Staten Island HS Cheer: NDA makes history with 2nd-place Nationals finish in Game-Day; Hill 15th in Small Varsity (200 photos)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Third time’s the charm.

Since the inception of its Game-Day team three years ago, Notre Dame Academy’s goal was to make finals at the National High School Cheerleading Competition for both that and its traditional routine. A feat easier said than done, the program had barely missed out on the achievement over the past two years.

However, this past weekend at the NHSCC, the stars aligned for the Gators and then some.

Advancing directly to Medium Game-Day II finals on the strength of a first-place prelims finish in the “B” bracket, NDA finished second in the nation while also earning 20th place in the final round of Small Varsity II.

St. Joseph Hill, meanwhile, had three clean performances to earn 15th place in Small Varsity II. Making Finals for the first time since 2019, the Hilltoppers peaked at the right time to finish their season on a high note.

NHSCC Finals NDA, Hill, Moore, St. Charles and St. Clare’s competed at the NHSCC this past weekend, with the former two schools making it to Finals. (Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)(Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)

NDA earns “redemption” with 2nd-place finish in Medium Game-Day II, takes home 20th in Small Varsity

Missing out on Game-Day finals by one-tenth of a point last year, the Gators came back to Florida hungry to earn a spot back in the final round.

Little did they know, however, that they would come back as silver medalists.

Initially competing Friday night, NDA earned its Finals spot outright after receiving the top score (92.9) in the “B” prelims bracket. With two other teams also advancing directly to Finals, the Grymes Hill school was in second place after the first round of competition and third overall.

“We couldn’t believe we moved straight to Finals, [considering] we’re so new to this division and we’re competing against teams who do this every weekend at their football games,” said NDA coach Drea Vindigni. “People are always shocked that we’re an all-girl school that doesn’t cheer at many games, [but] their performance in prelims was electric and moving straight to Finals was well-earned.”

Having to wait three hours to hear its results, along with the added suspension of having its name called at the end of the announcements, culminated in nothing but joy as the squad realized what they’ve achieved.

“I remember thinking that we weren’t going to make it at all, and [during announcements] we just kept looking at each other like ‘wow, we really didn’t make it this year’,” said Abbey Ferrera, a senior flyer for the Gators. “But when they called our name last, it was like everything stopped because none of us were expecting it.

“I was so surprised, and it was definitely a feeling I’ll never forget because it felt so surreal.”

Competing for the second and final time on Sunday morning, the Grymes Hill school was only focused on being bigger and better than the performance before. And, according to both the coaching staff and Ferrera, it was.

“Their Finals performance was insane. The band chant had everyone in the Visa Center clapping and cheering with us, and our families were also so invested in this performance – screaming and waving their rally towels like crazy,” added Vindigni. “Their energy really stood out to us, and you can tell they were having so much fun with it.”

“Our main focus was to get everything right, especially knowing that the judges saw something in us to go straight to Finals,” added Ferrera. “After a few mistakes in Prelims, we wanted to make sure we hit every motion hard and tight while being loud and always smiling and rallying.”

With 14 teams competing in the final round, the awards ceremony was nerve-racking as each squad was announced. But, as it began to dwindle down to the top 5 and top 3, excitement began to grow as NDA still wasn’t called.

“Our minds were just going crazy – every time we heard a team that wasn’t ours, our hearts were beating a little bit faster,” emphasized Vindigni. “It was a feeling we will never forget.”

Finally, with a score of 93.9, the Gators were announced as silver medalists, with Purvis High School of Mississippi taking top honors for the third consecutive year with a score of 94.2.

“When they were about to announce second, it felt like life wasn’t even real. None of us were expecting that, especially with it only being our third year competing,” said Ferrera. “We were all so happy and proud of how far we’ve come.

“It was the best weekend of my life, and I never expected to walk away with a silver medal. I’m really just proud to be a part of something as big and amazing as that.”

Now, having concluded its third season of competing in Game-Day, it’s fair to say the sky’s the limit for Notre Dame as it’s defied any expectations it had for its first few years in the division.

“It’s a testament to how hard working the girls are and how onboard they are with us and everything that goes into a Game-Day routine and performance,” said Vindigni. “They worked so hard all season to put on a show when they perform … [and they] absolutely crushed it.”

The cherry on top, however, was having both its Game-Day and Traditional routines in Finals. With a clean performance on Friday night, NDA earned 3rd with a score of 82.8 in the “A” prelims bracket of Small Varsity II to advance into semifinals.

With a small mishap on their mini-pyramid during semis, however, it was unclear whether they’d make it to finals due to the competitiveness of the division. However, the squad ended up earning 5th with a score of 82.8 in the “A/B” bracket to end up in finals.

NHSCC Semis NDA, Hill, Moore, St. Charles and St. Clare’s competed at the NHSCC this past weekend, with the former two schools making it to Finals. (Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)(Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)

“We always tell them if something happens to keep going and make the rest of the routine the best it could be because you just never know, and that’s exactly what they did,” said Vindigni. “To know that the rest of their routine was powerful and clean and difficult enough to still carry them into finals sitting in 5th felt good.

“And, to know that we accomplished every goal we set forth this season in that moment, was truly an incredible feeling.”

“It was the best feeling in the world, especially knowing how it feels to not advance by .1 and that the smallest mistake can break you,” added senior main-base Sophia Luna. “We’re always lifting each other up and mat-talking when we perform, telling ourselves to push ourselves the extra degree, and it paid off because we were able to finish the routine strong.

“Everyone was even saying that, besides the fall, it was the best performance we put on yet because we didn’t carry the mistake into everything else we did.”

In Finals, however, the Gators suffered two points in deductions to drop into 20th place with a score of 78. However, according to Luna, the ability to take part of Finals for both routines overshadowed the results.

“Every single girl on the mat wanted it so bad, so for both teams to make it to Finals was the best feeling,” added the senior. “Our coaches told us from the very beginning that we had the ability to make it to Finals, especially in Game-Day, so it was always in the back of our minds.

“So, even though we didn’t have the best Finals performance, the goal was always just to make it there and we did that. It was the best experience I’ve ever had.”

Hill “hollas” its way to 15th place in Finals with three clean performances

Going into Nationals, St. Joseph Hill always believed it had what it took to make some noise on the big stage.

And that’s exactly what it did.

Competing first at prelims Friday night, the Hilltoppers hit a clean routine with just a 0.5 deduction – the result of a saved stunt dropping from an extended to prep position. However, in the largest division in the competition, even a minor deduction could be the difference between advancing or not.

However, the Arrochar school felt it did enough to survive and advance.

NHSCC prelims NDA, Hill, Moore, St. Charles and St. Clare’s competed at the NHSCC this past weekend, with the former two schools making it to Finals. (Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)(Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)

“Any hiccup can set you back [but] we always emphasize to our girls that if you make a mistake, no matter how big or small, to keep going as if nothing happened,” said Hill coach Kai Bingham. “We are always confident in their abilities because they are so talented, and we tell them to look for us in the crowd and feed off of our energy when they are performing.

“We knew that they showcased what they were capable of in prelims and hoped that the judges saw their potential in the routine that they performed.”

Earning 7th in the “D” bracket with a score of 76.9, the Hilltoppers advanced into semis with a head full of steam as it proceeded to hit its second performance.

According to senior Julianna Osorio, the squad kept looking to improve on its performances even during competition. And, as the side base of the stunt that earned a deduction, watching it hit in semis was a feeling unlike any other.

“We would read over the judges’ comments and scores and think about how we could improve and max out our scores in each section,” said Osorio. “We would visualize and make it our goal to make it better each time.

“When we hit our second partner stunt in semis perfectly, I was so happy that it was better and we kept improving.”

And, for a 19-member squad full of cheerleaders making Finals for the first time, hearing Hill’s name called at announcements was a dream come true. The Hilltoppers earned 9th place in “C/D” semis with a score of 79.2.

“Seeing their faces light up and seeing them jumping up and down with joy was worth it all. It’s the ultimate goal of an athlete to advance to the final round and we felt like we were in a perfect dream,” added Bingham. “We knew our girls were capable of achieving this goal, and watching them do just that was so great.

“We truly peaked in our season at the perfect time – when it mattered the most.”

For a team that always emphasized the importance of energy, especially in its cheer, sophomore Camila Espinal felt the excitement of being in Finals lended itself to the school’s trademark for one more hit-zero performance.

“Being so excited to be there really got us hyped to do our best and to show everything we have on the mat,” said Espinal who, remarkably, is only in her second year of cheer. “Being able to get to Finals is one thing, but hitting made it so much better because we knew we put our all into it and left it all on the mat.”

With a score of 81, over a four-point difference compared to its first Nationals performance, Hill finished in 15th place. Pulaski County High School of Arkansas won it all with a score of 90.3.

But, for Espinal and Osorio, hearing the Hilltoppers named in the top 15 was a great end to their season and HS career, respectively, for different reasons.

“Being new to cheer, it’s definitely very different to me, but as the past two years have gone on I’ve realized how important Nationals is and how hard it is to get to Finals,” said Espinal. “The fact that I’ve been able to do this with my team, getting to Finals and making the top 15, really just made it even better. I’m just so happy and grateful.”

“I never really thought we would get here, but I’ve always dreamed of it and always wanted to go to Finals,” added Osorio, noting the evolution of the team in just two years when, as a sophomore, she competed on a 9-member squad. “I think I can speak for my whole team when I say we were so excited, proud and honored to make it that far.

“We wanted to fight for the feeling and for the hit, and that was our motivation.”

Finally, for the coaching staff, returning to Finals with this team marked a turning point for the school.

“After having some build back years after Covid, we felt like we were finally in a place where we could create and perform routines that would bring us back to the levels we needed to make it to Finals,” concluded Bingham. “We take pride in representing our school on a national level and having our name be amongst the top 15 teams in the nation is just so amazing. Although we never put an emphasis on placement, going into finals with a low score and moving up seven places was way beyond our expectations.

“All we wanted from our girls was a clean routine and for them to leave the mat saying they gave 110%. They were determined to go the extra mile this weekend [and] performed their best routines when it mattered most.”

Staten Island HS Cheer: NDA makes history with 2nd-place Nationals finish in Game-Day; Hill 15th in Small Varsity (200 photos)

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