CANOGA PARK : Cheerleading Squad Wins National Title

A year after losing the national championship by one point, the Canoga Park High School cheerleading team has been named the best squad in the United States, the squad’s coach said Monday.

The 18-member team beat 18 other squads from around the country at the cheerleading championships Saturday at UC Irvine, coach Carolyn Purkey said. The co-ed team won the state title two weeks ago at Magic Mountain, its third state victory in four years.

Last year, the team was edged out of first place in the national contest by one point. “That one point, you remember that all year,” Purkey said.

San Fernando High School took third place in Saturday’s competition.