Cameron Skattebo signs autographs for fans waiting for ASU’s arrival
Cameron Skattebo signs autographs for fans waiting for the ASU football team’s arrival in Tempe on Dec. 7, 2024.
Reynaldo Covarrubias/The Republic
The Sun Devils football team returned home Saturday night as champions of their first Big 12 championship game.
ASU defeated the Iowa State Cyclones 45-19 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Afterward, they made the more than 1,000-mile journey to their home base at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.
Celebrations erupted late Saturday after the team’s arrival at the north end of the stadium near the Sun Devils locker room.
ASU fans intermingled with attendees of a high school football championship game hosted at the stadium.
Here’s how Sun Devil Nation celebrated the college playoff-bound team.
Fans gather to celebrate the arrival of the Sun Devils
“To have a win like this is just absolutely amazing, not only for the players, coaches and the staff, but for the fan base. This fan base definitely needed something like this,” said Raul Monreal III, who was one of the first fans to await the team, standing next to his custom Sun Devil-themed Jeep, featuring signatures from former and current ASU players.
At least a hundred Sun Devils fans gathered outside the locker room to celebrate the team, who arrived in buses and then proceeded to the parking lot to their personal vehicles, many of the players stopping to sign autographs and take photos with fans.
Cam Skattebo signed autographs for about 10 minutes before he headed to his vehicle, where he passed Monreal’s decked out Jeep, which already had Skattebo’s autograph.
Holding a Sun Devil themed American flag, Monreal gave the flag to Skattebo who waved it to the cheers of the crowd.
Many of the fans in attendance included droves of families with children, who held out football helmets and balls to sign.
Members of the Needham family are ASU season ticket holders and were one of the first to meet the players, describing their relationship with the team as “emotional.”
“It was very exciting day; I think we were more emotional because we just wanted this so bad,” said Desiree Needham, whose children clutched the autographed tokens.
“It made their dreams come true. They watched them this whole year, we have been so invested.”
ASU football’s Cam Skattebo, Sam Leavitt celebrate Big 12 Championship
Cam Skattebo and Sam Leavitt celebrate during halftime of the AIA Open Division championship after beating Iowa State to win the Big 12 Championship.
Johnathan Betts, alumni of ASU and a season ticket holder, waited with his son and stepson.
“I grew up here in the Valley and we don’t get a lot of times like this where the local team play very well … we had many good times in the past, so it’s just good to be in this position again,” Betts said.
Many of the fans in attendance felt similarly, sharing the renewed sense of optimism after the Big 12 win.
“Not only is it about the players, but it’s about all the fans that come out with their kids,” said Maria Elena Coronado-Sutter, who used to work at ASU and saw firsthand what she described as a high caliber of young men on the football team.
Star player signs autographs and interacts with fans
When asked how it felt to bring the win home to Tempe, Skattebo told The Republic, “It feels awesome, it feels awesome.” He said the plan was to continue playing strong ahead of the Sun Devils’ next game.
The win marked the team’s sixth straight victory, but while Saturday’s win wiped away any doubt that the Sun Devils would make the championship field, where they would be seeded among the 12 teams remained in doubt late Saturday.
The 12-team College Football Playoff, to be announced Sunday at 10 a.m. MST, guarantees the four highest-rated conference champions a first-round bye and an automatic spot in the national quarterfinals.
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Publish date : 2024-12-07 15:12:00
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