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Grapevine cheer squad aims for fourth consecutive national title at NCA Competition

North Texas high school cheer squad chases fourth consecutive national title
North Texas high school cheer squad chases fourth consecutive national title 03:30

GRAPEVINE – Grapevine High School cheer is not your grandmother's cheer squad.

"Sometimes blood, [and] there's definitely sweat marked on this mat," said Brooke Stevens, a senior on the team.

Stevens and the Grapevine cheer squad are gearing up for their Super Bowl — the National Cheerleaders Association competition that kicks off this weekend in Dallas.

"There's a level of athleticism that is required in order to be successful," said Justin Carrier with the NCA.

"Most schools never actually get the opportunity to hang up even one banner," he added. "The fact that Grapevine has so many in their school gym says a lot about their program."

Stevens and her teammates have a legacy to live up to.

"We always look at the banners on the wall and know that not every Grapevine cheerleader gets to put a banner on that wall," said head coach Morgan Laney.

Laney is on a mission to lead her team to a fourth consecutive national title.

"It means so much for the girls to see that this legacy that we have, it was many, many years before them, decades before them," she added.

To be specific, it has been ten decades.

"We discovered our very first pep squad was in 1924, so this whole year, we've been celebrating 100 years of legacy," said Laney.

With a century of cheerleading legacy behind them, Stevens and her teammates strive for their fourth gold medal.

A victory would cement their legacy on the hallowed floor and make all their hard work worth it.

"There are some days you just want to go home and cry in your bed," said Stevens. "There are days that are just hard, but it's so rewarding at the end. Especially when you come out on top."

The NCA cheer competition starts on Friday at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center, and the champion will be crowned on Sunday.

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