Battle of the Student Sections

If you did not get a chance to see Bingham and Riverton play on Friday night, you missed quite a spectacle. And I’m not just talking about the Silverwolves’ thrilling fourth quarter rally.

I had never seen a more lively pair of student sections in the same building outside of a state tournament game. The atmosphere and noise made it feel like I was indeed witnessing a playoff game. Part of the fun came from each student section trying to top one another in their antics and chants.

I knew I was in for a fun night as soon as I caught sight of a giant stuffed wolf being passed around the Riverton student section as a cheering prop. Whichever students had possession of the stuffed animal would get it dancing to the band music during the timeouts.

Bingham’s student section had me in stitches throughout the first half. On every Riverton free throw attempt, they would belt out a rendition of some Christmas carol or children’s song. I never thought of using “Mary had a Little Lamb” or “Jingle Bells” as a distraction technique at the free throw line.

It was probably the most creative one I’ve ever seen. And the technique worked well early. Riverton shot only 56 percent from the line in the first half after being caught off-guard a bit by those songs. The effectiveness of this ploy was limited once Riverton switched to the basket near their own student section in the second half.

The noise inside Riverton’s gym reached almost deafening levels at times as each student section tried to one up each other with chants. I did find it ironic when both student sections traded off chanting: “Why so quiet?” in the fourth quarter. Neither group had been what I, or any other person, would define as “quiet” up to that point.

Perhaps the best thing I witnessed was in the fourth quarter when the Riverton mascot body surfed from the gym floor up to the top of the bleachers in the student section. Seeing the students pass the mascot around like they were at a concert was a hoot.

So what effect did this atmosphere have on the game? It made all the difference in the world if you ask Riverton forward Scott Friel.

“Man, it helped so much,” Friel said. “There were so many kids that came out and supported us. They were half the victory tonight.”

The players on both sides of the rivalry have come to expect the antics I witnessed for the first time on Friday night. And, frankly, they – and any other true basketball fan – love every minute of it.

“When we play Bingham, we know there’s going to be a good crowd,” Silverwolves guard Sean Neilson said. “It’s going to to go back and forth. And it just makes the thing a lot more fun.”

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