DELMARVA- Cape Henlopen and Stephen Decatur High Schools are gearing up for the state championships. Beyond the football field, the excitement resonates through the school band and cheerleading squads, intensifying the sense of community support.
The Cape's marching band diligently practices their routines ahead of the anticipated event. Christopher Runde, french horn player for the Cape's band said, "It's been a long time but we are just so excited. We're so excited first off to be able to have a football team that can get us there, we're really excited for those guys because they're doing amazing and overall we're just excited to have the opportunity to go."
Elly Rolfes, an Assistant Band Director for Cape, acknowledges the thrill of following the team's journey, "We've been at every game supporting the football team so to get to these playoffs and just continue winning unexpectedly in such great big momentous ways has been so awesome. So it's been really fun just to be apart of that and to get all the way up to Delaware, UD stadium is going to be a really cool experience."
Despite the absence of Stephen Decatur's band at the Maryland State Championships, Decatur's cheerleaders are ready to pump up the crowd with their school spirit. Jada Taylor, a member of the Decatur cheerleading squad said, "There's going to be a lot of screaming going on but we're always pumped on game day, but their will definitely be extra cheering."
For Marley Hill, a senior cheerleader, this championship marks a significant moment in her high school career, "It is the finals and of course we want to cheer our boys on and hopefully to win."
The Cape Henlopen Viking Band will begin the field performance at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, setting the stage for an evening of excitement. Meanwhile, the Stephen Decatur cheerleaders aim to rally behind their team to secure the championship title Thursday.