Naperville cheerleaders heading to Pop Warner nationals

A group of cheerleaders from the Naperville Chargers Pop Warner football and cheer program has made it to nationals for the first time.

The Junior Pee Wee team of 8- to 11-year-old girls will compete Monday through Saturday in Orlando at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports, cheer coach Jamilah Scott said.

"It is a rare and exceptional opportunity to achieve such a high level of success," she said.

The girls will be accompanying two Chargers football teams that also advanced to nationals.

"To have three teams in one organization advance in the same year is remarkable," Scott said.

Cheer team members will perform a 2:25 routine that includes a 60-second section of verbal cheers, jumps, tumbling and stunts and an 85-second section set to music with more jumps, tumbling stunts and dance sequences.

Competing team members include Mia Almeida, Megan Blohm, Sydney Cometa, Audrianna Connolly, Mckenna Johansen, Jayla McCoy, Alliyah Smith and Lillian Wisch. Team member Gianna Brown will travel with the team to Florida but can't officially compete because she no longer meets the age cutoff.

Scott said the Chargers' routine was choreographed by assistant coach Elayna Pappas, who was captain of the Illinettes dance team at the University of Illinois until her graduation in May. Girls performing the routine will be up against 16 other teams who advanced to nationals from a field of about 45 across the nation in their age and difficulty level.

"(We) will represent Naperville with pride, sportsmanship and honor," Scott said.