Morrill cheerleader makes national headlines for solo state performance

Published in Nebraska News Service 03/12/2023

Katrina Kohel traveled over 300 miles to represent the Morrill High School Lions at the Nebraska State High School Cheer and Dance competition in Grand Island last month – alone. 

Kohel, a 17-year-old senior, was the lone cheerleader on the mats at the Heartland Event Center in Grand Island, representing the school she’s cheered for since she was a freshman, a town of just over 900 people in Nebraska’s panhandle. 

However, as the tune of Nicki Minaj’s Starships set off the first four portions of her Game Day routine, she was no longer alone.

Teams from across the state gathered to cheer her on as she danced, completed both situational and sideline cheers and performed Morrill High’s fight song.