By Brent Nevils ‘26
As I was getting dressed for the game, I was very hyped. It was cold, windy, snowing and it was packed. Once I hit the fan bus, all those feelings went away and I was prepared to have the most fun in my life.
When we arrived at Northern Illinois University, the Crazies were locked and loaded and ready to cheer for our fellow Crusader men. The stands were filled with snow and slush. My shoes were wet and socks were drenched in water, but the jitters on being here kept me warm.
I saw my friends King, CJ, Emeir, Lando and others lead the Crusaders into the game. I could remember the memories with those guys, like junior year when CJ, King, and I took a photo with Luchador mask on the Spanish club trip.
During the game, the Crazies were loud: non-stop cheering, a little bit of chirping, and joking with one of the security guards.
The emotions of watching our brothers play their hearts out in the freezing weather filled our hearts and kept us in tune and fired up throughout the game. Once the clock struck zero, the stadium roared with our excitement, jumping up and down, slipping and sliding. My feet were frozen from jumping down into the slush. I almost fell over the stands onto the field from others leaning down and dog piling with excitement.
Watching the team accomplish history and bringing home a state championship made me proud to be a Crusader. As we were all leaving and heading to the bus, we had to give out our “Sweet Caroline” and “We are BR” chants. If you know these chants, sing loud and sing it proud.
