‘She’s a real inspiration.’ Azle cheer coach leads team to excel despite rare cancer
The Azle co-ed cheer squad has had a remarkable run at the University Interscholastic League Spirit State Championships.
The only thing more remarkable might be Azle coach Melissa McPherson.
McPherson has led the Hornets to no less than a second-place finish in each of the five years the tournament has been held. That includes a silver medal at this year’s 2020 championships held Jan. 16-18 at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
Azle won state titles in 2016 and 2019 and finished second in 2017 and 2018.
But a month before the Hornets won state at the first meet in mid-January 2016, McPherson was diagnosed with Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma (EHE).
“It’s a rare sarcoma with no standard care ... no cure,” McPherson said.
No cure yet.
EHE grows from the cells that make up blood vessels, according to the National Cancer Institute. It can occur anywhere in the body with the most common sites being the liver, lungs, and bone.
EHE is very rare, with only one in every one million people diagnosed with this cancer worldwide. Around 20 cases are diagnosed in the United States per year, but it can be hard to diagnose.
McPherson’s cancer was found in tissue close to her eye. That tumor was removed, but others have been spotted in her lungs, spleen, thyroid and liver.
However, her energy today is as good as it’s ever been.
“It’s been a blessing that I have some great friends that are in to holistic health that have been helping me to change to a plant-based diet,” said McPherson, 50, who has been a school counselor for 19 years and at Azle since 2013.
In addition to a plant-based diet, McPherson uses a product called Juice Plus and is on the Square One Program by Chris Wark.
According to McPherson, Wark fought and beat stage four colon cancer with surgery and through nutrition, with no chemotherapy.
“I have had the best results,” said McPherson. “In August when I went to M.D. Anderson to see my doctor my blood work was the best it’s ever been.
“Just plants and God,” said a smiling McPherson. “That’s why I’m here today.”
Team, team, team
McPherson gets a twinkle in her eye when she’s talking about her kids and her staff.
This season has especially been a challenge with 10 new boys out of the 11 on the team at state.
McPherson credits the hard work of the new members, the whole team, as well as her staff for this year’s second-place finish.
“It’s been a dream working with her,” said McPherson of her assistant, Haley Davidson. “She’s amazing.”
Davidson was on McPherson’s first cheer squad at Azle and came back as a teacher right out of college. Davidson loved her time at Azle High and the tight-knit community drew her home.
“I just wanted to come back and give that same experience back to the kids,” said Davidson. “I wanted them to feel the closeness and make cheer a great experience for them too.”
Melissa’s daughter, Jessi, also assists, flying in a few weeks before big competitions to help with choreography, tweak routines, and make modifications.
“She has a great eye for choreography,” Melissa said of Jessi, who has a background in cheer and dance. “She also comes down to keep me calm. She’s my rock.”
Jessi flew in from New York City, where she teaches fitness classes while auditioning for musicals and shows, for Christmas. She helped tighten up the squad for state, then flew home right after the competition on Thursday.
Leaving her mark
It’s hard to say if McPherson loves her kids and community more than her kids and community love her.
“She’s awesome,” said senior captain Avery Rushing. “She always pushes us to be the best that we can. She’s loving and is always there for us. I know I can go to her and for not just cheer stuff.
“She’s a real inspiration to all of us with what she’s going through. She gets up pumped up and every time we do a routine we look at her and if she’s jumping up and down then we know we’ve done a great job. Our goal is to make her cry, every time.”
Misty Rose, Avery Rushing’s mother, gushes when talking about the hours upon hours of time spent and sacrifices that McPherson makes for the kids and the squad.
“She’s amazing,” said Rose, who has another daughter, sophomore Tatum Rushing, on the team. “Melissa really loves the team and puts her heart and soul into it. She has done wonders for the Azle cheer program.”
UIL spirit championships recap
Keller Fossil Ridge edged Azle by 45 hundredths to win the Co-Ed Division. Austin Vandegrift took third place a fraction behind Azle with Decatur finishing in sixth place.
Azle and Fossil Ridge also earned first-place plaques for the best preliminary scores in the Band Chant and Fight Song, respectively.
Teams perform three separate routines for Band Chant, Fight Song, and Crowd Leading in the preliminaries with the top scores from each earning a plaque. All three routines are combined in the finals performance. Preliminary scores thrown out.
The biggest upset of the championships came in Class 6A Division I.
San Antonio Johnson had won gold every year since the tournament started, but a dominant performance by Katy Cinco Ranch toppled the Jaguars.
Cinco Ranch was first in all three preliminary events and finished 2.5 points ahead of San Angelo Central. Johnson kept its medal streak intact with a bronze.
Trophy Club Byron Nelson and Haslet Eaton finished second and third, respectively, in 6A Division II behind Schertz Clemens. Eaton also picked up a first-place plaque in Fight Song. Southlake Carroll (4th), Weatherford (9th), and Richland (10th) were other Tarrant County area teams to make the top 10.
Birdville finished in a second-place tie with Kingwood Park in 5A D1, well behind Magnolia. Grapevine (7th overall) took first in the Crowd Leading preliminary. Colleyville Heritage finished 6th overall with Brewer 9th.
Burleson Centennial (8th) was the only area school in the top 10 in 5A DII. San Antonio Alamo Heights’ dominance continued with its fourth title in five years ahead of Lucas Lovejoy and Mission Sharyland Pioneer. The Mules finished second in 2018.
Crandall picked up its third medal and second gold by winning the 4A Division. The Pirates, who won two of the preliminary events as well, finished comfortably ahead of Lumberton and Lufkin Hudson.
Jacksboro took the 3A title ahead of defending champion Lago Vista. Gunter finished third with three-time champion Mount Vernon coming in fifth.
In 2A, Jewitt Leon defended its title with Shiner second and Falls City third. Leon was also first in Band Chant and Fight Song and second in Crowd Leading in the preliminaries.
Paducah continued its stranglehold of Class 1A, winning a fifth consecutive state title as well as the Fight Song and Crowd Leading preliminaries. Ropesville Ropes and Munday were second and third overall.
“We’re excited about the response from our schools and the support of this activity,” said Dr. Susan Elza, the Director of Athletics for the UIL. “It can continue to grow.”
Elza realizes that the Spirit Championships aren’t the only cheer competitions and that the school-related events sometimes clash with select-type competitions, as do other sports.
“We want them to stay in the school sponsored events, but sometimes there’s choices in this day and time,” added Elza. “We’re just glad that we have almost 500 teams here this year again.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 6:00 AM.