Advertisement

Lakeland, Bartow, Auburndale cheer squads win state titles

robert magobet, the ledger
·4 min read
Auburndale won a state title for the first time in 10 years. In the back row from left to right are Bailie Stringer, Skylar Bouillon, Angelina Olsen, Abby Merritt, Adisyn Leake, Katie Ison, Reese Crapse, Ali Guerrero and Taylor Crapse Hannah Willis. And from front row from left to right are: Kaley Hamilton, Madison Schill, Amrynne Hill, Hailey Gaither, Bryce Beckham, Madison Erickson, Audree Silien and Breya Scott.

Several Polk County teams had a stellar 2022-23 cheer season, and three squads went on to be the best of the best at the 2023 Florida High School Athletic Association's Competitive Cheerleading State Championship Friday and Saturday at the University of Florida.

Lakeland placed first in the Class 2A extra large non-tumbling division with a score of 87.40; Bartow was top dog in the Class 2A large Coed division with a score of 84.60; and Auburndale was first in the Class 1A medium non-tumbling division with a score of 83.50.

Ridge Community was third in the Class 2A large Coed behind Seminole Ridge (Westlake) and Bartow, while Lake Wales was second in the Class 1A medium non-tumbling division behind Auburndale.

Lakeland makes division changes, still wins

Lakeland won another state title on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 at the University of Florida. From the back row from left to right are: Coach Crystal Abdon, Aejah Edmond, Kaydence Kimes, Grace Daum, Emma Wuitschick, Victoria Restrepo, Nico Loaiza, Morgan Allen, Jazmine Shaw, Tanija Wilson, Emma Geohagan, Peyton Schofield, Madi Linch, Miquela Gomes, Amaya Thoene, Asly Alvarez, Cassidy Darby, Maddy Cyr, Yanilis Santiago, Darinese Newton, and Toyouna Thompson. In the front row from left to right are Morgan Jones, Kate Thompson, Janiah Thomas, Collisha Rhodes, Destinee Grimes, Rorie Aycock, Cheyenne Whitehead, Hanna Freidt, Krystin Harris-Cates, Coach Madison Mitchell and Coach Lexi Mulkey .

The Dreadnaughts stood out amongst its competition once more – even in a larger division. Last year, Lakeland was first in the 2A large non-tumbling but had to move up a division because the squad had more student-athletes: Lakeland boasted 30 student-athletes that competed.

“Each year has been special,” Lakeland head coach Crystal Abdon said. “This year’s team is young and had high standards to uphold. They have put in the extra (work) that was needed, including practicing five days, sometimes on weekends to make this happen.

“This does not happen solely by the efforts of the athletes and coaches. We have an amazing athletic director that supports us and makes sure we have what we need to be successful. Coach (Connor) Johnson, our weightlifting coach, works in the weight room with the kids daily. Without the support of our parents, school, and coaching staff, this isn’t possible.”

With the support of the cheer team, Abdon said her team worked diligently the past two weeks in an effort to perfect all the little things in the routine.

Two Saturdays ago, Abdon called an emergency practice to change the cheer based on the feedback on the regional scoresheets, though Lakeland was top dog in that tourney, too.

Bartow carries on tradition

Bartow carried on tradition over the weekend. In the front row are: Catalyna Sanchez Kyleeana Mullis, Lilyana Helms, and Shavelly Diaz. In the second row are: Meah Fullington, Olivia Lacson, Aubree hays and Ryan Williams. In the third row are: Brooke Dumke, Paris Taylor, Mary Elizabeth Holby and Makayla Brown. In the fourth row are: Arroyana Riggle, Zy’keri McGowan and Ja’nyshia Graham. In the fifth row are: Kemonte Foster, Jay Greear, Germarias Simmons and Henry Thompson. And in the sixth row are: Isaac Battle, Zack Sikorski, Travon Lurry, Jaden Harper and John Victor Acosta .

The Yellow Jackets have been top dog since the FHSAA sanctioned cheerleading in 2008.

The program won the first all-girl non-tumbling in 2008. From 2014-2018 and 2020-2023, Bartow came up victorious in the large non-tumbling division.

“We are very blessed to be Bartow,” Bartow head coach Lori Joliff said. “Our alumni, families, athletes, and community of supporters have put countless hours of commitment to excellence in the program. This program would not be what it is without their continued support.

“I am beyond proud of this amazing group team and their dedication to achieve their goals. They have constantly pursued greatness day in and day out and it paid off in the end. They wear their Bartow letters with pride and work tirelessly to make our community proud. We adopted the motto, ‘ All in for 10.’”

Auburndale wins first state title in a decade

For the Bloodhounds, it’s the first time in at least 10 years the program has won a state championship.

“It was absolutely unbelievable,” second-year head coach Brittney Pearn said. “Last night (Friday) when it got announced, I was just full of emotions for me and my other coaches. It’s just unbelievable. We’ve been working so hard. … We thought we had a chance, and that hard work paid off. But we were really excited about that.”

Pearn said her group was able to get stronger in each competition. But the tourney that really gave the group its confidence was regionals when the program placed second with a score of 88.1, which is the highest the team has ever scored since Pearn has been the coach.

“That kind of let us know, we were in the right direction, and we just needed to take what we were doing and clean it up a little bit more to get to the next level to be able to have a shot,” Pearn said.

A key for Auburndale was the program didn’t have any deductions to hinder its score in any category. And the cheer was strong, engaging the crowd thanks to being very creative.

“It felt like everything came alive when the girls were on the mat,” Pearn said.

But it was senior cheerleader Bryce Beckham who was the glue for the team. Beckham learned every skill thanks to working arduously in the gym. Complementing Beckham were three freshmen fliers that assisted in producing some of the more difficult points for the program.

Pushing all of these student-athletes to the next level is assistant cheer coach Brice Thomas, who was the brain behind it all, Pearn said.

Up next for all three teams will be nationals next weekend at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland, Bartow, Auburndale cheer squads win state titles