Fans scream for stick

• By DARLENE DENSTORFF
• Advocate Ascension section editor
• Published: Oct 29, 2009

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GONZALES — When Jody Fife saw the decibel meter reach 109, he knew East Ascension High School had captured the coveted Shout-out spirit stick.

More than 1,000 red-faced students and parents screamed for more than 5 seconds on their way to the Shout-out yelling contest victory during the Oct. 22 mega-pep rally held at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.

The contest, hosted by the Spartan/Gator Club, ended the two-hour  pep rally, held the night before the annual football game pitting two cross-parish rivals — St. Amant and East Ascension high schools.

The Shout-out included all the pageantry of a major college pep rally — cheerleaders, bands, body-painted fans, themed T-shirts and rabid alumni vowing their teams would win the football game.

In the end, East Ascension won the game, 34-27, but the organizers of the Shout-out say the two schools benefited from all the hoopla leading up to the big game.

The Spartan/Gator Club presented each school with $12,000 during pre-game ceremonies Friday night.

“That’s what it’s all about — giving back to these two schools,” James LeBlanc, one of the event organizers, said.

The event, originally planned for the Cabela’s parking lot, was moved Friday afternoon after organizers realized a dangerous band of thunderstorms was predicted to pass that evening.

“We weren’t going to let a little rain or a tornado warning stop seven months of planning,” LeBlanc said.

Last-minute negotiations with Parish President Tommy Martinez resulted in moving the event to the 4-H building at the center.

East Ascension High School freshman Brian Scott, 15, who was covered in blue and yellow paint for the Shout-out, said he was glad the rain didn’t cancel the pep rally.

“This was awesome,” Scott, a member of the Spartan freshman football team, said after the event as he purchased a game-day T-shirt. “It’s been exciting all week at school and I can’t wait for the game.”

The rivalry dates back to the 1970s when St. Amant High School was built. The week before the games the students use elaborate decorations to show their spirit, and fans start marking their tailgating spots the day before the game.