Football games at Verrado High School have never actually felt like high school football games since the school opened in 2006. 

That is until this year. This season, Verrado established The Viper Pit, a designated student section that has taken the entire school by storm.

With hundreds of hyped up students known as the Golden Army packed into the stands, there is never a dull moment between the opening kickoff and the final buzzer.  Oh, it cannot go unmentioned that the Vipers are currently 3-0 at home so far this season. 

Booing players, cheerleaders or any sort of negativity is not encouraged in The Viper Pit. The most important rules, however, are to always make some sort of noise, and no matter what, always stay on your feet. 

Creativity also is encouraged. On Friday, there were giant cardboard cutouts of the faces of Verrado head coach Derek Wahlstrom and running back Ross Dietz. The Viper Pit also has your standard cardboard cutout of a capital “D” and the average picket fence, which is hoisted for all to see when the Vipers are making stops on defense.

                                                 (Verrado High's Golden Army cheers from the Viper Pit section of its home field. Photo by Connor Fabits/Verrado High.)

Black and gold rally towels are given to students at the entry gates and can be purchased to wave around throughout the game.  In addition to several cardboard cutouts, students have added a twist by bringing and blowing vuvuzelas (obnoxiously loud plastic horns blown at professional soccer games) when big plays are made.

It’s never quiet in the Viper Pit and almost has the same atmosphere as a college football student section, which is so much fun to be apart of.  Some students have resorted to body paint, spelling “VIPERS” across their chests.

But most students wear the official black and gold “Viper Pit” T-shirts, designed specifically for athletic events and to be worn around school every Friday.  The Viper Pit is a huge success among the students and staff as well as the athletes of Verrado High School.

Senior and active member of the Viper Pit, Luke Gunther, raves about the student section.

“The football team and other fans all feed off of the energy the Viper Pit and Golden Army brings to each and every home game,” Gunther said. “It really helps create a winning environment, which is just awesome to be apart of.”

But the Golden Army also is learning that silence is golden for its teams.

Upon request from the Verrado coaching staff and players, the noise level must be kept to a reasonable level while the Vipers are driving down the field on offense to prevent confusion with the snap count.

“It’s almost impossible to hear the coaches try to give instruction when you’re down on the field,” senior linebacker/punter Luis Moscoso said. “They’re all so loud in the student section, it’s unbelievable to have this kind of support.”

In the closing minutes in each of the Vipers’ first three home victories, the students of the Viper Pit raise their car keys and dangle them in the air, signaling to the other team that it’s time to go home.  In addition to the dangling of the keys, the students loudly chanted “Start the bus!”

This is of course all in good fun. Following each Viper home victory, the Vipers gather in front of the stands and raise their shiny, gold helmets while the Viper Pit fans gets their last few cheers in for the night as the band plays the school’s fight song.

When exiting the stadium, complaints of sore feet from standing all night and ringing ears are heard from many students. And if you wake up Saturday morning with a sore throat and unable to speak, you did your job perfectly of representing the Verrado Vipers as a member of the Viper Pit and Golden Army.