Emotional accomplishment

INDIANAPOLIS — As the Patriots disappeared into the tunnel below the grandstand, the reality of the moment struck.

Seniors Emma Hatzell, Paisley Fugiett, Kayla Jetmore and Faith Faulkner gathered together.

They smiled and cried at the same time.

Fugiett buried her face in Jetmore’s shoulder. Faulkner covered her face. They wrapped each other in a group hug.

Their tears were both happy and sad. Happy that their state fair performance went about as well as they could have hoped. Sad because it was their last.

Only the happy tears would return a few hours later.

The Jay County High School cheerleaders celebrated their first Indiana State Fair championship in more than a decade Saturday afternoon when they were announced in first place in the large varsity no music division.

The reactions came rapid fire:

“Really good,” said Fugiett.

“Very great,” said Hatzell.

“Really accomplished,” said Jetmore and Faulkner, echoing each other.

“We got the job done,” Fugiett added. “Left it on the mat.”

There was some trepidation as results were announced in reverse order. With Brebeuf Jesuit called in third place, that left Jay County and Decatur Central vying for the title.

A year ago, it was the Patriots who were announced in second place, just one tenth of a point behind champion Tri-West.

“I was just praying that they wouldn’t call us for second,” said Faulkner.

“In my mind I was like, ‘Please, please, please, please, please don’t call our name,’” added Fugiett.

Brenna Schmiesing, a JCHS junior, reacts to the announcement of Decatur Central in second place Saturday, which locked the Patriots into the top spot. They had finished second in each of the previous two seasons. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)

 

Jay County took the Indiana State Fair title with 206.6 points, 3.4 ahead of the runners-up. Brebeuf was a distant third with 178.6.

It was the first state fair title for the Patriots since 2012. (The squad took a break from the state fair from 2017 through 2022 after the 2016 competition was canceled. It instead competed in Universal Cheerleaders Association and Indiana Cheer Championship competitions during that span.)

“I think it was our turn,” said JCHS coach Lindsey Peterson, her own tears flowing. “This was the best group of girls. They deserved it for more than one reason. …

“They’re hard workers and they get along. … It builds the teamwork aspect of it when you want your teammates to do well.

“And then the girls who came back after last year, losing by a 10th of a point, they needed that.”

Jay County’s junior high squad was third in the junior high division with 175.7 points. It finished behind repeat champion Fall Creek (201.7) and Decatur Central (178.8).

The Patriot varsity cheerleaders — Emmarie Barton, Dakota Blalock, Peyton Carpenter, Trinity Glassford, Brenna Schmiesing, Kelsey Muhlenkamp, Kaylyn Bell, Ashlynn Brunswick, Brooks Kahlig, Ella Roussey, Aubree Shannon, Trinity Walker, Jetmore, Hatzell, Fugiett and Faulkner — knew they had hit a strong routine when they walked off the mat in front of the grandstand at the state fairgrounds.

The Jay County High School cheerleaders won their first Indiana State Fair championship since 2012 on Saturday. Pictured, front row from left, are seniors Kayla Jetmore, Faith Faulkner, Paisley Fugiett and Emma Hatzell. Middle row are Ella Roussey, Brooks Kahlig, Ashlynn Brunswick, Aubree Shannon, Dakota Blalock and Kelsey Muhlenkamp. Back row are Kaylyn Bell, Emmarie Barton, Trinity Walker, Brenne Schmiesing, Trinity Glassford and Peyton Carpenter. (the Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)

 

All of the tumbling had hit. Every stunt stayed in the air. Any bobbles that existed were minor.

“I think we did the best that we’ve done the routine — no major mistakes,” said Peterson after watching a recording of the routine. “Really not much of any bobbles either. We were worried about the last mount, but they did well.”

The judges agreed, awarding the Patriots at least 8.3 points out of 10 in every category. Their high score was a 9.1 from one judge for their motions.

Their highest scores overall from the three judges came for crowd appeal, creativity and vocal cheer at 26.6 out of 30. Motions were next at 26.5.

Even their lowest scores were strong as they earned 25.1 points in the stunts/pyramids/tosses category.

The third-place finish for the junior high squad came after finishing second a year ago and fourth in 2023.\

Charli Stephens of the Jay County Junior High School cheerleading squad performs Saturday morning at the Indiana State Fair. The junior high finished in third place. Pictured behind Stephens is Aubree Hunley. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)

 

“I feel like they did pretty good,” said junior high coach Brea McClain. “I’m proud of what they put on the mat. We had a few struggles, but nothing that we haven’t worked really hard to fix. We’ve come a long way.”

Scores for the junior high squad ranged between 7 and 8 in each category, with a high total of 23.6 for degree of difficulty. Their next best category was tumbling.

The Patriots were dinged on the scoresheets for synchronization and the execution of their jumps.

The junior high squad hopes to be able to use the competition to spur improvement over the next few months as it is slated to compete in the Indiana Cheer Championships this fall.

For the JCHS seniors, the state fair marked their final competition. It was that reality hitting them that led to the tears in the tunnel.

“We've all grown up cheering together,” said Fugiett. “It's just the realization of it being our last time cheering with each other.”

And there was no better way to go out than with the big trophy in their arms.

“This was the best possible team that we could have won with,” said Hatzell. “All of us are best friends. We had the most amazing time this summer … It was really a good memory for everyone.”

Below, JCHS varsity cheerleaders Emma Hatzell, Trinity Glassford and Dakota Blalock cheer during their state fair championship routine. Behind Hatzell is Ashlynn Brunswick and behind Glassford are Kayle Jetmore and Faith Faulkner. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)