THS cheer squad finishes fifth at state

The Tucumcari High School cheerleading squad finished fifth during the Class 3A championships on Saturday at The Pit in Albuquerque.

The Lady Rattlers squad scored 75.73 points in the first performance and 62.8 points in the second for a total of 138.53. The THS girls finished just behind fourth-place Robertson and its 140.63 points.

District foe Ruidoso won the state title with a total score of 162.83 points, well ahead of runner-up Cobre and its 158.63. Raton finished third with 151.6 points.

THS coach Jolene Garcia said her team continues to show improvement at the state competition. It finished sixth last year.

Garcia noted her squad suffered a 10-point deduction during its pyramid formation, or else the Lady Rattlers would have finished third overall.

“That deduction taught us something, and (that was) safety,” she wrote in a social media post. “We know where we are at and know where we need to be.”

Garcia said her squad graduates nine seniors this season.

San Jon’s cheer squad also competed in the Class 1A-2A championships, finishing 16th. Maxwell won the state title in that division, with Questa and Clayton rounding out the top three.