The Springfield High School Cougars took home their first national championship title in 2016 at the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida. This year's talented team of 28 athletes is ready to take the mat again with hopes of bringing home a second white satin jacket to Springfield, Pennsylvania.

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The Cougars are going into this season with the same drive and determination as last year but plan to take this routine into a higher level of difficulty. We asked Springfield High head coach Kristin LaBarca what the team is hoping to accomplish in 2017.

Our goal for the season is to bump up the difficulty to exceed our routine from last year, while pushing the girls to be the best that they can be and hopefully repeat the same success.

It's not every day that you see seven stunt groups hit back handspring ups to the top, followed by high-to-high pull-throughs. Those are only two of the skills in Springfield's stunt sequence that sets it apart from other teams in the super large varsity division.



Senior cheerleader Morgan Marker told us about the dynamic of the team this season:

This team is built from strong friendships and positive leadership. We have 16 seniors on the team, so we each lead the team in different ways. We each have our own roles which helps make this team be the best that we can be.

Can the Cougars come out on top again? Tune in to the competition LIVE on Varsity.tv on February 11 to watch Springfield attempt to defend its title at the 2017 National High School Cheerleading Championship!