Clad in red coveralls and wielding a plumber’s plunger, Coppell High School senior Jake Chew surely stands out from the crowd at each game.
Chew serves as this year’s Plunger Boy, a longstanding CHS tradition. The Plunger Boy serves as the leader of the student section at CHS sports games, energizing the crowd.
The tradition began in the 1990s, after a football game against Southlake Carroll High School. After the Dragons called the Cowboys “plumbers” and “farmers” and insulted them for working low-class jobs, the Cowboys took the snubs in stride. They embraced the idea and created the Plunger Boy – a spirit mascot representing the essence of Coppell.
What was originally an insult became a symbol of pride and spirit, and the role of the Plunger Boy has evolved as such.
“The Plunger Boy has shifted from a joke to the student section leader, who’s an important part of every sports game,” Chew said.
Now, the Plunger Boy is selected through a nomination process by the previous year’s Plunger Boy and through an interview with CHS Principal Laura Springer and student council sponsor Benjamin Stroud. Immediately, Chew made a strong impression.
“When Jacob walked in, immediately his presence was strong and he talked so passionately about how much he loved sports and wanted to support everybody,” Springer said. “For me, hands down, I was like ‘Jake, you’re the man.’ I just love who he is.”
The Plunger Boy is essential to a spirited student section, as he helps people to come together and have fun together while cheering on the team.
“When you have a loud student section, people are going to have fun,” Chew said. “There’s people, there’s the push-up board, there’s all the chants, there’s the locking up after scoring touchdowns and all those things that I’m going to do that are going to make the game more fun. If there wasn’t a student section, students wouldn’t be together at games, so I get to bring people together to have fun.”
Chew is highly involved at CHS, as he is a wrestler as well as a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Student Council. Being a member of the CHS Student Council helps him be even more involved in the football games and school events.
“Being in the Student Council room helps me feel more connected to the school – we decide game themes and pep rallies,” Chew said. “If I wasn’t a part of student council I wouldn’t have been there to plan the pep rally, which helps to be the Plunger Boy.”
Senior Swathi Karthikeyan, a member of the Student Council board, said Chew helps create and establish long lasting memories for students.
“Doing the things that the Plunger Boy does, like the chants and dances, gets the crowd’s attention and doing things together makes you remember, ‘That was such a great night’,” Karthikeyan said. “Being the Plunger Boy is not just about being energetic – it’s about making sure that others also feel that energy and make good memories.”
Chew hopes to follow in the footsteps of the 2023-24 Plunger Boy Max Scott, who helped to bring a new environment to the student section.
“I saw what Max did, and I really wanted to be able to do that myself,” Chew said. “I think Max did an amazing job, making the best student section I’ve been a part of. I want to continue on with what he did – bring the energy, bring the noise, bring everything that he brought – being able to get people to come to the games, have fun at the games and be loud at the games – because those are the three most important things.”
Chew thinks that a vibrant student section is beneficial not only for the students, but for the playing team as well.
“The louder your student section can be, the better the team can play because noise has a great impact on games,” Chew said. “It helps the team to get motivated. It’s all about getting in the opponent’s head and hyping our own guys up. And, having an excited crowd makes the games more fun.”
But most important, according to Chew, is that people show up and enjoy themselves.
“Be at the games, be excited for football, be excited for volleyball, be excited for every sport,” Chew said.” “Be there. Be loud. Have fun.”
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