At almost every Monte Vista football and basketball game, there is one particular part of the stands that cheers the loudest. That is, of course, the student section. Hundreds of students all dressed in Monte Vista’s signature red and black color scheme as loud as they can in hopes to give Monte Vista an advantage during the game. No matter what the score or event is, the student section will be making a lot of noise.
As football season recently came to a close, it was clear that when the student section had a high turnout, the football team played better. The team’s two home wins were the games where the student section was the most crowded.
“When they actually showed up in numbers, we actually performed well.” senior player Kyle Bergen said. “It might not seem like it makes a difference, but it most definitely does.”
Another sport that almost always has a packed student section is basketball. The student section is usually right next to the court and they are known as the “6th man.” While not officially on the team, the “6th man” is usually so loud, they have the ability to disrupt the opposite team with loud noises and creative chants. Last year, Bay Area High School sports website, WestCoastPreps, voted Monte Vista as the “best basketball student section in the East Bay Athletic League,” as the Mustangs had signature home wins against the De La Salle Spartans and the Dougherty Valley Wildcats, the two best basketball teams in Northern California. These two wins were considered the biggest upsets of the decade in the East Bay Athletic League.
“I think in the De La Salle game specifically, the Student Section was almost like a 6th man on the court,” senior basketball player Trevor Viera said.
As we approach another season of basketball, the Monte Vista 6th man is looking to build on the momentum from last year and have a student section that is louder and that brings the team more wins.
A sport that usually doesn’t get a lot of love but had a great turnout in one game this year was boys’ water polo. In their final game against San Ramon Valley, the Mustangs were able to completely fill a set of the stands at San Ramon Valley, something almost unheard of in the sport of water polo. While the team came up short, there was still quite a crowd.
“In my fourteen years of water polo, I’ve never been a part of a game with that much atmosphere,” senior Caden Polleau said.
Another sport that saw a rise in popularity among students this year was girls’ volleyball. In their home game against SRV t, at least seventy Mustang students watched as Monte Vista took down SRV in three sets.
Behind these great student section turnouts, are the two rally chairs: Jonathan Koopmans and Ryan Razhegi. Their jobs are to lead chants and get the students as loud as possible.
“The crowd has the ability to reflect the energy out on the court,” senior Jonathan Koopamns said. “You can plan on MV being the loudest town in Norcal for the next 16 basketball games.”
“I want to be as loud as possible, because I know we(the 6th man) have a real ability to make a difference,” senior Kyle Bergen said.
No matter what happens this year on the hardwood, one thing is for certain, the student section will be as loud as possible.
