By Angela Watts
Assistant General Manager, Washington D.C.
** Please click on the links above the video to find photos from Wednesday’s championships and video highlights from seven cheerleading squads.
It wasn’t perfect for West Springfield Wednesday night at Lake Braddock — but it sure was rewarding.
The Spartans, the two-time defending Patriot District cheer champions, were forced to instill an alternate just hours before the competition because of a back injury to one of its flyers, but still managed to walk away with its third consecutive league crown.
West Springfield bested runner-up South County, 240-223.5, in the final round while host Lake Braddock (205) and Lee (200) finished third and fourth, respectively.
“I’m extremely proud of my girls,” said misty-eyed Spartan Coach Betsy Fawsett. “We actually put in an alternate this afternoon at 3:30 p.m., so the fact that they hit it that clean and that well … I’m ecstatic.
“This is our third district championship in a row and it’s hard. It’s hard when you’ve got that target on your back and you know other schools are fighting just as hard. It just makes me so proud.”
South County stood in third place after the semifinal round, but improved its score by 30 points in the final round to secure its second-place finish.
All four squads advance to the semifinal round of the Northern Region championships, which will be held Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. at Robinson Secondary School. The Northern Region tournament — which will include 16 teams from the area’s four districts, including league champions Edison (National), Fairfax (Concorde), Stone Bridge (Liberty) and West Springfield (Patriot) — will crown its champion on November 1.
The Spartans were the last Patriot team to claim the Northern Region title, having done so in 2003. That same year the Spartans also earned the region its first ever Virginia AAA state championship.
“All season the word for us has been, ‘magic,’ ” Fawsett said. “If we work together we can create magic. Cheerleading is such a team sport it’s not even funny. They have to work so hard together. And coming together like we did tonight, it was magic.
“But next time, I’d like them to nail their routine and hit it clean. And I have the confidence they can do it.”
NATIONAL DISTRICT NOTE: A scoring error in the semifinal round of Monday’s National District cheerleading championship initially excluded Washington-Lee from the upcoming region tournament. But the mistake — which dropped the Generals from their pre-competition, fourth-round seeding into fifth place –was caught just in time.
Once it was discovered that Washington-Lee should actually have placed third in the semifinal round and secured itself a berth into the Northern Region competition field, it was decided that the Generals should be given a chance to compete at Robinson on Saturday. Accordingly, the four National District teams scheduled to represent its league in the Northern Region meet will be Edison, Stuart, Washington-Lee and Falls Church.
Email: awatts@digitalsports.com
** Videos show the final-round performances of the top four finishers and the semifinal-round performances of the other three teams. Due to a technical error, DigitalSports regrets that Annandale’s routine was not recorded. If an Atoms’ coach, parent or fan has a video copy of the routine, please notify Angela Watts at the email address listed above.
Championship Round
1. West Springfield (240)
2. South County (223.5)
3. Lake Braddock (205)
4. Lee (200)
Semifinal Round
1. West Springfield (239)
2. Lake Braddock (214)
3. South County (193.5)
4. Lee (187)
5. T.C. Williams (180)
6. Annandale (160)
7. West Potomac (154.5)
8. Hayfield (151.5)
All-Patriot District Team
Hayfield– Meghan Clark, Lenia Eladlani, Adreana Williams; Lake Braddock — Nikki Austin, Cindy Choi, Emily Parillo, Julie Whitacre; Lee — Stephanie Campbell, Uyen Ma; South County — Kelly Miles, Mimi Koszeghy, Lara Kuna, Katherine Wrona; T.C. Williams — Raynesha Sharpe; West Potomac — Julie Ruamthong, Rebecca Walker, Lauren Wilmot; West Springfield — Nicole Brigham, Ryann Hart, Carli Perrin.
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