The Seward cheerleading team led the Kenai Peninsula by finishing second in Division II at the basketball state competition at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on March 18.

The Seahawks finished second in Division II, while Kenai Central was fifth. The title was won by Grace Christian.

At Division I, Juneau-Douglas: Yadaa.at Kale was first, while Colony was second and Soldotna was fifth.

For Seward, the second-place finish represented continued growth since head coach Jean Beck took over the team for the 2020-21 season.

In 2019, the Seward cheerleaders won their first state title since 2006. Then came the pandemic, a new coach and a new set of cheerleaders.

Last season, the Seahawks won the Southcentral Conference and finished fourth in the state.

Seward basketball moved to the Southern Conference this season, which does not have a cheerleading competition, but the Seahawks were still able to nab second at state.

Beck said it all starts with the quality girls in the program.

“The humbleness, the academically motivated, that’s a big thing for us,” Beck said. “We had five of our eight get 4.0s.”

Last year, the Seahawks won the academic award at state with a 3.95. This year, they repeated with a 3.96.

Beck said Seward brought six cheerleaders to state. She said juniors Lola Swanson, Juniper Ingalls and Somi Clendaniel have been driving the rebirth of the program. That rebirth also included Seward having a football cheerleading squad this season for the first time.

Ingalls, a co-captain, got a good sportsmanship award at state, while Swanson, a captain, made the all-tournament team.

Beck said Swanson, the daughter of assistant coach Brittany Swanson, balances a lot of activities and is a great leader for the team.

“She has an aura about her that’s contagious,” Beck said. “It makes a huge difference when you have a leader like that.”

Beck said one of the keys to finishing second at state was making the best of what’s available.

For starters, Seward mostly practices in a cafeteria without tumbling mats. The town also doesn’t have a gymnastics club, though Beck is in the process of starting one.

The coach said that means tumbling and stunting is not a strength, like it is for a Kenai Central.

“Because we don’t have the big tumbling and stunting, we do really well with dance,” Beck said. “We’re really picky about dance, proper cheer etiquette, and making sure we have a variety of skills that work for the girls we have.”

After taking six cheerleaders to state for the second straight season, Beck knows the squad will never be large.

“Because we’re small, we have to be big on punctuality, our smiling and our loudness — using our diaphragms and making sure we have good eye contact,” the coach said. “All those little things.”

Beck said the girls also work very hard, practicing five days a week.

“We work out, we weight lift, we do CrossFit, we do as much conditioning as other teams,” Beck said. “We don’t run as much, but when you try and do the jumps and tumbling these girls are attempting, it’s quite difficult for some people.”

The Seahawks were able to put up a score that would have been fourth in the Division I competition. The team had no seniors, with sophomores Josie Andrews and Addison Gerlach, and freshman Sophia Hughes also performing at state.

“We’re already looking for routines and songs,” Beck said of next season.

Beck said the community has been great at supporting the program. Seward hosts a mini cheer camp to raise money for the team, and also sells Italian sodas and does concessions at a local movie theater, keeping half the proceeds.

The second-place finish continues an impressive run for Seward girls this year. The Seahawks girls also won state at Division II cross-country, won the Class 2A state basketball crown and were fourth at the Class 3A state volleyball tournament.

“Seward’s a place where we have these small-town families with lots of talent and really great kids,” said Beck, who teaches fifth grade at Seward Elementary. “They have a lot to show.”

At Soldotna, Jayda Williams became both the football and basketball cheerleading head coach in 2022. One of her points of emphasis has been getting healthy numbers out for the sport.

This season, Williams said basketball hit a new high with 18 cheerleaders.

“It’s definitely a good start as far as building, keeping the program going and keeping kids interested,” Williams said.

The coach said the group worked hard, practicing four to five days a week.

In February, the team went to the Top of the World Cheer and Dance Competition at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage and took first in their division.

The Stars also competed at the Northern Lights Conference tournament before competing at state.

“It was the first time they really got out there and actually performed, rather than just hitting their counts and their motions and stuff,” Williams said of state. “They just performed really well.”

Freshman Brooklynn Vann made the all-tournament team for the Stars.

Williams said the Stars also worked hard at crowd engagement this season, doing a stunt where cheerleaders were lifted and made hoops with their arms, inviting the crowd to try and make a basket with the pom poms.

“We tried to engage the crowd in a lot of things,” Williams said. “It’s better than it has been, but it’s not as good as we would like it.”

Also on the team for the Stars were sophomore Savannah Yeager, senior Adele Tacey, freshman Taylor Stonecipher, junior Lola Mirci, junior Avery Powell, freshman Jasmine Retringer, junior Savannah Hawkins, junior Lemzie Denbow, freshman Zoe Hayes, sophomore Ansley Scott, freshman Kaela Woods, junior Tara Faircloth, senior Taylor Ruffner, senior Samantha Pol Coll, freshman Juliahna Powell, sophomore Trinity Mahan and junior Alicia Galles.

At Kenai, the Kardinals were able to win back the Peninsula Conference crown before conference foe Grace Christian came back to take state. Kenai had won the previous four state titles, and five of the previous six.

“We had an incredible cheer season, and I couldn’t be more proud of the dedication and the hard work the athletes put in,” Kenai head coach Katie Kilfoyle wrote in a text message. “While we didn’t achieve the state finish we had hoped for, we proudly earned the title of region champions.

“I feel as if everyone made growth in some way, and that’s something to celebrate.”

At state, senior Sarah Baisden made the all-tournament team for the Kardinals, while seniors Christine Goering and Hollan Chadwick made the good sports team.

Also cheering for the Kardinals were junior Makenzie Harden, junior Cara Graves, junior Sylvia McGraw, senior Ellee Pancoast, sophomore Kimber Moore, senior Luis Saravia, freshman Ella Siemers, junior Kayani Whicker and senior MacKenzie Fann.

The Soldotna cheerleading team. Top row, left to right: Savannah Yeager, Adele Tacey, Taylor Stonecipher, Lola Mirci, Avery Powell and Jasmine Retringer. Middle row, left to right: Savannah Hawkins, Lemzie Denbow, Zoe Hayes, Ansley Scott, Kaela Woods and Tara Faircloth. Bottom row, left to right: Brooklynn Vann, Taylor Ruffner, Samantha Pol Coll, Juliahna Powell, Trinity Mahan and Alicia Galles. (Photo provided)

The Kenai Central cheerleading team. Back row, left to right: Luis Saravia, Sylvia McGraw, Kimber Moore, Makenzie Harden, Christine Goering, Sarah Baisden and Hollan Chadwick. Front row, left to right: Cara Graves, Mackenzie Fann, Ellee Pancoast, Ella Siemers and Kayani Whicker. (Photo provided)