Freedom High School's cheerleading squad took third place in the medium division at the District XI Competitive Spirit Cheerleading Championships on Jan. 10 at Shawnee Middle School, qualifying them for the PIAA State Championships scheduled for Jan. 23 and 24 at the Hershey Giant Arena.

Coach Lynn Spina said, "The judges seem to like what we've done. We hope it's enough [for states]."

Hitting some of their stunts was the Patriots' only difficulty on Jan.10, but Spina said the rest of their routine is golden.

"I'm optimistic. They're trying so hard, and they want to do it for each other," said Spina.

Freedom's routine opened with one man libs, followed by jumps, back handsprings, and running tumbling. Partner stunts, including a 180 to a scorpion to an arabesque were next. The routine continued with the cheer portion, followed by basket tosses and a pyramid, and it ended with a dance.

Loren Miller, a senior base, said, "I was ready. I thought it was going well, and our stunt group hit ours."

Each cheerleader drew a heart on the inside of her wrist as a reminder of the Freedom Family. In addition, three cheerleaders had injuries so the Patriots' routine had to be reworked many times.

"Once everyone said, we're going to do this for you, everyone started to hit it," said Miller.

Freedom received a score of 185 points. Easton, who placed second, received 207 points, and first place Pleasant Valley scored 223 points.

Freedom senior back spot, Lauren Kelly, said, "They announced us first. We sat in a circle on the mat, crossed our arms, and held hands. Our scores were a lot higher [than the last competition]. The judges said we had a lot of energy and a good routine."

In preparation for states, the Patriots will be working on hitting stunts and technique.

Miller said, "We definitely need to hit all our stunts because we don't have team tumbling. We're going to take it seriously, but we want to have fun."