Every other Friday night under the stadium lights, one figure stands out in the crowd: the Western Warrior. Whether he’s dancing with cheerleaders, hyping up the student section, or posing for photos, Max Weaver has become a symbol of school spirit at WAHS football games.

Weaver is a junior at Western and enjoys drama class and participating in fall plays and spring musicals. Recently, he starred in the junior class movie, where the Western Warrior fought the CHS Black Knight for the spirit shield. Outside of school, he enjoys watching TV. His favorite shows are “Dexter” and “Breaking Bad”.

Weaver first became the school’s mascot last year when he was approached by Tessa Valmarana, a friend of his on the cheer team. He was quickly given the position, and the rest was history. Valmarana said, “I thought that Max was right for the job because he is one of the most outgoing, enthusiastic people I know. I knew that he would have the confidence to hype up the crowd and raise school spirit, which a lot of people wouldn’t be able to do. I think he’s doing a great job so far, and he’s really put in the effort to truly be the Warrior.”

Weaver said that his favorite memory of being the Western Warrior was running the flag down the field for the first time. “It was so cool to see how the crowd reacted to me in costume and how they were all united to support WAHS,” he said. Max plans on continuing to be the Warrior next year. However, he hasn’t thought about whether he would like to continue being a mascot after high school. 

Weaver thinks that his biggest struggle is keeping his energy up. He said, “it is difficult sometimes, but it makes it really easy when the whole crowd is there with me, being high energy.” Max said that the best part of what he does is getting to see all the students united in supporting the team.