Apex wins Wake County’s first stunt title

Jo Gatlin
Staff Writer

The Apex High School stunt team brought home the plaque after their victory over Millbrook High School. Apex made it to the finals by defeating Sanderson High School 15-11 in the semifinals. Millbrook defeated Panther Creek High School 17-10, qualifying them for the final game against Apex.

In the final game, Apex started with a small lead over Millbrook, but then quickly fell behind in the second and third quarter. On the final play of fourth quarter, Apex scored three points bringing them to victory. With a final score of 13-12, Apex won the very first Wake County Stunt title.

“We knew that we could come back if we really worked hard for it. If we had given up, we wouldn’t have been able to come back and win,” said Apex sophomore Lauren Blanton. So what made the Apex girls push through to victory? “We all knew how badly we wanted to win; we wanted to prove to everyone that we were capable of being undefeated this season,” said Apex senior Betsy Bulkin.

Blanton and Bulkin share some advice to future Apex stunt players. “Continue to work hard just like we did this year, and listen to our coaches and always respect their decisions,” said Blanton. “Practice makes perfect. Study the routines as much as possible because timing is everything for this sport. If you’re losing a game, don’t give up, keep fighting till the end,” said Bulkin.

The Apex Stunt team and stunt coaches, Courtney May and Stefanie Barton, are very proud of this season’s success and are excited for next year’s team. “I think more girls are going to be interested in trying out next year, so I’m very excited about having a larger team. I also think there will be more interest in the county as a whole so the games are going to me even more intense and challenging,” said May. Barton shares her thoughts on next year’s team, “I am looking forward to playing in and winning more games, along with hopefully a second championship.”