Red Sea experiences big turnout for Nov. 6 Turner Ashby game
The Red Sea leaders made it a goal to increase turnout and participation throughout the whole school. This effort culminated at the last game against TA.
Red Sea leaders were pleased with the attendance.
After the away game on Friday, Nov.6, the stands were filled with abandoned trash bags and pom-poms as the Streaks defeated the TA knights in the final football game of the season.
The morning before the game, senior Red Sea leader Chase Berkshire was hopeful in terms of HHS representation at the match.
“It being our last home game and TA, which is our big rival, and only being four to five minutes down the road, it’s typically a game we can get some people out to and support the football team as much as we can,” Berkshire said. At the game, student attendance went above and beyond Berkshire’s expectations.
“I couldn’t have been more excited about the turnout and how hype we got,” Berkshire said. His favorite part was when the student section belted out ‘Goodbye’ in the later parts of the game.
“Chanting ‘na na na na hey hey hey hey, goodbye’ kind of summed up the whole night,” Berkshire said. “We were getting a lot of creative chants we haven’t gotten all year…just got a lot of unique chants that we haven’t had a chance to get in this season.”
Berkshire feels the Red Sea made an impact on the game even though it wasn’t at home.
“I think whenever students come out…the football players have a different sense of almost pride and motivation to win the game when you have somebody there cheering for you and cheering you on, you’re more likely to perform well,” Berkshire said.
The Red Sea’s theme of the night was lumberjack, but trash bags were also present at the game. Berkshire provided insight on the apparel before the event.
“I don’t think the reaction is going to be so hot tonight just because we’re bringing about 80 trash bags or so to put over our clothes to represent ‘trashby ashby’ [the colloquial nickname for TA], so tonight could get interesting. I hope not, I hope [the administrators and staff] will see the fun and humor in it like we do, but there’s a good chance that other players and fans won’t be so happy,” Berkshire said.
The Red Sea points in celebration as the team succeeds against the TA Knights.
That combination of flannels and trash bag lasted only minutes, though. During the beginning of the game, the trash bags were abandoned on the bleachers.
“We smuggled trash bags in, myself not included obviously. Administration told us…to take them off because they didn’t show good sportsmanship, so we just chanted ‘trashby ashby’. I think they got the message,” Berkshire said.
Senior Oscar Hernandez, another leader of the Red Sea, believes the opposing schools are impressed by the group’s attendance.
“I think they’re shocked, surprised that we have a decent student section and when we go to away games, to see how many people come out,” Hernandez said.
For the Red Sea, it’s all about school spirit.
The view from the Red Sea.
“[The important thing is to] know that people are there at away games, that we support our school and football team [to] show the other schools that we’re different,” Hernandez said.
