Whitman-Hanson Express

You are here: Home / Archives for MSAAA Division 2 state title

Champions again: Whitman-Hanson cheerleaders win state title 14

By

They did it again.

For the fourth straight season, the ninth time in four years and the 14th time overall, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders are MSAA Division 2 champions.

The Panthers scored a 198.7 to claim the victory today while competing at Worcester State.

“I am so proud of this team,” second-year head coach Alyssa Hayes said. “Their motivation, determination and drive has been unmatched these last few weeks. I am even more impressed with the way they handle themselves – they’ve managed to stay humble regardless of their state championship record. They don’t stop working hard after a win. Today they learned yet again that teamwork and believing in themselves gets the job done.”

The Panthers claimed the South Regional title last week and the Patriot League crown the week before.

Jump for joy: ‘We believe’ drives W-H cheer to lucky number 13 championship

By

The Panthers celebrate after the results are announced. / Photo by: Sue Moss

On Sunday, on its home mat, the cheerleading team had every reason to believe. The Panthers boasted a 200.1 score to secure their 13th MSAA Division 2 state title.

“We believe.”

The phrase can often be heard echoing off the walls in the Whitman-Hanson Regional High gymnasium as the cheerleaders break their huddle. It said before every practice, after every routine and every competition.

The two words have served as a way to draw the Panthers, who lost their coach of five-plus years after a trip in late January to Dallas for nationals, amid tough times.

“We came out about seven weeks to coach and we were looking to kind of find a way to really come together and one of the biggest thing this season was teamwork,” said Alyssa Hayes, who now coaches the team alongside Keryn Cordo and Melissa Scungio. “So, one of the things that we had talked to the girls a lot about was if they believed in themselves and they believed in each other and their team that they could do anything.”

On Sunday, on its home mat, the cheerleading team had every reason to believe. The Panthers boasted a 200.1 score to secure their 13th MSAA Division 2 state title.

“They came together, they worked hard from the second they arrived on Sunday to the second they left,” Hayes said. “I could see it in their face. I could tell that this is what they worked for and they weren’t going to let anything stop them.”

The victory also marked the program’s fifth straight winter crown.

“I think that this season the girls were so resilient and they really rose above and worked together, so I think after a [second-place finish] at regionals and after being at home, at least, they really wanted this title,” Hayes said. “This was definitely one of the sweetest ones of all.”

Milford, which finished second with a score of 196.2, edged the Panthers, 195.40-194.70, the week before in the South regional competition.

“We had been hitting prior,” Hayes said. “We had been hitting the routine and I think some days it’s just not there, so we used that as motivation during states week to work even harder to really ask them: how bad do you want this. This is your home and this is your mat. How bad do you want it?”

The Panthers also lost one of their flyers this winter, thrusting a base into action to learn new techniques on the fly.

“We had alternates step up to compete, learning the routine in less than 48 hours,” Hayes said. “I truly believe it was a season of teamwork and I’m really proud of that. The girls worked at 1,000 percent to make sure their dynasty lived on.”

The cheerleaders will not be attending the New England regional competition due to a scheduling conflict, but they’re perfectly content with the way things ended.

“They qualified, but they’re ending as state champions and they’re definitely pleased,” Hayes said.

The cheerleading team was captained by junior Anna Franklin and consisted of senior Nicole Masone, juniors Madelyn Anderson, Ashley Davis and Shelby Newcomb, sophomores Kaylee Diehl, Rachel Hunter and Ryley Hurley and freshmen Melanie Hulbert, Olivia McCarthy and Savannah Poirier.

State cheer champs

By

The day after winning their MSSAA Div. 2 state championship, the W-H cheerleaders supported the boys’ basketball team in its state title game at TD Garden. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders won a state title Sunday.

On Sunday, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High cheerleaders landed two things – their routine and a MSSAA Division 2 state title.

The Panthers, under the leadership of head coach Tanisha King, boasted a 197.70 score to top North Attleboro (196.3), Shawsheen Valley (193.1), Assabet Valley (178.0), Milford (177.0), Billerica (174.5) and six other competing schools.

“It felt amazing considering especially in the fall, we didn’t place where we wanted to,” King said. “They have done amazing picking up from coming in fifth [in states in the fall] to going down to Dallas and winning the national title down there and then just keeping up the momentum all the way through states.”

With the victory, senior captains – Alison Joanis, Hannah MacDonald, Olivia Villanueva and Payton Wright – captured their sixth state title.

“They have all been four years on varsity,” King said. “Their commitment and dedication these past four years has been remarkable. They’re not only amazing cheerleaders but they’re role models.”

The win comes on the heels of the cheerleaders scoring a 202.20, which was tied for the highest out of 27 competing schools, Sunday, March 5 to claim a South regional title.

It has been a busy season for the W-H cheerleaders. They have captured an NCA national title, a Patriot League championship, a regional title and now a state title.

King said it’s easy to be complacent in the midst of winning but her team’s competition keeps it from being content, and coming in fifth during the fall season served as a wake-up call.

“It’s not an easy road,” King said. “It’s not like we’re in a division where you’re expected to win every time. Every year there is either a new team that steps up to the plate or even the teams that are hungry for their chance to win a state title. I always try to tell my team, ‘There is always someone in the gym working harder than you,’’’.

The squad vies for a Division 2 New England crown Saturday, March 18 at Providence Career and Technical Center at 10:30 a.m. This will be the last competition of the year for W-H.

“Since Dallas, we’re trying to go for that perfect record,” King said. “Go out and perform your routine one more time, the best you can and hopefully come home with the New England title again.”