Featured performers ready to sparkle and shine under Friday night lights

SCRANTON — Little girls in Lackawanna County dream of sparkling under Friday night lights as featured performers.

Miss Buck, Miss Chief, Miss Viking and others say they are fulfilling a childhood dream. It is a long tradition seldom found in other high schools in the region or elsewhere.

“It is definitely not the standard nor the norm,” said Justin McAdams, CEO of Cavalcade of Bands, a marching band competition organization. It is more common among traditional college bands, such as Penn State, he said via email.

Riley McHale, Miss Buck of Dunmore Junior-Senior High School, remembers watching from the sidelines. “And I thought it was so cool that you get to wear such a sparkly uniform, you get to lead the band and you kind of just represent all of Dunmore. And I feel like it’s a pretty big deal for Dunmore.”

It’s a big deal in Scranton too, where both Scranton and West Scranton high schools have featured performers.

“It’s history,” said John Coyle, Scranton High School principal. “It’s something that has been around for a long time and I think it builds school spirit.”

Abington Heights senior Kara Rillstone has her Miss Comet costume fitted by Rosie Wolfgang, owner of All Your Sewing Needs at Wolfgang’s studio in Moscow Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Abington Heights senior Kara Rillstone is fitted for her Miss Comet costume at All Your Sewing Needs in Moscow Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Abington Heights senior Kara Rillstone has her Miss Comet costume fitted by Rosie Wolfgang, owner of All Your Sewing Needs at Wolfgang’s studio in Moscow Tuesday, July 28, 2026. She has made many costumes for several schools and says they are “her pride and joy.”(SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

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Nine public high schools in the county have a featured performer. At the moment, there is no Miss or Mr. at Forest City, Carbondale, North Pocono or Lackawanna Trail. There are none at the private schools.

Why Lackawanna County? It may be in part thanks to a few longtime private twirling schools that keep it alive.

Not all featured performers are twirlers. Some are cheerleaders who dance with pom poms instead of batons and will spend part of games cheering on the sidelines.

Boys rarely fill the role.

Performers design and almost always pay for new costumes each year, although a few schools maintain headpieces or accessories. Most costumes are custom-made by local dressmakers with costs up to $4,000 this year. Even returning performers usually get a new look. Costumes are tucked away as keepsakes and displayed at graduation parties.

Angelina Wagner, from West Scranton, studied other costumes and incorporated as much blue as possible, since it is her favorite color. Scranton High School’s Miss Knight created a faux-pearl accented costume with fringe designed to emphasize movement.

After the auditions — performing before panels of judges or even the whole school, sometimes writing essays or chasing teacher recommendations — some schools celebrate with rituals. At Riverside, it is called the “passing of the sword.” Miss or Mr. Viking is presented with a headpiece that is not worn, but stays in their custody until they pass it to their successor.

Meet the featured performers

The featured performers of Lackawanna County high schools are about to hit the field, twirling fire, shimmering in thousands of dollars’ worth of sparkle and adding service projects to their roles.

This year’s squad includes returning performers at Abington Heights and Valley View, a volunteer firefighter as Miss Chief, a basketball player in the role at Scranton High School and a young performer at Mid Valley.

Abington Heights’ Kara Rillstone as Miss Comet
Kara Rillstone is Miss Comet of Abington Heights High School

Senior Kara Rillstone of Ransom Twp. returns as Miss Comet for Abington Heights High School, which required another round of auditions.

Her first season went well. “I honestly think it was better than I expected,” she said.

She enjoyed adding twirling fire to her repertoire, though “It was actually very scary at first because I had a fear that it was going to burn me, but it never really did.”

Rillstone hopes to again organize other performers for service projects.

Dunmore’s Riley McHale as Miss Buck.
Riley McHale is Miss Buck of Dunmore Junior-Senior High School

In Dunmore, Riley McHale is the first cheerleader, rather than twirler, to be Miss Buck. “I’m honored,” she said. She will cheer from the sidelines, then make a few changes to her costume to lead the band onto the field.

She looked through old yearbooks for costume inspiration, but then went her own way. “I didn’t want it to look like any other ones,” she said.

It cost around $3,000. She thanks her parents. “I’m grateful that they were willing to spend that because this is once-in-a-lifetime. You only get to be Miss Buck once. So, I’m happy that they were willing to spend that money on me to get my dream uniform.”

Lakeland’s Ella Carrighan as Miss Chief. Her mother placed 4,000 rhinestones on her boots.
Ella Carrighan is Miss Chief of Lakeland Junior-Senior High School

Senior Ella Carrighan, Miss Chief of Lakeland, is a volunteer firefighter.

She started dreaming of the featured performer role when she went to her first football game in second grade. “I turned to my mother and said, ‘I want to be her.”

She’s been on the drill team for several years, performing with pom poms, flags, batons and hoops.

“I just wanted to be out on that field showing school pride. And it’s not just a costume,” she said. “Miss Chief is a role model for everyone.”

Mid Valley’s Rachel Mosher as Miss Spartan
Rachel Mosher is Miss Spartan of Mid Valley

Miss or Mr. Spartan is usually an upperclassman. This year it is sophomore Rachel Mosher of Olyphant, who is 15 but in her ninth year of twirling.

“I wanted to be Miss Spartan because I wanted to be able to represent the school, and to me Miss Spartan is more than just a title,” Mosher said. “I wanted to be someone that people look to as a role model and as a leader and I also want to represent my school.”

She turns to the Biblical book of Proverbs for an ideal to strive for: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”

The school is supplying a new helmet. She spent a frugal $230 on her costume with an online vendor.

Old Forge’s Isabella Orr as Miss Devilette.
Isabella Orr is Miss Devilette of Old Forge

Isabella Orr is also a cheerleader and Miss Devilette. She will continue to cheer on the sidelines when not leading performers onto the field with the “pitchfork strut.” A teacher made the trademark pitchfork frame out of wood and her designer put on the cover.

She set her sights on Miss Devilette when she joined the marching unit in eighth grade. She is now a junior and a little surprised she got her wish.

She can twirl two fire batons at once. “It’s so fun to perform in front of the crowd on Friday nights. And I definitely wanted to represent the town of Old Forge and make them proud,” she said.

Riverside’s Madyson Owens as Miss Viking.
Madyson Owens is Miss Viking of Riverside

Madyson Owens’ father was a former Riverside Viking football player. “I’m not even kidding, the day she was born, her dad told her that she was going to be Miss Viking someday,” said her mother, Kim Owens. “And even as a little girl, he would take her to the football games, the two of them, she’d be in a stroller with her little Viking bows and her Viking onesies.”

Dennis Owens Jr. died of colon cancer when Madyson was 4.

“I really wanted to be Miss Viking because I just always looked up to the Miss Vikings,” Madyson said. “But on a deeper note, it was my father’s dream for me.”

The Owens family raises money for cancer causes and scholarships and she wants to bring that to her role on the field.

The Sept. 4 football home game is the My Awareness Game. She invited cheerleaders, the band and the team to create informational displays for their own causes and collect donations alongside her colon cancer display.

Costumes cost thousands of dollars, but each Miss Viking gets a $500 donation from the Coleman family.

Scranton’s Abigail Stalica as Miss Knight.
Abigail Stalica is Miss Knight of Scranton High School

Scranton High School’s Miss Knight is basketball player and cheerleader Abigail Stalica, who is in her senior year.

“I’m very excited,” Stalica said. “It’s my last one with my friends, so I’m just trying to enjoy every moment of it.”

Qualifying to audition for Miss Knight requires years as a performer, creating a binder full of ideas and making up a dance routine for a panel of judges.

“I wanted to be Miss Knight from pretty young, when I started cheer. I just really like the role that it takes on and the leadership, and just being like a good mentor, because I always had good mentors in my life.”

Valley View’s Heather Davis as Miss Cougar, returns for a second year.
Heather Davis is Miss Cougar of Valley View

Junior Heather Davis, of Peckville, is Valley View’s Miss Cougar for a second year. Her mother was a twirler, inspiring her to begin five years ago. She has prepared four twirling routines, including juggling three batons at once and using two flags and knives for another song.

Angelina Wagner as Miss Invader of West Scranton High School. (COURTESY OF ANGELINA WAGNER)
Angelina Wagner is Miss Invader of West Scranton

Cheerleader Angelina Wagner, a senior, is Miss Invader of West Scranton. She will continue to cheer from the sidelines as well as perform on the field and hopes to boost cheerleaders’ role on the field. “I’m very excited.” She’s pushing herself out of her comfort zone to perform on the field.

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