How to be a Marshall Maniac

Dallas Burke
The Marshall Maniacs (the recognized student section name for the school's athletic teams) enters into their second season of action. The section has been well represented this year as the boys basketball team is currently undefeated, giving the team a 22-6 overall record. With help from the Marshall Maniacs over the past two years, the team has had only one loss at George Marshall Gym and five on the road.

How does one become a Marshall Maniac? This is simple. All one has to do is attend school here and read this guide: the rest will come easy.

1.  School spirit is a must. Every Marshall Maniac must have crazy school spirit. He or she must love their school and understand that there is nothing better then being a Blue Devil.

2.  Every Maniac should have appropriate Marshall Maniac attire. When our beloved team is playing at home, blue Maniac shirts are required. If the game is on the road, a new rendition has been added to this years Marshall Maniac uniform. The away shirt is black. Painting of the body, color appropriate pants and other school spirited items may also be worn.

3.  Every Marshall Maniac should have some understanding of the schools athletic history. If you are reading this a just realized you do not really know much about our schools athletic history, do not tell anyone: just keep reading and pretend like you knew the stuff you are about to read. Number one - our school has won the most state titles in the history of state athletics in the state of Iowa; simply, we have been overall the best. Our school has won nine Iowa high school state basketball championships and has been runner up four times. In the last five years our school has produced four Division I basketball players (Jessan Gray, Austin Howard, E.J. Hicks and L.A. Pomlee) and possibly another, Hal Bateman.

4.  To be a Marshall Maniac one must know who our school's rivals are and why. As a Maniac, our four biggest rivals are Davenport Assumption, Davenport North, Davenport West and Bettendorf High schools, in no particular order. Davenport Assumption is the non-public high school in Davenport - enough said. Davenport North may be the most heated rival. Everybody seems to know someone who transferred here from North or visa versa, and if that is not enough, the two schools share a middle school (Sudlow Intermediate). next may be the most historic rival, Davenport West. Up until the mid 1990's, the two schools would annually meet as the top two teams in the state for either football, basketball or baseball. Times have changed, but West is still a Davenport school and therefore a rival. last but not least, there is the little 'wannabe' sports dynasty to our east.