By Owen Gotimer
LoCoSports Editor-in-Chief
[twitter-follow screen_name=’LoCoSports’]
(October 21, 2015) – If you don’t know already, you’ll quickly learn that a lot of school sports rivalries in LoCo are created less by the two teams actually competing in the event and more by the bad-mouthing, theme-donning, school-supporting athletic student sections that either team brings to said event. That’s not to take away at all from the student-athletes and coaches because trust me, rivalries can be created on-and-off the field between the actual competitors as well.
My goal, however, is to set out and find LoCo’s Top Student Section. Care to help?
There’s always hope that your student section will be featured on Twitter accounts such as @SectionGoals or @HypeSquadGoals.
But what if the featured account was @LCPSHypeSquadGoals? Would your student section make the cut? Do you plan homework, dinner and family events around sporting events at your high school? Do you actually have spirit or are you just mesmerized by another school’s student section?
And we aren’t just talking football. Yeah, it’s nice when the stands are packed under the Friday Night Lights, but those volleyball, basketball, baseball and soccer* stars wouldn’t mind the support either.
My two step approach to determining LoCo’s Top Student Section is simple:
- Ask the LoCoSports’ team what their thoughts are
- Ask you what your thoughts are (see below)
For the purposes of the LoCoSports’ assessment, I chose eight of our staff members — each from a different LoCo high school — and they offered their insight on which local hype squad gets them most excited to compete in and/or watch sports in Loudoun County.
Briar Woods
Emma: The Falcon Frenzy is a force to be reckoned with. Briar Woods has a great football team and a fantastic student section to back it up. Whether it’s an orange-out or a neon-out, Briar Woods students always go all out and bring spirit to match their painted legs and Talon Towels. Of course, I may be a little biased towards my own school — but who’s checking?
Broad Run
Emma: You can’t deny it — the Maroon Crew is insanely hype. Even at away games, Broad Run’s student section is always full of screaming students decked out in their school colors, wielding homemade cardboard signs and that one blowup photo of Josh Peck. Although Broad Run has a rivalry with my school, Briar Woods, I have to be honest and say that Broad Run’s student section has some spirit that Briar Woods may be lacking.
Spencer: From what I’ve heard they travel really well. I also find them on Twitter a lot. They have a very big disadvantage this year — they currently don’t have a home field, as it is being renovated and turf is being installed — but they have used it to their advantage, with a student section that travels, they get out to all their team’s football games and are very loud.
Joe: Broad Run is No. 2 on my list because whether it is the Friday Night Lights or the indoor gym, they always pack the house and bring the noise on game day.
Josh: The Maroon Crew has made Broad Run’s all away-game football schedule feel like an all home-game football schedule. Even against far-off and weak opponents, they brings bus loads. Against Briar Woods and Centreville, they cheered all night long.
Freedom
Hanna: What makes Freedom notable is their creative student section cheers.They’re the section that doesn’t chant the typical “I believe that we will win,” but instead, they cry out “I believe that we will punt.” Their quick thinking and creativity has brought out some very interesting chants this year.
Loudoun County
Chloe: The Raider Riot — Loudoun County High School’s boisterous student section — is always filling their side of the bleachers in which the crowd always seems bigger compared to the opposing team, even at away games. Former LCHS volleyball coach Jenica Brown — when announcing her retirement — even thanked the Riot: “Thank you to the Raider Riot for always packing the gym and helping to make the opponent feel uncomfortable.”
Hanna: The Raider Riot is unique in how the crowd always has posters, signs and a horn. In the September 11 game alone, they had a “sassy Danny Tanner,” a smiley face that frowns when spun around, a “Go Raiders” poster, signs with a few players’ pictures on them and a loud, blue horn that is sounded when key plays were made. I don’t know many other sections with giant horns…
Potomac Falls
Joe: Potomac Falls knows how to bring the noise in all sports, not just football.
Riverside
Hanna: Riverside’s student section may not be massive like some of these others, but the thing that the rampage has is spirit. These fans come to watch their team play, dressed in full gear for pink outs, white outs and America outs, even when the football team is currently winless and plagued with injuries.
Rock Ridge
Emma: As a new school, Rock Ridge can’t be expected to have the most spirited student section, but the Phoenix student body has risen to the challenge. Rock Ridge’s student section may not be the best in Loudoun County, but that’s simply because there are fewer seniors and students in general. Considering their disadvantages, the Phoenix Pit is always full of school spirit and definitely a student section to watch in the coming years as the school’s population grows.
Stone Bridge
Chloe: The Dog Pound at Stone Bridge is high energy! The Bulldogs have won many state and region championships, and you will see every student at all types of school events. Their home football games have known to tie up traffic in and around the school. The student section is always decked out in blue and white to show school spirit for fellow Bulldogs.
Josh: The Dog Pound has always shown up in mass quantities to games, often leaving no room for adult fans when they fill up the entire bleachers. They always come organized and with unique chants that get under the opponent’s skin.
Hanna: Stone Bridge games are always highly attended and always smothered with students. They’re always supporting the Bulldogs, no matter what the score is or the opponent.
Tuscarora
Josh: The Tusky Terror is one of the several reason Tuscarora has not lost a football game at home since 2013. The Tusky Terror roars and shakes the stands, making comebacks nearly impossible. The atmosphere at Fortune Field is one I haven’t seen replicated by any other high school.
Spencer: The Tusky Terror is LoCo’s best student section because they probably have the students with most school spirit in Loudoun County. I always find them on Twitter whether it’s on a “The Best Student Section” account or seeing people on Wednesday or Thursday night making signs for the game that Friday. Also, when you go into Fortune Field as a reporter, you notice that at 6:30 p.m. the student is already filled.
Joe: Tuscarora got my top spot because it’s very impressive when you can get as much blue as the Husky students got at the VHSL 5A state championship football game last year which was around two-and-a-half hours away.
Chloe: Tuscarora High School’s Tusky Terror has a student section that rocks Fortune Field. It is not unheard of for Tusky parents to participate in the blue outs, black outs and even neon outs. The spirit of the Huskies is undeniably shown at football games where the students are intent on making Tusky Terror traditions at this six-year-young school.
Hanna: What else can I say? The Terror travels for long-distance away games, constantly holds blue outs and has been massive in recent history. Do I even need to mention last year at Scott Stadium for the VHSL 5A state football championship?
No matter how much my team and I try to convince you, nothing can be done to break hometown allegiances, so below you will find the results from the LoCoPoll for the viewers’ choice for LoCo’s Top Student Section.
Big O, out.
*Yes, I left out most other high school sports on this short list, but I thought it would look funny if I spelled out each and every sport offered at the freshmen, JV and varsity level in LCPS and hoped you would be smart enough to figure out the list isn’t inclusive of all sports offered in LoCo.
