Two of the East Carter cheerleaders underwent surgery on Tuesday.
They put off necessary procedures in order to compete -- and win -- a state championship.
One of them is senior Kaley Thies, who tore her ACL in June and tweaked it just before performing the team's championship routine Saturday at the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association at the Hearnes Center in Columbia.
"If I would have gotten it fixed right away I would not have been able to compete," Kaley Thies said. "It's something I really wanted to do for my senior year."
Kadence Reynolds had a foot injury and Skye Ritter got her nose broken in practice two weeks ago after catching an elbow from the smallest girl on the team to name a few of the injuries they've suffered since tryouts in March.
So when the announcer started going down the list, saying who got eighth, then seventh, then sixth, the emotions and nerves escalated quickly.
When they heard second, the team started celebrating. They knew they had won and couldn't keep contained any longer.
"As soon as they announced second, I knew it was us in first and it was the best feeling ever," Kaley Thies said. "I was confident we were going to win. We worked really hard in practice and I had no doubt in my mind that we had it."
Reynolds, who wasn't able to compete because of her injury, was bawling.
"The talent is crazy," coach Tasha Thies said. "I kind of knew this was the year from the practices and their hard work. Each one of them, they were determined."
When the team bus got back into town, a crowd of family and friends had gathered in a parking lot with signs and balloons, cars painted, celebrating the win. A police escort took them through town to the school. Lots of hugs, pictures and tears followed.
"It was really surprising. I didn't think our whole town would get together to do something like that," Ritter said.
East Carter, in its third year competing in competitive cheer, finished second the past two seasons.
"It made us try harder as a team," Brooklyn Loftis said.
Kaley Thies, Brooklyn Loftis, and Kennedy Thies earned all-state honors for East Carter.
The team started practicing immediately after tryouts in March and continued to practice through the summer.
"I feel like instead of us practicing until we got it right, we practiced until we never got it wrong," said Kaley Thies, who added that this year's team didn't have a weak link. "That was a difference from past years."
Poplar Bluff finished second in the Class 4 Large Division for a second straight year. It was the fifth straight year the Mules placed fourth or better after consecutive state titles starting in 2013.
Bailey Edmundson and Emma Hayes earned all-state honors for the Mules.
Grain Valley won the Class 4 Large Division title while Sikeston claimed the Class 3 Small Division.