By ERIC KNOPSNYDER
YORK — Northern Cambria was the talk of the PIAA Class A Volleyball Championships this weekend, and not just for the Colts’ strong on-court play.
The team, which beat Reading Holy Name 3-0 for the championship on Saturday, had a big following in the stands that was loud, intimidating and, for many, downright entertaining.
Dozens of students – most of them boys – made the nearly 3½-hour trip to Central York High School to cheer on the Colts.
“I really respect and applaud them for making the effort to come down here,” Northern Cambria coach Mike Hogan said. “They’re being positive.
“They’re not really cheering negative things toward the other team. And that’s they way it should be.”
Not only did the students cheer, they sang and danced as well. From “Sweet Caroline” and “Shout,” to “Build Me Up Buttercup” and the Sugar Hill Gang's “Apache” – complete with the accompanying dance moves – the Cambria Crazies were a bundle of action from start to finish.
“Their cheers are so creative,” senior outside hitter Ariel Rocco said. “When we’re down, they tell to us to relax. They make us laugh when we get nervous. They really help us stay focused, actually.”
The fans are almost as dedicated as the players.
“They’re amazing,” senior middle hitter Janae Dunchack said. “They’ve been to every game, painted, cheering. They go practice chants somewhere.
“It’s amazing. All the people that woke up at 4 o’clock (Saturday) morning to ride the pep bus – they’re jut amazing fans. It’s really great to have them.”
On Friday, Northern Cambria got support from far and near. North Star, which lost to Holy Name in the state title match last year, lent student support to the Colts during their match with the private school from District 3. Holy Name, which is only about an hour from Central York, also had a large cheering section, and a “Public schools!” chant from Northern Cambria got the North Star students involved.
The cheering sections later combined to start the wave around the upper ring of Central York High School.
Even other volleyball teams were enamored with the Colts section. Members of the Freeport High School squad, which was playing in the Double-A tournament, joined in the cheering for Northern Cambria, and the NC students reciprocated by lending their support to the District 7 champs.
“They’ve just been awesome,” Hogan said of the students.
“From the first two playoff games it got a little crazy. They all came down to the districts and the Tuesday night game.”
A second busload of students arrived for Saturday morning’s semifinal match, and Northern Cambria fans took over the gym, as Holy Name’s crowd seemed smaller than it was on Friday.
It was evident that the Northern Cambria players could hear their fans in the stands while they were on the court, and that they drew plenty of motivation from them.
“We would be a lot less without them,” Rocco said. “They never give up on us. They’re always loud, no matter how far we’re down.”
The Colts didn’t have to worry about being down much on Saturday. They swept Nativity BVM in the semifinals before doing the same to Holy Name in the title match.
That set off one final song from the Northern Cambria students: “We Are The Champions.”
