Spirit: State Titles Go to Eaglecrest in Hip-Hop, Cherokee Trail in Jazz
Photo: Myla Stewart
DENVER – The Colorado High School Activities Association concluded its 2025 Spirit State Championships on Saturday with the Pom, Hip-Hop and Jazz competitions at the Denver Coliseum.
Alongside the Poms State Champions, Eaglecrest won the Hip-Hop state championship for a fifth-straight year, while Cherokee Trail was crowned state champions in Jazz for a second-consecutive season.
For the fifth-straight season and the sixth time in the last seven years, Eaglecrest is taking home the Hip Hop State Championship.
Eaglecrest narrowly edged Broomfield out of first place, with the Raptors earning a score of 87.15 and Broomfield posting a score of 86.725. Fruita Monument placed third (85.25) in the category, while Smoky Hill took fourth with a score of 83.6.
“The pressure is way harder (each year),” said Mistelle Comeaux-Jimenez, one of Eaglecrest’s co-coaches. “It’s really intense.
“For high schoolers to come out and have that kind of pressure on them and perform like they did is incredible, and we just feel so proud of them.”
Eaglecrest has two seniors who have won four state championships, 11 returners with at least one previous championship and 10 newcomers.
“We talk about it all season and a lot of it is just our preparation,” co-coach Cayla Warneke said. “We practice what the warm-up floor looks like. We practice what walking onto a finals floor looks like. We also talk about what the pressure means and how to use that to their advantage starting in the spring at tryouts.”
This marks Eaglecrest’s 17th overall spirit championship.
Cherokee Trail won its second-straight state championship by narrowly edging Mountain Vista in the finals of Jazz.
“It gets harder every year,” Cherokee Trail coach Mia Brown said. “The pressure is extreme. But we try to always come and do our best every single time. It’s a new team every year, and it is more challenging every year.”
The Cougars posted winning score of 94.125 to capture their fifth overall Jazz title, all of which have come in the last seven years. Mountain Vista, owners of six Jazz state championships, posted a score of 93.275 in the finals.
Cherokee Trail had the top semifinal score of 93.375, then upped it in the final.
“We took the feedback from the judges (after semifinals) and went to a dance studio and practiced, and made some of the changes they recommended,” Brown said. “And we came out stronger.”
The Cougars have 12 seniors, including four seniors who have won three state championships.
