Kelly wins first national cheerleading championship

Three of Kelly High School cheerleading squad's 11 members -- juniors Lillian Hudgens (left), Alexus Pruitt (middle) and McKynlee Neumeyer -- during their lunch break on Wednesday pose with the national championship trophy they received Sunday from the National Cheerleaders Association. (Leonna Heuring, Staff)

BENTON -- After already winning the school's first state cheerleading title in 24 years this school year, the Thomas W. Kelly High School cheerleading team couldn't stop there.

Early this week the 11-member squad made school history when they became the Scott County high school's first cheerleading team to win a national championship.

"It's unbelievable," said head coach Billy Hoskins. "It's an item I can check off my bucket list."

In October, the cheerleaders earned the title of Class 2A Large State Champions in Columbia along with the honor to compete for the National Cheerleaders Association championship, which was Sunday in St. Charles.

The cheerleaders defeated four other schools to earn the title of High School Open National Champions. Included in their division were Missouri high schools: Francis Howell of St. Charles, Parkway North of Chesterfield, Visitation Academy of St. Louis; and a Texas school: Klein High of Klein, Texas.

And no one was more surprised to hear their school's name than the cheerleaders themselves -- not because they weren't deserving; they were just up against some big schools and big squads.

"They had 4,000 kids in some of these high schools, and we have 300," said Hoskins, who is in his first year as Kelly's cheerleading coach.

Junior cheerleader Lillian Hudgens said the magnitude of the schools they were facing did weigh on the Kelly squad members' minds. However, the team was prepared.

"We practiced a bunch for regionals and state," Hoskins said.

He estimated the squad had between six and eight effective practices prior to the national competition.

"We had hard practices and effective practices. A lot of it's not quantity -- it's quality and how effective you are in the practice area," Hoskins said.

On Sunday the squad used a variation of their two-minute 30-second winning state routine comprised of cheer and music to clinch the national title in the intermediate division.

For the complete story, see the Thursday edition of the Standard Democrat.