By Jason Arndt
Editor
Long before the Westosha Central High School boys basketball team boarded the bus for Oregon, the enthusiastic Falcon student section stood and waited in the school lobby March 10, when the Falcons played in the WIAA Division 2 sectional final.
After the team left for Oregon, I went along for the ride on the fan bus to see for myself why the Westosha Central student section has such a strong reputation, notably for being boisterous and loud.
Although it has been a number of years since I had the high school experience, attending Racine Park High School, I found the students welcoming and congenial.
While en route to Oregon High School, two Westosha Central cheerleaders explained their classmates intense loyalty to the basketball team, even when they had low points during the season.
Junior Brenna Maloney, who has been with her classmates at nearly every game, with exception to days when the cheerleading team was at area competitions, has seen the same strong core of supporters.
“They show their support all the time and come to all of the games,” Maloney said.
One game, according to sophomore Grace Ziehm, was the March 8 sectional semifinal contest with Elkhorn at Burlington High School.
While the Falcons were down for most of the game, the students still stood up, and showed their love for the team.
“The student section helped get the team going and they really fed off of it,” said Ziehm.
After the semifinal win, the students were seen crowding the locker room, waiting for the team to emerge.
Baby blue versus black
Since opponent Monona Grove was within 20 minutes of the neutral site at Oregon, the crowd of Silver Eagle fans decked out in baby blue outnumbered the Westosha Central’s black-out theme, but the Falcon fans did not back down.
Westosha Central’s pounding of the Silver Eagles on the court, however, certainly helped the cause.
By the middle of the second half, Monona Grove fans were seen filing out, which is something Westosha Central students normally wouldn’t do, even when the basketball team fought a losing battle, like the regular season finale at Union Grove.
En route home
Following the Falcons defeat of Monona Grove, students in the fan bus were heard singing “We Are The Champions” in unison.
The unity, according to senior Sam LeFebve, shows the student section is more than just a group of fans.
“It has been the most fun student section ever, it has been like a family,” LeFebve said. “Falcon awesome, really.”
LeFebve, meanwhile, found the support extends beyond the student section, noting a Falcon statue his classmates call “Pharrell” has been at every game.
LeFebve, who discovered the statue at a northern Wisconsin thrift shop last summer, decided to pick it up.
“It is kind of our thing, it is our mojo,” he said.
Senior Connor Muff agreed, adding the mojo has worked wonders this basketball season, which has seen the Falcons post a 22-4 overall record.
“We have had a good record with it this season, so it is definitely a good luck charm,” Muff said.