Despite all that, Monmouth performed well enough to finish third, which qualified the Mustangs for the Class C state championship. They finished an admittedly disappointing eighth.

That was how Shannon Fields’ first year as Monmouth’s coach went. It was a season full of ups and downs, but one that ended with a bump up for the Mustangs that they have brought with them heading into Fields’ second year.

“It’s been really great, actually,” Fields said. “Very easy. Like it’s coming a lot easier, and I don’t know if that’s just because I’m a little bit more experienced as a second-year coach. But I think a lot of the girls are really willing to try new things, they’re basically accepting to anything that I tell them or ask them to do. I think that they have a little bit more confidence in me as a coach, knowing what we all had to go through last year and how it worked out. And I think that they’re just more comfortable all together and with me as a coach.”

Both Fields and some her athletes said they didn’t know what to expect going into last season. Sure, they thought they could do well, but it was all a big mystery until the competitions began. The Mustangs didn’t place at the MVC championship, then in the lead-up to regionals, lost one girl due to ineligibility and another to injury.

“It was stressful,” said Jenna Brown, now a junior. “It was a lot of pressure put onto all of us, having to put together two different routines within one week, and then going into competition with six girls. It was definitely a lot of stress.”

“It was really scary,” added Maddie Lombardo, who is now a sophomore. “I’m usually a back, which is in back of the stunt, and I had to fly. And I ended up falling, but it looked like a ripple.

“It was really scary at first, but when we’re out on the floor it’s a whole, different experience. You don’t see anyone any more, all you see are the judges, and all you feel is yourself. It’s really easy to just know what you have to do and know where you have to go. Off the mat, we were scared, but once we hit the mat we were fine.”

“I think they realized that when they do put their mind to something they can still do it, even if it seems impossible,” Fields said. “I think that they also realized how much each individual really can influence the team, so they’re all being more conscious about how they’re impacting the team individually.”

The team’s relative triumph through adversity provided a confidence boost that is still felt heading into a new season. It’s also changed the way that the team is preparing for the new season.

“I think we all kind of have improved on our tumbling skills,” Brown said. “We’re all working towards getting more and more skills, so that’s one thing that’s definitely improved. We all want to be where our main tumbler is.”

The Mustangs only had three tumblers last year, and two graduated. Now the idea is everyone will try to do everything.

“A lot of the girls have been going to tumbling classes,” Fields added. “They’ve been working really hard to get to that point so that we have a team that is well-diversed in all the different skills of cheering. They’re taking more steps to work harder on stunting, and be willing to move things around. They’re okay with switching positions. And I think they’re all kind of leaders, instead of just kind of looking up to two people, waiting for them to lead.”

With such a small team, with just nine girls to start this season, being able to fill multiple roles becomes a necessity.

“No matter what our place is on the team, we all kind of have to step up at one point or another and take over someone else’s spot if needed,” Brown said.

Now that Fields knows what to expect from her team, and the girls know what to expect from themselves, the expectations have been raised. That means placing at MVCs, earning another top-three finish at regionals, and doing better than an eighth-place showing at states.

“As a small team, it’s really hard to get top three at states, but we want to definitely get top five,” Lombardo. “I feel like we can get there, and we want to get there, and we’re going to work as hard as we can to get there.”

Brown said Mustang cheerleaders have always been willing to work hard. And they’re going to need it, with what Fields has in store for this season. Installing the choreography for their routine will begin earlier, and there will be more emphasis on mastering each skill individually in practice. And plenty of conditioning.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com