The Luther Lion cheer team competed at the OSSAA Game Day Competition Friday. The atmosphere at the competition hosted by Yukon High School was energizing. The energy and Luther’s performances earned the team a spot in the top eight.
The 3A competition brought 32 teams together from around the state from Hugo to Kiefer to Chisholm. This was the first time for Luther to participate in this particular competition in Yukon. The team took the mat first on Friday morning and would compete in three rounds throughout the morning.
When not performing, the other cheer teams chanted along with the performing teams, showing the good sportsmanship that is Oklahoma Cheer. The Luther team had more than other cheerleaders supporting them. The Lions football team was there, along with a crowd of home town fans and family members.
The results of the first three rounds, fight song, band dance and crowd leading took a while to compile. To pass the time, the arena crowd had a dance party with throwback like the Cupid Shuffle and the Wop.
When the finalists were announced, there was a joyful uproar when Luther’s name was called. Senior Jessica Maddera said the feeling was amazing.
Coaches Dawn Wilson and Carly Wilson said they were so proud of the team for putting in the amount of work they did. Their work began last summer, with many hours of practice, ankle and wrist braces, and hard work got them to Game Day. Some team members had neither competed nor even cheered before this year, the coaches said.
For the final round, the Lions repeated their earlier performances as a top eight 3A cheer team. Maddera said making it that far was a dream! In the end, Crossings Christian School took top honors. Final scores will be posted soon.
Cheer team members include:
Seniors Kearstin Harp, DeNeysha Hines, Jessica Maddera, Rowdy Willmon, Sasha Wilson
Juniors Kaylee Cope, Angelina Erwin, Megan Garrett, Hailey Holman, MaKinlee Jones, Kory Price, Hannah Trenary, Lindsey Willis
Freshmen Zoey Hash, Katelyn Story
Manager, Monica Cavazos
Coaches Dawn Wilson, Carly Wilson, Nicole Meek
