Second in state

INDIANAPOLIS — Gathered in a tight circle on the northeast corner of the Southport gym, the Jay County High School cheerleaders anxiously awaited results.
Some of them locked arms. Some held hands. Junior Sierra Trobridge and coach Abby Champ each struck prayerful poses.
Seniors Carli Ostrowski and Morgan Brown reacted with shock when Bishop Dwenger was announced in third place.
“It was hard to keep it all in and not scream really loud,” said fellow senior Bryttani Knight. “It was awesome.”
Moments later, the Patriots were able to let out all of their excitement as they were announced as the second-place squad in Class B at the Indiana Cheer Championships.
“I don’t know. I don’t have words,” said JCHS coach Abby Champ. “I’ve got tears. I’ve got excitement. I don’t quite have words to describe what second place in the state at this competition at this level means.
“I don’t even know that we thought that this was a possibility when we started this.”
Though it had finished second in the regional competition just a week earlier, Jay County knew repeating the feat would not be easy with Bishop Dwenger and Cathedral hot on its heels.
But it did just that, holding off the third-place Saints by just six tenths of a point for the runner-up spot. Cathedral was fourth with 249.5 points, and Lowell finished fifth at 241.7.
The Patriots trailed only Pendleton Heights, which won its third straight state championship with 269.3 points.
“It felt amazing because we honestly didn’t believe we could at the beginning of the year,” said freshman Sydnee Lee, echoing her coach’s thoughts. “It was just an awesome feeling.”
Jay County was on point from the beginning, hitting its first series of jumps.
The Patriots earned their highest individual scores for the jumps throughout their routine. Those marks included a perfect 10 for variety and a 9.8 for difficulty.
“I thought we did really good,” said junior Miranda Hibbard. “I was really proud of how everything went. I thought we did the best that we could do.”
JCHS also scored well in dance and routine formations/transitions, posting scores of between 9.3 and 9.5 in those categories.
And though the final building section of their routine wasn’t perfect, the Patriots adjusted on the fly. They hit their final pyramid perfectly, giving the judges and the audience the final “picture” Champ had emphasized was so important.
The judges in turn awarded scores between 8.0 and 9.5 for overall impression.
Jay County finished third overall in dance, stunts and tumbling, but it was precision that put the Patriots over the top. As had been the case a week earlier, they took just one point in deductions while other squads lost as many as 11.
“It’s the best one we’ve done,” said Champ. “We still had a couple minor mistakes.”
The runner-up finish was especially gratifying for Jay County cheerleaders Whitney Lowe, Breea Liette, Madison Miller, Lauren Teagle, Alexus Liette, Kylie Ring, Maddie Strausburg, Courtney Miles, McKenna Daniels, Ostrowski, Knight, Brown, Trobridge, Hibbard and Lee because it had not taken part in the Indiana Cheer Championships since 2004, when it finished fourth.
Entering unfamiliar territory after finishing third at the state fair this summer behind Pendleton Heights and Tri-West, the Patriots weren’t quite sure what to expect. But they rose to the occasion, and Lowe, Hibbard and Lee all said this year’s ICC success has the Patriots motivated to return next season in an effort to dethrone Pendleton Heights.
“They just want it. The 15 that are here because they wanted to be here,” Champ said of the squad, which was made up of volunteers from the 24 who competed at the Indiana State Fair this summer. “They made it happen. They’re already talking about next year and the future. That’s why we became so successful.”