The Kearney High School Cheerleaders earned a first-place finish at the Heartland Championships, (Kearney Public Schools, Courtesy)
KEARNEY — The Kearney High School Cheerleaders earned a first-place finish at the Heartland Championships, taking the top spot in the Traditional Stunting and Tumbling Routine division.
The winning routine, a 2-minute and 30-second performance, showcases the team’s advanced stunting and tumbling abilities. The cheerleaders dedicated more than 80 hours of practice to perfecting the routine, which is themed after this year’s concept, “Gossip Girl.”
The team is led by Head Coach Ashley Bush and Assistant Coach Tammy Rehtus. Coach Bush credits the team’s success to strong senior leadership.
“The leadership this year is incredibly strong with our five seniors: Head Captain Shayne Brown and co-captains Makenna Bose, Kaitlyn Rehtus, Aubree Sheetz, and Lexi Hess,” said Bush. “The team has worked tirelessly, showing up at 5:45 a.m. three times a week from June through March.”
The Heartland Championships serve as the team’s largest competition prior to the State Cheer Championships in February, where Kearney High will face more than a dozen teams competing for the top spot in their division.
“Traditional Routine is the most crowded division—and in my opinion, the toughest,” Bush said. “I’m incredibly thankful to coach such a driven group of athletes who show up, work hard, and are constantly looking for ways to grow both individually and as a team.”
As the team prepares for state, they continue to elevate their routine.
“We’re working on making our final pyramid more difficult and adding additional tumbling from our top tumblers to compete with some of the larger Class A schools,” Bush added.
Fans can see portions of the cheerleaders’ state material performed on the sidelines at Kearney High basketball games, with a full preview of the state routine scheduled to be performed later in February during an upcoming home game.
