State spirit championships: Vail Christian wins seventh-straight 2A poms title
DENVER — Vail Christian won its seventh-straight title in 2A poms at Saturday’s state spirit championships.
“It’s crazy. I’ve been here every year we’ve won, because my older sisters were both on the team,” Vail Christian captain Isabelle Carlson said. “How far this team has come this year is really inspiring. We pulled it together and got it done.”
Patti Carlson — in her seventh year as the coach of the Saints — has a state championship for every year dating back to 2011. Vail Christian has not won a title in any other sport.
“I’m so proud of these girls,” Patti Carlson said. “These kids did everything. They’re smart, they work hard. We’re here, and we won.”
The championship win puts the Saints in a tie for the eighth-most spirit spirit titles in state history.
Vail Christian turned in a score of 76.9833 to beat out Sanford, who finished with a final score of 68.9333. The Saints made it to the finals with a score of 77.3833 in Friday’s competition.
“Our school is small, so it feels like a family,” Patti Carlson said. “We’ve had so many sisters on our team. It’s family support.”
Elsewhere in poms, Bayfield took the 3A title over Aspen with an impressive score of 84.9167. Bayfield finished runner-up at last year’s competition.
Wheat Ridge claimed a repeat title in 4A with its score of 88.4333. Valor Christian edged out Erie to take second place with an 85.0333.
ThunderRidge won its first title in 5A poms with a score of 94.2333. Grandview finished in second for a second straight runner-up finish.
Cheer
Cherokee Trail won the school’s first title in 5A cheer, beating last year’s champion Rock Canyon.
Valor Christian won the 4A championship by virtue of a tiebreak over Thompson Valley. The two teams tied with 83.0500 points, but Valor had a higher average score from the cheer judges, which gave them the title.
Valor Christian won the 2016 title, while Thompson Valley finished runner-up.
In 3A, The Academy topped Pinnacle and Prospect Ridge with a score of 80.35. That’s the school’s first 3A cheer title.
Highland won a second-straight title in 2A cheer, finishing ahead of Cheyenne Wells.
Co-ed Cheer
Castle View won its fourth-straight title in 4A/5A, topping Mountain Vista and Vista Ridge.
St. Mary’s claimed the title in 2A/3A for a third-straight championship. Coal Ridge, Bayfield and Salida finished behind the Pirates.
Jazz
Ponderosa won the Jazz title, moving the Mustangs into a tie for the most spirit titles in state history. Ponderosa now has 11 state spirit championships after turning in a 95.2.
Mountain Vista finished in second place with 93.5833 points.
Hip Hop
Broomfield rocked the house with it’s hip hop performance and took the state title.
Eaglecrest finished in the runner-up spot, while Overland gave longtime coach Becky Grasser a solid sendoff with a third-place finish.
Monarch, which won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, finished in fourth.
