Neelyville's Hailey Stewart knew she wanted to go to Three Rivers College when she was a freshman. As a sophomore, she knew she wanted to cheer for the Raiders. After years of waiting and several more months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two-time UCA All-American recently signed to cheer for Three Rivers. "It was mind-blowing. I'm getting to go to TRC, which is something I've wanted to do and study elementary education.

Then getting to do cheerleading there and meet new people and have a new coach, just starting something new, it was mind-blowing and breathtaking," Stewart said. "I've wanted to do that for four years now. Getting to sign that paper and make it official to get to further my career is just the icing on the cake." Stewart was also named a MSHSAA State Performer all four years, captain of the team as a senior, and was a four-time winner of Neelyville's Most Spirited award. "She has always been a super good example for the girls on the court. She's a little bottle of spirit.

When you watch a game, you almost end up watching her because she is so into the game," Neelyville cheerleading coach Brandi Lumbley said. "I confess, I was super hard on her because I knew she had some raw talent there that I was trying to unearth." Stewart said she chose Three Rivers because it was close to home, but she can still live on campus to get a full college experience. With her multiple scholarships, it is also affordable. "She is super peppy, put a smile on her face, beautiful jumps, super shart and stiff, just a great leader for the team," Lumbley said. "The little kids love her, as well ... We do little cheer camps with the elementary kids, and she's usually the favorite."

She said she is a little nervous about going from the Neelyville gym to the much larger Libla Family Sports Complex. "Having to perform in that gym, I'll probably be nervous at first, but I think I'll get used to it," Stewart said. Stewart has performed at Three Rivers during the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament and an occasional regular-season matchup for the Tigers. She has also performed during state tournaments at both the University of Missouri and Missouri State University.

Neelyville planned to perform at this year's final four, but the remaining games for the Class 4 and Class 5 brackets were canceled because of the pandemic the day before the Tigers were set to leave Neelyville. "Little by little, her senior year got taken away," Lumbley said. "We didn't want to not do this. We didn't mean to do it in August, but that's how long it took for us to feel like it was a good idea. So we're just really proud of her." 

Scott Borkgren - Daily American Republic