The atmosphere was energetic, but then it got too heated as spectators from the Cotter student section were removed from the Senior Night boys basketball game on February 21, 2017, versus the Rushford-Peterson Trojans.

Peter Kauphusman and Andrew Arnold, leaders of Cotter’s student section, were warned repeatedly about their actions and chants during the game. With four minutes left in the game Mr. Forney and Mr. Haun had had enough. They removed Kauphusman and Arnold, along with several others from the game.

“After repeated chants insulting the other team, Andrew [Arnold] and I were called over by Mr. Haun and Mr. Forney very sternly. said Kauphusman.

However, Kauphusman and Arnold kept pressing. “Andrew [Arnold] thought it would be funny to count down to the 4:20 and when the clock hit that number we all cheered.” said Kauphusman. The number 420 is a reference to the use of marijuana.

“It was their right to kick us out and I completely understood why they did it and I have enormous respect for both Mr. Forney and Mr. Haun, but I don’t believe there is much to gain in meddling with immature high school affairs,”  Kauphusman said.

There is  debate about how strictly schools should monitor what school student sections chant. Some argue strict enforcement takes away the fun of  high school sports, but others believe it is a school’s duty to make sure a student section promotes a positive playing environment.

“An active student section is a vital part of the game and when the crowd gets more into it, the game becomes more fun,”  Arnold said.

Arnold also believes that we would have more student participation in the games if Cotter didn’t get involved as much.

“I feel bad that we won’t get to attend the girl’s section game, but I do find it amusing that we did get kicked out,” Arnold said.

“My job as Athletic-Director is to make sure that everyone at games represents Cotter in the correct way, which means be good role models and just good people,” Mr. Seth Haun said.

Mr. Haun said this was the first incident this year where they had to remove someone from a game.

“All the AD’s in Minnesota unanimously decided that drawing any attention to one player, making noise during free throws or focusing on the other team is wrong, so all those things crosses the line between cheering and being malicious.”

There was a complaint early in the game from an R-P parent that Arnold’s comments were negative and directed towards R-P players.

Henry Reilly, a senior on the team thinks that cheering is good for the  atmsophere of a game, but if the chants veer away from the game then it becomes harmful.

“It’s good to get the team hyped up after like a big three, but when it distracts people from the game it’s not good,” Reilly said.  “It was fun to have a final home game in front of our fans, even though we lost.”