Holy Angels Places 6th in Home Invitational

In a preview of the best Class AA dance teams in the state, St. Cloud Cathedral and Sartell took home top honors Saturday in the Winter Invitational 2011. Holy Angels finished sixth in both the high kick and jazz events.

In the star-studded jazz division, defending Class AA state champion Sartell finished first. In the high kick division, St. Cloud Cathedral–last season’s Class AA third-place state finisher–won top honors.

Five of the top six place-winning Class AA jazz teams from last year’s state tournament competed Saturday, along with four of the top six high kick teams and Class AAA perennial powers Faribault and Chaska.

“There’s still work to be done, but for this part of the season they did awesome,” said Holy Angels coach Brittany Fowler.

“We were really excited about kick," Fowler added. “But we’re excited about both.”

A young team with just four seniors and a new coach, Holy Angels also does a jazz routine that’s different than the norm. It’s designed to be a serious, non-smiling dance done in remembrance of the victims of 9-11.

“We decided that we wanted to make a statement and remember all those people that have lost their lives in 9-11,” Fowler said. “So it touches home for a lot of the girls on the team and the coaching staff. We thought on the 10-year reunion we would do something in honor of them.”

Seventeen teams competed in the varsity high kick division and 15 in the jazz division.

Division place winners were:

Varsity High Kick–1. St. Cloud Cathedral. 2. Chaska. 3. Sartell. 4. Totino Grace. 5. Faribault. 6. Holy Angels. 7. Sauk Rapids-Rice.

JV High Kick–1. Chaska. 2. Holy Angels. 3. Faribault. 4, Marshall.

B Squad High Hick–1. Totino Grace.

Varsity Jazz–1. Sartell. 2. Totino Grace. 3. St. Cloud Cathedral. 4. Marshall. 5. Waconia. 6. Holy Angels. 7. Sauk Rapids-Rice.

JV Jazz–1. Chaska. 2. Totino Grace. 3. Holy Family. 4. Sauk Rapids Rice.

B Squad Jazz–1. Totino Grace.