Teams from Arlington, Blair and Fort Calhoun competed Thursday through Saturday during the Nebraska State Cheer & Dance Championships in Grand Island.
The Blair cheer and Fort Calhoun dance teams secured the top finishes, claiming a third-place event result apiece at the Heartland Event Center.
On Thursday, the Bears' cheer squad started off the championship event with a third-place effort in the Class B non-tumbling event. It finished behind first-place Bennington and Omaha Gross, but topped fourth-place Hastings by 6.4 points, finishing with a 80.3.
“This is the highest Blair has placed in a long time — maybe ever,” coach Emily Schultz said. “The team had one of their best performances of the season. Coaches are super proud of them and their hard work all season.”
When asked who led the team in Grand Island, the coach couldn't pick just one or two representatives.
“Really, the whole team, from sophomores to seniors, brought the energy,” she said.
On Friday, the Fort Calhoun cheer team added a sixth-place finish in Class C1 non-tumbling. First-place Cozad finished with 94.1 points, while the Pioneers notched 86.2 from the judges. Wahoo was fifth with 86.5, while seventh-place Holdrege tallied an 85.8.
All three Washington County schools got involved Saturday, too. The aforementioned FCHS dance team took third in Class C1 hip hop with an 81.5. Just Conestoga and Omaha Roncalli finished higher among the 16 teams competing.
In pom, the Pioneers also took fourth behind Grand Island Central Catholic (87 points), Wahoo (84.73) and Kearney Catholic (84.53) with an 80.08.
The Arlington dance team competed in hip hop, too, finishing 11th with a 73.85 score. It's jazz effort of 76.18 was eighth out of 13 teams as well.
Finally, during the final session of the three-day event, the Blair dance team took part in Class B competition. It finished ninth in pom, scoring a 76.33 ahead of three schools — Lincoln Standing Bear, Plattsmouth and Lincoln Northwest. Elkhorn won the event with a 96.25.
