Two local competitive cheerleading teams brought home state championship trophies Saturday from Bloomington.
It's a repeat for Belvidere North. But it's a first for Rockford Lutheran.
The Blue Thunder made it back-to-back state titles in the coed division, scoring a 93.97 in the final to hold off second-place Fox Lake Grant (91.60).
The Crusaders' performance earned them first place in the small-team division after they took fourth a year ago.
“When they took fourth (last year) the kids walked away saying 'that was great, but we want more,'” Lutheran coach Billie Makeever said. “And since state last year, this is what they’ve wanted and they’ve worked every day toward that goal, and we went after it.”
For Lutheran, it’s only the second state championship in the school’s history. The girls soccer team claimed the first state title in 2007.
The Crusaders were in second place after Friday’s preliminary round, but finished with a score of 88.17 to jump over Farmington (86.71).
“I think we were nervous about the top three teams and how we would place,” Makeever said. “However, when the girls were done they knew that that was the best they’ve ever done, so they walked away knowing regardless of what they score, they did the best they could.”
North Boone finished seventh in the small-team division with a score of 81.20.