The players on the field may be what most people pay attention to at football games, but

the headchoppers are usually a highlight of the night. The headchoppers are a group of trombone players who often impress fans with their choreography.

“They’re really entertaining and the whole student section gets involved cheering them on and watching them,” junior Shae Evans said. “It’s really cool and I wish I could do that.”

Although the performance is a tradition as old as the school itself, and isn’t exclusive to Liberty, the origins of this group are unknown to both the current members and band directors.

“I have no clue when it started,” band director Jamie Weaver said. “There are other groups that do it, but it was here when [I] got here.”

Any trombone players are welcome to join, but just because it’s simple to become a member doesn’t mean the headchoppers have it easy. The commotion coming from the game, student section, drill team, and cheerleaders can be distracting, meaning a small mistake could result in some actual head chopping.

“It takes a lot of focus,” junior Brendan Ford said. “You always have to know what’s coming up next and stay in tempo with the people around you.”

With extra practice before and after school, this student-directed group puts in extra effort to create and perfect new routines every week.

“At the beginning of the year we started with more basic routines,” senior Mark Tran said. “Then  further into the season we introduce more complex routines.”

Although it can be time consuming, the members think it pays off.

“It’s pretty fun,” junior Morena Koch said. “You actually get to capture the attention away from the game for a little bit and kind of hype everyone up and get them excited.”

The rest of the game’s participants and entertainers don’t mind being the ones entertained for a change and having their spotlights stolen for a brief moment.

“The varsity cheerleaders really love watching the headchoppers,” sophomore Courtney Crooks said. “It’s a fun event during the game [when we] head over to watch them do their [routines].”