Elder High School’s Football team has had a great start to their season by winning each of their first three games by at least twenty points or more. Everybody gives praise and glory to the players on the field, but no one ever thanks the students in the stands.

If you ever been to a game in The Pit, it would be hard to miss the large number of Elder students cheering in the section. These students are always on their feet and being loud and rooting for their school’s team. For every touchdown or big play made on either side of the ball, these young men are always jumping up and down and tackling one another. I believe the cheering section plays a large role in helping the team on the field; it is a high factor in the home field advantage of playing in the Pit.

I was able to talk to one of the cheerleaders, Ryan “Snacks” Connors. I first asked him what it is like leading the section? He told me, “It is truly an amazing opportunity but sometimes it can be tough. You always have to make sure what is going on on the field, and you always have to be the loudest person when you are trying to start a cheer.”

I told him that this had to be tough and proceeded to ask him if he ever lost his voice during the game? He told me his voice is normally always gone by the third quarter, and he is dying for water. I figured that must be very painful because he can’t get up in the middle of the game to get one from the concessions because there has to be someone to lead the section. Also, outside water bottles are not allowed in the Pit, so he is unable to bring his own, and the ones sold at the concessions are almost four dollars.

I was also able to talk to the man in charge of it all, Mr. Justin Quatman. Q has watched over the section for almost six years now. The first question I asked him was, “Do you think the section plays a large role in helping the teams on the field?” He told me, “I think the cheering section plays a huge role in helping the team. I think it helps gives the players on the field a lot of energy, and it is a good thing to have during the game.” I agreed with his statement because after being a varsity football player for two years. I have noticed how the cheering section has been able to get us fired up while we are on the field. They are like an adrenaline shot for us; if we did not have one, we would not play the way that we do.