PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
STATE COMPETITION … The Montpelier Locomotives cheerleading squad competed in the OASSA (Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators state cheerleading championships held Sunday, February 22 at Big Walnut High School in Sunbury, Ohio. It was the first time the squad competed in a state cheerleading competition.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
For the first time in school history, the Montpelier High School cheerleading squad competed in the OASSA (Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators) Ohio Cheerleading Championship which was held on Sunday, February 22 at Big Walnut High School in Sunbury, Ohio.
With all the dedication and hard work put forth since last August when the squad was getting all their cheers ready for the 2025 football season, the opportunity to compete at the state level is a tremendous accomplishment.
Montpelier was one of 13 cheerleading squads from across the Buckeye State that competed in the state competition in Division V.
Paulding was the other area school who qualified in the same division as Montpelier. The squad finished 12th out of 13 teams in the competition.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking obviously with a lot of teams, we didn’t know what to expect,” said cheerleader advisor Alexis O’Connor.
“Once we got down there the girls set their nerves aside and they were so excited.
“The adrenaline, the excitement of being there, they went out, and we posted our best routine and best scores of the season. All I had asked for was a great routine and that’s what they gave out there.”
Members of the cheerleading squad include Sessley Burroughs, Ashlyn Harter, Alexa Stuck, Lexa Wright, JayLynn Maugherman, Bailey Abrams, Caddisy Chamberlain, Taylor Curtis, Trinity Lane, Kailyn Tomaszewski and Maddy Wolfenberger.
Stuck, Wright, and Tomaszewski also serve as team captains.
According to O’Connor, who had served for the past three years, the road to state began with the cheerleading squad competing in two local competitions at Norwalk and Firelands High Schools.
“We do local competitions throughout the year just building scores and using state score sheets,” commented O’Connor in her own preparation for state competition.
Montpelier competed in the OASSA Northwest regional cheerleading competition, which was held at Anthony Wayne High School on Saturday, January 31.
Needing a score based on 75 percent or higher at the regional level, the Locos’ cheerleading squad successfully earned their own ticket to state.
“There were tears of joy afterwards,” said O’Connor. “The girls have worked so hard for this.
“This is our first year of competing, so you had to go in with high expectations just hoping for the best. The girls went out there and gave their best performance and it paid off.”
O’Connor pointed out the requirements for the competition included a band dance, two cheers and the school’s fight song, thus creating a three-minute routine in which they had received last July.
Judging the three-minute routine in which Montpelier had qualified to state was based on motion complexity, facial expressions, motion tightness, and use of props in the three-minute window.
“That’s the one we compete in all year, and we just tweak it each time based on judges’ comments,” said O’Connor.
One of the adjustments in which O’Connor had done prior to state competition was a complete change in the squad’s routine.
“We changed both of our cheers at the last minute based on just some judges feedback that we needed a little bit of a cleaner type of routine,” pointed out O’Connor.
“We went ahead and took those judges’ comments and changed our cheer up.” O’Connor credited the cheerleaders’ own work ethic leading up to the state competition.
“The girls were ecstatic and excited to change things up,” she said. “They were ready for the change and ready to put in the work. We’ve been in the gym every single day working hard.
“Obviously, there are some nerves involved because they have never been in a big cheerleading competition before. But they’re super excited and really pumped up and ready to go.”
Once the state competition was over, O’Connor said that she was so proud of her cheerleading squad.
“Truly I wanted them to go out there to do their best and at the end of the day I wanted them to have a great time,” she commented.
“I could just see their looks of joy as they came off the mat that they knew they did a good job and gave it their all.”
For more local news, see High School Sports Schedule For Thursday, March 26, 2026 (WEATHER PERMITTING).