The Sayreville Leprechaun Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee team is headed to Disney World for a national cheerleading competition. Pictured are, clockwise from top left: Head Coach Kaitlyn Freyer, Assistant Coach Jessica Crimmins, Jaden Kaiser, Jayden Mann, Jasmine Gonzalez, Jaleigh Matos, Mya Jackson, Khadirah Ismail, Student Demonstrator Kacey Logan, Student Demonstrator Jennifer Tamburri, Kelley French, Megan Zsorey, Kylie Taeschler, Makayla Pugh, Heather Pechulis, Christina Fritz and Crystal Margotta. Not pictured are: Assistant Coach Andrew Hochron, Student Demonstrator Caitlyn Hochron, Emma Hochron and Cheer Director Sonya Pearson.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NIKKI KAISER SAYREVILLE — For the first time in the program’s history, the Sayreville Leprechaun Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee Team is heading to Disney World for the Pop Warner National Cheerleading Championships.
With a fast-paced routine that included tumbling and stunting, 14 fourth- and fifthgrade girls of the Junior Pee Wee team took second place against 17 other teams at the Pop Warner Eastern Regional competition on Nov. 14 in Trenton.
“For this age group and level, this is the first time they have taken second place or placed at the regional competition,” said Cheer Director Sonya Pearson, noting that there were a lot of good teams competing.
The Eastern Region is made up of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.
There are eight regions that make up Pop Warner and each region could potentially have two teams participating in each level, Pearson said. Only the top two teams advance to compete at Nationals.
“I am very excited because we are the first Leprechaun Junior Pee Wee team to ever go to Disney,” said Jaden Kaiser, 10. “I am also proud of the girls because of how hard we have worked and all of the teamwork we did this season.”
Pearson said it is some of the girl’s first year in the program’s competitive level.
The Pop Warner National Cheerleading Championships are held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 5-11. Pearson said their team will compete on Dec. 9.
There are approximately 70 girls enrolled in the Leprechaun Pop Warner Cheerleading program this year.
“We have two non-competitive teams: our Tiny Mites, which consist of kindergarten and first-grade girls and our Mitey Mites, which consist of our second- and third-grade girls,” Pearson said. “The two competitive teams are our Junior Pee Wees, which consist of fourth and fifth grade girls, and our Junior Midget team which consist of sixth and seventh grade girls.”
Pearson said the Junior Midget team also competed at Regionals and placed third in the Pop Warner Eastern Region out of 12 teams.
“As the cheer coordinator for the past three seasons and coach prior to that, I couldn’t be prouder of all of the girls in this program,” she said. “From Tiny Mites up to Junior Midgets these girls are a very dedicated and passionate group of girls who always bring a smile to my face.”
Pearson said their success would not be possible without the dedicated and seasoned coaching staff.
“It is a very exciting time for us and honestly, regardless of what might happen down at Nationals, this is an experience that these girls will cherish for a life time,” she said.
The Leprechaun Cheer coaching staff is comprised of Head Coach Kaitlyn Freyer and assistant coaches Jessica Crimmins and Andrew Hochron.
There are three student demonstrators, who are all past cheerleaders from the Midgets 2013 Nationals team: Caitlyn Hochron, Kacey Logan and Jennifer Tamburri.