After another strong season, the Vikings have their eye on first place.

The Northwood-Kensett cheerleading team took second place in Division 1A in the Iowa Cheerleading Coaches’ Association state championships Nov. 7 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.

Northwood-Kensett coach Cindy Pangburn said the team has gone to state the last six years, placing sixth their first year and then fourth and third the following two years. They’ve placed second their last three trips to the tournament. Pangburn has coached the team for nine years.

“We were really close (to first place) this year,” she said. “We maxed out on difficulty points.”

Pangburn said the Vikings missed first place by four points. Beaman-Conrad-Liscomb-Union-Whitten High School out of Conrad, Iowa, took first place in Division 1A.

As the championships signal the end of the Vikings’ season, Pangburn thanked the team’s fans for supporting them through the season.

Pangburn said that four seniors on the team, Ashlyn Schaefer, Jenna Schaefer, Kailey Eskildsen and Katie Schiltz, are strong leaders and that their presence will be missed moving on to next season.

“They lead by example,” she said. “Their leadership, their dedication — that’s hard to replace.”

In the meantime, Pangburn said the Vikings will keep their focus on improving and getting stronger in the offseason.

“We’ll work on the offseason, we’ll work year-round,” she said. “That’s when champions are made.”