It all started because of a SpongeBob SquarePants episode.
Nate Mooney was watching an episode titled “Prehibernation Week” where SpongeBob goes missing. His friend Sally attempts to find him by conscripting the local fish to start a search party.
The party is divided into two teams — Alpha Team and Gold Team. One muscular fish gets into it by shouting “Gold Team rules!”
Mooney thought it was funny and started shouting that at the Live Oak-Gilroy game, getting a few friends to join in.
What has emerged is an entire student cheering section that has followed the team on the road and has been as boisterous as it can be in support of Live Oak football.
“It’s fun to be as loud as possible, as college as possible and just be obnoxious,” Mooney said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
At the El Toro Bowl, Mooney dressed in a golden morph suit and became “Gold Man.” He led the charge of students that stormed the field after Live Oak’s win over Sobrato.
“I have to do the Goldman for the playoff game,” Mooney said.
Now Mooney and fellow Gold Team leader Connor Rounds are trying to get the students organized for a playoff run and try to plant the seeds to make sure Gold Team will live on for years to come.
They want fans to come out dressed in gold, so there is a solid wall of gold in the stands when Live Oak plays Pacific Grove tonight.
“If we got a bunch of people wearing gold shirts, gold hats, anything, that would be pretty cool,” Rounds said.
He added that he’s hoping parents will get involved with the cheering so it isn’t just one section of students getting loud.
The Gold Team started as just a couple of friends, but as the football team continues to win and word gets out about the cheering section, that number continues to grow.
“At homecoming we had 10 or 12 people and every week, we just kept getting more and more,” Rounds said. “At the Lincoln game, it got the biggest.”
When Live Oak pulled out a 23-20 win over Lincoln to set up a Santa Teresa League title, Mooney and Rounds committed to attending each game.
The Gold Team cheering section comes out with funny and highly catchy chants. Among their favorite is “Fear the Bearden,” a take on a slogan from the 2010 San Francisco Giants of “Fear the Beard.” It comes out to cheer on Trevor Bearden, who has smashed the CCS all time rushing record and is approaching a single season record.
There is also one for quarterback Erik Ornduff where they chant “Ornduff, born tough.”
They will also chant names of players who do well, whether its Brandon Sorce or Cole Campi who make interceptions, or Paul Lomanto who came up with some big runs against Evergreen Valley last week.
“I think a lot of the players like it, too. It gets them pumped up, so we want to do it more,” Mooney said.
They bring a Live Oak flag from the ASB class that Rounds is a part of.
“It seems like as we’ve gone, we’re adding five people each time. Like Nate said, it’s mostly seniors out there, but we’re getting more and more juniors also. Even at the last game, there was a big section of freshmen and sophomores.”
Live Oak Coach Mike Gemo has been appreciative of the fans who come out, including making a point to tell his players in a postgame talk that the students are coming out to support them.
Gemo showed his own support when Mooney approached Athletic Director Mark Cummins with an idea for rally towels. Gemo volunteered to get the towels printed through his work, hand them out to students and sell them to parents.
“I was so surprised. We were both surprised. I think he really appreciates that there’s actually people cheering and the fact the players like it,” Mooney said.
With the playoffs starting, the season is about wrapped up. Looking ahead, Mooney said he plans to resurrect Gold Team for big basketball games — especially those against Sobrato — and some other sporting events.
Rounds will be on the receiving end of the cheers as he hits the floor for boys basketball this year.
“We’ll try to do as many as possible,” Mooney said. “We’d really like to carry this on to the next class. As much as possible, have the Gold Team legacy and the tradition live on for each class.”
