She’s A Beauty, That Number Nine: Chesapeake Cheerleading Wins State Championship

The Chesapeake cheerleading program further cemented its status as the paragon of high school cheerleading excellence in Maryland when the Cougars won a Maryland-record ninth state championship at Harford Community College on November 11.

The Cougars rebounded from a third-place finish at the county championships at Showplace Arena on November 2 to take first at the state semifinals (formerly known as regionals) on November 7 with a score of 126.2 out of a possible 130.

From there, Chesapeake scored a 122.5 out of a possible 130 at the state championship meet to finish first among 12 total teams.

The 2015 fall state champion Cougars are senior captains Allisyn Freburger and Sophia Charney, seniors Maya Kelly, Taylor Stracke, Maycie Breen, Emily Hosse, Erika Lehnert, Carleigh Petersen and Donna Alder, juniors Amanda Hardesty, Brooke Henningsen, Ana Brannock, Jillian Taylor, Karen Tebo and Carly McCree, sophomores Paris Ogonowski, Mariah Ambrose and Becca Ray, and freshmen Sierra Finnerty, Lindsey Petersen. They are coached by head coach Lisa Freburger and assistant coaches Joe Vecchioni, Jenn Edwards and Jenn Kobrin.

The latest state championship for the Cougars may be their most impressive. With teams at their strongest in the fall (as opposed to winter), the fall cheerleading season is typically more difficult, but this season it was even more so because of the newly revamped format that made for intensified competition. Prior to this year, every participating county sent a predetermined number of teams to the region meet.

This year, advancement was standardized across the state so that the top 23 teams advanced from the county championships to the state semifinals, and the top 12 teams advance from the semifinals to the state championship meet.

The change was a welcome boon for Anne Arundel County, which has long been a powerhouse in cheerleading, and nine Anne Arundel County teams advanced to the state semifinal meet; in the past, that number was capped at five.

It was the Cougars’ first fall state championship since 2010, a fact that made head coach Lisa Freburger especially proud.

“It is much more difficult to win in the fall season, and it was a huge motivator that the fall season 2010 was the last time we accomplished that,” said Freburger.

She noted that the team overcame early adversities that ultimately the Cougars turned into strengths.

“Each year you have turnover and new obstacles to face with any sports team, and this year was exactly that,” said Freburger. “We had some injuries that popped up which definitely put us in a position where we had two choices: let it destroy us, or let it make us stronger. I am very proud that as a team we chose the right path and continued to fight our way through and reach our goal of a deduction-free season as well as winning our first fall state championship in five years.”

Freburger also noted the team’s close relationship with the Kent Island cheerleading team and relayed an anecdote of sportsmanship. The Kent Island and Chesapeake cheerleading teams play football against one another every year in the Powderpuff football event, and the teams remain close outside of cheer competition.

After a few unfortunate errors in the 1A/2A state semifinals, the Buccaneers missed out on reaching the state meet by one-tenth of a point. Still, the Kent Island cheerleaders drove from the Eastern Shore to Harford County to cheer Chesapeake on, and the Cougars made “We Love Kent Island” posters and cards for the Buccaneers.

“We were so sad for them because they are an amazing team,” said Freburger. “Even through their heartbreak, they told us that wouldn’t miss states and a chance to cheer Chesapeake on from the stands. There is a huge mutual respect of our programs and a friendship between coaches. That kind of sportsmanship is far and few between nowadays, and we so appreciated everything they did for us.”