Newtown High School's cheerleading squad will spend the next several weeks pumping up the crowd along the sidelines of football and, later, basketball games, while practicing for its own competition season. The NHS cheerleaders will go for their fourth straight South-West Conference championship this year.

Newtown lost a handful of participants to graduation, but retains lots of talented tumblers and flyers.

Coach Susan Bridges' team is led by senior captains Mackenzie Woodhouse, Annika Alexander, and Caroline Daria. In addition, returning juniors are Abby Pearson, Taylor Miller, Lexi Leidlein, and Anna Steare.

"It's definitely possible," Alexander said of the possibility of again winning the conference crown. "We have a really strong, talented group - so I can see it."

It will take "hard work and tenacity - never giving up," Daria added. "I'm really looking forward to the year. We're all like a huge family. We're all working really hard and we're looking forward to the competition season."

Bridges is impressed with her squad in the early going. "We've been working hard. We're coming along very nicely," the coach said

The competition season begins in January and wraps up with the conference championships in February and state championship meets in March.

Last winter, Newtown placed fifth in the Class LL state championships, and was runner-up in the 23-team State Open.

"We've got a lot of work to do before then," said Bridges, noting that with each graduate there is a position that needs to be filled, so some cheer team members have to shift into new roles.

The girls will start to put their efforts to work in front of crowds beginning with the season-opening football game on Friday, September 9, when New Fairfield visits Blue & Gold Stadium for a 7 pm contest.

"I'm looking forward to it a lot. It's going to be very successful and fun," Woodhouse said of the upcoming season.