Football games have something for everyone: cheering in the student section, performing in band or cheer, or just sitting in the bleachers with your friends. Anyone can go to a game and leave with something they didn’t have in the beginning, whether it is new friendships, happy memories or a resurgence of school spirit.
Hannah Finke plays the flute in the marching band and likes spending time with her friends.
“I still have a lot of fun and you can tell what’s going on based on how the crowd reacts,” Finke said. “It’s a lot of fun either way.”
Despite not knowing everything about the actual game, Finke finds her fun in the stands with the rest of the band. Finke’s favorite memory was exciting the crowd with her first earthquake.
“An earthquake is basically where we all hold on to each other, we have our arms around each other’s shoulders, and we’re all bobbing our heads back and forth and yelling,” Finke said. “It’s really crazy if you watch videos of it, it looks really cool. It just gets everyone really hyped up.”
Football is more than understanding the rules. Football players know the game is an experience for everyone. Ray Geserek, junior and a Strong Safety on the varsity football team, believes that anyone could enjoy watching the game, enthusiasts and amateurs alike.
“I go to football games because they’re fun and I get to show how much work I put in, and I get to prove it out on the field,” Geserek said.
At games, Geserek tries to focus on himself and not on the crowd in order to prepare himself to play his best. His favorite parts of football games are being involved and feeling the energy of fans. The cheering and excitement of the crowd brings out the best in him.
The Crimson Cadettes are known for spreading school spirit during pep rallies and football games. Noelle Scott loves to support her team and her favorite parts are dancing in the stands, performing on the field during halftime and being full of school spirit.
“It’s really, really fun to cheer on our team so we can win,” Scott said. “Even if we’re losing, it’s just fun to cheer on the team and just be a spirit organization for them.”
Her favorite memories from the games are how excited the crowd gets when the team is winning, and how loudly the band plays and the crowd cheers. She remembers all of the Cadettes dancing because of how excited they were to see the team winning.
“I love being on the Cadettes; It’s really, really fun,” Scott said. “I get to cheer on my team and I like to show my 212 pride.”
Senior year is emotional for many students because it is their last year before heading in their own direction. Senior Brittany Tavira is a Wildthing, who helps students and faculty keep 212 spirit throughout the year. Many seniors like Tavira find it important to make memories of their last year of high school in order to remember their friends or school.
“I get to see a lot of my friends and create a lot of memories, especially for my senior year,” Tavira said. “The biggest thing I wanted to do was create memories.”
Tavira has special memories of socializing with other school’s spirit leaders, like the Ranch Rowdys, Cy-falls Yell Leaders and the Cy-fair Cat Pack. She also loves cheering with her Wildthings and trying to copy their flips. Tavira enjoys being silly with the Wildthings, making memories with her friends and learning what football is about.
“I really encourage people that are new to school, like freshmen, to come to the football games,” Tavira said. “You can make so many friends, and so many memories and it’s so fun.”
