Pleasant Valley High School has a tradition of selecting seniors to be on frontline for all football games. However, it was only last year when student section leader Will Bogner decided to make frontline include both males and females. This new idea continued for the 2018 football season.
Seniors Kara Neuhaus and Andrew Schiltz are this year’s student section leaders, making it the first time in PV history to have both a boy and girl as leaders.
“I think it’s really cool to have the chance to help lead the student section and ensure that girls get the same opportunity to be included in frontline and other student section activities!” Neuhaus says about being the first female leader.
Frontline is known to lead the student section and try to get every class cheering for the game. Its main job is to pump everyone up and try to make it a fun atmosphere. Senior cheerleader Victoria Parejko says, “I love having frontline right in front of us. It’s super fun seeing all the seniors join together as one!”
One of the biggest challenges frontline faces is getting all the classes to cheer. Neuhaus explains, “It’s difficult to coordinate all the chants and get the entire student section to be loud and for each grade to cheer.” However, she feels confident that after a couple of games under their belt, frontline will be ready for the home opener against North Scott.
Senior Max Slavens knows how important it is to have support from frontline and the entire student section. It’s his second year as starting quarterback which comes with a lot of responsibilities out on the field. Being the quarterback puts pressure on him, but he explained having support from his peers is a lot of help.
Slavens says, “It’s great having the student section be there for us. It helps a lot when frontline gets everyone in the stands to bring energy for us when we may not have it. Having the student section there gives us confidence and encouragement that we can do it.”
Frontline has been a great tradition at Pleasant Valley that continues to grow and improve. Neuhaus is thrilled for the rest of the football season, “I am always excited for the Friday Night Lights. We have a great group of seniors that bring enthusiasm and excitement to every game.”