On game days at Stocker Stadium, the lights, the roar of the crowd and the sound of the marching band fill the air.
But the energy of a football Saturday goes far beyond the scoreboard. There are the people on the field, on the sidelines and in the stands who make the game what it is.
Freshman kicker Liam Rule said football sets the tone for the whole campus.
“It’s pretty big, especially when we have night games like this,” Rule said. “Honestly, when we get a win, it’s even better. So I’d say it’s an important role.”
For Rule, his first season as a Maverick carried personal meaning, too.
“It means quite a bit. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get here. I’m happy I did, and I thank God every day for it.”
Rule pointed out that the team’s energy doesn’t come from players alone.
“It’s the whole vibe. It matters a lot,” Rule said. “If they come out with bad energy, we have bad energy. They come out with good energy, we have great energy. It’s all thanks to them that we play the way that we play.”
That “they” includes cheerleaders like freshman Lexi Theaman, who sees her role as essential to creating that energy.
“I think cheer brings a big role in crowd engagement and just overall spirit,” Theaman said. “It means a lot to show up and show out and represent the university as a whole.”
For Theaman, cheer is simply more than routines. It’s also about combining all the different pieces of game day.
“I think everything comes together and really brings life,” she said.
From the players on the field to the cheer squad on the sidelines, from the marching band’s halftime performance to the fans in the stands, each group adds to the pulse of CMU football. Together, they create the setting that surrounds the football program at CMU.
