Norwalk, St. Paul are "Best in the State"

UPPER ARLINGTON — Point made. Last February, the Norwalk High School and St. Paul High School competition cheer teams both came home with OASSA (Ohio Association Of Secondary School Administrators) state championship trophies at Big Walnut High School. On Nov. 9, the Truckers and Flyers left with state gold at another competition. Both teams won their respective divisions at the Ohio High School Cheerleading Coaches Association "Best in the State" competition at Upper Arlington High School. There were a total of 174 teams who performed at the two-day event, which is one of three state-level events along with the OASSA in February and next month's OHSAA state competition at Wittenberg University. For Norwalk, it was another whirlwind of a day. Before leaving for Upper Arlington, the Truckers lost an athlete to an injury. "We rallied together about 20 minutes earlier for our bus time and did what we could to change the routine," NHS head coach Malorie Kocher said. "Their team chemistry is unreal this year. It really feels like a family, and that's how I believe they won it today." Also adding to the win for the Truckers was how they had come up just short at the competition in recent years. Last year, Norwalk was less than a tenth of a point away from first place. On Sunday, they beat out seven other teams to win the Div. III non-building game day trophy. "We had never beat Minerva, the reigning four-time BIGs champions and grand champions," Kocher said. "Remembering that feeling of falling just short, the girls were hungry for this win. They did not want that to happen again." Meanwhile, St. Paul had a pair of third-place finishes at Midview (Oct. 19) and at Delaware Berlin (Oct. 26) before breaking through on Sunday against three other teams in Div. V building game day. The Flyers had also come up just short at Best in State a year ago. "I am so proud of the team and all their hard work they put into the routine they put out today," St. Paul head coach Katie Weisenberger said. "Like every season, sickness and last-minute changes have been a real challenge. "But the kids went out there and put out the best performance they could," she added. "We have been wanting this win at this competition for years, and it feels so good that it finally happened." Both teams can celebrate a little longer, as neither will leave the Maple City for the next competition. Norwalk will be hosting its second annual "Comp in the Truck Stop" competition on Nov. 23 at NHS. Kocher said 46 routines are currently registered. "They're really fired up heading into our home comp," she said. "The girls are excited to show our community why they're always in the headlines of their newspaper and all over social media."