November 3rd, 2023, was filled with cheers, tears, excitement, dancing, and more tears as Sahuaro celebrated senior night and homecoming at the last football game of the 2023 season. Three seniors were recognized in the marching band and six in cheer during the pregame ceremony. They danced their final dances, cheered their final cheers, and played their final notes as the game ended with a winning score against Pueblo: 33-7.

Charlotte Bol, a clarinet player, just finished her first season in marching band but is in her 8th year in band overall. She has always had a passion for the clarinet and plans to continue band after high school at Pima and then join the Pride of Arizona, the University of Arizona’s marching band. She is going to miss playing with everyone and the band camaraderie that comes with meeting other marching band members. Even though band takes up about 70% of her life right now, it makes her happy and she’s having fun. Mr. Schmidgall, band director, has helped her gain confidence in her musical abilities, and the freshmen this year have also inspired her to be a better player because she knows they’re looking up to her. Band has taught her respect and responsibility, and to always go for opportunities when you have them.

Jakob Schneider, drum major and trombone player, is finishing his 4th season in the marching band and is in his 8th year in band overall. He plans to study music after high school and join the Pride of Arizona Marching Band. He’s been with the band throughout the weird COVID years, and for him, leading a small band has been a struggle, but he’s been able to work through it and grow with everyone. He’s going to miss the band and he wishes he could stay and help out, because for him, being a drum major has been one of his greatest achievements. Mr. Schmidgall and his own parents have been big inspirations for Jakob because of their encouragement. Marching band is like a family to him, and he believes that music helps everyone connect on a deeper level and brings them together.

Saxophone player Joshua “Ray” Teran has been in marching band since his sophomore year, and band since he was in 5th grade. He plays the alto saxophone in concert band and the tenor saxophone in marching band.  He knew he wanted to play the saxophone when he was younger, so when the time came to be in band, he knew which instrument to choose. His favorite part of marching band is performing for an audience. Learning the show and being able to perform it are his biggest achievements. He plans to go to the U of A for business, and if he doesn’t join the Pride of Arizona, he will definitely continue music as a hobby. Ray has learned a lot about communication and the importance of listening to each other from band and that is something he will always take with him!

Mr. Schmidgall, band and orchestra director at Sahuaro, has a soft spot for the class of ’24 because he’s seen them grow not only musically, but also as people since he started teaching at Sahuaro. He says the seniors have all stepped up as leaders – whether they’re in a position of leadership or not – and serve as role models of what other band members should strive to be. If he had to leave them with one piece of advice, he would say, “This is going to sound cliché coming from the music teacher…but keep playing music. It doesn’t have to be a career, but it’s a valuable part of life that I think we’re lucky to get to participate in. So, having that as a hobby and an outlet, whatever it is to you, can be really valuable.”

Jacquelyn “Jackie” Durazo is a base and in her second year of cheer. Cheerleading has helped her shyness, and now she can talk to anyone! She’s also gotten a lot stronger, and that is one of her biggest achievements. She’s going to miss the “childlike energy” that comes with cheer. She loves stunting and her favorite part of cheer is the energy after a winning game. She doesn’t plan to continue cheer after high school, but for the rest of the year, she wants to get better. The captains, especially Kenna, have all been big inspirations to her because they bring their full energy, and they’re always there regardless of being tired. Cheer has been hard work, but for Jackie, it’s all been worth it, and she’s sad to leave her teammates.

Isabel “Izzy” Figueroa is one of the Sahuaro cheer captains. At 5 years old, she knew she wanted to be a cheerleader – she’s been in the sport ever since. She is currently a back spot, but after 12 years, including all 4 years at Sahuaro, she is no stranger to all positions on the team. Her older sister and her friends Nissie and Julissa, who she’s been cheering with since she was 7, have all been huge inspirations to her. As a captain, she knew she wanted to make the cheer environment better because when she was an underclassman, she enjoyed cheer, but she didn’t always like the environment. Izzy is proud to say that her biggest accomplishment is doing just that and making her team feel welcome. She plans to study psychology and become a cheer coach because she has fond memories of her cheer coaches when she was younger. Cheer has been a big part of her life; she will always take the motto “all gas no breaks” with her because it’s a mentality all the cheerleaders have.

Ashlyn Healy is in her second year of cheer. She is usually a flyer, but due to a concussion in her last season, she hasn’t stunted as much; she’s been able to overcome her injuries and catch up this year. She wants to become a kindergarten teacher and join the University of Arizona’s pom line while she’s in college because she loves the dancing part of cheer. She is an outgoing person – even more so now that she’s a senior – and she wanted to do a sport that revolves around that. Listening to 2000’s music gets her ready for a game, and the bus rides are her favorite memories. For her senior year, she wants to live in the moment and stop being stressed. Cheer has helped her be herself, and she’s always going to remember to put effort and “everything you got” into what you do because it does matter.

Jovana “Jo” Jankovic is a base and in her first year of cheer at Sahuaro. She did gymnastics for 4 years before joining cheer at her old high school. She is excited to leave high school and will be graduating early this year, but she loves her team and will miss them. She plans to study nursing at the U of A.  Jo enjoys good chaos on game days, and she loves it when there’s a big crowd in the stands. She was nervous about cheer because she felt like she wouldn’t fit in and make friends, but thankfully that wasn’t the case for her because she thinks the team consists of really good people. She’s excited for the rest of the season and cheering for girls’ basketball because it’s new to her. From cheer, she has learned not to take anything to heart, and not to be mad at yourself for messing up.

Cristina Leon is in her first year of cheer. She really likes cheerleading and has so many favorite memories, but the Sabino vs. Sahuaro game was fun for her because the girls were all kind to her – which was especially nice with it being her first game as a new cheerleader. She’s had to overcome her performance anxiety because Cristina has never had to perform in front of a crowd before, and she finds that some games can still be scary. Cheer has helped her to not be afraid of people. She’s going to miss Friday night lights and getting ready with her team because she feels that they’re all so close. Outside of cheer, she has been playing softball for 13 years. She wants to go into the medical field and continue playing softball in college because it’s her main sport. Cheer has been a fun way for her to get to know and connect with people!

Azalina “Azzy” Yniguez is in her second year of cheer at Sahuaro. She was homeschooled for her first two years of high school, but with her family consisting of cheerleaders and football players, she knew she wanted to join cheer and even plans to continue cheering after high school at the U of A. Cheering is an adrenaline rush for her and seeing the crowd makes her happy. She loves being on the field and laughing with all of the girls because they’re like family, and they make her feel safe and at home. Adjusting to being at a public school after being homeschooled was hard, but she was able to overcome it and find confidence in herself, through the help of cheer. She’s going to miss seeing her friends and all the little things about school, but this year her goal is to make good memories and keep things running smoothly.

Coach Kiki is the new head cheer coach for Sahuaro; he was previously the assistant coach for the last two years. He said he really enjoys being their head coach because the team is great, and they make him happy every day. A lot of the seniors have been on the squad since he has been at Sahuaro, and he says they’ve all grown great together and grown close. “They show up, and they show out. That’s what I think they do every day, so I’m pretty proud of them for doing that,” he shared.

Congratulations to the class of 2024. Thank you for making Friday night lights special.