The sound of the marching band radiating throughout the cool, crisp air. The warmth of hot cocoa in the hands. The sun setting behind the stadium as players race out onto the field to a chorus of cheers. Football is back, and so is the liveliness of LHS students.
There is never a part of the bleachers that is empty on a Friday night at Libertyville High School’s Walter R. Johnson stadium. Including the student section. With each football game, home and away, comes another spirit theme, but more emphasis is put on the home games as more students and fans are in attendance to cheer on the Wildcats.
“We are all dressed up here and it is like a community feel in the student section, and all of us have spirit packs or something else and we are all here to support our team to win,” said senior Jake Slater.
The first home game was on Sept. 4 and the theme for the night was a Hawaiian luau-out. Students readied themselves at the pregame tailgate as they dressed from head to toe in flowery clothing and large leis with paint splattered all over their faces.
As LHS students were spoiled with blowout wins from last season and many students left after halftime, fans at this year’s home opener were treated to a wild game that ended in a loss in three overtimes, 34-31, to Batavia. Students and fans were stuck in their seats until the end, not able to move as their never-ending spirit for their football team kept them there.
In Week 3 of the season, and the second home game of the season, the Wildcats were pitted against Warren. A gray and ominous sky loomed over the stadium as rain softly fell onto the field and stands. But rain, sleet or shine, LHS students always come out to support their team. Dressed up in tie-dye apparel and paint-covered faces, students did not care that rain was upon them. They had to be there to cheer on the team.
“I really feel like our energy creates an atmosphere for the players to build off on,” senior Alexis Darnall said of the LHS football fandom.
With rain-soaked tie-dye shirts and other related clothing, students were packed in the student section, cheering on the Wildcats as they went on to defeat the Blue Devils, 28-26, after Warren failed to convert a two-point conversion that would have sent the Wildcats to a second consecutive overtime game.
Junior Max Johnson was dressed up in his tie-dye apparel, splattered with different colors of paint. “I feel like you can’t really get into the game unless you go all out, and the more spirit we have, the team can win,” he said.
LHS students are committed to their team and have a sense of passion that is present in their cheers, which are catered towards the opposing team and often heard after Libertyville scores.
“The best part is the chants when they score. My favorite one is ‘I believe that we will win’. I think the team loves it,”, Johnson said.
