The Cass High School Competition Cheerleading Team’s season came to an end this past weekend after the State Cheer Competition in Columbus, Georgia. The ladies successfully moved from sectionals, which took place on Friday, November 9th, to state, which took place on Saturday, November 10th. The team placed seventh at sectionals which guaranteed them a spot at the state competition. In order to move from sectionals to state, a team must place in the top nine out of twenty. This was an amazing feat for this team considering this was their second year making it all the way to state following a fifteen-year drought that began in 2002. The ladies performed at state and hit their routine and tied for 8^th, which was an even better placement from last year! According to senior, Cailyn Campbell, “Last year, our team placed eleventh, so moving up three slots was a definite confidence booster, and hopefully, the same increase will happen next year for the rest of the team.” The ladies worked extremely hard for themselves and their school, and that hard work definitely paid off. Blood, sweat, tears, injuries, and countless hours in the gym did not stop this team from rising above and proving themselves.

Reflecting back on the entire season as a whole, it was an emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved. The five seniors on the team were soaking up every last second of the season. The juniors were enjoying the last season with the seniors and preparing to take reign next year. The sophomores were working harder than ever to make sure the team reached success, and the freshmen were testing the waters and doing everything in their power to help out. The team attended five competitions, not including regions and state, and placed first at four of them! The team persevered and created a new name for Cass High School this year.

Senior and captain of the Competition Cheerleading Team, Zoë Bryson, comments on the season as a whole: “Holding the senior title on the team came with a lot of responsibility, and knowing it was my last ride with my team made the season that much more special. We started off strong at our competitions, but then at regions, we hit a rough patch. However, we all came together the week of the state competition and worked harder than ever determined to do better than last year. State this year was the best it has ever been. When we hit perfectly on day two, state, we felt so accomplished.” Senior, Madison Owen, commented on her very last season as a Cass High School Cheerleader: “It was bittersweet because it was the end, but I don’t think we could have ended the season on a better note.”

Even though the season has come to an end, the grind does not stop now, and next year will bring even more success.