One thing is clear – The Varsity Plainsmen love the energy the student section provides.
“It’s the best student section I’ve played behind and I’ve been on varsity for three years now. It’s awesome,” said Brett Steiner, a Senior, Captain and starting Middle Linebacker for the Plainsmen.
It was the hard work and perseverance of the team, but also the support of the students that led the Plainsmen to a 28-14 victory over one of Shenendehowa’s biggest Rivals, CBA on Friday, Oct. 6.
The game started off rocky for the Plainsmen when the Brothers took an early lead. Things began to look up when Ihsaan Alozie, a Junior and Running Back on the team, was able to break through a wall of players and score a 74 yard touchdown. The Brothers kept their lead until the third quarter when Alozie got another touchdown and tied the game. From there, the Plainsmen got two more touchdowns and the Brothers didn’t get any.
Regardless of what was on the scoreboard, the Gang Green Nation continued to cheer for their players. One of the more popular chants Friday night was, “Super seniors!” In addition to that, Shen students constantly chanted, “We can’t hear you!” in order to taunt the students in the Brother’s stands. Players said all the chanting and the noise made them feel as though they were backed up by students who cared about the victory as much as they did.
“It’s great to have them cheering us on. We can definitely feel it,” said Michael Whatley, a senior, captain and starting quarterback.
“The energy is completely different with a full student section. It gets the players riled up, gets the coaches riled up. It completely changes the way the game feels,” said Noah Finnegan, a senior and outside linebacker.
Not only does the support from the stands excite the Plainsmen, it concerns the Brothers. “If you hear them on the field, it scares the other team for one, and it gets your team hyped up and it makes a big difference,” said Finnegan.
Whatley said he was impressed by the volume of the students, considering the fact they weren’t at their home field. “They were great tonight, especially at an away crowd. That was awesome,” he said.
Of the many things the Student Section could do to make the players feel supported, the players said all they want is for their supporters to show up.
“Be here, come out and show your support,” said Steiner.
“Get louder,” said Whatley.
“Honestly, the biggest thing is definitely just showing up,” Finnegan said.
