Twists, flips, tucks and bodies flying through the air with grace and style. The music roars throughout the gym, keeping fans moving in their seats. The music stops, and one by one each girl is lifted into the air and the cheers begin. The roar from the floor echoes throughout the gym.

The Antioch Community High School varsity cheer squad came a long way in the past couple years, and this year, they are a force to be reckoned with. The cheer squad is preparing for this Sunday, Jan. 25, when they travel to Lake Zurich Community High School for the North Suburban Conference Championship. Even though this competition is important for the cheer squad, the real prize is to advance to the state finals. Just two years ago, the team was able to win sectionals and advance to the state finals where they took fifth place.

Head coach Matt Dawes said, “If [the team] does what they are capable of doing, there should be no reason why they should not be in top three.”

The team this year did well at their competitions and used them to improve on their skills. The team hopes to keep improving for the rest of the year. Just recently, they competed against one of the best teams in the state and came out first. With six freshmen, three sophomores, five juniors and six seniors on the squad, the team has a promising future.