The Arlington, Blair and Fort Calhoun cheer teams competed Saturday during the Nebraska State Cheer & Dance Championships in Grand Island.
The Eagles' squad earned Washington County's best overall finish, securing fourth in Class C1's traditional performance category at the Heartland Events Center.
AHS takes 4th
Arlington notched a 63.5 score to finish fourth out of 11 teams in the traditional performance event. It finished behind only Adams Central, Louisville and Omaha Concordia.
“The team gave their best performance of the season on Saturday,” coaches Jaden Green and Shawna Tierney wrote. “They brought a tremendous amount of energy and spirit to the routine. They hit all of their stunts, and their jumps showed great improvement from the beginning of the season.”
Adams Central was first with 77 points, while Louisville scored 76.1 and Omaha Conocrdia tallied a 69.2 from the judges. Green's team, though, showed dedication and camaraderie to succeed in fourth.
“Though many of the cheerleaders are involved in other sports and activities, they showed a great commitment to our team,” AHS' coaches wrote. “They were willing to give up days off from school to come to extra practices and choreography sessions.”
FCHS claims best finish
Fort Calhoun's cheer squad earned its highest-ever finish Saturday in Grand Island.
Coach Karli Johnson's team was fifth out of 12 teams in Class C1's non-tumbling/non-building event, earning a 71.1 score from the judges.
“Great accomplishment considering so many of our squad members are two-, three-sport athletes for the school as well,” Johnson stated.
The Pioneers finished ahead of Holdrege and just behind fourth-place Columbus Scotus. Conestoga, meanwhile, won the event with an 85.5 score.
FCHS also received an Academic Excellence Award during the Nebraska Championships thanks to its combined GPA of 3.81, Johnson stated.
BHS competes in 2 events
Blair's cheerleaders competed in two Class B events at the Heartland Event Center.
In the Game Day category, the Bears earned 11th out of 23 teams. They were judged in crowd-leading, and band chant and fight song, finishing with a 73.05 score.
Elkhorn North won the event with a 91.85.
In non-tumbling/non-building, Blair was seventh out of eight teams in Class B. Its 69.6 score bested McCook (60.1), but was behind the state champion Gretna squad, which tallied an 87.2.
