- By Sports Information Intern Andrew Mann
On Wednesday, February 11th, the OHSAA staff visited the fourth finalist of the Battle for the Golden Megaphone challenge, Bishop Hartley High School. The student section, known as The Pit, is located on top of a stage on the far baseline of the gymnasium. The theme for the night was “Neon”, and the wild colors and loud students definitely had an impact on the basketball game.
“The Pit is our 6th man at our basketball games, our 12th man at our football and soccer games, and I think you can guess what I am going to say about our volleyball matches”, said Pat Murphy, Athletic Director at Bishop Hartley. “We have a group of 5-10 seniors each year that take the lead and really embrace leadership, sportsmanship, community, and just supporting our kids on the floor every night”.
Two of the senior leaders of The Pit this year are Michael Anthony-Wood and Austin Mauk, who both will be attending the University of Cincinnati in the Fall. “We try and do a different theme every night to keep everyone excited. White out, black out, neon night. We just try to incorporate it all and get everyone out to the game to help support the teams”, said Anthony-Wood.
“My favorite theme is definitely tonight, the neon night, because it gives me an opportunity to wear a tie-dyed neon suit, which is an unacceptable attire at most places”, said Austin Mauk.
From the beginning to the end of the game, The Pit was LOUD. Different Hartley chants in conjunction with the cheerleading squad rang throughout the gym all night long. The Bishop Hartley dance team also performed for the last time this season during halftime. When the performance ended, the student section was just as loud for the dance team as they were for the basketball team that night, which was great to see.
"When the basketball team was down, the students continued to cheer them on. You could tell that the basketball team was feeding off the energy of the student section, " said Andrew Mann, OHSAA staff. "The energy and sportsmanship that the students displayed tonight was incredible."
Overall, The Pit had a great showing at their final home game of the year, as Bishop Hartley was able to defeat the Bexley Lions in a very close game. There is no doubt that Bishop Hartley High School is a contender for the Golden Megaphone, and we look forward to seeing more from them the rest of the season.
