Get Rowdie

By Naperville Magazine
November 2018 View more Featured

Even if you close your eyes, you can see the artistry.

You can hear it, too.

A ref’s whistle. A flag on the field. The percussion section’s cadence.

The stadium roaring with the opening kickoff.

Friday night lights.

We asked Naperville Central High School student Sam Wichhart to share his Friday night experiences with us, through his lens. He’s a talented photographer and videographer, to be sure, but the senior’s talents are multifaceted: Wichhart is also a Redhawk Rowdie.

Senior Rowdies are selected—a chosen few—plucked by those graduating to take over fandom the following school year. Wichhart got involved a year early due to his talents with a camera. “I was approached [my junior year] by some guys who knew me through my older sister,” he says, “and I got a behind-the-scenes look at the organization of pep rallies.” Wichhart and the three other 2018 head Rowdies—Luke Anstrand, Collin Dokmo, and Jake Stegman—lead the student cheering section at football games, as well as other school sports.

: Seniors Mark Cortez, Collin Dokmo, and Jake Stegman are front and center at the beach-themed home game against Hinsdale Central High School on August 23. As head Rowdies, Dokmo and Stegman help run music during home games using speakers they rent for the entire season. A strict hierarchy is self-policed in the student section: Seniors occupy the bottom rows, then juniors, and sophomores sit at the top. Freshmen are encouraged to sit elsewhere.

: Dianna Lecrone is one of 32 varsity cheerleaders.

: Junior filmmaker Jackson Wigger records footage for a Rowdie hype video; follow @RedhawkRowdie on Twitter to view.

: Naperville Central, the city’s original high school, changed its mascot from the Redskins to the Redhawks in 1992.

: The award-winning NCHS marching band performs at each home game as well as regional and national competitions.

: Despite early losses to Hinsdale Central and Lincoln-Way East, Naperville Central went 4-0 in the DuPage Valley Conference with huge wins against Neuqua and Waubonsie. “Being able to respond after two losses to start the year really shows the mental toughness of this 2018 team,” says defensive coordinator Mike Ulreich. “And the Rowdies help to make Friday nights so much fun. Our fans show up in such great numbers and with remarkable energy when we take the field.” As of presstime, the Redhawks were 6-3 going into IHSA playoffs.