Submitted photo: Fort Dodge's third-place stunt group team in Class 4A includes (left to right): Ayda Reiter, Gabby Castro, Dannika Hanson, Alivya Rokes and Lillie Nekvinda. Coaches are Mason Gotto (far left) and assistants Tielyr Clabaugh and Avery Ramirez.

DES MOINES — Mason Gotto already has the Fort Dodge cheer program on the right track when it comes to sportsmanship and effort.

The second-year head coach’s next goal is to bring the Dodgers back to the Class 4A trophy table on a regular basis.

The team took a significant step forward last Saturday at the Iowa Cheerleading Coaches Association championships, as FDSH secured a third-place performance in the stunt group division. Junior Dannika Hanson, junior Gabby Castro, sophomore Lillie Nekvinda, sophomore Ayda Reiter and freshman Aliyva Rokes gave the Dodgers their first Top-3 finish at state in this specific competition since 2021.

“From year one (in 2022-23), our coaching staff has worked to build technique from the ground up when it comes to stunting,” said Gotto, a former all-state cheerleader with the Dodgers and 2017 FDSH graduate. “Taking this stunt group to compete at state and seeing the high level of scores on technique has proved to me that the path we are on is the right one when it comes to building the strength of our program.

“(Securing bronze) was a proud, memorable moment in and of itself, but it was even more special given it came in the division I competed in and won in high school with my teammates (in 2016 alongside Alanna Schiltz, Sydnee Waggoner, Maggie Castor and Shalynn Hanson).”

The 2023 Dodger quintet extended the proud tradition of stunt group at the school. Most recently, Fort Dodge placed first in stunt at both the 2016 and ’17 ICCA championships, and third in 2021.

“Earning third place in the state out of 13 Class 4A schools was such an accomplishment for this stunt group,” said Gotto, a former cheer captain at the University of Northern Iowa. “Proud is an understatement. In the past, Fort Dodge has presented a competitive team that performs well under pressure.

“I am beyond proud of these five athletes for instilling determination, strength, and the use of technique back to our competitive program.”

In Gotto’s first season at the helm last year, the Dodgers were named the 2022-23 ICCA state of Iowa sportsmanship award winner.

“We plan to stay strong in our program beliefs by not only teaching our athletes the skills to be successful cheerleaders, but also teaching them the skills to be successful leaders in our school and our community,” said Gotto, who is assisted by Avery Ramirez and Tielyr Clabaugh. “We look forward to continuing to be a competitive cheerleading team that rallies against the top teams in the state.”

Gotto has a young group overall that continues to learn the ropes as they develop in their performances.

“One of the most valuable things we have learned together, both team and coach, is taking risks and understanding the value of growth,” Gotto said. “We knew that the 4A stunt group division was a hard one, and none of our athletes had competed in this division before, so that was a risk in itself.

“These girls were hungry for growth this year, though. They pushed through each stunt progression, taking stunt difficulty to a new level for our squad. It has been very important for us to stop and recognize the growth and resilience that our athletes have experienced and, at the same time, instill a mindset that we take the risks to see the improvement.”