By John R. Schirmer
News-Leader staff
For the second year in a row, the Nashville High School cheerleaders are the Class 4A state champions.
The Scrapper cheerleaders won the title Saturday afternoon at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Gentry placed second at state.
“When they said Gentry was second, I put my hands over my face,” Coach Susan Renfrow said. It would be all or nothing for Nashville.
“Then they called us out. They [the girls] were excited” and Renfrow was crying.
Nashville won by six points. “That’s a lot in the cheer world. Last year, we won by less than a point. It’s usually really close,” Renfrow said.
“I’m proud for the girls. Hard work paid off” with back-to-back state championships.
NHS had “a minor infraction in our cheer part” of the state routine,” Renfrow said, resulting in a 2-point deduction. “Everything else was spot on. We do the little things right. Everything was so together for us at state. That was a definite difference” in the outcome.
“When you do the little things right, you can have a mistake” like the minor deduction.
With the state finals completed, the cheerleaders are preparing for national competition Feb. 10 in Orlando, Fla.
They will sponsor a cheer camp Jan. 22, 23 and 25 to help raise money for the trip and to help aspiring cheerleaders in grades 4-6.
The NHS cheerleaders include Jordan Revels, Mackenzie Brown, Olivia Herzog, Leslie Lingo, Breanna Peebles, Lindsey O’Donnell, Julianne Futrell, Hannah Faulkner, Cecily Sweeden, Kimberly Perez, Steyanna Bailey, Addy Harmon and Macy Goff.
