January 6, 2017, when a shiny piece of copper landed on the court potentially causing a defeat by the Trojans, an uproar was caused in the Granite Bay community.  Who threw the penny? Will revenge be sought? We may never know.

“Pennygate”, as some refer to it, occurred during a Granite Bay Boy’s away basketball game held at Oak Ridge High School.  

This controversial event, that some may say is the sole reason for the loss, will never be fully understood.

Whoever the “penny thrower” may be, a consensus has been made that they cannot be to blame for the team losing the game that night.    

However, it does allow reflection on Granite Bay’s student section behaviors, and changes the new year has brought.

Tyler Weaver, GBHS senior and Tribe leader said that the event may have affected the outcome in that moment, but not in the bigger picture.  

Some may have seen this event as a bigger deal than in actuality because of the timing of the penalty.  

“We had opportunities in the game to capitalize,” Weaver said.

Weaver also said that the tribe has a large impact on the outcome of the games.   

“Other than not being in the end zone for football games, there hasn’t been very many restrictions that held us back in the tribe,”  Weaver said.  

This 2016-17 school year has brought a few new tribe changes such as not being able to cheer in the end zone for football games and a few chants being restricted.

Senior Jake Redmon, a member of the GBHS Boys Varsity Basketball team also said that the Tribe has a huge impact on the players during games.  

“If the tribe comes out spirited and loud then it helps us by hyping us up and giving us more energy on the court,” Redmon said.  

Redmon continued to say that the penny incident cannot be the blaming factor for the loss.  

“We lost simply because we didn’t finish the game as strong as we needed to which allowed them to comeback,” Redmon said.

Although the penny landing on the court gave the Trojans an extra free throw, Redmon and Weaver agreed that it is not to blame for the defeat that night.  

Redmon agreed that although some tribe rules have changed, the Tribe still gives the team an advantage in close games, home and away.  

GBHS’s student section has undergone some changes in rules and restrictions particularly over the past four years, however these cannot take away the Tribe’s power to pump up any GB sports team or crowd.  

Satgur Mann, GBHS senior and frequent Tribe member, said that the Tribe is an important part to any sports game at Granite Bay.

“I feel like administration has been cracking down more lately, but the Tribe leaders do a good job of keepin’ it real,” Mann said.  

He added that some restrictions limit the things the Tribe can say or chant which can sometimes limit how riled up students can get.  

“If we were able to say other things, the group would potentially get more rowdy and excited, helping the team,” Mann said, “but regardless, the Tribe still gets the team and crowd hyped.”

Maan continued to say that the players on the court feed off the crowd’s energy and play better when they can hear the support of their peers and families.  

The Tribe has the power to impact the team in ways that can’t be done from the bench or the court.  

“The Tribe is the best part of any game,” Maan said, “they are a huge part of every win for Granite Bay sports.”