Six in a row! JDHS cheer team wins state title
- Klas Stolpe
- 29 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Crimson Bears win three trophies in new scoring format to determine overall champion
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé cheer team has repeated as the state cheerleading champions — again — defending their title for the fifth straight year and winning their sixth straight Division I title on Tuesday night at the 2026 ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Cheer State Championship Competition in Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center.
“I feel great,” JDHS coach Carlene Nore said. “These kids have worked really hard all year round and this was our final goal of the year. I’m just so happy for them. We took our routine and we added in more kids. We had more seniors so it was a good opportunity to add more seniors into our routine. So it was just trusting that they were going to do their job. Just have fun, enjoy the last routine and being together as a team. They just put their whole heart and trust into each other.”
This time, under a new format, the Crimson Bears picked up some extra hard wear as well. Teams performed twice. The first outing on the mat was the situational Game Day/Sideline cheers with no music. Only signs, poms and megaphones were allowed. The second outing was the Halftime performance with music. A top five was noted for each outing.
JDHS won the Game Day with East Anchorage second, Ketchikan third, Dimond fourth and Wasilla fifth. JDHS also won the Halftime with Ketchikan second, Dimond third, Bartlett fourth and Chugiak fifth.
Judges then combined the two discipline point totals to give an overall champion and runner-up. JDHS won the grand prize for their sixth straight Division I championship and Ketchikan received the runner-up trophy.
“It feels great,” JDHS senior Karina San Miguel said amid hugs and tears. “Especially with the big group of seniors we have graduating, so it feels really good that we went out with a bang by winning and keeping our streak. I feel like it is a really good reflection of all the work we put in throughout the season, especially from, like, April of last year to now it has been go, go, go. So I am really happy that we could come out on top. I think key tonight was just remaining confident in ourselves. Reminding ourselves to focus on ourselves and not anyone else or any placement. It doesn’t matter what happens outside of everything, it just matters that we do our best and that we feel good about our performances after we come off the floor.”
Added senior Audrey Yu, “I feel ecstatic. I did not think that we were going to get both of the disciplines because there were so many teams that we haven’t seen usually compete this year came. And we were so shocked and so excited to see how they performed and they did so good. And we want to thank our competitors for always pushing us to our limits and thank you to our community for sponsoring us because we wouldn’t be here without you guys.”
The Division II champion was Mountain City Christian Academy and runner-up was Seward. DII Game Day placings were a tie between MCCA and Seward, third place went to Barrow, fourth to Haines and fifth to Houston. DII Halftime was won by Sitka, followed by Homer, Haines, Kenai and MCCA.
The Academic Award for DI went to Bartlett with a 3.50, and DII was earned by Seward with a 3.99.
“This feels amazing,” JDHS senior Simon Iputi said as team members hugged each other and family and friends. “My last season and I am so proud of this team. We worked so hard to come here and I am just so incredibly pleased and proud of my team and coaches.”
The DI All-State Tournament Cheer Team included Aidan Lazo-Chappell (JDHS), Simon Iputi (JDHS), Payton Hagan (Ketchikan), Kate Thomas (Ketchikan), Kyrstin Miller (Service), Camylle Hull (Lathrop), Maria Cabarubias (West), Jillian Singleton (South), Alizah Hildago (Dimond), Trinity Mahon (Soldotna), Karli Thiel (Eagle River), Chassidy Pereda (Wasilla), Chaselin Castro (Bettye Davies East), Ruphina Kinisu (Bartlett), Gabby Keller (Palmer), Frank Thao (Bettye Davis East), Carissa O’Rourke (Dimond), Danielle Williams (Chugiak), Solana Lucas (Wasilla) and Victoria Tostemar (South).
“Woo,” JDHS senior Aidan Lazo Chappell exclaimed as all cheer teams mixed on the floor. “Our team feels so accomplished. It is crazy. But we couldn’t have done it without our amazing support within the community and the whole Juneau town. We love you. You are so supportive and always been there for us. We really want to recognize our families and our friends and our coaches and our parents from the whole team supporting us through and through. Coming back from nationals it really felt like motivation to continue on, just to crush it at regions and crush it at state. We just couldn’t have done it without you guys Juneau… Woo… I’m speechless.”
The DII All-State Tournament Cheer Team included Jeneva Antolin Arce (Sitka), Jeeya Aqullana (Sitka), Isabelle Amamillo (Haines), Robin Oaks (Haines), Asha Foruria (Mt. Edgecumbe), Phoebe Tschappat (Cordova), Abigail Mckay (Grace), Rose Monterey (MCCA), Sherilyn Anderson (Nome), Thea James (Homer), Madalyn Evans (Bethel), Marck Orhlla (Barrow), Lola Swanson (Seward), Hayden Yochum (Redington), Hadley Skiff (Houston), Autumn Braquet (MCCA), Farrah Reich (Kotzebue), Juniper Ingalls (Seward), Dayna Olemaun (Barrow)
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
