JACKSON TWP — It may have been the first year for Seneca Valley's competitive cheerleading squad, but that didn't stop the Raiders from laying a firm foundation for future teams at the school.

The Raiders' 20-member team came together for the first time Dec. 8 and went on to place seventh out of 17 at the WPIAL medium-division meet Jan. 7.

That effort earned SV a trip to the state championship in Hershey, where it reached the semifinals and finished 19th out of a 36-team field.

“I was in awe of the girls' work ethic,” said SV coach Laura Wise. “We had talent, but they came together and became a family.”

The squad consisted of five seniors, three juniors and 15 sophomores, all of which, by rule, were already members of the school's varsity or junior varsity cheer squads that attend football and basketball games.

The medium division consists of teams with between 16-20 members.

“We had tried for the past five or six years to get this team approved,” said Wise, “but it takes time to get everything in place and present it to the school board. By the time we held that first practice, we had to focus on getting ready for WPIALs. We had no time to compete in other competitions.”

No one was happier the team was approved more than Shawna Witt. A senior, this was her last chance.

“It was so incredible that it got passed,” she said. “I know Laura had been trying for it for a long time. I was so excited and am lucky for the opportunity.”

There are five positions in competitive cheer — main base, flyer, back spot, front spot and assist base.

“The girls already had skills when they joined the (competitive) team,” said Wise. “If a girl was a flyer on the cheer squad, that's what she was for us.”

The Raiders held nearly 20 practices before competing at WPIALs.

“We used whatever space was available to us,” said Wise. “Most of the practices lasted between two and three hours and were held in the intermediate school cafeteria, but we also used the hallways. Through all of this, these ladies continued to cheer at basketball games.”

The practices weren't easy. A lot of sweat and concentration were involved.

“There was a lot of pressure on us to put together a routine,” said junior flyer Gabi Romano, “but it paid off for us in the end.”

What the team was working toward was a 2½-minute routine to be performed at WPIALs. It would be judged on a number of points, including crowd involvement, jumps, stunts, tumbling, a dance portion and a pyramid.

By the time the WPIAL event arrived at Hempfield Area High School, Wise was confident her girls could perform well.

“The goal was to hit a clean routine and they knew what they needed to do to get that,” she said. “We wanted to get the 'Seneca Valley' name out there when it comes to competitive cheer.”

After watching her team's effort, Wise was pleased, but was in for a surprise.

“It was a good routine, but the medium division is a tough one to be in with schools like Shaler and North Allegheny. Earning a trip to states (top eight) was completely unexpected,” she said.

“It was such a great routine, considering we had just a few weeks to prepare,” said Sommer Tominello, a sophomore back spot.

The state meet was held Jan. 20-21 and before the Raiders competed, Wise had a message for her team.

“I told them that they had qualified to get here, just go out and have fun, enjoy the moment and work hard. We had nothing to lose,” she said.

The Raiders placed in the top 20 on the first day, which sent them to the semifinals.

“The girls were much more relaxed the second day,” said Wise. “We felt like we had won, just getting to the semifinals.”

Members of this year's team joined following an invitation, but that is not expected to be the case next season.

“Being our first year, we were in a very unique situation with the way we were set up,” Wise said. “We will have tryouts in the future.”

Witt, a main base, believes the biggest reason for the team's success was a shared love of what they were doing.

“All of us wanted to be there,” she said. “All of us wanted to cheer.”