Dance State lived up to the hype over the weekend, with Prescott’s dominance over the sport continuing, picking up wins in pom and jazz. Ellsworth snatched up a fourth-place spot in hip hop and Lizzie Henn of Elmwood/Plum City made the D6 All-State team to wrap up a memorable season for all the teams involved.

For the first time in 14 years, Prescott won a pair of State titles in the same year, taking the win in D5 pom and D3 jazz Friday.

“Honestly, we were all speechless. It was the best feeling,” Co-Coach Brianna Shirley said. “They performed their routines the best that they could have and the double State championship was just the icing on the cake.”

Seniors Claire Hince, Claire Schommer, Alissa Zerneke, Evelyn Nance, Lucy Lamb and MaKenna Williamson all made the D5 All-State team as soloists, making Prescott a perfect six-for-six in that department.

“All of them executed their routines beautifully, we couldn’t have asked for better performances,” Shirley said. “We’re super proud of all of them for making the All-State team.”

What made this year’s team so good was the pure hard work and dedication put in. No one took practice time for granted and the hard work rubbed off on each other.

“The grit, the passion and the drive from all of our girls,” Shirley said. “There was not one single person on the team that didn’t come to practice and put in 110% effort for our end goals.”

With nine total seniors, it will be a difficult class to replace, but Shirley said the culture they have instilled has trickled down to the rest of the team.

“A huge loss to our team. They all brought such awesome qualities to the team,” Shirley said. “They’ve definitely left their legacy for the Prescott Dance Team. A lot of what they’ve done has melted down our other underclassmen and also our juniors, so we look forward to continuing on what they have brought to this team and what they have created.”

Shirley thanked the Prescott fans for a huge showing in the stands at State. The Prescott dads all dressed up as Pitbull, which Shirley said made the experience all the more fun.

Ellsworth had a solid weekend at State, placing fourth in D3 hip hop and having some of their best performances of the season.

“State went really well,” Coach Angie McHardy said. “This was the best I’ve ever seen them do their pom dance, so that was really exciting. You could tell that that was kind of their biggest win of the day.”

McHardy thanked the town for their support including the people who came out to their send off and River Road Coffee and Country Fit for giving free drinks to the team.

This season was a fun one for the Panthers, as they always kept the vibes and energy high.

“They’re just a really good group together, they’re just a fun group,” McHardy said. “They kind of build each other up, and they push each other to do better.”

McHardy said even in practice the communication is loud and the energy is like it is in competition. She said the strengths of the team change every year, with this year’s strength being that energy. This played into the hip hop routine well, a part of the reason they won the hip hop Regional title.

“They enjoy that style of dance, it’s fun for them,” McHardy said. “They have some attitude sometimes that they can project like they’re having fun.”

Last year it was jazz that stole the show for Ellsworth.

McHardy said it is bittersweet to say goodbye to the seniors because of how many great memories they have made along the way.

Elmwood/Plum City did not place as a team in D6 pom, but Lizzie Henn made the All-State team as a soloist.

“I could tell they were nervous to step on the state floor, but they did such a good job of keeping the energy up,” Coach Melissa Andrle said. “I think they will remember that moment for a long time.”

It was the second consecutive year for Henn making the All-State team. In EPC’s first appearance as a team, they went out on the floor looking to have a good time, and they did so.

Andrle hopes to add a few more members to next year’s squad and to start the season a bit earlier.
Spring Valley has now made State eight times in Tiffany Schultz’s 13 years as the coach. They are still looking for their first placement as they missed out in D6 pom this year, but it was another good year for the team.