Holy Redeemer head coach John Jezorwski addresses the crowd along with his captains at Wednesday’s girls basketball pep rally. Next to him are Bella Boylan, Tessa Cegelka, Kearney Quinn and McKenzie Chimock.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
Holy Redeemer cheerleaders warm up the crowd during Wednesday’s girls basketball pep rally.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
The Holy Redeemer mascot was on hand to fire up the students Wednesday at a pep rally in honor of the girls basketball team.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
The Royals head to Hershey on Thursday to take their shot at a state championship.
They couldn’t hit the road, however, without spending one more afternoon putting on a show for the student body that’s had their backs all season long.
Holy Redeemer paid tribute to the school’s state finalist girls basketball team with a pep rally for students and faculty on Wednesday afternoon, packing its home gym with the Royals faithful one more time before they play for the PIAA Class 3A state title.
The students filed in and cheered at every turn as the coaching staff, the managers, the reserves and finally the Redeemer starting five were introduced.
Spirits were very high in the gym as the Royals get set to play for what would be the first state title in program history against Greensburg Central Catholic at 6 p.m. Thursday at Giant Center in Hershey.
“It’s fantastic, it’s really special to see the school community and the community in general get behind us,” Holy Redeemer coach John Jezorwski said after the pep rally. “The girls put a lot of work in and they deserve all the credit.”
Over the last two weeks, Holy Redeemer’s played games in Williamsport, Bethlehem, Lehighton and Hazleton.
The Royals have defeated the defending state champion in Loyalsock Township, a returning state semifinalist in Imhotep Charter and, most recently, gotten revenge on the Hughesville team that knocked them out of last year’s playoffs.
They’re in uncharted territory now as the program’s first-ever state finalist, but the grit and toughness that have been key on this run should be a factor in Thursday’s game.
“The grit of this team is really special,” Jezorwski said. “They find ways to win, that takes heart and this team has a lot of it.”
After the students filed in and were seated in the gymnasium, the Royals made their grand entrance, running through a banner that read “This journey just got sweeter.”
Some of the highlights of the afternoon included Holy Redeemer captain McKenzie Chimock winning a three-point contest over a member of the school faculty and Gillian Parsons defeating a planted “fan” (a young Royals fan named Troy Miller, who was wearing the jersey of former Royals player Megan Albrecht) in a layup competition.
The players joined the cheerleaders in leading the crowd through some school chants, and stirred the students into a frenzy by tossing some t-shirts into the crowd.
To cap the pep rally off, Jezorwski took the microphone to thank the crowd for coming out, and then gave each of his captains a turn to offer some remarks: Chimock, Bella Boylan, Tessa Cegelka and Kearney Quinn.
The four seniors, all of whom have played crucial roles in getting the Royals to Hershey through their playoff run, kept their words short and along the same lines: thanking the fans, and encouraging them to follow the team to the state championship game.
“Thank you for all your support, it means so much to us,” Cegelka said.
“We hope to see you all in Hershey tomorrow,” Quinn added.
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