The Daviess County Cheerleaders are off and running with the 2021 competition season as the group of 27 cheerleaders competed and dominated Bullitt Central’s Shamrock Classic over the weekend.
En route to a first-place finish, the cheer squad knocked off the defending KHSAA State Champions from Henderson County. In addition to finishing first overall in the Super Large Gameday division, the team also won grand champion overall amongst all gameday divisions by achieving the highest score from all divisions for the day.
In her third year as head coach at Daviess County after compiling 12 seasons as a coach at Owensboro High School, Kitty Jones said she is thrilled with where her team is at in their pursuit of a state championship.
“To the team, this win means that they’re capable of achieving their goals,” Jones said. “The girls know now that if they work hard they can achieve what they set their minds to doing. In a year of injuries, the ups and downs of Covid-19, and having some girls decide not to cheer, to go into our first competition and knock off the reigning state champs, that just sets the tone for future success and I’m really proud of my girls.”
One of the injuries Jones is referring to robbed the lone senior on the squad of her final chance to compete at the high school level. Allie Witherspoon, a Western Kentucky University cheerleader commit, tore her ACL and meniscus during an additional training session outside of the school’s schedule. The injury was a big blow for Daviess County who are now relying on their six juniors for leadership.
When asked about key leaders in her cheer squad, the Daviess County head coach wanted to make sure all six juniors were mentioned by name. That class includes Zoe Barker, Rosie Basham, Leslie Gutsche, Addy Heady, Gracie Hoffman and Emily Wilhite.
With KHSAA Regionals coming up on April 19, the squad plans to attend a few more small events to stay sharp and get ready for a run at the state title. Those events include the Bullit East Spring Classic on March 20 and the Muhlenberg County Mustang Classic on March 27.
“We think it’s about time we get our name up in the gymnasium above Luther Beatley Court,” Jones said. “We’ve never placed first in the state competition before. A title would definitely boost the morale of the program and bring validation to all of the hard work these girls and the ones that came before them have put into their craft. We want to show the future of Daviess County cheer that the sky is the limit.”
As with any great program, Jones believes the assistant coaches she has surrounded herself with are a key to the success they have experienced. She credits Sally Ward for the creativity in their routines while giving the nod to Tracy Gutsche for her background in and work with flags to contribute to their gameday routine.
The Daviess County cheer squad will be back in action this Saturday at Bullitt East high school as they compete in the aforementioned Spring Classic.
