Marriotts Ridge coach Kelly O'Brien gave a big smile and rushed to greet her team. The judges scores hadn't been announced, they wouldn't be for at least another hour, but in O'Brien's eyes her Mustangs had done all they could.
"Standing over there I was probably more nervous than them during the routine, so to watch them hit everything perfectly like they did, that was so exciting," O'Brien said. "You don't know how things are going to go (with the scoring), but just to see all the hard work pay off and everything come together is a great feeling."
It turns out the judges were just as impressed as O'Brien with Marriotts Ridge's routine. With a score of 128.7 points, the highest in program history on the 150-point scale, the Mustangs captured first place Saturday at the county championship cheerleading meet.
It's the second time, the first coming during the winter 2010 season, that Marriotts Ridge has captured the county crown.
"We worked really hard, perfected things and gave 110 percent every day in practice," Marriotts Ridge senior Rebecca Litwack said. "Coming in we were confident that we had a winning routine if we could hit everything."
Behind the Mustangs, Long Reach was second (118.85 points), Glenelg third (110.95) and River Hill fourth. The top teams advance to next week's South Regional championship, which will be held Feb. 9 at South River High School.
Undoubtedly, Marriotts Ridge's 16-member squad will be making the trip to regionals with plenty of confidence.
The routine Saturday at River Hill High School was terrifically timed and executed from beginning to end. O'Brien says a kick-double added into the early portion of the routine got things going on the right foot.
"It definitely gave us a 'wow' factor," she said.
As the routine went on, the tumbling and cheer sections went off without a hitch and by the time the final dance portion came around, senior Brooke Lally says she knew they were in good shape.
"We were excited as soon as we hit the pyramid, because we knew we were doing great," Lally said. "To that point, we had hit everything."
Marriotts Ridge finished strong and later got to celebrate as champions. O'Brien credited a terrific senior class as a major driving force behind the victory, but also acknowledged the advantage of having two talented boys, Skye Robinson and John McDowell, on the team.
Only three county squads featured a male athlete and the Mustangs were the only team with more than one.
"The guys bring a huge component to the team," O'Brien said. "Definitely the muscular strength is a huge help and on top of that the tumbling is a huge help. I know the girls love having them out, too."
Long Reach's second-place finish came after placing fourth at counties in the fall and winning the winter competition last February.
