WGHS Students Claim Their Section with Warrior Pride

Photo by Kaylee Hyde

Walnut Grove students enjoy showing up and showing out to the football games with their favorite cheers, chants, and outfits. 
by Sage Dickenson, Marissa Mathis, and Aubree Durkot

Bringing the Noise: Inside the Warrior Student Section
Friday nights under the lights are about more than just what happens on the field. They are about the energy, the noise, and the community built right in the stands. To get an inside look at what makes our student section the best around, we interviewed four passionate Warriors—Blake Banks (sophomore), Jaxon McCollum (freshman), Keren Nix (freshman), and Gracie Starrett (senior)—to talk themes, chants, and school spirit.

Dreaming Up New Themes
While the current rotation keeps the stands packed, students already have ideas for how to elevate the energy next season. Blake Banks wants to lean into a high-energy vibe. "Like a frat theme, because I just think it's fun and the outfits would be fun to put together," Blake said.

Jaxon McCollum suggested going full-color, stating, "A theme I would definitely want to add is a rainbow theme because it fits the vibe very well and would be fun for everyone."

Creative outfit ideas don't stop there. Keren Nix suggested a "White Lies T-shirt night," while Gracie Starrett wants to see some friendly competition. "I would add a Color War night where every grade is assigned a different color to wear," Gracie explained. "I think it could be fun to see how many people from each grade make up the crowd."

The Fan Favorites
When it comes to the established traditions, two themes clearly rule the stands: White Out and USA.

"Probably White Out, because I like how uniform everyone looks," Blake noted. Jaxon agreed, adding, "That’s usually the game I go all out with, like paint."

For Keren and Gracie, patriotism takes the cake. "USA, because I love being a patriot and I feel it's just really fun," Keren said. Gracie followed, "The colors are always fun."

Of course, a theme is nothing without the noise to back it up. When the stadium needs an energy boost, the classic chants never fail. For Jaxon and Keren, nothing beats the traditional "Go Warriors!" call. "It is loud and shows how much pride we have in our school," Jaxon said. Blake and Gracie both pointed out that the best moments happen when the crowd works together in the stands. "Any chants where the cheerleaders tell us to say something and we repeat," Blake said.

We hope this encourages more people to come cheer on the Warriors!