Cheerleaders gain 7th place at state
HUNTLEY — Huntley High School’s cheerleaders ended the season on a note of memorable accomplishment with a seventh place finish at the IHSA Competitive Cheerleading State Finals.
The Red Raiders qualified for IHSA State two-day event through a fourth place finish at the Grayslake North sectional. At state, they were in fifth place after the preliminaries in the large team division with a 93.43 score, then concluded the final round with an 89.43 score for seventh. The IHSA State Competitive Cheerleading event was held Feb. 7-8 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
“I am incredibly proud of this team and all they accomplished this season,” Huntley head coach Renee Fowler said. “Qualifying for state and then advancing to the finals was an unforgettable experience for this team,” Fowler said.She added, “the team’s strong work ethic, dedication, and bond played a huge role in our success. Every athlete committed to pushing themselves and each other, which helped us improve with each competition. Also, this season was just so much fun with the positive atmosphere created at every practice and competition by these amazing athletes.”
Several strong competitions helped ready the team for post-season meets.
“Keys to our successful post-season included maintaining consistency in our routines, focusing on details, and trusting the process,” Fowler said. “Earlier highlights at meets included strong performances throughout the season: first place at Crystal Lake Central, second place at Jacobs, first place at Grayslake North, and second place in the Fox Valley Conference. These competitions helped build confidence and momentum heading into sectionals and IHSA State.”
Cheerleading veterans included seven seniors and a trio of the group were captains. They are Hollyn Berquist, Nona Breese, Meghan Giese, Connor Gerst, Ainsley Lang, Abby Rosa and Hailey Schmauderer.
“Our senior captains, Gerst, Giese, and Rosa, provided not only strong leadership but experience for a very young team,” Fowler commented. “We only had five athletes on the floor at IHSA State that have been on that floor before. Their leadership, positivity, and ability to keep the team motivated helped create a supportive and determined atmosphere, which will help this program continue to be successful. They set the standard for hard work and encouraged everyone to give their best every day, while making sure they gave their best every day also, truly leading by example.”
A week after their season ended, the captains talked about the season and careers in cheerleading.
“We did real well at state, we wanted to leave it all on the mat,” Rosa said.
Rosa has been in cheerleading for eight years. Her career included a start with Huntley Cheerleading Association.
“This year there was an especially good bond,” Giese said. “I’ve been cheering for 13 years. I just love the sport.”
Gerst’s career includes international competition with Team USA through the International Cheerleading Association. The squad competed at Seoul, South Korea, in 2023.
“It was real cool to get to know cheerleaders from Tokyo and Thailand and know their journeys,” Gerst said.
