Highland cheer team fourth at regional, will participate at state meet in Columbia for first time since 2005

EWING, Mo. — The Highland High School cheer team finished in fourth place at the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association (MCCA) regional performance competition on Sept. 21 at Lindbergh High School in St. Louis. 

Highland finished behind Fair Grove, Kelly and Blair Oaks. All four teams earned a bid to the MCCA state competition at the University of Missouri in Columbia on Nov. 2. The finish was the best for a Highland team since 2017, but the team didn’t participate in the state meet that year because of injuries. Highland will compete at state for the first time since 2005.

The cheer team also recently performed at a St. Louis Cardinals game on Sept. 11 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Highland coach Heather Davis said the girls started practicing in June and attended multiple cheer clinics and camps, including choreography through the National Cheerleading Association, camp through Xperience cheer and stunt clinics with the John Wood Community College and Culver-Stockton College cheer teams, as well as Gem City Gymnastics in Quincy, Ill.

“Our community is the best,” Davis said. “If you tell them what you are doing, they will be there to support you. We may be a small community, but our school pride is big. The squad motto this year is ‘We can, we will, we must.’ We say this before every game or performance. We were able to add ‘we did’ after earning a bid to state.

“These girls put in so much work and have so much drive. The team unity is strong, and we are stronger because of it. I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls or cheer parents.”

Davis is in her third season as the head coach at Highland. Meleah Eisenberg is in her second season as an assistant coach.

Team members are Eva Logsdon, Danielle Goodwin, Cali Berhorst, Bri Reed, Makenzie Owsley, Savannah Lowrey, Elizabeth Evans, Kenzie Lydolph, Arieah Dean, Kori Rossmiller, Bre Abbey, Liv Sayres, Leah Hoffman and Chloe Speer.