From small beginnings, Red Storm continues to expand

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 12/7/16

There was no hope left, but you wouldn't know it from looking in the stands. It was Oct. 7 and the Cranston West football team was in the midst of a 56-13 blowout loss at home against powerhouse Bishop

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From small beginnings, Red Storm continues to expand

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There was no hope left, but you wouldn’t know it from looking in the stands.

It was Oct. 7 and the Cranston West football team was in the midst of a 56-13 blowout loss at home against powerhouse Bishop Hendricken. The Falcons trailed by several touchdowns in the second half, but still there were hundreds of raucous fans populating the bleachers.

A swarm of red that kept the erupting going until the end is known as the Red Storm, a group officially started in 2013 with the goal of increasing fandom at West sporting events.

That booming crowd wasn’t always a guarantee for football, let alone other teams.

Pat Igoe, Alec Kolenda, Matt McDonough and Jeff Ragosta, four students at the time in 2013, saw the lack of interest at football games, and so did the current leaders of the Red Storm. Brett Bucci, Steve Rocchio, Joe DelMastro and George Shepherd were freshmen during the inception of the group.

“These four kids stepped up and said ‘We need to get our fan base going,’” Bucci said. “We need to get people rowdy and excited for these sporting events. Around the third, fourth game of the year, that game against La Salle was actually the big game. They advertised it throughout the whole school. These four kids came to the game, dressed in all red, they had tight red morph suits on, hats, bells, whistles, whatever.”

The La Salle/West tilt in 2013 saw one of the rowdiest flocks of Falcons the school had seen in recent history, and despite a close loss that could have deflated the fans, the Red Storm had been born.

“It was brand new,” Bucci said “It was cool to have this organization that we could be a part of. All you had to do was show up to games and you could be a part of Red Storm. So as the years went on, they handed down the leadership positions to kids each and every year.”

The Red Storm began as just an assembly of devoted followers that pumped students up during football games, but it has expanded to numerous other sports around the school since. Members have branched out to volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball and more no matter the record.

The group doesn’t discriminate. West football had an underwhelming season overall, but the Red Storm was in full force for their home games at Cranston Stadium, and even on the road at Johnston. Both basketball programs had down years in 2015, but it didn’t stop the fans from coming out to lend their support.

“A lot of people do it for the socialization and then when we’re there, it kind of moves to the team,” Rocchio said. “Once the crowd starts to get rowdy, that brings everybody into the game. During the Hendricken [football] game this year, face the facts we weren’t playing a good game. We were getting blown out, but the crowd was the loudest, best crowd we’ve had all year.”

The Red Storm also uses themes to cultivate atmosphere. The aforementioned Hendricken game was a “red-out,” while the upcoming boys’ basketball season opener is the second-annual “holiday-out.” The four leaders said they saw it all at the inaugural one last season, including students wrapped in Christmas tree lights and donning full Santa suits.

“That fan group that sits behind our bench, there’s nights when we have to kick fans out because we have no room to sit on our bench,” Rocchio, who plays with Bucci on the basketball team, said. “It’s hard, but it’s good to know there are people that are supporting you, even though you’re not the best.”

DelMastro said it’s easy to keep the Red Storm up no matter the game because it taps into two primal instincts.

“There are two things that people like a lot: Sports and getting pumped,” DelMastro said. “When you combine the two and you have people encouraging you to do those, it just creates such a good setup for such a good game.”

West coaches take notice of the ever-growing fan support, too. Girls’ basketball head coach Russ Ferri noted that the crowds have become bigger each of the three years he has been heading the program.

“Fan support since Day 1 has been incredible,” Ferri said. “Last year there were games that we put a lot of people in the seats. We’ve had the Falcon mascot out there. The fans just keep on growing, and we’re going to need that this year. We’re going to need support and encouragement, and the girls are going to feed off that. Whenever they do something really well and they hear the cheers, it motivates them even further.”

While the Red Storm organizes for nearly every West sporting event, even dipping its toes in swimming and cross country, there are certain dates that get circled well before they play out.

West’s rivalry with East has evolved into arguably the best in the state, and each of the four current Red Storm leaders know it. Bucci, Rocchio and DelMastro have each taken part in contests against East, and some have gotten out of hand. DelMastro, who suits up for lacrosse in the spring, recalled an altercation after the City Cup game during his freshman year.

“People want to go to these games to see if their team can come out on top for the city of Cranston, obviously,” Shepherd, the student council vice president, said. “No matter what the sport is, you’re going to want to see West beat East if you’re a West student. You’re always going to want to see East beat West if you’re an East student. You always want to be No. 1 in your city, and I think that’s big.”

Rocchio and Bucci have both also faced off with East across three different sports. Rocchio’s breakout game his sophomore year came against the ’Bolts, as he pitched the Falcons all the way back from a six-run deficit to score the winning run in an 8-7 victory on senior night.

“You looked into the stands and you were like, this rivalry turned a baseball game into what our crowd would be for a football game,” Rocchio said. “That East/West rivalry, no matter what the sport is, whether it’s baseball, whether it’s football, it’s always going to have a hyped-up crowd.”

Bucci saw the Red Storm’s influence firsthand on the volleyball court this past spring. The Falcons laid waste to Division II, amassing an undefeated record and state championship after losing two sets all season.

West knew it would have friends, family and supporters packing the stands at Brown University to cheer them to a title.

“I know the whole entire time you look up into the stands and you see kids with horse masks on, and see kids with big posters, and they want you to win,” Bucci said. “If you lose, it’s whatever, but if you win, the city’s yours. That really pushes you, motivates us, and I know the crowd behind me and the whole volleyball team, they were key contributors.”

Bucci, Rocchio, DelMastro and Shepherd all recognized the efforts of the students and parents who have sacrificed their time to build the brand, but each called out one person in particular who is always on hand to incite the Red Storm.

“It starts right with [Principal] Mr. [Tom] Barbieri,” Rocchio said. “That guy must fill his gas tank five times a week. He’s everywhere.”

Barbieri is omnipresent at everything Cranston West, whether it be a practice, tryout or state championship game. Rocchio said Barbieri’s impact has been entirely positive, taking pictures of the Red Storm and helping to raise their noise level during games.

“I know that, every time he comes to the games he has that same smile on his face and he doesn’t get sick of it,” DelMastro said. “Sometimes, depending on what you’re doing, you may get sick of something as time goes on.”

Next up for the leaders is the Rhode Island Interscholastic League’s Battle of the Fans contest for the winter season. Fan sections have to submit a three-minute video to the RIIL showcasing support for a team during one game. The Red Storm has chosen this year’s boys’ basketball game against Hendricken on Jan. 6 as the venue.

Now that the process is in the hands of the group, giving it creative control over how the video is made, the guys feel they can take the first-ever crown for West.

“They’re (DelMastro and Shepard) going to try to make the video on a GoPro, get some music on it, shots of the stands during the school day with nobody in them and then fade in when the crowd is there,” Rocchio said. “I think if we use the right music, we have a great group of fans, even without [Bucci and me] I know they’re going to do a great job. We’ve gotten them some help as well. I think, for sure, we should be able to take the winter Battle of the Fans.”

Once the winter comes to a close, Bucci, Rocchio and DelMastro each have a spring sport to tackle while Shepherd takes on an increased workload elsewhere. This is the time when juniors who are interested in supplanting the current four can make their case for being some of West’s most passionate fans.

No matter who shows up, Rocchio plans on seeing four or five buses worth of students pour into McCoy Stadium in June. He guaranteed an appearance in the state title series, and he expects the Red Storm to go all out.

“If I have to miss practice, I’ll be there,” DelMastro said with a smile.

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