There is no end in sight for the Radford Rams competitive cheer dynasty.
Especially this year.
The Rams racked up 45.65 points to capture the Co-Ed Division title at the Zippy’s/HHSAA Cheerleading State Championships on Wednesday night at Blaisdell Arena.
Radford won its 14th state title, 13 under coach Bo Frank.
“You could feel it,” Frank said. “It’s always a new set of kids. It’s never the same as the first one, the second one. You can’t beat being a state championship team.”
The Rams were dynamic, precise and explosive from start to finish with a roster of high-flying athletes led by senior Saxoni Frank. He competed despite an ankle injury and a toe injury. His toenail was ripped off a few days ago during an accident with the garage door at home.
“It’s just adrenaline. I didn’t feel a thing,” the Purdue commit said. “We had some bobbles and stuff, but we still came up as champs.”
For Coach Frank, it was a final go-round with his oldest son in a Hawaii high school competition.
“It’s a little more emotional. I’m proud of him,” he said.
Hilo was second (41.933), followed by Pac-Five (40.45), McKinley (39.933), Kapaa (39.117), Campbell (38.033) and Leilehua (37.167).
‘Iolani captured the All-Girl Division in a tight battle with Moanalua. The Raiders tallied 44.917 points, edging Na Menehune (44.85).
The crown is the second under coach Sheri Nakaya, whose 2022 team won the Co-Ed Division. Last year, they finished second to Moanalua and coach Kaycee Kealoha. This time, Moanalua’s three-year streak of state titles (Large Division, All-Girl) came to an end.
“I feel ecstatic. Wonderful. You know, it was tough last year, just a little disappointing, but it’s the same team. I had no seniors last year. They came back strong and they wanted it so badly this year,” Nakaya said.
Her squad of 19 Raiders was thoroughly impressive, taking plenty of risks and gaining the title despite a miscue early in the routine.
“No one’s perfect. We saw that tonight in a lot of teams. The difficulty is kind of the same (as last year). It was just do what we know how to do,” Nakaya said. “It’s tough. The way our score sheet is developed, you have to take that risk if you want to compete. It’s so, so close that you’ve got to find that niche, find what you excel in. My team is a performance team so we make sure we perform the heck out of it.”
Mililani placed third (42.433), followed by Kapolei (41.883), Waipahu (40.867), Baldwin (39.667), Sacred Hearts (39.617), Waiakea (36.75), Kaiser (36.0) and Kealakehe (35.917).