Saugus cheerleading sees growth in competition, participation

By Dom Nicastro

The Saugus High School cheerleaders placed second in Division 3 at the Northeastern Conference championships. The Sachems only trailed Peabody by three points when the final results were tallied.

“Overall, the girls did phenomenal,” Saugus coach Hannah Phelan said. “The week leading up to the competition was really challenging, with nothing seeming to hit during practice. Despite the struggles, the team pulled together and made some last-minute changes just two hours before the competition. All that hard work paid off because the girls ‘hit zero,’ meaning they delivered a flawless routine with no deductions. I couldn’t be prouder of their resilience and determination.”

Saugus has a young team, competing with 10 athletes; four of them are eighth graders.

Phelan has been coaching Saugus High School varsity cheerleading since she graduated from high school in 2021, starting at just 19 years old. She began as the assistant coach from 2021 to 2022 and officially became the head coach in the winter of 2022.

Her assistant coaches are Grace Goldberg, who has been coaching since 2022; Catherine Elam, who also started in 2022; and Noelle Loconte, who joined the coaching staff in 2024. “Together, we’ve built a strong and supportive coaching team dedicated to helping our athletes grow and succeed,” Phelan said. “This season has been especially exciting for us. We started the fall season with 13 athletes, and by winter, our numbers grew to a record-breaking 45 athletes.”

The team achieved some great successes. In addition to NECs, it placed second at the Wilmington Invitational.

In addition to their competition season, the Sachems hosted a winter clinic during February vacation, which had an incredible turnout with 50 kids signed up. “It was a fantastic opportunity to engage younger athletes and help grow the excitement around cheer in our community,” Phelan said.

Saugus’ strength is the bond they share, according to Phelan. “Between the game day team and the competition team, I haven’t seen a group of cheerleaders with such a strong connection in a long time,” Phelan said. “Last season, our competition team wasn’t able to compete, but this season, with eighth graders coming in who’ve only ever cheered at a level one, they’re already hitting stunts that would normally take years to learn. Their understanding of each other and the way they work together is incredible, and it’s that teamwork that makes all the difference.”

Saugus captains are senior Gabriela Mund, senior Rhianna Rodriguez, senior Sofia Correa and junior Lanyelis Perez. This season, the program truly got lucky with such an amazing set of leaders.

“With such a young team this year, they welcomed the newer athletes with open arms and made them feel comfortable cheering at a varsity level,” Phelan said. “They never get angry or frustrated when someone needs a moment or when things aren’t hitting right away. Instead, they take the time to support their teammates and constantly offer reassurance, reminding everyone that they’re doing everything they can to succeed.”

This program is expected to continue doubling in numbers with all the young girls coming up from the youth program. The varsity works very closely with the youth teams, and Coach Phelan has a strong relationship with the directors, Greg Bluestein and Charlene Berridge, as well as all the youth coaches.

“For the first time in five years, we’re bringing back a junior varsity program for the fall, with plans to have JV compete in the winter,” Phelan said. “We also plan to have girls cheer for both junior varsity and varsity football and basketball. Our high school cheerleaders are constantly building relationships with the younger athletes through clinics, helping to create a strong foundation for the future of the program.”

Felicio falls in finals at All-States

  Anna Felicio almost got it done again. One week after winning the Division 1 state championship in wrestling, the Saugus product advanced to the finals at the All-States championships. But she ran into a buzzsaw. Samantha Bertini of Ludlow High School became the first three-time girls champion with her win at 107 over Felicio of the Saugus/Peabody wrestling team with a technical fall win at 4:28.