2015 CAS-CIAC Battle of the Fans Winner
Congratulations to Sacred Heart High School

Thank you to the finalists for your excellent effort and performances, you truly were also standouts. And thank you to all the schools that participated. We hope this event will continue to grow and foster the sort of sportsmanship, fan behavior, student leadership and student participation that will make schools, parents, athletes and CAS-CIAC proud.

The Sacred Heart Story

It is probably a little obvious and corny. Okay, it is probably a whole lot obvious and corny. Yet in explaining Sacred Heart High School’s (Waterbury) selection as the winner of the CAS-CIAC 2015 Battle of the Fans competition, one word comes immediately to mind; heart. Sure, it is right there in the school name, it is also present in every conversation with student leaders, and the faculty that work with them. The love and passion they feel for the school and the community created within shines through with every chant, every cheer and every round of applause. It’s the passion, respect and spirit that earned the Sacred Heart SuperFans the distinction as the first Battle of the Fans winners.

The creativity was on full display at the second round CIAC tournament game. The leaders of the SuperFans were in the house early, and it wasn’t just to talk to us. Passion requires commitment, and commitment requires time and preparation. That means spreading the word to pack the gym through the groups twitter account and meeting early to make sure the outfits for the night are just right. All of that paid dividends at the first tip as the SuperFans were in full throat before the game started and kept that energy up throughout the contest. Are they perfect? No, there were a few brief glimpses of negativity and a few moments of quiet during the course of the game. Those spells did not overcome the otherwise stellar effort that demonstrated what set the fans apart this year.

As a school of roughly 300 students, they will never overwhelm with giant numbers or noise. What separates them is a bit more subtle and hard to quantify. The official judging criteria for the Battle of the Fans contest were sportsmanship, school spirit, originality and student section leadership. The SuperFans checked all those boxes whether focusing on supporting their team in a positive way, continuing to find new wrinkles to add for the fans, or going from home room to home room encouraging students to attend the games and making sure that underclassmen felt that being a part of the SuperFans was not just the purview of the seniors.

The reality is that lots of student sections around the state, including the other finalists from Thomaston High School and Simsbury High School excelled in those areas and were worthy of recognition. What stood out from the SuperFans is the overwhelming pride and passion for their school and each other. It comes through in how the group supports all the sports, not just basketball, and how the athletes support each other. And it comes through in hearing the athletes and faculty talk about the close-knit community and family that the SuperFans represent. Some of these SuperFans are the sons and daughters of SuperFans and have grown up wanting to be a part of this experience. It’s that energy and passion that shines through, and has earned them the title of the 2015 CAS-CIAC Battle of the Fans winners.