On Saturday, February 21st, the girls’ Competitive Cheerleading team walked away with another week added to their season. Placing third, they successfully qualified for the regional meet that took place on February 28th at Novi High School. They not only added another week to their season, but they also defied all odds, given that it had been over 18 years since they had even qualified.

Even with tremendous pressure to place in the top 4 to qualify, they took home with them a new round 1 score of 213.8, an improvement of over 7 points. In numerous of the perplexing formations, freshman Sydney Sharp had many eyes on her, being front and center.

“It was very exciting to be front and center, it motivated me to do my best on the mat,” freshman Sydney Sharp said.

Initially, the team was seeded 4th in the district behind state champion Hanover-Horton, rival Leslie, and team Allen-Park Cabrini. At last year’s districts, they placed 5th behind Vandercook Lake with only about 4 points of a difference. This year, they came back and proved what Stockbridge Cheerleading really is.

“Peers, community members, and staff are starting to notice that the cheer program is back,” Coach Sara Steinkraus said.

Overall, the ladies left all of it on the mat and even reached their second-best high score of the season with 667.5. Between 4th-place finisher Allen-Park Cabrini and them, the gap was high with 17 points in between. 

“I have been dreaming of this moment ever since I started cheer, and to be able to make it to regionals was something I never could have imagined,” senior Gianna Watts said.

As a team who wanted it more than ever, the 2025-26 Stockbridge competitive cheerleading team left it all on the mat at regionals and hope to be back next year to do even better.