Whether Bridgeport repeats as the Class AAA state championship cheerleading squad remains to be seen. What is known is that they are one of eight teams that will be in southern West Virginia next month looking to bring home the title.

 

The Indians won the Class AAA, Region I competition Saturday at East Fairmont High School. Brooke earned the regional crown. Brooke was the runner-up.

 

In cheerleading, the winner and runner-up from each region heads to the state event.

 

Both squads from Region I will now head to Huntington for the state cheerleading championship at the Cam Henderson Center on the campus of Marshall University in December. That event will start at 10 a.m. on Dec. 10.

 

Bridgeport and Brooke were followed by Morgantown and Wheeling Park. Morgantown earned third, while the Patriots were fourth in the eight-team region.

 

Coach Natalie Hathaway said it was not an easy victory, but certainly satisfying. The Indians and their difficult routine won as Hathaway said there was a slight miscue during the routine portion of the competition and the squad overcame it.

 

“To see them put that out of their mind, even though it was minor, and be so tough to continue to compete really makes me happy because they bounced back and you only have a two-and-a-half-minute window so without that ability to bounce back you’re in trouble,” said Hathaway. “As good as they did, that is what I’m proudest of.

 

“They have the physical ability, but that is mental ability, and they were extremely strong mentally because the issue was at the beginning of the longest stunt sequence,” she continued. “Our choreographer emphasizes if there is any issue just to move on and that’s what they did.”

 

The strong Bridgeport following was loud during the routine portion of the competition that can last no longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds. There is also a technical cheer portion of the competition that figured into the judge’s equation where Bridgeport excelled as well.

 

One thing the Indians also had to overcome, and it was likely an issue with other squads, was sickness. The team faced it last week in the East Fairmont Cheer Invitational on the same floor.

 

“That’s another reason I’m so proud of them. We’ve been battling sickness lately, even last (Saturday) and we showed up and competed,” said Hathaway. “This is a strong group of athletes.”

 

This year’s athletes that have been at work since August and doing year-round tumbling and training as well as the WVSSAC allowed flex days, features seniors Abigail Davis, Brynna Greathouse, Sallyanna Hamrick, Ruby Jackson, Andie McCall, and Lexi Wilkinson. The juniors on the squad are Gianna Felosa and Alea Matthis.

 

For BHS, the sophomores this are Jasa Garvin, Riley Lanza, Lily Lopez, and Tori Wagner. Rounding out the squad are freshmen Mary Nguyen, Lilly Wolfe, and Bailey Root.

 

Now the team has a little more than a month to face off against the best of the best in Huntington. Hathaway said her squad will do what it can to bring home another state title.

 

“There are a few areas we can tweak and clean some things up and get a little more polished,” said Hathaway. “We know we can do better, and we know we can push ourselves more. We’ll do everything we can to win a title.”

 

It should be noted that the performance Hathaway mentioned where the team battled sickness last weekend was last Saturday at the East Fairmont Fall Classic Cheerleading Invitational. The team won the Class AAA portion of the event on the same EFHS floor.

 

The Indians have six championships. The squad has earned titles in 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2019, and 2021. The 1996 title, said Hathaway, was also in Class AAA with the other four in Class AA.

 

Editor's Note:Photos from today's competition by Joe LaRocca.