The Arlington High School cheer squad claimed Class C runner-up status Saturday during the Nebraska State Cheer and Dance Competition in Grand Island.
The Eagles performed for judges in traditional competition and scored second only to Wahoo Neumann, besting efforts from third-place Broken Bow, Ogallala, Freeman and Kearney Catholic.
An AHS dance team, Blair's cheer and dance squads and Fort Calhoun's dancers also competed during the four-day state championship competition at the Heartland Events Center. But it was the Eagles' cheer squad that left with second-place honors.
“It has been a crazy year for our cheerleaders,” Arlington coach Shelly Miller said. “They worked so hard on this routine, especially since we were making changes right up until competition day. I am extremely proud of these girls and how they performed.”
AHS notched a 27 in the scoring system's cheer section for their silver medal performance, while totaling a 32 in the building section and a 16 in overall. It notched a 75 altogether, besting Broken Bow by 1.25 points. Neumann scored an 84.5.
Arlington's cheer squad also participated in the game day competition, finishing 14th. That event was won by Grand Island Central Catholic.
Blair's cheer team, meanwhile, performed against Class B competition in the non-tumbling event, claiming sixth with a 74-point score. The judges awarded Omaha Gross first with a 93.5, while Elkhorn North was second with an 86.
The Bears' effort topped scores posted by Omaha Skutt, Ralston and Ashland-Greenwood.
Dance teams compete, too
Dance teams from all three Washington County schools tested their skills in Grand Island as well.
Blair and Arlington earned seventh-place finishes, while Fort Calhoun was 18th in Class C1 pom. The Pioneers' performance scored a 67.88 and bested efforts posted by Oakland-Craig and Pierce.
The Eagles performed in Class C1 hip hop, finishing seventh in the 12-team event. Conestoga claimed first with 80.1 score, while Arlington tallied a 72.85.
BHS, meanwhile, was seventh in Class B jazz. It scored a 72.68, which was 4.1 out of sixth. Skutt claimed first with a 91.15, while Elkhorn was second with a 85.15.
