Giants' cheer captures Two-Year School, All-Girl Show Cheer Advanced title at USA Collegiate Championships
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
When their routine ended without a single miss -- 2 minutes and 30 seconds of competition perfection -- Madison Conley was convinced that College of the Sequoias' cheerleading team had made history.
And once the judges announced their decision, the Giants had indeed accomplished a program first by capturing the Two-Year College All-Girl Show Cheer Advanced title at the USA Collegiate Championships held Feb. 16 in Anaheim.
"Once we hit that very last pyramid, I knew we did it and won that championship," said Conley, a sophomore from Sierra Pacific High in Hanford. "It felt so good."
Conley was one of the 21-member All-Girls squad and one of 25 Sequoias cheerleaders overall who competed in three divisions during the two-day event held at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Competing against four-year colleges, the Giants also placed fourth in College Game Day Band Chant and tied for fifth in College Game Day Fight Song.
Sequoias was the Two-Year College All-Girl Show Cheer Advanced runner up in 2024 and did not place in any other divisions.
"It meant so much to me coming from last year and barely getting one trophy, and it felt like that trophy was handed to us just for being there," Conley said. "This year, getting three trophies, it felt so good. I feel like I finally accomplished something during my time at COS."
The Giants have been working on perfecting their routine -- which was designed by Sequoias' cheer and dance coach Tiffany Ruiz, with choreography assistance from Brian King -- since the beginning of October.
The cheer squad practiced at least two hours a day four days a week, and sometimes five.
"It's very exciting," freshman Demarie Morales (Hanford) said. "I feel like we deserved it. We've worked so hard for this."
Of all the times they performed the routine -- including publicly at halftime of Sequoias' men's basketball game Jan. 29, at halftime of a women's basketball game Feb. 1, and during a Friends and Family Showcase on Feb. 6 -- the Giants only hit the routine without any errors once before the USA Collegiate Championships.
The routine combines a series of stunts, cheers, tumbling, jumps and pyramids, all confined to no more than 3 minutes. And in order to win, there can be no mistakes -- or hitting zero in cheer parlance. Meaning, tumblers don't fall, pyramids stay up in the air, ect.
"For them to do this at competition felt amazing," Ruiz said. "I was so proud of them. I knew they could do this. They worked really hard for this."
The routine started with a basket toss which led into two-woman partner stunts. That was followed by jumps and then elites, which are a series of different group stunt skills. The Giants then did a basic pyramid and after dismount, led the crowd in cheers of "C-O-S!" and "Blue and Orange!"
From there, it was back tosses and flipping skills, then small and big pyramids and it concluded with a dance.
The routine was judged in four categories: tumbling and jumps; all stunts and pyramids; showmanship, choreography and execution; and cheer.
Sequoias received a total score of 91.9.
The Giants scored 16.9 out of 20 points in the first category, 27.5 out of 30 in the second, 23.8 out of 25 in the third and 23.7 out of 25 in the fourth.
"Before we went out, we talked about how we weren't going to be in second anymore, and we just did it," Morales said. "We're like a big family. We hype each other up. Toward the end (of the routine), we knew we had it. Everyone was super excited."
Other members of the All-Girls team include sophomores Gissell Cerpas (Orosi), Jennifer Gonzalez (Mt. Whitney), Ava Mayo (Tulare Union), Alyssa Rocha (Clovis), Nevaeh Romero (Porterville), Nina Saengkeo (Granite Hills-Porterville); and freshmen Samantha Arechinga (Woodlake), Lilyanna Garcia (Reedley), Sofia Gowett (Woodlake), Michelle Guizar (Woodlake), Alexus Hernandez (Cesar Chavez-Delano), Maelani Herrera (Redwood), Carly Hensen (Redwood), Madison Lightfoot (Redwood), Reilley Mueller (Lemoore), Sarah Portillo (Orange Cove), Jessica Rubio (Redwood), Mia Tafolla (Tulare Union) and Destiny Viscarra (Golden West).
Also competing on the Giants' Game Day squads were Yuridia Cabrera Gallardo (Granite Hills), Kassandra Padilla (Cesar Chavez), Jayla Rivas (Fowler) and Isaiah Torres (Hanford). Linette Martinez (Farmersville) is a member of the squad but was not medically cleared to compete.
"They were very passionate this season," said Ruiz, who is assisted by Ivan Bedolla, Jordan Visser and Ashley Sanchez. "I've never had a team so passionate about putting in the work. They worked really, really hard. Every single person. They did it for themselves and for each other. They deserved it."
