On Oct. 10, the football team played against Fossil Ridge. They were already 0-5 this season, and it was starting to look like there was hope. Ten seconds left on the clock, and the Hornets were fifty yards away. Morale had been low recently among the players. It was a tough few games for these players and they were about to give up. Then, a roar of cheers came from the stands, the student section went crazy. Baby powder clouded up in the air, and people were pushing each other, chanting and screaming in support of the football team making a touchdown.
The student section goes all out every Friday and has a reputation as one of the best in the area.
“I was always told about The Swarm [Azle’s student section],” Principal Nate Driver said. “And that if I ever get to go to an Azle game, that the student section is the best around.”
The student section plays a vital role in supporting the football team. Encouragement and school spirit are meant to be provided by them to pump up the team.
“If you’re not going to be loud, go sit with your mom,” rowdy Jessie Johnson said. “And if your mom’s not here, I’ll call an Uber home, and you can go home, because there’s no point in you being in the student section.”
Student sections aren’t only meant to be there for the football team, but it can also be a time to bond with friends and have fun during an exciting game.
“I feel like you meet a lot of new people and make new friends,” Senior Nathan Barnes said. “My favorite part about being in the student section is getting to be with all my friends, yell and support my school.”
At a different football game, Junior Riley Roberts crowd surfed, but then was escorted out by an SRO.
“So it started when I suggested it as a joke, and all my friends were like, ‘Yeah, you should do it.’ So I did it because of peer pressure. It was awesome,” Roberts said. “It felt like a lot of adrenaline. It was really fun. I’d do it again. My friends were kind of mad that I got kicked out, and they were calling me and asking why they kicked me out.”
While chanting can be fun, sometimes we have to learn certain boundaries to ensure everyone stays safe in this wild environment.
“My sophomore year, we were ‘going bananas, ’ and my friend pushed me down the stairs,” Senior Seth Webb said. “I went flying. I didn’t tumble down them. It looked like I jumped. I actually landed on someone, so I didn’t get hurt.”
No matter what people are there for, students all have a sense of unity and pride for their school.
“While the student section obviously is there for the football game, I think it’s way more than football. I think our kids are here for everybody, and while they show up for a football game, there’s a lot of kids that they’re out there supporting, whether it’s band, cheer, or dazzlers, or just to be there and show pride in your school.”
