In Palmerton, school spirit doesn’t stop when the game ends.

For a handful of Blue Bombers cheerleaders, it carries from the sidelines to the wrestling mat — and into a new season that’s all their own.

Their transition from the sidelines to center stage has become a natural extension of their competitive spirit. The same athletes who spend Friday nights firing up the crowd are just weeks away from the start of wrestling season, where they’ll bring that same focus and energy onto the mat.

It’s a crossover few would have imagined a few years ago. But for Nicole Jennings, Alexxa Winger, Abby Baker, Kyleigh Jennings and McKenzi Smith, the combination has become a defining part of their high-school experience — and a reflection of the growth of girls wrestling in Palmerton.

“It’s kind of exciting,” said freshman Nicole Jennings, who comes from a wrestling family and will enter her second season on the mat. “I’m ready for wrestling. Last year helped a lot, because now I know what I want to work on and what I want to improve on. I like the sport — it’s fun, and it’s cool that I get to do both.”

Jennings, who was second at the junior high district tournament last season, has cheered for three years, and she said the lessons from both sports complement each other — teamwork and precision from cheer, focus and resilience from wrestling. “Cheer is fun — all of our girls get along so well,” she said. “Wrestling lets you get your energy out, and you just go out there and compete.”

Freshman Alexxa Winger found similar balance. A former youth cheerleader who started wrestling in seventh grade, she said both sports have helped her gain confidence — even when she didn’t expect to be doing either at the same time.

“I never thought that would be a combination,” Winger said, smiling. “For wrestling, I like how it gives you motivation to do more things. You might get in your head about things, but at the end of the day the match starts 0-0. It’s not about who’s better or worse — it’s how you perform on the mat. Cheer has been my whole life, and my mom was a cheerleader, so I’m kind of following in her footsteps.”

Winger admitted that confidence didn’t come instantly. “At the beginning of the wrestling year, I had zero confidence,” she said. “But through matches and practices, it grows. The mentality on the mat helps with everything.”

Junior Abby Baker is newer to wrestling but already drawn to the challenge and energy it brings.

“Most of my friends did it, and they came back to school talking about it,” Baker said. “So I went to one of the practices and had fun doing it. Cheer and wrestling are really different — the people and the energy — but I like both. I just want to get better and learn new things.”

Junior Kyleigh Jennings has been cheering for more than a decade and is entering her first full season of wrestling. She grew up watching the sport and felt inspired by her siblings.

“I’ve watched wrestling my whole life,” she said. “My brother wrestled, and my cousin did it last year, and that got me interested. I went to an open mat just to watch, and the next time I went back, I joined. I never imagined I’d actually be a wrestler.”

Kyleigh said she’s quickly learned that the two sports demand different kinds of effort — but both take dedication. “Wrestling has a lot more conditioning — you need to use everything, all your muscles,” she said. “Cheer is more about putting on a performance with stunts and routines. Wrestling is one-on-one and intense, but both are about showing what you can do.”

Freshman McKenzi Smith also wrestled at the junior-high level and recently returned to cheer for the first time since elementary school. She said doing both sports together has strengthened her friendships and her focus.

“Doing both with my main group of friends is awesome,” Smith said. “It’s brought us so much closer. Wrestling is tough, but I love being competitive. When you’re on the mat, it starts 0-0 — it’s all yourself. You’re not depending on anyone else.”

Smith said the support she feels in both environments makes a huge difference. “Hearing people yell your name from the stands gives you motivation like nothing else,” she said. “You get out what you put into it. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you’re going to get something good out of it.”

That work ethic is a hallmark of Palmerton’s growing girls wrestling program, which has built steady momentum since the junior-high team captured the District 11 Class 2A Championship last season. The Bombers had five individual placewinners, and head coach Josh Rake was named District 11 Coach of the Year.

Girls wrestling continues to grow across Pennsylvania, with participation and sanctioned competition expanding each year. Programs like Palmerton’s are helping lead the charge locally, showing that opportunities — and interest — are stronger than ever.

Co-head cheer coaches Joy Devino and Chrissy Ruzicka said they’ve enjoyed seeing their athletes find new challenges — and new confidence — through wrestling.

“It’s great that they’re doing it,” Ruzicka said. “It’s awesome to see them branch out and do something different.”

“It’s really fun to see them in a different element,” Devino added. “We see their cheer personalities and how they are here. And plus for cheer, it’s more of a group thing. Everyone is learning the same routine, the same dances; everyone has a different part maybe or a different position. But wrestling is all one on one.”

Ruzicka said the crossover also benefits both teams. “They’re confident and they’re leaders,” Ruzicka said. “Kylie especially tries to help the younger ones on the team. You can see how the confidence they get from cheer carries over into wrestling — they believe in themselves, and that’s huge.”

“The girls set a great example,” Ruzicka said. “They’re showing that you can try something new, work hard, and have fun doing it. That’s what we want for all of our athletes — to take pride in what they do and enjoy the experience.”

“We’re just really proud of them,” Devino said. “It takes courage to do something different, and they’ve done it with such a positive attitude. We can’t wait to cheer them on this winter.”

For these athletes, it’s all part of the same story — one of spirit, strength, and support.

Whether they’re leading the crowd at football games or stepping onto the mat for their next match, they’re representing Palmerton with pride.

And as the Blue Bombers’ fall season gives way to winter, the noise from the sidelines will carry right into the gym — the same voices, the same drive, and the same message: cheer loud, wrestle hard, and always lift each other up.