Mustang Cheerleaders Take State Title
Team Earns 1st Fall State Title
The 2007 Medford High School cheerleading team. Photo courtesy Judy Brudney.
– Allison Goldsberry
The Medford Mustang varsity cheerleaders trounced the competition at the state championships on Sunday and won their first-ever fall state title.
According to Program Director Lisa Evangelista, the team had the second highest score of the day at the MSSAA Fall State Cheerleading Championships, held at Shrewsbury High School. The Mustangs earned 180 out of a possible 200 points, narrowly beating second-place Westford Academy by 1.5 points.
The girls have worked hard this fall season and have the titles to prove it. Greater Boston champions for the fourth straight year, the team also went on to win the North Regional Competition in Woburn last Sunday despite an injury to one of their top athletes.
“This has just been an unbelievable season. We have to thank our team’s choreographer, Steve Belanger, of the East Elite Cheer Gym who gave us nothing but a spectacular routine! We knew the State Tournament would only be harder so we added a few more skills to the routine and we were happy to see it worked out for us. Adding difficulty is always a risk, especially at a State Final, but these girls really wanted to put themselves into contention for the State crown. Division II is very tough, all the teams are so skilled, so talented, your team just has to be on and hit and Medford did just that,” said Head Coach Julie Brown Santos.
“Since it is a first time win, these girls will have a memory for a lifetime. It was just so emotional, all the hard work over the years, finally paid off. When we arrived home, a police cruiser was waiting to take us to the high school in style and as we parked at Medford High, cheerleaders who had graduated last year & the year before, were there waiting with ‘Congratulations’ signs. It was just the best feeling, because all of my teams have laid the foundation for this win,” Santos continued.
The team will perform their winning routine at the Thanksgiving Football Game Pep Rally on Wednesday and will cheer on the Mustangs as they seek victory over Malden at the annual Turkey Day game.
Success is nothing new to the Mustang cheering program. The Mustangs won a state title in the winter of 1998 and captured two national titles in 2002 and 2004.
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