Before the leaves begin to change, football players flood the field, their energy as evident as the cheers erupting from the hundreds of students in the stands. As the first traces of snow begin to melt in the afternoon heat, track athletes and soccer players warm up. In the late evenings, after the winter sun has set, lacrosse games light up the stadium. And before the sun even rises, you can find cross-country runners logging their miles. There is never a dull moment at Monroe Stadium.
Beyond the advantage of being more familiar with the home field, senior football player Brock Hinojosa explains how the student section plays a key role in their success during home games.
“[The football team] played our rivals, Dripping Springs, at home. This was a huge game for us because we were the underdogs,” Hinojosa said. “Having everyone from school in the student section getting loud and cheering definitely had an impact on the game, giving all the players an extra adrenaline rush and pushing us to the win.”
This school year, Student Council and PALS have worked hard to make the student section more exciting and fun, hoping to encourage more students to attend the football games. Their hard work paid off in more than one way, helping to not only fill the stands but also change its atmosphere.
“When we played football games at home, we wore our black uniforms and it made the team look really intense,” Hinojosa said.
The black uniforms aren’t just for football. Athletes from every sport wear black for home games—track uniforms, soccer kits, even lacrosse gear—all reflecting the same school color. Having black as the unified color for home games helps bring the school together, just as sharing the same field unites everyone.
“When I go to watch football games and we win, I look at the field and think, ‘I’m gonna be playing in that exact same field in a couple of months,’” junior on the JV soccer team Alex Hoffman said.
Watching other sports succeed on the same field motivates athletes from different sports to do the same. The shared space doesn’t just strengthen each individual team—it also helps to foster a sense of community during practices.
“Having practice with other sports makes the school feel more like a community because you get to see people in other sports practicing,” Thomas Throckmorton, a junior and hurdler for the JV track team, said.
Throckmorton explains how, as an athlete, it can be difficult to find time to attend other sporting events. However, sharing practice space allows athletes from other sports a chance to see what their peers are working on.
“During track practice, we get to watch the soccer boys also practice, and it’s fun,” Throckmorton said. “Especially when a ball comes at you and you have to jump over it like in a video game.”
With multiple practices taking place at the same time, athletes from different sports have the chance to interact with each other and have fun. But Monroe Stadium stands out not just because of its shared space—it also boasts high-quality facilities that support athletes in reaching their best potential.
“We have a really good track,” Throckmorton said. “It’s very responsive, bouncy and more cushioned, so it feels nicer when you run and it doesn’t hurt your feet. We also have really nice hurdles here and we have a lot of them, so at track meets, we always have extras to warm up with.”
Having the right equipment for warm-ups before a meet allows track athletes to prepare properly, helping them perform at their best when it’s time to compete.
All around the stadium, athletes from different sports are working hard and pushing themselves because of the strong sense of connection and community.
“Having everyone share the same field helps us feel more united, not just as a football team, but as all the teams at Vandegrift,” Hinojosa said.