Behind the Scenes of the Cavo Crazies 

Written by Brooke DeSantis and Joe Mancino

The Cavo Crazies are a welcoming group of high school students who come together at sporting events to motivate their friends each week. They are all about bringing school spirit and support to all sporting events. These spirited students bring noise and energy to the stands via the fan section to cheer for the players on the field. Traveling around Bergen County is key to the success of the Crazies in order to encourage their classmates. 

The Cavo Crazies have been passed down through many generations of Emersonians. The current leaders of the Cavo Crazies are Gia Mandile, Joe Mancino, and Thomas Gibbard, who were chosen by the Class of 2021’s leaders. When asked how they come up with such creative themes for the football games, Gibbard said they,  “… look at past years – including some of the legends of industry like Burt Mccarroll,” and then mirror them while simultaneously coming up with new ideas like the construction theme. 

Mandile added that they also get inspiration online (Pinterest) and through social media (Tiktok). Many of the chants are kept from prior years because they are a tradition. Gibbard explained it as “…don’t fix what’s not broken.” 

In addition to the chants bringing noise to the fan section, Gibbard brings a conch shell to every game. When asked about it, he stated that he bought it from a man on the beach at Turks and Caicos making it “well traveled” – meaning it traveled over 1,336 miles for the support of the Crazies. Even though people struggle to do it, he mastered it quickly because he has a past with the trombone, and had to reteach himself in order to do this for the Crazies. 

The other events the Cavo Crazies attend are basketball, baseball, soccer, etc., along with a multitude of other school events. The Cavo Crazies are made up of the entire student body in the high school, so it definitely provides a sense of unity. When the leaders were asked how they felt about the title and position of Cavo Crazies being passed down to them, Gibbard stated, “It’s an honor. I have to mention Frank Savino for passing it down.” Mandile consequently stated that she was grateful and honored that this responsibility was passed down to her, since only three people were picked to have the most school spirit. 

Gibbard’s favorite thing about being a Cavo Crazy is the electric environment of everyone being together as a school community, and he will miss the people the most when he graduates. Mandile added that she will miss the excitement of the games, and supporting her friends and the teams. 

She went on to share that her favorite chant is the classic, “Give me a C. C. Give me an A. A. Give me a V. V. Give me an O. O. Give me an S.S. Let’s go Cavos (3x),” while Gibbard’s favorite chant is “God made the rivers (2x) God made the Lakes (2x) God made *whatever town we are playing* (2x) We all make mistakes (2x).” 

When asked what a Cavo Crazy is to them personally, Gibbard described it as somebody that is “willing to go all out for the Cavos,” and “someone who bleeds red, white, and black.” Similarly, Mandile described it as “being loyal to our teams and being a Cavo at heart.” 

The Cavo Crazies have been to all of the football games and will be to many more events this year. It is important as a school community to come together and exhibit school spirit to show support to our fellow classmates. Being a Cavo Crazy is a vital part of being a student at Emerson, and every person should take advantage of this entertaining, gathering community. This year, like all others, the Cavo Crazies are electric with energy and enthusiasm and it will be interesting to see what other themes will be implemented throughout the year.