Williston’s student section has started slow, but excitement seems to be growing with recent Wildcat wins.
The annual Williston Boys Varsity Football “Whiteout” game, along with the new Girls Varsity Soccer “Blackout” game brought smaller turnouts than expected. The football and soccer games were on back to back nights, Sept. 20 and 21.
A student section is the pinnacle of school spirit, and athletes feed from the community’s support during competitions. The student section at games has not historically been strong for the Wildcats. Students have been trying to make a difference in recent years, however. Williston’s student activity group, the Wildest Cats, meets weekly to discuss how to increase fan engagement, according to Brendan Capshaw, a member of the Wildest Cats.
Sabir Hussain, From Westfield, Mass., a five-year day student, believes this years “Whiteout” game was lackluster.
“Compared to last year, I think the turnout and the excitement wasn’t as good,” he said. “The number of people was less and I also think we weren’t as loud as we could’ve been.”
Sabir has attended the “Whiteout” game since he was in 8th grade.
A student section not only is a fun event for students; it also helps the players on the field.
Riley McDonald, a six-year senior day student on the football team, provided an on-the-field perspective to the importance of crowd size. He felt, despite the smaller turnout, that it was still a win to hear the fans.
“Although it wasn’t as large and enthusiastic as past years, there was still a lot of people there to cheer us on as we played,” he said.
The game was against Andover; the Wildcats won 38-13.
Riley, a defensive back and special teams player, finds it helpful when the crowd is excited.
“The crowd helps a lot when I’m playing, especially when my friends are cheering me on,” he said. “I think my teammates play better when there is the whole school supporting us.”
Unlike others, Riley felt the girls “Blackout” game was a success.
“I thought the ‘Blackout’ game was a very good turnout compared to how many fans normally come,” he said.
In the Girls Varsity “Blackout” against Kingswood Oxford, the Wildcats won 1-0 under the Sawyer Field lights.
Joseph Killcommons, a senior boarder from Long Island, N.Y., and a kicker on the football team, found the crowds both nights to be successful.
“It was way better than I thought because everyone showed out, and compared to last year everyone used the theme color,” he said. “It was a really good environment and everyone was cheering and I felt in tune with the game. I had a blast, it was really fun”
The football team is currently 7-0 with wins against Deerfield, Andover, Hotchkiss, Salisbury, Cheshire, Suffield, and Exeter.