Co-Ed Cheer: Castle View, Coal Ridge, DSST Cedar Claim Championships

DENVER – The competition for the Class 5A coed cheer state title ended with a photo finish at the Denver Coliseum on Friday night.

Putting together a fantastic routine, the Castle View spirit team posted a score of 79.75. That score, however, was only good enough for the Sabercats to tie for first place with Highlands Ranch.

In the end, Castle View was awarded the championship by way of a tiebreaker based on its overall cheer impression score. It was the second season in a row that the Sabercats took home the 5A coed cheer title and the program’s eighth coed cheer title. 

“This is back-to-back state titles for us and we’ve been working really hard,” Castle View coach Alicia Zaragoza said. “This was the hardest routine this program has ever seen. But the thing that kept us going is the competition that we have. Highlands Ranch has been working so hard and there has been such great sportsmanship between our teams. It’s just nice to compete against another team where there is so much love there.”

In Class 4A, Coal Ridge (82.6 points) won its first state title after moving up to the state’s second largest classification. It was also the Titans’ seventh-straight coed title after winning six-straight 2A/3A championships, and the school’s eighth spirit title overall.

“We’re excited. We weren’t sure if we could do it or not, but we wanted more competition and decided to move up, and it paid off,” Coal Ridge head coach Alyssa Thurmon said of her team competing its first season in 4A. “I think their resilience [stood out today]. They’ve been through a lot this season, so to end up on top is pretty rewarding.”

Thompson Valley placed second in 4A with a score of 79.25.

In Class 2A/3A, DSST: Cedar claimed its first-ever coed cheer title with a score of 76.6 points. 

“It’s our first one, so that’s a really big deal,” DSST: Cedar coach Samantha Barton said. “We’ve made it to the finals for five years, and I think we were just really hungry for first place. We’ve only got one senior and a bunch of freshmen, sophomores and juniors, and we’re excited about it. We’re going to savor this moment, and then we’re going to get back to work.

“I’m excited for DSST and for Denver Public Schools for bringing home a state championship. We knew this was the year. We had a feeling, and we’ve been working hard. Things just kind of came together. We know we can throw together a pretty clean routine. They’re pretty consistent athletes, and they came out and hit it. They’re amazing.” 

Banning Lewis finished runner-up with a score of 75.8.