3A drill team: Canyon View Talons claim 3rd straight state championship

CEDAR CITY —The Canyon View High School drill team won its third consecutive state championship on Thursday night.

Canyon View High School Talons drill team members, coaches and fans celebrate their victory at 3A state championships, Orem, Utah, Feb. 1, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Canyon View Athletics, St. George News / Cedar City News

In the 3A state finals staged at Utah Valley University in Orem, the Talons placed first in Military, second in Show and fourth in Dance to capture the overall title. Runner-up Juab placed first in dance and fourth in the other two categories.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the unity and fight we witnessed from our girls last night,” Canyon View head coach Nicole Mikkelson told Cedar City News on Friday.

She also said a senior member of the team sustained a knee injury right before walking on for the first routine and was unable to compete.

“Whenever something like that happens, you just never know what to expect,” she said. “They may have had to dance with a hole and change choreography before each routine but they never gave up and performed each dance like we’ve never seen them do.”

This year’s Talons team consists of 32 members, including 14 seniors who have been with the team for all of its “three-peat” state titles. Canyon View’s popular Show routine had a “Guardians of the Galaxy” theme.

Canyon View was the only high school from Southern Utah to win a state drill team title this week. In the 4A competition held earlier in the day at UVU, Snow Canyon placed second overall and Desert Hills took fourth. Meanwhile, in the 2A competition that took place alongside the 3A event, three Southern Utah schools placed among the top five overall, with Beaver taking third, Kanab placing fourth and Enterprise finishing fifth. 

3A drill team state championship top 5 results

Utah Valley University, Orem

Military 

Canyon View 
Union 
Morgan 
Juab
South Summit 

Canyon View Talons perform their “Guardians of the Galaxy” themed show routine during halftime of a basketball game, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 26, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Dance 

Juab 
South Summit 
Union 
Canyon View 
Juan Diego 

Show

Morgan 
Canyon View
South Summit
Juab 
Union 

Overall

Canyon View 
Juab 
South Summit 
Union  
Morgan 

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