“Let’s go Mustangs!” the student section chants. It is the first quarter of the game against White Bear Lake. Barely three minutes have passed, and the Mounds View football team has already scored the first touchdown of the game, securing six points. Senior Anna Poepard quickly scribbles the next chant on the whiteboard before raising it high in the air. With the student section abuzz with energy, they continue to shout various chants as they watch the football game. 

Poepard, along with Avery Jedlenski, Liza Mushel, Nora Schmidt, Lily Ryan, Alex Kriauciunas, Caden Ayshford, Trent Habisch, Cody Loegering and Jack Bongard, make up Senior Stable, a group of seniors who engage and excite the Mounds View student section for sports games and school events to increase school spirit. Compared to previous years, this year’s Senior Stable aims to be more enthusiastic and involved. 

One change Senior Stable has made this year is tailgating in the student parking lot next to the stadium before every football game. From hamburgers to hotdogs, they hand out free food to students as a way to welcome them to the game. “We’re grilling out, playing cornhole, just trying to get people involved [and] excited for it. We’re getting there, like 4:30, and then we just stay in the parking lot for two hours,” said Loegering.  

Although sports games draw crowds, Senior Stable has noticed that many students only stay for the first half of the games and leave after half-time. In order to leave a lasting first impression and keep the crowd, especially the underclassmen, they make sure to maintain the high energy and hype up the students throughout games. “I try to at least lead the student section, create energy, cause I feel like we almost owe it to them to be loud, be present, be there. You don’t want to work all week and show up to a game on Friday, and you have no fans, so I feel like just getting people there is what I’m passionate about,” said Loegering.

Senior Stable has come up with creative ways to engage the crowd, such as hosting a cupcake eating contest during half-time at the home game against White Bear Lake on Sept. 5. Before the football game, they chose several students to participate in the contest, who later raced to see who could eat two trays of cupcakes first.

Besides cupcakes, another half-time event Senior Stable has hosted is karaoke at the home game against Forest Lake on Sept. 13. Mushel brought her big speaker to the game and played songs from her phone. They then picked contestants from the student section to complete the song lyrics. With more half-time activities planned, Senior Stable wants to continue growing the student section with each game. 

Another improvement Senior Stable has made to the football games is using big whiteboards for chants. Since the student section is huge, the underclassmen, who tend to be unfamiliar with the chants, struggle to hear what the chant is. “What we try to do is we get our whiteboard, and we started writing out chants… so then we’ll just hold it up and alert everyone that that’s the chant we’re gonna do, just so we’re all unified,” said Ryan. This way, students in the back can join the chants too. With this addition, Senior Stable notes that they have seen a big difference in student participation. “When we have the whiteboards, we’re just way louder,” said Poepard. 

Senior Stable’s dedication to leading chants and keeping students engaged throughout the season will hopefully keep the student section loud and lively, enhancing the overall game for students and athletes alike. “Our job is to bring a lot of energy, have a lot of fun, [and] encourage our classmates, in any way possible,” said Poepard.