Crozet Crazies

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By Jerry Reid

Crozet Crazies at a recent football game.
Crozet Crazies at a recent football game.

Everywhere across the country, when the lights come up on Friday night, the student faithful come out in droves to cheer their football teams on, win, lose or draw. They form Pep Bands out of their marching units, pick a name (or names) for their group, paint their faces and dress in the school colors or theme night regalia in the stands.

Western Albemarle High School Homecoming games stand alone as a cheering opportunity because alumni and students alike attend, making that night very special. And there are always rivalry home games, great for amping up the noise and chants, as the WAHS Fanatics, also known as the Crozet Crazies, exhort their team to victory.

Warriors’ supporters are no different in many respects from fans at hundreds of high schools, but they certainly represent the high end of energy when they get into their Friday night gear. School spirit on the campus in Crozet includes a Pep Band that gets the group moving with songs and drum rolls. The Western group, honoring parents and grandparents in the stands, proves that music from the ’60s still has a life, playing Hey, Baby by Bruce Channel. The song, a one-hit wonder for Channel, was number one in March of 1962.

Seniors Nicole Herget and Chris Hughes are just two of many Western students who can’t wait for the gates to open for football games. Hughes is the leader of the Fanatics pack for this year, while Herget is completely thrilled to be a part of the festivities.

“Personally, I just really thought being a WAHS Fanatic was fun because everybody at our school really gets into it. It’s just a really fun atmosphere; you just feel the school spirit when you come in the stadium,” she said.

“Honestly, I think we have one of the best student sections in the whole District. We have chants for the offense and defense that really get them going, as well as our rowdy one, which is “r-o-w-d-y,” she explained, adding “and we do the song Hey, Baby.” That one really gets the crowd going and is awesome fun.”

Herget who has participated in the Western Dance Team program, hopes to go to college next year, looking at possibilities to attend Alabama, Tennessee and others. But her memory bank will be full of memories of friends, camaraderie and coming together in the student section.

Hughes jumped into the school spirit arena because he “just had a lot of friends coming into Western, and I knew a lot of older students who let me in the front row a couple of times. My senior year, they picked me to run it, and I’ll pass it on to someone who I think has the spirit.”

He will also miss the overall experience of high school greatly when he graduates, but has a family history at Western that shows him the way to life after the Warriors. He said “my brothers (Wade and Ryan) played at Western as well, involved in basketball and baseball. I’ll miss a lot of these guys, I play baseball with Sam Hearn. Oliver Herndon, Henry Kreienbaum, Matt Mullin—we all came through Henley Middle School together. They are my best friends and I just love to watch them play.” Hughes is four-year baseball player, logging time at second base, and hopes to play in a junior college atmosphere, possibly in North Carolina. And he wouldn’t mind at all if they manage to win a state title his final year on the diamond.

He also unabashedly says that he would like nothing better than to jump into a college student cheering section. Hughes fully appreciates the friends he has made, the camaraderie that he has felt. “Everyone is just having such a good time, they’re just so excited. It’s good to see them getting so into the game even though they’re not playing,” he said.

The Crazies have one last shot at a football rival when Albemarle comes to our house this Friday.

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