12th Man lives up to longtime spirited traditions

They are loud and proud. You may hear them before you end up seeing them. Once you lay eyes on them, all you see is red. Who? The Northgate 12th Man.

These days the 12th Man, the student spirit section at football games, is led by Alec Read-Skyhawk, John Lamm, Brady Roach, Arta Dorafsha, and Ryan Graham. They are those rowdy guys up against the fence wearing black. If you happen to see them on any given Saturday, you may find that they have lost their voices after leading the section at Friday night games.

The point of Northgate 12th Man, an age-old tradition, is to create an electric atmosphere at football games. This establishes the tone of the game by firing up the Broncos and letting the opposing team that we mean business.

“I like being a part of 12th Man because it is something that brings the senior class together,” senior Morgan Batesole said. “It feels good being a part of the football game, even though we are just supporting the team.”

Ask any of the leaders and they will say the preparation starts far before the shirts are available. All the pressure is on the captains’ shoulders to create a wearable masterpiece. The shirts represent Northgate and all of the students and staff. The shirts represent the students’ rowdiness and respectfulness. Hours and hours of time needs to be spent to design the shirts, plan the orders, and sell the product.

In a game as highly anticipated as the Sept. 9 Battle Of The Creek, 12th Man did everything they could to encourage as many people as possible to make it out to the game. The very thought of witnessing Las Lomas lose on their own field must have been enough. Northgate managed to pack Las Lomas’ visitors’ bleachers full with a sea of red.

Making their presence further known, the sea of red exploded, shooting streamers into the air at the end of the national anthem. Instead of hearing the elegant, “For the land of the free, and the home of the brave” at the end of the national anthem, you heard, “And the home of the BRONCOS.” With the intensity of 12th Man combined with the rather quiet cheers coming from the home bleachers, the student section was buzzing and Northgate felt in control.

It was that same intensity that carried the Broncos through the game, earning Northgate football this year’s spot on the famous plaque with a 41-21 win. Senior Jackson Smith tore up the Las Lomas defense with a big time play. He made a 50-plus yard touchdown run look like a stroll downtown. We asked his thoughts on the big game.

“It was nice having home field advantage at their own house,” Smith said. “Seeing more red in the visitor bleachers than black in the home bleachers proved we were better in every way.”

Coaches are the unsung heros of any sports team. Spectators remember the highlight reel play, but we may not remember the mastermind who called it into action. Coach Ben Ballard describes how 12th Man affects his players. “When 12th Man brings their positive vibes, energy, and excitement all while the team is working together with the crowd it definitely adds that extra atmosphere to the game, that motivational factor,” Ballard said.

A huge part of 12th Man is to be loud, or in Northgate’s case, rowdy. Naturally, there will be grey areas of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, mostly centering on conduct and sportsmanship. Ballard recently commended 12th Man for being a class act at the games they have attended so far.

“12th Man brought the crowd, intensity, and noise to home games, as well as doing the right things and going in the right direction,” Ballard said. “It is all about the sportsmanship and the enjoyment of the game, it is important to bring the energy while keeping in mind that it is a high school football game, and these guys are doing the right stuff.” Ballard also acknowledged 12th Man for “breaking decibel meters.”

12th Man captain Alec Read-Skyhawk described the behind-the-scenes planning that goes into the t-shirts, which in recent years have become a uniform purchased and worn by about 300 students, with close to 200 attending games. The group leaders plan, design, and sell the shirts, this year for $20 – which also included a rally towel.

“In the past years, 12th man and 6th man have been able to sell on campus,” Read-Skyhawk said. “This year we were not allowed to, so I was nervous we wouldn’t sell out. But we used social media and got the word around and were successful.”

The history of 12th Man also was a factor in Read-Skyhawk’ involvement. He recounts his brother’s experiences with Northgate 12th Man four years ago. “Hearing stories about my brother’s senior year 12th Man and how big of a part it was of his high school experience made me want to lead the charge this year,” he said. “I knew I would look back on it and be glad I did it.”

With all the work and time that organizing 12th Man requires, Read-Skyhawk describes why he thought it was worth it.“What makes it worth it is seeing my product that I worked so hard on with my fellow captains worn by over 350 kids at Northgate. It’s also so awesome that the student body is so committed to supporting our football team. Let’s keep getting rowdy, and also respected. Go Broncos!”