Erie, Cherokee Trail, Denver Christian, Highland Win All-Girl Cheer State Titles
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DENVER – There’s just no stopping the Erie cheer program in the Class 4A all-girl cheer division.
On Friday night at the Denver Coliseum, the Tigers won their sixth straight championship in the event and seventh title overall. This year’s trophy was won with a dominant performance that earned a score of 95.7 and kept alive a streak that seems to become more ironclad with each passing season.
“I think, ultimately, this group of kids this year is not only extremely talented, but they’re the closest group I’ve ever coached,” Erie head coach Nora Roth said. “They’re just genuinely some of the best humans I’ve ever met and that makes any win better.”
Rounding out the 4A top seven, Lewis-Palmer was runner-up with a score of 89.15, Holy Family, last year’s runner-up, was third at 87.85, Riverdale Ridge and Berthoud tied for fourth at 81.5, Discovery Canyon was sixth at 75.2 and Frederick was seventh at 76.
In the 5A division, Cherokee Trail won its first cheer title since 2017. The Cougars put together a score of 91.5 to win by three tenths of a point.
“It means the world,” Cherokee Trail head coach Kelsey Goodson said. “They work so hard and sometimes you don’t know if things are actually going to be in the cards for you. But to know that we absolutely put the best performance we’ve ever had in our lives onto the floor tonight to walk away with a win couldn’t mean more.”
Douglas County, the 2022 champion, and Chaparral tied for second place with matching scores of 91.2. Due to a tie-breaking policy that came down to stunts, Douglas County ended up finishing runner-up. Rock Canyon was fourth at 90.9, Grandview, last year’s runner-up, was fifth at 90.4 and Mountain Vista placed sixth at 86.65.
In Class 2A, Denver Christian claimed first place with a score of 79.8 in the finals, narrowly edging runner-up Limon (79.7) by a tenth of a point. It was the Thunder’s second third-straight cheer championship.
“They’re all special,” said Denver Christian head coach Gina Harris, who has now won five-straight titles dating back to her time at Front Range Christian. “I have an incredibly special group of athletes and they work really hard. It’s very hard to repeat multiple times and this team started three years ago as a brand new program. They hadn’t had cheer at Denver Christian for several years. I moved my son to Denver Christian and they wanted to start a program.
“I didn’t know how they would be but they have such great work ethic and we not only work on cheer, but we also work on personal growth and spiritual growth. They’ve given it everything and it’s been amazing to watch them grow.”
Rounding out the 2A finalists were Front Range Christian in third, just one tenth of a point behind Limon at 79.6, and Cripple Creek in fourth with a score of 73.85.
In Class 3A, Highland got back on top after a year off since winning it all in 2021. The Huskies scored an 84.3 in the finals. It was the fifth title in the last seven seasons for the Huskies, who won three straight from 2016-18.
“It’s a really big win,” Highland head coach Michaela Runnells said. “We haven’t made finals in the last two years and it’s been really hard on us. We really came back this year with one goal in mind – get back to finals and get back to winning state. We’re happy that we finally got back up there.”
Prospect Ridge was runner-up in 3A, scoring a 82.3 in the finals. Woodland Park, which became a first-time champion in 2022, was third with a 78.2 and Montezuma-Cortez was fourth with a score of 68.35.
