Everyone loves football season; some like it for the sport, others like it for the dress-up days and even for the student section. Student sections are a widely known and loved tradition in Texas high school football. It is a place in the bleachers where all the students come together and hype up the game and the players.
Principal Nate Driver said he loves how all the organizations and students come together to boost the energy of the game. He loves clapping and cheering along during all quarters of the game.
“I think the third-quarter rally is great for everyone,” Driver said. “It shows the cool community that we have and the unity for everyone to come together.”
Assistant principal Brandon Duncan has seen some crazy things students brought to make the crowd go wild.
“There was an improvised homemade train horn, using a drill,” Duncan said. “We will have bags checked in the front and then if they sneak by, we will confiscate it and go from there.”
Bass drum section leader, senior Kayden Back, as well as Rowdy captains Vielka Gonzalez and Patrick LaMorte are in charge of making sure the crowd goes wild no matter what the scoreboard looks like. Kaden Back explains how the crowd bounces off the bleachers after halftime.
“The third-quarter rally is when the drumline AKA the battery goes to the student section at football games and plays for them,” Back said.
Captain Vielka’s favorite thing about the third-quarter rally is the class chants. “I’m most excited to see everyone hype and having fun,” Gonzalez said. “I’d say Azle has always had a strong student section, but we are going to go all out this year.”
Patrick also has big plans to hype the student section up this year.
“I plan on trying to bring in a big speaker,” LaMorte said, “as well as a big metal trash can to bang on.”
The student section means a lot to our Hornet football players. Varsity starting quarterback Austin May said he feels the student section is a viable source of inspiration and assurance.
“The student section allows us to gain extra confidence when we are down points,” May said. “Extra motivation to keep playing comes from the student section.”
Starting safety Cale Cohen has always wanted to be a part of our raging student section.
“Freshman year was the only year I was really a part of it,” Cohen said “It was always fun to be a part of the student section, but I would rather be on the field with my brothers who have my back.”
At The first away game against Frisco-Reedy, Sophomore Jay Glaze and his friends all wore homemade Barbie shirts and made the whole student section excited. Glaze said he plans to be at every game supporting our Hornet football team.
“Our varsity has great potential to win a lot of games this year so I think that’s something to get fired up about,” Glaze said. “I make the student section the best by screaming at the top of your lungs to the point you can hardly speak, giving it all the support you have and just having fun.”
