is probably the only time we'll get a chance to sit at midfield this close to the field and see the game," he said. "It's a little different when you don't have a stadium full of people, but it's still fun just to see them."

Norb Fikle, a 17-year-old sophomore at Feehan, said he doesn't know anyone on the team, but came because he loves football.

"I like that it's a contact sport, it's very exciting," he said. "The strategy is 'fabtabulous.'"

Fikle said he "screams" in a hardcore band called One Twenty Nine, and though hardcore music and football may not seem to go hand in hand, Fikle said he enjoys both.

"I've been around sports my whole life - I always watched the Patriots and always played Madden," he said.

Those in the stands also included parents of football players, some of whom were playing their final game in a Feehan uniform. "This is a great experience for a parent," said Joel Linehan, father of Nick Linehan, who plays tight end and cornerback for Feehan. "It's even a greater experience for the kids."

Linehan did amit that watching his son's final football game in a Feehan uniform (Nick Linehan plans to play football in college and is currently deciding between two schools) brings mixed feelings.

"It is bittersweet," he said. "It's sad to see him be done so it's just moving on to the next level."

LAUREN CARTER can be reached at lauren-carter@hotmail.com.