Chargers cheer excels in Orlando

Fresh off their qualification at the Western Regional Championships, the Huntington Beach Chargers Midget Green cheer squad got pumped up to head to Florida to compete in the Pop Warner National Championship of Cheer. This elite competition is held in Orlando at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex in conjunction with the annual Pop Warner Super Bowl.

Only two teams in each division from the five regions of the United States qualify to compete.

The Charger girls, led by award-winning coach Tamara Green, competed in the large squad advanced division and wowed the crowd with their sharp moves and gravity-defying basket tosses.

Despite a few jet-lagged induced penalties, the squad made an amazing showing for Huntington Beach’s first-ever appearance in the national championships in Orlando and placed sixth in the United States.

They also unseated their Western Conference rivals, the Canyon Hills Cowboys.

The Chargers intend to sustain the momentum from this strong showing as they head to the Jamz national competition in Las Vegas in January. The squad extends a big thank you to the Huntington Beach community for all its support!

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Hoyas 32, Boilermakers 27: The Hoyas outlasted the Boilermakers in an early-season National Junior Basketball Division I battle between two undefeated teams.

The action-packed defensive battle featured six lead changes, with the Hoyas ultimately gaining the lead for good with 1:30 remaining as two key Boilermaker players finally succumbed to foul trouble.

The leading scorer for the victorious Hoyas was point guard Daniel Patzlaff, who netted 11 points, including hitting many key free throws near the end of the game to seal the win. Center Kai Ross added 10 points.

Boilermaker point guard Gabriel Copper led all scorers with 12 points, and swingman Patrick Poss chipped in seven points,

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Huntington Beach One 30, Sparks 14: The Sparks fell in their National Junior Basketball Division I league opener at Huntington Beach High on Dec. 6.

Congratulations to Julia Murphy, Megan Ferlita, Sage Mora and Nikki Pievac for getting multiple steals on defense.

— From staff reports