Cheerful results

The job’s not done, but they’re one step closer.

Kingfisher High School was the runner-up last Saturday at the Class 4A competitive cheer regional in Chickasha.

The finish gave KHS one of the two automatic berths from the regional into this weekend’s state competition.

KHS will be one of 15 teams vying for the state title Saturday at Union High School in Tulsa.

The 4A competition begins at 3 p.m.

KHS will perform its routine at 3:40 p.m. The final 4A team to perform will do so at 5:20 p.m.

“We have a lot of work to do this week,” said coach Carma Reagan after the team earned 246.8 points from judges at the regional.

Defending state champion Crossing Christian School was the regional champ with 262.2 points.

Pauls Valley placed third with 240.6.

The regional champ and runner-up automatically qualify for state. Those teams that earn 225 points for their routines also qualify.

From the Chickasha regional, that also included Cache (237.6), North Rock Creek (232.8), Sulphur (232) and Marlow (225).

Reagan stresses details in practices and said the smaller ones are what kept KHS from scoring even higher than it did.

“We didn’t have any major glaring mistakes, just lots of small ones that added up to several points,” Reagan said. “Tumbling pass mistakes, timing mistakes, stunt and pyramid bobbles. All those small details, as I’ve said before, are what can hurt us…and it did.

“Yes we advanced and I’m excited about that, but we have to clean it up.”

And, said Reagan, improve beyond that.

Although scored by a different set of judges, three teams at the Stroud regional - Bristow (266.2), Lincoln Christian (256.4) and Sallisaw (251.8) - scored higher than Kingfisher.

“There are five or six really good teams sitting in the top spots. Class 4A is a tough class to win,” Reagan said. “We will try to add a tad more difficulty to our stunts and add a couple more tumbling passes to hopefully beef up those scores.”

That means even more practice time for a team that puts in several hours of it every week…on top of everything else happening with fall events.

“Our practice schedule is intense this week. We are scheduling around two softball games, a band marching contest, girls’ work schedules and cross country practices,” Reagan said. “We will be in most mornings at 6:45 a.m. and working late in the evenings. We’re having two-a-day practices and we started Sunday night.”

Reagan added she - and the team - appreciated the fan support on hand in Chickasha.

“We had a great crowd on Saturday, so that always helps the girls,” Reagan said. “I was thankful for all the students and family members who rolled out to cheer them on.”

She hopes they’ll make the trip northeast to Tulsa and she said the team will work hard to make them proud.

“There is always room to get better,” Reagan said. “That’s what we plan on doing this week. We all agree we can and will do better.”

TWO-TIME CHAMP CASHION OVERCOMES OBSTACLES TO ADVANCE

It’s a situation not uncommon to Cashion High School’s cheer team.

Just how it landed there this year was a bit different.

The two-time defending Class 2A champs will be back to defend their competitive cheer title once again.

They earned that right Saturday by being awarded 228.4 points by judges in a regional competition at Chickasha.

Regional champions and runners-up automatically qualify for state.

Also moving on are teams that score a minimum of 225 points.

Cashion is one of 11 teams that will compete for the 2A state championship this Saturday at Union High School in Tulsa.

The 2A and 3A competition begins at 10 a.m. (teams from the two classes rotate performances).

Cashion is the final 2A team to perform at 11:45 a.m.

Hinton won the Chickasha regional with 235.2 points.

Crescent was the runner- up with 232.4.

It was a similar situation a year ago when Cashion took third in the regional behind the very same two teams.

The group of Lady Wildcats then won their second consecutive state title the next weekend.

This year’s team was thrown a curveball before it ever arrived in Chickasha.

“We had a flat tire at our built-in bathroom break just outside of Chickasha,” said coach Amber Hobgood.

Team members had to catch rides with parents and Cashion administration who had yet made it to the competition site.

The team arrived five minutes after its scheduled check-in time.

“We had a great warm-up and hit the routine great,” said Hobgood of the team’s preparation prior to taking the mat for the competition routine.

“We just didn’t quite hit it on the mat, but I’m really proud of the girls for powering through and qualifying.”

Hobgood said, on top of hoping for better luck with tires, the team will work this week to improve.

‘We had quite a few mistakes, but still managed to qualify,” she said. “We have a lot of work to do, but I believe these girls can work hard and do it. It’s not going to be easy, though.”