A important factor in any high school sporting event is the student section. Fans have the ability to control the momentum by cheering at the top of their lungs and getting into the heads of opposing teams. But often times during the year, the student section has failed to bring that energy.

A example of the student section affecting a game is the varsity girls volleyball district championship victory over St. Dominic. The soccer and the football teams came together to make a rowdy student section that was loud and  supportive throughout all three sets, which caused St. Dominic to struggle to execute.

The biggest turnout every week from the student section usually comes during Friday Night Lights. Yet,during a playoff game vs the rival Ft. Zumwalt West on the last home game of the season, you would expect the stands to be packed full of superfans. However, there wasn’t much of a turnout for the football game. The Jaguars student section brought more energy even though their team was down big early. After halftime, it seemed over half the Howell student section decided to leave and get on with the rest of their Friday night. Meanwhile, on the other side, the West students were still rowdy and trying to help their team gain momentum. After the game seemed out of reach at halftime, the Jaguars managed to bring the score to 27-35. Their comeback was stopped short because the Howell defense made a huge stop on the final possession. However, if there had been more support from the student section the game might have never gotten that close.

Some teams like the softball team rarely had a student section all year and were cheered on exclusively by their parents. In order to provide a proper home field advantage, there should be students at every event supporting their classmates through thick and thin.

This winter get out and support your teams with a passion. If you don’t know when games are, check out @howellvikings and @howellsuperfans on twitter.