Ariy-El Boynton

Editor’s note: Today, I sit down with Coughlin-Alumni Stadium three days after the Hobo Day game.

Ariy-El Boynton: Thanks for being able to talk with me.

Coughlin-Alumni Stadium: It’s great to be noticed on a non-Friday or Saturday night.

AB: Starting off, do you root for the Jacks during the games?

CAS: I do cheer for SDSU. You might have seen a few of the visiting teams fall down on the grass even though no one touches the ball carrier. Yeah, I have been known to get some “team tackles” throughout this year.

AB: Who is your favorite player on the current team?

CAS: That No. 3 kid on defense (Jimmy Rogers) plays with so much force. Whenever he hits another player, I can feel it for several plays. No. 3 makes my life worthwhile on Saturdays.

AB: Talk about those Saturday nights/game days? What do you look forward to the most?

CAS: It doesn’t get any better before the Jacks are ready to take the field. There is such a buzz in the stadium, and the music is playing loudly. The Pride strikes up, and it really is awesome.

AB: It isn’t any game action?

CAS: Don’t get me wrong, the football is exciting, but getting the rust off through the introductions are the best. During the game I am so focused on the action around me, it makes it hard to pay attention to the game. It’s really fun to see 15,000 fans cheering their butts off after a touchdown.

AB: That sure was a fun Hobo Day game last week, wasn’t it?

CAS: It really was a good game. McNeese State was a quality team, and the quarterback, No. 8, played very well.

AB: What is your all-time favorite memory?

CAS: It’s got to be the North Dakota State game last year. Those fans were pumped before the game. The game was really exciting, and the fans gave me a headache (the first time ever). I could use one of those games every year. The highlight of my career was when the Jackrabbit players ran for the Dakota Marker and the Great West Football Championship trophy. Good times.

AB: Do you overhear conversations during the game?

CAS: Yes, I do, and some of the subjects that students talk about are just gross. But a lot of the alumni talk about the move to D-I.

AB: So what are your thoughts about the move?

CAS: I love the many people that show up every week. I hate it when the Jacks play in Sioux Falls, and I sit empty. I enjoy hosting games against teams from around the Midwest and all over the country.

AB: What do you miss about the D-II games?

CAS: The in-state rivalries and having the Minnesota teams come were a lot of fun. I look forward to hosting the University of South Dakota again, maybe in seven years. The 2003 Hobo Day game was against St. Cloud, which SDSU won. 2004 saw SDSU beat Augustana College badly in the Hobo Day game.

AB: What has been the best part?

CAS: The constant ringing from the cowbells drove me nuts. I’m glad fans are told to leave their cowbells at the door.

AB: What improvements would you like to see for future games?

CAS: Besides a whole pizza for The Collegian sports editor?

AB: Well, yeah.

CAS: Umm, I really think the Pride should be sitting all the way to the far right. That way the student’s section would have a better seat, and the alumni with big wallets could sit in the current Pride bleachers. The echo from the far right would sound better.

AB: What do you do on the off weeks?

CAS: Try to figure out how I can help the Jacks win and wonder why there are not more cars in the parking lot.

AB: Thanks for your time.

CAS: That’s all I have.