The Roaring Wave That Sailed The Mariners To Victory
Photo credit to Matthew Tominaga
On the night of the first MCHS home football game this season, a few people waited in the student section after the JV game had concluded. Unsure if anyone else was coming, they prepared for a disappointedly quiet game. However, in a blink of an eye, the section filled with the warmth of school spirit and the Mariner student body assembled. The ever fluid and enthusiastic student section roared to strengthen the football team in their back-and-forth fight with Salesian High school.
Throughout the turns and twists of the game the impassioned students never waned in their volume or energy. It showed in the last moments of the game, where MCHS and SCPHS were neck-and-neck, it was anyone’s game. In the end, our team won by just 10 points, making the end score 42-32.
Varsity football player Senior Michael Ornelas described the experience, “I definitely noticed it, I felt like we had a momentum, I noticed everyone else was hyped and positive even when we were down, we kept rolling and moving from the student section.”
It was not only a better experience for the football players, but for the students involved in the exhilarating cheers. Jasper Durie, the senior who took charge of leading the section this year, hyped them with his infectious zealousness. He provided some useful insight as to the spark which started what he calls the “electric” student section. He recalled his Sophomore year on varsity football, when they won state. He felt that the team needed organized fans cheering, to elevate the experience of having people cheer for them, them to keep playing. He knew that cheering with the cheerleaders and as one section, would greatly translate onto the field.
When asked if he correlates the MCHS victory with the student section, Jasper responded, “Well, I think that the first credit needs to go to the coaching staff and obviously the players out there on the field. They’re the ones who make it happen. But, you know, I’ve talked to some of my friends on the team and they noticed the section and they felt more motivated because of it… I think that having a positive presence is just incredible. It’s only going to result in a better environment for the players.”
Jasper calls for everyone to show up to the next home game against Piedmont, and to the remaining home games this season. He states that, “Sometimes it’s easy to think, who cares about that game? I don’t have any friends who go there,” but then reminds that, “It’s more than us as a spectator. It’s about the team. It’s about Moreau, right? Because they represent us. So it’s, I think, part of our duty as students here to support them. And this goes beyond football, this goes to all sports, right?”
It’s our call as Mariners to create the waves which sail our team to victory, which is a promise our student section has thus far delivered on. Therefore, mark your calendars, and show up to support our MCHS sports teams this season. Or, in Jasper’s words, “Bring your friends. Bring everyone you can. We’re going to pack that. We’re going to be loud. We’re going to be standing up. We’re going to be cheering. And we’re going to help this team on to absolute victory.”