GALT, CA (MPG) - The Liberty Ranch Hawks STUNT team is making its presence felt once again this season, steamrolling through the Sierra Valley Conference schedule and positioning itself for what could be another league championship. With an unblemished run through a demanding slate of opponents, the Hawks are not just winning, they are winning convincingly, and the program’s foundation has never been stronger.

For those unfamiliar with the sport, STUNT is a competitive athletic discipline that takes the skills of traditional cheerleading – partner stunts, pyramids, tosses and tumbling – and structures them into a direct head-to-head competition format. Teams go round by round, performing the same required skills simultaneously, with judges scoring each element. It is fast, technical and demands peak athleticism and precision from every athlete on the mat.

 

The Hawks post a double-heel stretch.

At the center of Liberty Ranch’s success is Head Coach Barbara Welch, who has been with the program since its very first day. Welch, who also serves as the head coach of the Galt High School cheer program, has built the Hawks STUNT team from the ground up and has guided it to a league championship every year since the sport was introduced at Liberty Ranch. That kind of sustained dominance is no accident. Welch is known as a demanding coach who holds her athletes to an exceptionally high standard, keeping the team in peak physical condition and always pushing to stay ahead of the competition.

Her influence on the sport extends well beyond Hawk Stadium. Welch has played a key role in growing STUNT throughout the region, mentoring other schools and coaches to bring the sport into the league. Without enough teams to field a competitive schedule, the sport cannot thrive, and Welch took it upon herself to make sure that was never an issue. Her work behind the scenes has been just as impactful as her coaching on the sideline.

This season, the Hawks have faced a challenging and diverse schedule, traveling to take on Whitney in Rocklin and competing against Bradshaw Christian, Union Mine, El Dorado, Oakridge, Granite Bay and Amador. The results have been almost total dominance across the board, perhaps none more emphatic than their matchup against Bradshaw Christian, where Liberty Ranch rolled to a 25-6 victory. Argonaut was unable to field a full team this season and forfeited its scheduled matchups, but the Hawks have faced every opponent willing to step on the mat and answered the challenge every time.

 

A triple Liberty pyramid.

Next up for Liberty Ranch is a rematch against Bradshaw Christian on April 8: a chance for the Hawks to once again prove their dominance against one of the teams they have already handled with authority this season.

But the Hawks are not focused solely on league. The bigger prize is on the horizon. Liberty Ranch has its sights set on winning a section championship at its competitive level and then making a run at the state title: a goal that feels well within reach for a program that has been built the right way, year after year, under the steady hand of Coach Welch.

For a STUNT program that has known nothing but success since its first season, the standard is clear: championships or nothing less. And if this season is any indication, the Hawks have every intention of meeting that standard once again.

 

The Hawks perform a double-partner stunt.