Submitted photos | Madison Northup
Members of the Xenia High School competition cheerleading squad show off their first-place banner at the Hillclimber Haunt in Urbana.
The high school hip hop team has been brought back and will be performing at some basketball games this season.
The squad also won the Comet Classic in Mason.
XENIA — Normally tasked with cheering for others, members of the Xenia High School cheerleading squad have been the recipients of lots of “rah rahs” lately.
The competition team, coached by Madison (Caupp) Northup, has had quite a successful season as it heads into Saturday’s Miami Valley League competition at Butler High School in Vandalia. The team recently won the Hillclimber Haunt at Urbana High School and the Comet Classic at Mason High School. Both had solid fields.
Those efforts almost complete a monumental turnaround from the last few years, which were a struggle. The assent began last year when the team finished third at the MVL last year after a solid showing in six other events. Now Xenia has a legitimate shot at winning its first MVL title.
“We are looking to change that this year,” Northup said. “I have a team of 20 very dedicated and hard-working athletes who want to win. I am beyond proud to see the growth and the continued push to be better everyday I see in these girls and being from Xenia and coming up through the program myself makes it that much more special.”
The team moved up to the Gameday Division last year, which entails more gameday-like scenarios the girls have to property form and execute to elicit a response from the crowd, Northup said.
Members of the team are Zoee Richards, Kylie Hart, Jayla Howell, Jada Dyer, Sha Underwood, Danica Brewer, Taylor Walker, Lashae Beard, Nadia Lewis, Jakayla Windsor, Adailya Breakall, Makiyah Bundy, Calli Robinson, Ayla Moore, Madelynn Ladd, Anna Hopson, Chloe Abriola, Azalynn Mira, Kylie Doyle, and Jaylanah Pope.
Northup also said the high school hip hop squad has been brought back this year and will be performing at competitions and some basketball games.
At the MVL Saturday, Xenia’s middle school is set to go at 10:12 a.m., while the high school squad performs at 11:06.
Reach Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.
