As the ball makes the basket, there is a loud screaming in the bleachers. The students clap hands, stomp their feet and scream out loud until they lose their voices. Dressed in spirit attire, the Eagle’s Nest passionately cheers on winter sports teams.

In the center of the Eagle’s Nest’s excitement, there is senior Ryan Marks, who is the flag runner at the football games and the chant leader at basketball games. Marks leads the Nest through the sports games, showing his passion for school spirit.

“I first joined the Nest during sophomore year,” Marks said. “During my freshmen year, I was more outside meeting people. But then, at the end of my junior year, I got asked to run the flag. That’s when I really started to get super-spirited.”

It wasn’t a difficult decision for Marks to become the main part of the Eagle’s Nest because the school already has great athletic programs. Once Marks became a part of the Eagle’s Nest, he was more than excited to cheer on his friends and classmates from the sidelines.

Marks wasn’t the only one who was thrilled to join the Nest and show his school spirit. Senior Garrett Domier had the same idea. From the day he became an Eagle, he felt like he was a part of the Nest.

“I fell in love with the energy of the student body,” Domier said. “I thought there was something incredible about the fans’ ability to affect gameplay. I want to get to the point where opposing teams have to watch game film to prepare for facing our student section.”

As a person who has been to countless football and basketball games, Marks points out the main difference between the two games, other than being different sports.

“For football games, we really have to chant louder because it’s such a big open area,” Marks said. “But then, in our gym, since it’s enclosed in a small area, we just sound and feel like so much bigger, which makes us a lot more intimidating.”

For these reasons, Marks prefers basketball game over football games, especially since he can see the players much closer, making them easier to cheer them on. Domier agrees with Marks, saying that there is more communication between the players and the fans at basketball games.

Marks says the Nest’s strength and enthusiasm come from the students themselves. School spirit is the base of the Eagle’s Nest.

“It all starts with community,” Marks said. “SMCHS community is so knit together and we are all supportive of one another. So having friends on the team and even the other people that I don’t even know, it just feels good to cheer them on. And I would expect them to do the same for me.”

Expressing his excitement for the Nest, Domier opens up about why he loves the Nest so much and will miss being a part of it next year. To him, the Nest was full of welcoming people united for their love of sports. The Eagle’s Nest also provided him a place to go on Friday nights, helping him enjoy the night along with friendly people around him.

“At the end of your high school career, are you going to remember that Wednesday or Friday night when you stayed in to write a MUN paper?” Domier said. “Or are you going to remember when you put off your homework for a few hours to go see Big Li drop 81 points over Servite? I am assuming that is what is going to happen when we play them this season.”