It was Maats and the other members of the Mather War Council who so bravely took it upon themselves to look after Adams in response to Kirkland’s hostilities, since the House, according to Maats, “couldn’t look after itself so we decided to take it under our protection and get the gong back on their behalf.”

But Maats did more than just protect weak and susceptible Adams. He went far and beyond the normal constraints of interhouse warfare during this year’s Primal Scream, painting himself in yellow and running around Harvard Yard with the Soviet national anthem playing in the background in defiance of Kirkland hostilities, frostbite and public embarrassment.

The antics certainly paid off, as he and the rest of the war council rallied Cabot to their side, creating a 21st century version of the Triple-Entente to counter Kirkland’s German-like aggressiveness, bringing about the return of the gong last Thursday night.

“Mather is pleased to share in the celebration with [Adams and Cabot],” Maats said.

Yes, this one man has brought male cheerleading to new heights, inspiring great individual efforts, monumental team wins and a peaceful resolution to what could have been a long and bloody affair.

And with just one last chance to display his cheer tactics publicly, take it upon yourself and make a trip down to Lavietes this weekend to see Maats and all of his enlivening ways during the men’s basketball team’s last two games of the season.

Because there is only one thing on this earth that can push this team to victories over both Penn and Princeton in the same year since the 1986-87 season, and it has just four words and seven syllables: Hunter Maats, male cheerleader.

—Staff writer Evan R. Johnson can be reached at erjohns@fas.harvard.edu. His column appears on alternate Tuesdays.