The cheerleading competition squad placed second at state in the coed small division. The MCCA State Competition took place at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Months of preparation went into the competition.

“We had practices three days a week, and we sometimes had morning practices two days a week, so almost five days a week most of the time. We had practices for two hours,” junior Bella Grossman said.

The coach attributed their success to hard work.

“I coach them hard,” new head coach Bailey Graceffa said. “They know there’s high expectations.”

The team was happy with their performance.

“I was obviously upset that we didn’t win,” senior Gavin Moeckel said. “But our team went through many challenging hurdles this season, and second place in small coed is nothing to be sad about.”

Junior Saylor Statler said she put a lot of practice and work into the performance beforehand, both by herself and with the team.

“I think we did alright,” Statler said. “I don’t think we did the best we’d done before or we could have done, but we did fine.”

Statler’s experience at the competition left her with sweet memories.

“I’m glad I got to room with someone that I’m actually friends with, and it was just fun being with some of my closest friends and being in a hotel. It was fun, except for the part when we lost.”