Sachem East cheerleading picked itself off mat to win county, state championships

When Sachem East cheerleading coach Victoria Aghabekian reflects on her team’s season, the first word that comes to mind is “historic.”

It started with the squad winning five of seven regular season competitions, the most for a single season in program history. Then another county title. And it ended with Sachem East securing its first state championship. 

“They got on the mat earlier than normal, and that played a huge role in our success this season,” Aghabekian said.

But when they traveled to Walt Disney World for ESPN’s National High School Cheerleading Championship in early February, the success they had felt all season long had quickly vanished.

“We went in with really high expectations for ourselves,” sophomore Francesa Bustamante said. “But a silly mistake kept us from moving on in the competition, so we were really disappointed.”

“It was extremely heartbreaking,” Aghabekian said.

Instead of letting their performance at nationals bring them down, they were determined to prove themselves at the county championships the following week.

“We really wanted to win to show everyone that we were a strong team and that our performance at nationals wasn’t a true representation of us,” Bustamante said.

After a nearly perfect performance, Sachem East secured the Class A crown on Feb. 17, and better yet, they did it on their home turf.

“We were the last ones to perform in our division, so we knew we had to bring our all onto the mat,” sophomore base Olivya Regan said. “It felt amazing to win in the first place, but knowing that there were so many people there just to watch and support us felt even better.”

Last season, they finished fourth in the county competition. Aghabekian said that being able to compete at home, combined with the team’s determination, was what resulted in the win this time around.

“There’s definitely a sense of comfort being able to compete in our own gym,” Aghabekian said. “But there was a different mentality this year. The hard work, dedication and the mentality of ‘we’re not done until we say we’re done’ is what pushed us.”

Sachem East has had the opportunity to compete in the state cheerleading championships in Binghamton before, but this time, the team felt a different kind of motivation.

“Winning the county championship gave us so much confidence going into states,” Regan said. “We knew that we had a pretty good shot as long as we stayed focused and kept a positive mentality.”

To prepare, they practiced nearly every single day, getting as comfortable with their routine as possible.

“It was a lot of practice,” freshman Cameron Buckstein said. “We all wanted to win, so we were all willing to dedicate all of our time to perfecting our routine.”

With a shot at winning the first state title in Sachem East program history, they gave everything they had.

“We all felt so good about what we just put out on the mat,” Regan said. “We were so proud of ourselves and our performance, no matter what the final result was.”

Hearing their name called as the winners of Class A is a moment that Regan says she will cherish forever.

“My heart dropped to my stomach,” Regan said. “It felt so amazing to know that I just accomplished history for Sachem East. I’ll never forget that feeling.”

For Bustamante, it showed that all of the hard work the team had put in throughout the season paid off.

“It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” she said. “It showed me and my teammates that the work we put in was worth it and that we really did deserve this.”

Aghabekian said that with one state championship down, there will hopefully be many more to go.

“We made history this year,” Aghabekian said. “I have nothing but drive to bring this team back to that feeling.”