The Buchanan High School student cheering section has been selected as this year’s Michigan High School Athletic Association “Battle of the Fans VII” winner as the top student cheering section in the state among member schools.
This was the seventh year for the contest, which was organized by MHSAA staff and its 16-member Student Advisory Council. Buchanan previously also won Battle of the Fans II in 2013.
Student sections from Buchanan, Boyne City, and Petoskey were selected as finalists from a pool of nine semifinalists after a social media “Challenge Round.” MHSAA staff visited all three finalists for home basketball games during the last three weeks and produced videos of each section for the MHSAA’s YouTube channel. A public vote was conducted on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages beginning Tuesday and ending Thursday, and those results influenced the Advisory Council vote as members selected the champion.
The Student Advisory Council also based its vote on the following criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, section leadership and overall fun.
“We saw again that the entire community of Buchanan gets behind ‘The Herd,’ and what students started six years ago is now part of the everyday culture of the school,” said Andy Frushour, MHSAA director of brand management and advisor to the Student Advisory Council. “Multiple classes of students have become part of this tradition, and Buchanan’s incredible level of student section support remains an example we can share with schools all over our state.”
Students were invited during the fall to submit a short video, via YouTube, of their cheering sections in action. From that initial group of applicants, nine semifinalists were selected, also including Cedar Springs, Charlotte, Munising, Negaunee, Pellston, and Traverse City West. Those semifinalists then were invited to take part in a series of social media “challenges” emphasizing the work of their student sections.
Buchanan, on Feb. 16, was the final stop on the MHSAA finalists tour.
“We created something from what was created in years past, and made it something we’re all part of,” Buchanan senior Jessica Lee said. “Putting all of our heart into something, seeing it become something so amazing … it’s just something really special for all of us.”
Congratulations to The Herd on another Battle of the Fans title!
