D-11 Cheerleaders Fly High At New England Regionals

The Newtown Nighthawk D-11 Cheerleading Squad saved its best for the end of the season. The D-11 squad of 28 girls captured the third-place trophy at the New England Regional Cheerleading Competitions at the Hartford XL Center on November 21.

This annual regional event, held in Connecticut this year, brings together the best teams in all of New England for an all day competition. In the D-11 Large Red Category there were 16 teams competing, all having already distinguished themselves in local competitions held earlier in the season.

The Newtown team, an underdog in the competition, performed its routine with flawless precision and confidence in front of a crowd numbering in the thousands. Coming in at first place were the Milford Hawks of Central Massachusetts Conference and second place went to the Aspetuck Wildcats of the Candlewood Valley Conference.

When the time for the trophy presentations arrived, the girls were all holding hands, nervously awaiting the results. “We were just hoping we would finish in the top ten, when I heard them say ‘third place, Newtown Nighthawks,’ I couldn’t believe it. This was one of most exciting things that has happened ever. The girls and I were overwhelmed, it was totally unexpected,” Coach Liz Bogdanoff said.

The young cheerleaders were jumping up and down with excitement upon hearing the announcement, and tears of joy flowed from many eyes. The team had finished second in the Candlewood Valley Conference Competition in October, and second in the Connecticut State Competition earlier this month. The coaches, however, pointed out that the team’s third-place finish among 16 regional teams was the most impressive result of the campaign.

Coach Julie Luby summed it up by saying, “I couldn’t be more proud of the girls. They worked as a team and gave their performance everything they had.”

The D-11 Nighthawks squad consists of: Cheerleaders Annika Alexander, Lexi Barra, Julia Bogdanoff, Elizabeth Calabrese, Caroline Caporale, Gillian Chanko, Calista Connors, Cassidy Datin, Rian Frate, Kaitlyn Hull, Lauren Keenan, Erin Kelly, Carly Kreshpan, Mallory LoBuglio, Hannah Luby, Maddie Manfredonia, Kamdynn Moroney, Allie Muzzio, Sammie Olah, Kayla O’Sullivan, Taylor Pare, Michaela Richmond, Jane Ricketts, Isabelle Silver, Amanda Solomon, Brianna Straiton, Grace Walter, and Caitlin White; Head Coach Liz Bogdanoff, Head Coach Julie Luby, Assistant Coach Amy Pare, Student Demonstrator Cat Sherman, Student Demonstrator Erin Dlouhy, and Team Mascot Allie Luby.