NEW CASTLE — Eastern Hancock’s cheer squad placed second and Mt. Vernon’s placed third in their respective divisions in this past weekend’s state cheer finals held at New Castle High School.
All four Hancock County high schools competed in the Indiana Cheer Championship, where squads had the option of competing in the Varsity or Timeout competitions, or both.
Eastern Hancock High School finished the strongest, placing second in their Varsity D division based on school enrollment. The squad also finished fifth in the Timeout competition for small schools.
Mt. Vernon High School finished third in the Varsity B division and sixth in the Timeout competition among large schools.
Greenfield-Central placed seventh and New Palestine finished eighth in the Varsity B finals and did not participate in the Timeout competition.
Eastern Hancock’s head cheer coach, Brittany Stillinger, said her squad bounced back from a challenging year — including coaching staff turnover and canceling a competition hosted by the school due to COVID.
“I am incredibly proud of these ladies. The girls put in a lot of hours to make sure they felt confident in the routine they performed at state, and they absolutely succeeded at that,” she said. “The drive each one of the girls has is unmatched. They have raw talent and absolutely love the sport. They are an amazing group of athletes.”
Mt. Vernon High School Principal Casey Dodd was thrilled to see his school’s squad break into the top three spots in the Varsity B finals on Saturday.
“They left everything on the mat, and as a program we couldn’t be more excited about their accomplishments this year,” he said.
