If there’s one thing all high school students have in common, it’s their love for the student section under the Friday night lights. At Aliso, “the Den” takes this role very seriously, winning Student Choice from the OC Student Section once again in week six of the football season.

The OC Students Sections is the largest high school student section organization in the United States. On their website, OC Student Section declares their mission, stating, “We strive to promote the unity of community through unmatched student spirit and unconditional sportsmanship!” 

The organization is most active on their social media accounts including Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, and Youtube. The accounts regularly post upcoming match-ups, scores, highlights on student sections and teams, and, of course, each week’s section winners.

Last year in week two of the season, Aliso Niguel Den won the overall student section of the week in week two of the school year.

This season, The Den is as hyped as ever, taking the win for people’s choice student section in week zero. Decked out in the theme “Back in Black,” Aliso students came ready to cheer on their Wolverines. 

Senior Hailey Arpowong (12) sums up the best part of sitting in Aliso’s student section is “the energy” it brings to the games.

Fast forward to week six, Aliso came back ready on their community night, neon themed, securing the student choice section victory once again.

When asked about winning student choice, Emma Flores (10) said, “it’s exciting to go to the school that wins.”

Additionally, The Den received the OC Student Section’s “FNL Spotlight” for week six. The highlight reel produced by Nathan Lee included stellar shots of our Aliso players’ battle against Alta Loma and the packed student section.

In their caption on Instagram, OC Student Sections states, “we are honored that this student section has become a huge example in what a student section at OCSS should look like!”

The voting itself is done on Instragram where students vote on which sections they felt had the best school spirit and sportsmanship. OC Student Sections also takes into account the school’s activity on social media and how much they are tagged under game night posts.

The people’s choice award is chosen by the student’s themselves when they vote in Instagram polls each Saturday. They are able vote in a series of elimination rounds until a found round determines the winner announced on social media. The Team Choice Student Section of the week is selected by OC Student Section’s executive board based on the school’s improvement, display of school spirit, and if they aren’t receiving enough recognition in their efforts.

In the long line of students anxiously waiting to root for their wolverines at the “pink out” game against Trabucco on Oct. 14, Siena Lassegard (9) shared how she loves “the cheering and powder that gets thrown.”

As the football season rolls on, expect phenomenal things from The Den as they fight in the OCSS #TheBattleOfOC.