Ceremony has familiar ring for Crushers cheer squad

Reporter

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – After she slipped a new band of gold onto her left hand on Monday, Bishop McCort Catholic High School cheerleader Malayna Boring had a championship ring for each finger.

But this one was special, Boring said as she celebrated alongside fellow varsity cheerleaders in downtown Johnstown's Central Park.

"Coming back for my senior year, it meant so much to help lead the team to victory," she said.

The Bishop McCort senior was among 18 cheerleaders on the squad who joined the Crimson Crushers’ coaches to receive rings recognizing their national championship victory in February.

The team had another banner year, winning the PIAA Competitive Spirit Competition in Hershey before finishing first at nationals in the small-school division in Orlando, Florida.

"We know how hard they worked for this," Coach John Walker said, moments before he and his staff called the cheerleaders up one by one to the Central Park gazebo to receive their rings.

This marked the eighth straight District 6 title and sixth-ever national title for the Bishop McCort cheer program – one that was even more special after many on the team fell short a year earlier, parents said.

"We’re so proud of them. To come back and win it all after losing in the preliminaries (in 2022), these girls had to work so very hard," said Corina Long, whose daughter, Rose, is among the squad's graduating seniors. "It was such a phenomenal experience."

David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.

Bishop McCort Catholic High School cheerleaders returned home Tuesday from Orlando, Florida, where they were crowned national champions.

Reporter

David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TDDavidHurst and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.

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