Washington County high school cheer and dance teams recently made the trip to the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island to compete against the state's best.
Arlington and Fort Calhoun competed in Class C1 events during the Nebraska State Cheer & Dance Championships, while the Blair Bears faced Class B opposition.
Of the six county teams in action, the Arlington cheer squad claimed the top finish — fourth in Tumbling.
Pioneers earn pair of 7ths
FCHS' cheer and dance teams each earned a seventh-place finishes in Grand Island.
The Pioneer dancers were seventh out of 22 teams in Class C1 Pom last Saturday, while the cheer lineup took seventh in tumbling a day earlier on Feb. 18.
“I think the team really enjoyed the experience and loved being out there competing,” cheer coach Karli Johnson said. “The atmosphere that is created while they perform, with other squads watching and cheering on, is definitely the most memorable.”
The cheer team scored 63 points with its routine, while Grand Island Central Catholic claimed top honors with an 82.
“I feel great about the performance we had on Friday,” Johnson said. “They did an amazing job and all hit their marks. They have been working hard on this routine since September, and really left it all on the floor.”
The Calhoun dance squad, meanwhile, was seventh in the Pom. It scored a 76.35, while the first-place GICC Crusaders tallied an 88.6.
In addition, the Pioneers were eighth out of 17 C1 teams in the Hip Hop category. Their dance was worth 70.9 points, while Conestoga took first with an 87.58.
Blair cheer, dance compete
The Blair cheer and dance teams competed at the Heartland Events Center on Feb. 17 and Saturday, respectively.
First, the Bears' cheer squad tied for fifth and seventh in a pair of Class B events. Its Traditional Performance efforts were good for fifth with a 76.5-point score, while Elkhorn won the event with an 87.5.
BHS also tallied an 82 in the Game Day category, finishing seventh behind first-place Omaha Gross (92.75 points).
“Both scores are the highest the team has received in the past four years,” coach Kim Farrar said. “Every team brought their best performance. We compete against amazing squads.”
Then, on Saturday, the Blair dance team was 12th in the Pom event with 74.38 points. Bennington took first with a 92.9.
After the competition, Farrar gushed about her cheer team's effort in Grand Island and throughout the season overall. Her captains and team leaders were seniors Addy Nilges, Sam Cemer and Kaely Branz as well as juniors Taylor Hanson and Tessa Villotta.
Branz, Farrar said, kept the Bears' energy up in Grand Island, while Nilges would remind her teammates to focus on the small details of their performance. Cemer is the team's “hype-woman” and high-flyer.
“The girls feed off the three senior captains' energy,” Farrar added. “I feel like they brought the positivity to the extreme that the squad needed that day.”
Villotta, who also stars in softball, was unable to compete due to injury, but attended every practice and provided support.
Hanson's role and skills, meanwhile, have grown throughout the Bears' preparation for state.
“A lot of things came into place because of her,” Farrar said. “Including listening for the correct cue for the situational sideline during the Game Day performance.”
The coach said her team “loved” their Grand Island experience overall. They enjoyed the overnight stay as well as the time spent together.
Farrar believes her Bears can continue on with their cheer skills beyond state and even high school. Two of the seniors currently hold college scholarship offers, while two more are also considering cheer during their next level of education.
“My hope is that they continue to go further, and that those that will be remaining on next year’s squad will see them excel and grow hope for themselves,” Farrar said. “In a few years, we may have girls that can come back and help coach. In my mind, I picture one of them as head coach. I would be an assistant coach, and they take the squad even further.”
AHS cheerleaders lead school
Arlington Eagles put their skills on display during the Nebraska State Cheer & Dance Championships, too.
Captained by senior Kaylie Erwin, the Eagles' cheer team earned its school's top-two finishes of the overall three-day event. While it produced fourth- and fifth-place results, the dance squad was eighth in Class C1 Jazz.
“A lot of time and hard work went into this competition,” cheer coach Shelly Miller said. “The girls all pushed each other to become better throughout practices. I am very proud of them and how they competed.”
AHS was fourth in C1 tumbling Feb. 18, earning a 74-point effort without any deductions.
In the traditional performance, the Eagles scored 69 points to take fifth. Omaha Concordia, meanwhile, scored 83 to win the event.
Arlington's dance team then competed the next day, finishing eighth out of 11 teams with its Jazz routine. It scored 70.35 points without a deduction, while Grand Island CC won the event an 89.53.
