Joe Pohoryles
Redemption. That’s what’s on the minds of Eliza Murtaugh and Kathryn Donovan, the cheerleading coaches at Belmont High School.
The “package deal” pair is entering its second year leading the program they once competed for as students. By the time Regionals rolled around on Nov. 12, 2023, after months of hard work in their first season as coaches, the team had too many injuries and could not compete.
After graduating 14 seniors and taking on 10 freshmen, some without any cheer experience, Murtaugh and Donovan will have their work cut out to get back to Regionals. Still, they’re encouraged by the early signs.
“We’re trying to really take the time to break everything down,” Murtaugh said. “We’re really starting from the bottom. But it’s a really strong group of athletes, so I think they want to put in the time. I think it’ll be good.”
Since graduating from Belmont in 2020, both coaches have begun forging their own paths. Donovan went on to cheer at UMass-Boston but is taking time off from school. Murtaugh attended Empire Beauty School and has since opened Eliza Murtaugh Hair, her own salon.
Both were drawn back to the Belmont Cheer program following former coach Kelly Pugliese’s departure after four years at the helm. Pugliese was “like a mother” to Murtaugh and Donovan and remained close after the pair graduated. Murtaugh would babysit Pugliese’s granddaughter, and Donovan would drive her to cheer practice. So when the job opened, the two former Marauders were passed the torch.
“This wasn’t really a position that we were trained for,” Donovan said. “We kind of just walked in and were told to figure out what to do, so Kelly’s kind of been our go-to person, and we lean on her.”
As the coaches build up the team from a technical side, they also focus on the overall culture. As students, they would sometimes work with the captains for three hours before practices began. Now, they’re emphasizing a better work-life balance for their athletes.
And the athletes are taking notice. Sophomore Emma Blinn was not on the team last year but enjoyed watching them cheer at football games enough to join.
“The more I do it, the more I enjoy it,” Blinn said. “Now I’m one of the cheerleaders that I was watching, and I’m really excited to do that and keep growing.”
The team will continue to work on its routine throughout the football season, but all eyes are focused on the League Championships, which will take place in late October/early November. If all goes well, they will qualify for Regionals a week later and possibly get their shot at redemption.
“We’ve had a couple years where we haven’t competed and where we have,” senior captain Kathleen MacDonald said. “Now that we have a full team and we’re getting to know everybody, I think that we do have the chance to really do something special for competition.”