Fourth Graders Go Viral for Cheering on High School Basketball Players in Their Own ‘Mini Student Section’ at Every Game
Fourth Graders Go Viral for Cheering on High School Basketball Players in Their Own ‘Mini Student Section’ at Every Game
Charna FlamThu, February 26, 2026 at 1:52 AM UTC
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Stock image of an empty school gymnasium with a basketball courtCredit: Getty -
A group of 4th-grade basketball players has been enthusiastically cheering on the Alta High School basketball team for the past couple of years
After the team advanced through the playoffs, one of the elementary students asked a high school player to come to his team's game
The high school senior not only showed up, but made sure to bring the entire team to support their biggest fans
A group of 4th-grade basketball players in Salt Lake City went viral after creating their own cheering section for their local high school team — and now the teens are returning the favor.
One of the elementary school boys’ mothers, Abby White, told TODAY.com that the group has been attending Alta High School’s basketball games for the past couple of years. But this year, things shifted when the boys received their own Alta jerseys.
“I think that kind of fueled their fandom a little bit — they felt like a part of something bigger,” White said.
She explained that the boys first sat with their parents, but they soon decided to sit together on the opposing team's side of the bleachers. It was then that the boys were “very, very invested” and wanted to have a “bigger” presence than the opposing team.
In addition to bringing in nearly 30 elementary school students, the boys arrived decked out in spiritwear, “waving their posters,” and then took off their shirts.
After the Alta team’s playoff win on Feb. 20, White’s son Owen and a friend congratulated senior Dash Reiser on the game. During their conversation, Owen asked Reiser to come to his 4th-grade game on Feb. 21, and Reiser obliged.
White explained in an Instagram post that she and the other parents were unsure if Reiser would attend.
“The boys kept saying they knew he’d show up,” she wrote. “We didn’t hear their conversation & didn’t even know if our boys gave him the right game info because #4thgradeboys.”
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Meanwhile, Reiser told his coach about the request, who then told the rest of the team. He explained that he “knew as soon as we made that announcement that everyone was going to come because we have great kids in our program that love supporting others,” per TODAY.com
The game started with no sign of the teenagers until they “slowly” began walking in, White told the outlet.
"Once the whole team was there, they just started going wild for the boys: any steal, any foul shot, any basket, they just were on their feet and not just clapping, but screaming and jumping up and down."
The young team also came out victorious.
White reflected on how this experience has given her “hope.”
"As a parent, you're teaching your kids what matters in life, you're hoping they're going to be good people and be kind, and you hope other parents are teaching their kids the same things," she said. "This experience gave me hope in all of that paying off."
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PEOPLE reached out to White and Reiser for comment.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
