The Huskies placed second at the state cheerleading competition Saturday after giving their best performance of the season.
Newport beat out Sweet Home for the state championship, held at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, while the Huskies edged out Gladstone, which finished third.
The Huskies finished fifth last year. They were last champions in 2016.
“It was definitely the best we’ve done all year long,” said Coach Amber Rosa. Newport is “better at building” stunts. Sweet Home builds as cleanly as the Cubs, but Newport builds better stunts, while the Huskies are better at jumps and tumbling.
The Huskies drew the first performance of the day, Rosa said, and they went out big.
It’s always a struggle going out first, Rosa said. “I think they did the best they could, but it’s always going to affect your performance.”
Newport “looked very good this year,” Rosa said. The Cubs were consistent throughout the season, and Gladstone did well too.
“It was just a tough top three this year,” she said. “We were super happy with second.”
Sweet Home scored 182.6, with 64.9 in building skills, 59.7 in tumbling and jumps and 58 for the routine.
Newport scored 189.8, with 69.7 in building, the highest in the 4A division; 58.1 in tumbling and jumps; and 62 for its routine.
Gladstone finished with 181.8, with 61.7 in building, 57.1 in tumbling and jumps and 63 in its routine, the highest in the 4A division.
Sisters scored the highest in tumbling and jumps with a score of 62.1. Sisters placed fourth with an overall score of 170.8, followed by Ontario, with a score of 169.
Competing at state were seniors Aliya Boss, Nicole Grady, Hailey Wolfe, and Rylee Vasfaret; juniors Courtnie Woodard, Hailey Miller, Leaha McQueary, Mariah Harrington, McKenzie Wolfe, Shelby Goodwin and Taylor Goodwin; sophomores Kelly Ogden and Charisma Hardee; and freshmen Ava Royer and Megan Glover. Sophomore Kierstan Cockrell traveled with the team as an alternate.
Royer placed ninth and Shelby Goodwin placed 10th in the Oregon Cheerleading Coaches Association All-State Competition in the 4A division in November. The top 10 are considered all-state in cheerleading, and they joined the other winners in the 1A through the 5A divisions for a performance of the routine following the state competition.
Sweet Home moves on this week to the USA Spirit Nationals in Anaheim, Calif., Friday and Saturday.
Rosa said. Sweet Home’s division has 35 teams from California, Washington, Arizona, Idaho and Nevada. Sweet Home is the only team in the division from Oregon.
“We’ve never seen any of these schools before,” Rosa said. Of the top eight last year, half are returning.
“I think the kids are really strong, and the routine their doing is really strong,” Rosa said. They scored well on their audition tape, and the team has modified the routine based on judges’ comments, making it even stronger.
Based on the competition regulations, the routine is less difficult than the one the girls took to state, Rosa said, so she expects her team to look even better in Anaheim.
Sweet Home’s goal is to reach the finals, Rosa said. Just 40 percent of the teams, 14 teams, move on to the final round.
They’ll do well “if they stay confident and do what they know how to do,” Rosa said.