A student section has to be lead, cheers have to be started and energy must be kept throughout the entire game, and Senior Austin Martorana said he will step up to the plate.
“At the Webb City game I was leading the chants, because I’ll be at every game, because I’m a senior and because all of my 5’8” frame is full of Wildcat pride,” said Martorana.
If someone were to refer to the student section at any given football game, what would they call it? Bentonville has “The Jungle”, and then “The Dog Pound” for our cross town rivals, Springdale. On our tenth year of playing football, we finally have a field to call our own and our own student section with it’s name.
The name the “Woodshed” came from the name of our head football coach, Chris Wood.This new name has brought excitement to students, like Senior Cassidy Squires and Mason Cline.
“I love it because it has kind of a double meaning. Were gonna have a good season and take people behind the woodshed and it goes with Coach Woods name.” said Squires.
With a new name, and a new stadium, new traditions are bound to begin. Last season, and seasons before that, students would stand in the bleachers with their hands cupped waiting for the baby powder to be passed down the line to each person.
The sky would turn into a white cloud and the student section would as the boys broke the run through and sprinted out towards their fans.
“The whiteboard was my idea. I knew our student section was going to be huge and in the past the back rows haven’t cheered because they couldn’t cheer,”said Cline. He will be the one holding up chants and trying to get everyone involved from the front of the student section.
Martorana discussed the new ideas being brought to the table this season, but states that baby powder will still be included in later games. Some new ideas and traditions that are being brought to the table are rolled up streamers.
Seniors roll up short strands of streamers and then pass the out to the students to then throw them at the beginning of the game.
“I just bought a 5lb bag of pebbles you put in the bottom of a fish tank to put in water bottles to make shakers for the student section”, said Martorana.
Naming the student section The Woodshed was not as easy as it seems. Football booster club member Tracey Lancelot, is responsible for pulling it all together.
Lancelot took the name to the athletic director, Wayne Stehlik, and got it approved by him. After getting the approval, a large sign was created by the booster club and will hang to label the student section.
The booster club agreed on the name and decided to make it official, it should be titled with a name like many of our rival schools have.
“The motto of the student section is definitely cheer or get out. So be loud and have some spirit”, said Squires.
