The 12th Man is back in business, with new enthusiastic seniors ready to carry on M-A’s long-lasting tradition. The 12th Man consists of six seniors, selected by last year’s group, who are tasked with leading cheers and coordinating themes for sports games. They bring hype and energy to the student section, firing up the Bears and setting the tone for M-A’s events. Meet this year’s squad.
Willow Basta
Why did you want to join 12th Man?
“It started as a huge thing, and my freshman year everybody would show up to the games, and it decreased over time. I want to be able to bring that back and bring that love and spirit back to football.”
What’s your favorite football theme, and why?
“Camo is really fun because people put on eye black and wear all camo stuff. I think generally most people have green and black, and it feels a little bit more fun than black out. But it’s still relatively easy to dress up for, and it feels intimidating.”
What are you hoping to bring to the student section this year?
“Spirit, hecka good vibes. I think we’re just gonna want to be louder and prouder than ever, and we are gonna make the student section feel big, even if there’s a game with little attendance. I want the football team to feel like they can’t hear who’s screaming because we’re screaming so loud.”
How do you think not having any games at M-A this year will affect the student section and the atmosphere around football?
“I think it’s going to be challenging because people don’t want to commute as much, but it’s going to have an incredibly positive effect for next year because there’s going to be some level of excitement of ‘we now get to go to home games.’”
What are you most looking forward to about being a 12th Man?
“We get a chance to star at games. We basically can yell whenever we want, and we get to be in a lot more contact with the team, and be more central to the football and athletic community, more involved with the PTA, and a lot of the parents. I think it’s going to bring my personal connection to the school community into more aspects.”
Will Clark
Why did you want to join 12th Man?
“I like going to all the games. I like showing up, watching my friends play, and I like seeing everyone there. I’m big on school spirit.”
What’s your favorite football theme, and why?
“My favorite theme is probably whiteout. I like seeing all the white in the stands and everyone showing up with the same theme.”
How do you feel about not getting to have any football games at M-A during your year in 12th Man?
“It’s definitely gonna be harder for us as 12th man, but I think that if we get enough people and get everyone ready, our football team performs. It won’t be that bad. I think the biggest thing is finding ways to get the younger people there.”
How do you plan on getting students excited and showing up despite the construction?
“We’re gonna try and get some good themes going, different from the past years. We’re gonna go on M-A Today and try to promote it, and make people be aware of the game times.”
What game or moment are you most excited for this season?
“[The] game versus [Sacred Heart] Prep, because we gotta get back in blood. Star it out.”
Lucy Gostyla
Why did you want to join 12th Man?
“I wanted to be on 12th Man because I think that going to games is really fun and supporting the teams. It just always seemed like a fun thing to do.”
What’s your favorite football theme, and why?
“Last year we did a Christmas theme or holiday theme, and I liked it because it’s a fun one to dress up for, and it’s very spirited.”
With no games being played at M-A this year, how do you plan to keep students excited and involved?
“I think that we should just disregard the fact that it’s at a different stadium. It doesn’t matter that we’re not at our home field. We can still bring the same hype and energy that we would at home.”
Finn Doherty
Why did you want to join 12th Man?
“I’ve been going through a lot of the games since like my freshman year, and always just seeing how they can hype up the crowd just seemed like a lot of fun, and I like to be involved with the student population, so I wanted to join.”
What’s your favorite football theme, and why?
“My favorite one is probably camo because I think that’s the game that most people go all out for. We normally save it for the biggest game of the season.”
What do you think the 12th Man can do to set the tone for the rest of the student section?
“We can lead the crowd in chants, make sure we just get really hyped up, and help our football team be the best they can. We have a couple surprises up our sleeves to get the crowd very hyped.”
What advice would you give someone who wants to apply for 12th Man in the future?
“Keep your eyes out for the application and just make sure you come to all the games and show off all your spirit. That’s what we want to see.”
Ava Eschelman
Why did you want to join 12th Man?
“I love going to all the sports events, and I thought it was such a fun atmosphere when everybody would go to the games, and we got the student section super big and super hyped. I just love supporting all the sports.”
What’s your favorite football theme, and why?
“My favorite theme is USA. I feel like everybody gets really decked out for that, and that gets people the most hype. It’s always a really good game to go to.”
What are you hoping to bring to 12th Man this year?
“I really want to bring a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of good energy. I want to get a lot of people there, and I want everyone there to be super excited.”
What are you looking for in the students who will eventually take over 12th Man?
“A lot of positive energy. I think keeping everyone really hyped instead of putting others down. If we just get everyone super excited, that’s when the games are the most fun. When everybody is just getting super hyped, it’s the best.”
What do you think the biggest responsibility of a 12th Man is?
“Supporting the teams. It doesn’t really matter how many people show up, even though it’s best if we get a lot of people there. I think supporting the teams is the best thing that we can do.”
Maverick Chotai
Why did you want to join 12th Man?
“I wanted to become a member of the 12th Man just to embrace the school spirit. There’s so much opportunity to show a bunch of energy and support all of our teams.That’s what I wanted to do.”
What’s your favorite football theme, and why?
“My favorite football theme has to be the American one. It feels like we’re playing and embracing more than just football.”
What are you hoping to bring to the role personally this year?
“I hope to bring a ton of energy. There’s so much opportunity for it, and to get a bunch of people out. It’s gonna be tough because we’re not at home. We’re gonna be all around, but we’re gonna bring people out, and support our guys.”
What do you think makes the 12th Man tradition special at M-A?
“I think it makes it special because it’s like an individualized thing. A lot of other schools may have it, but I feel like we, as M-A and as a community, really embrace 12th Man and we really show up with a lot of energy.”
At the end of the season, what would make you feel like this year’s 12th Men were successful?
“I think it would make it feel like a success if as many people were able to show up to our home games [as] everyone expects. For us to blow our expectations out [of] the water and everyone to be there and everyone to get fired up. That would make me pretty happy.”
