One competition, the first of the season, and already the Oak Harbor High School cheer team is qualified to participate in the state championships scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24, in Everett.

On Nov. 22, seven high school teams along with four youth teams participated in the Oak Harbor Invitational competition and, as always, when the Wildcats host an event, it’s a first-class affair.

Oak Harbor coach Pam Headridge said she was pleased with how her team performed and also how well the meet ran, despite some of the usual running around trying to get everything organized prior to the first team stepping on the mat.

“It was a nice-sized competition,” she said. “It used to be larger and that was hard, but this is the first competition of the year and things went smoothly.”

For the first time, the Oak Harbor team is competing in the large co-ed division and it was easy to tell by Headridge’s demeanor prior to the Wildcats taking the floor that the veteran head coach was slightly nervous.

No need to worry at all.

The Wildcats performed their high-flying routine nearly flawlessly scoring 239 points, which qualified them for the state championships.

“We have 10 new kids on the team and our potential is unlimited,” Headridge said. “We are only going to get better.”

Oak Harbor’s victories didn’t stop with the team competition.

Junior Tracy Vessels finished first in individual competition and her sister, Lindsey, finished in second place.

Kentwood High School won the super large division, the non-tumbling division and the small co-ed division, with all three teams qualifying for state.

Sehome High School was the winner of the small varsity division.

North Central High School placed second in the non-tumbling division and qualified for state, and King’s High School also earned a trip to Everett with a second-place finish in the small co-ed division

Oak Harbor has a little time to hone their performance to an even sharper edge.

The next time the Wildcats step on the mat to strut their stuff will be Dec. 13 at the Decatuer High School Invitational.