Heights
Pine-Richland Competitive
Cheerleading Squad places
4th at states.
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
W
ith a fourth-place
finish at states, the
Pine-Richland High
School Competitive
Cheerleading Squad continues to add
to its already successful season.
The team placed fourth at the 2019
PIAA state championship in Hershey
on January 11 and 12, besting more
than 40 other teams in the AAA Small
Varsity Division. This was the team’s
seventh consecutive trip to PIAAs.
The squad earned its spot at PIAAs
after securing a second-place victory in
the small varsity division at WPIALs at
Hempfield High School on Jan. 5. At
that event, they came in fourth overall,
out of 21 teams.
While the PIAA small varsity
division is limited to squads with no
more than 15 on a team, the Pine-
Richland squad has only 11 of its 13
members on the floor. Corey Doyle,
head coach, says that the team’s
size is not a limitation but rather a
defining factor.
“This means fewer stunts, but it helps
us increase our difficulty score. We can
better highlight all the girls’ skills with
creative choreography,” says Doyle,
who’s been coaching at Pine-Richland
for four years.
Despite two “rocky” performances in
the preliminary and semifinal rounds,
the team excelled in the final round.
“The girls hit a perfect routine
with zero deductions, and the feeling
of doing our very best was even
better than our fourth-place finish,”
says Doyle.
Next up is a trip to the UCA
National High School Cheerleading
Championship at Walt Disney World
Resort in February, where the team will
finish their season. While in Orlando,
the girls will perform two different
routines: a traditional routine with a
cheer and music section as well as a
game day routine that includes a band
dance, sideline, cheer and fight song.
“I’m looking forward to competing
against teams from around the country
that we don’t get to see all year,”
says Doyle. “I’m also really excited
to compete in the game day division.
All 13 girls get to compete in this
[game day] routine, and we are hoping
to do really well this year.”
Doyle credits the team’s bond as a
key to its success. Comprised of three
seniors, five juniors, one sophomore
and four freshmen, the teammates are
friends “on and off the mat,” he says.
Doyle is proud of the girls’
accomplishments and is looking
forward to building on their success in
seasons to come.
“Our goal is to always do better each
year and to always hit our routines,”
he says. “I want the girls to feel
accomplished at the end of the season
and feel that they have improved year
after year. I want them to feel proud
of their accomplishments and learn
that you have to work hard to be
successful.” n
PINE-RICHLAND
❘
SPRING 2019
15