In a historic first for Arleta High School, the cheer team took the top prize in their California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championship division – becoming the first sports team to win such a title in the school’s history.
The team, composed of 14 girls and one boy, beat out seven other schools in the small coed, non-tumbling division on Saturday, Feb. 1. Unfortunately, one student had to sit out due to sustaining an injury in a previous competition.
It was the very first CIF State Championship for cheer since the sport was officially recognized in 2018; a total of 110 teams competed in the championship.
The students on the team are Karla Tinoco Camilo, Breanna Esteban, Milton Mendez Hernandez, Frida Rosas Juarez, Saleen Lopez, Jada Morales, Berenice Ortega, Ashly Penate, Brissa Roque, Maya Sanchez, Daniella Orantes Solorzano, Alexa Tobar, Alexia Torres, Allison Urenda and Jennifer Velasco.
Head Coach Teresa Bezerra said she was “still in a little bit of a shock” after the win. The Arleta High cheer team has won Los Angeles City Championship titles in the past, but in those competitions, winning felt more “realistic” as they knew who their competitors were. Coming into the CIF State Championship, however, was different.
“We didn’t know all of the teams from around the state. We didn’t know their skill set,” Bezerra said. “We went into it with a goal to get in the top five, and so to win was amazing.”
Ironically, because it was the first CIF State Championship for cheer and they didn’t know how realistic it would be to win, Bezerra felt that there was less pressure on her team to win compared to when they competed in the city championships. But when Arleta did get first place – by a 0.2-point difference between them and the second-place team – she said she was overwhelmed and bursting with excitement.
“In cheer, you never know what the judges are going to think and how they’re going to score,” Bezerra said. “It’s a very subjective sport, so a win is never taken for granted and we’re always excited when we win.
“All of those little things on the score sheet count, and so we’re going down to the little details and really trying to work on everybody as an individual,” she continued. “Not just making sure that our stunts are [being] executed, but also everybody’s really engaged and performing and the whole [performance] has a consistent energy to it.”
Torres, a junior and captain on the cheer team, said that they went into the state championship just wanting to do their best. They hoped to at least get in the top five but seeing them get first place was almost hard to believe.
“It felt like we over-excelled … and we just felt proud because we’re mostly Hispanic girls and it just makes us feel good going against girls in a sport where it’s mostly white dominant,” Torres said. “I felt really prideful after [winning].”
Torres said the pressure is on to win again in next year’s championship when she is a senior but added that the team will be even more motivated to do so.
“As an athlete, never doubt yourself, your ability and what you can bring to the mat,” Torres said. “Never discourage yourself.”
Lopez, another captain and junior on the cheer team, was similarly surprised with the win, but said everyone had “so much talent” and they were able to push through to get to that point.
“It meant a lot to me that we were the first [to win the championship]. We were the first in the whole school,” said Lopez. “I was very proud of all my team members for … dedicating themselves and coming to practice. It was a good feeling.”
Lopez expressed her desire to continue winning in city and state competitions, as well as in the upcoming USA Spirit Nationals in Anaheim, and to keep her team’s reputation alive.
“I want to keep proving to people that we can do it, because usually at our school, people are more likely to go to soccer and volleyball games, and no one really attends cheer,” Lopez said. “I feel like the more we win, the more we’re proving ourselves that we actually practice hard, we work for what we’ve earned and I’m so excited for what next year will bring.”