For the first time ever, Baldwin High School took home a FHSAA 1A Extra-large non-tumbling state championship. On Jan. 28 and 29, Baldwin won the state title at the University of Florida campus. The road to state, however, was not easy for the first-time champions.
With Baldwin being a sixth grade through 12th grade school, the team consisted of a team of 24 girls. They had five seniors and two juniors, and the rest were eighth-, ninth-, and 10th-graders. The Baldwin state champion coaches were the mother and daughter team of Sue and Amanda Mollas. Head coach Amanda Mollas, who was in her fifth season of coaching Baldwin, previously attended Baldwin and was part of the team herself. After her graduation, Amanda cheered competitively in college before returning home. Winning at her old school was a dream come true for her.
Before going to state in Gainesville, Baldwin had to get past regionals first. To get past regionals, teams must score a 60 or higher. Baldwin got a score of over 70 and easily walked into state.
At state the team went in confident that they would take home their first cheer title. The three finalists were Baldwin in first place with 78.5 points, Pedro Menendez in second place with 72.2, and Monsignor Edward Pace in third place with 68.7.
“Our team made me so proud,” Amanda Mollas said.
Looking into the future for Baldwin, they have a lot of returning talent. Only five people from their team moved on to college. The goal for Amanda Mollas is to give her kids a chance to join college cheer teams when they graduate from Baldwin, just like she did.
Next year Amanda Mollas plans to add two boys to their team. Cheer teams can have two boys on the team and still not be considered co-ed. This addition will give the defending state champions more strength, and they are excited to see what the team can do next season.
With Amanda Mollas coming into her sixth season and a state championship already under her belt, the spotlight is now on Baldwin.
Baldwin High School Wins 1A State Championship in Cheerleading
By: Ryan Hennessy
