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PAGE 5B September 2026
Former Kentucky Dance Team Members on 2026-27 NFL and NBA Cheer Rosters
Jax State falls in quadruple OT Joining Clinch on the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders will be Reagan Fornia-Fleming, who was on the UKDT from 2022-26. Olivia Sebastian will join Febbraro with the Chicago Luvabulls. Sebastian was at UK from 2021-25. Christie Horan is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Command Force, the dance team for the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Horan danced at UK from 2010-14. Izzy Febbraro, who was on the UK Dance Team from 2021-24, will be in her second season with the Chicago Luvabulls, the dance team of the Chicago Bulls. Brooke Gebhardt, who danced at UK from 2022- 25, will be in her second season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders. Laura Perry, who was on the UK Dance Team from 2022-25, will be in her second season with the Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders. Three former UK Dance Team members will be making their professional debuts this season. A total of 10 former members of the University of Kentucky Dance Team will be representing professional sports teams during the 2026-27 season. DaVanna Lockett is in her fourth season with the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders. Lockett danced at UK from 2018-22. Allison Broadhurst, who was a member of the UK Dance team from 2019-23, will be in her fourth year for the Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders this season. Ava Lahey will be in her third season with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Lahey was a member of the UK Dance Team from 2022-24. McKenna Clinch will be in her first season with the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders. Clinch was at UK from 2020-24. Only one visitor to Ohio University's Peden Stadium since 2022 had emerged victorious prior to Saturday, September 12. Jax State came as close as any opponent to becoming just the second to accomplish the feat, falling to the Bobcats 29-27 in quadruple overtime before a crowd of 21,037 in a rematch of the 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl. Ohio converted a two-point conversion in the fourth overtime period, then stopped the Gamecocks a half-yard shy of the goal line. Ohio, which had never led, clawed back to tie the contest at 24 with a 90-yard, 18-play march that culminated with a one-yard touchdown with 1:34 remaining in regulation. Jax State (1-2) calmly moved to the Bobcats' 20 as time wound down, but Garrison Rippa's 37-yard attempt as time expired sailed wide right to send the game to overtime. "I give them a lot of credit. They made the plays that they had to," said Jax State head coach Charles Kelly. "You can't give teams second opportunities and we did that tonight. I think we've got a good football team, but when you go on the road you can't have those mistakes." For the second week in a row, the Gamecocks pieced together a 13-play drive to claim the early lead. Quarterback Caden Creel did much of the damage with his legs, running seven times on the opening series as Jax State's offense converted three times on third down. Creel completed the 6½-minute march by scrambling eight yards untouched to the end zone with 4:54 remaining in the first quarter. Rippa's extra point made it 7-0 after Creel's second rushing TD of the season. Tight end Luke Gilbert, a sophomore from Pisgah, hauled in a touchdown pass for the second consecutive game, beating a Bobcats defender on his way to an 82- yard score with 14:36 remaining in the second quarter. The touchdown was the longest pass of Creel's career, and Rippa's PAT gave Jax State a 14-0 lead. The Bobcats (1-1) sliced that deficit in half by responding with a 13-play scoring drive of their own, converting 4-of-5 third downs. An eight-yard touchdown pass drew OU to within 14-7 with 7:28 to go before halftime. Fortune smiled on the Gamecocks when Rippa lined up for a 46-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Holder Carter Lewis, a backup punter, mishandled the snap, but quickly regained composure and completed a seven-yard throw to Angel Toombs, a defensive lineman in the game as a blocker on the kicking team. The first-down pass kept the drive alive, but Jax State ended up settling for Rippa's 22-yard field goal, his first of the year. The Gamecocks had a pair of touchdowns nullified by penalties on the series. Ohio struck back in a flash, taking the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown with 44 seconds left to swing the momentum and pull within 17-14. Jax State outgained the Bobcats 262-91 through the first 30 minutes. Creel accounted for 242 scrimmage yards, rushing for 59 yards while completing 9-of-12 for 183 more. The Gamecocks stormed out of the locker room after halftime to extend their lead to double digits. Creel directed a clock-consuming 14-play, 73-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes. Kristian Lando took a pitch from Creel and rumbled the last four yards for the touchdown. Rippa tacked on the PAT to again stretch Jax State's lead to double digits, 24-14. The Gamecocks are back at AmFirst Stadium for the second time next Saturday, September 19 to host Sun Belt Conference foe Georgia Southern. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. _Courtesy of Jax State Athletics
Courtesy of Kentucky Athletics
DANCERS IN THE PROS - The University of Kentucky provided this graphic of former Wildcat Dancer Team members who are now on professional rosters.
The No. 12 Alabama football team (2-0, 1-0 SEC) used a dominant second- half performance to claim a victory in its 2026 SEC opener on Saturday, September 12. The Crimson Tide defeated Kentucky (1-1, 0-1 SEC) by a final score of 45-17. The Crimson Tide posted 343 yards of offense on the game, including 215 in the second half, while holding the Wildcats to just 62 yards after halftime and 209 total yards for the contest. Trailing 17-13 at halftime, Alabama posted a second-half shutout and scored 32 of its 45 points across the final two quarters. Keelon Russell, who struggled most of the afternoon, finished with 188 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Daniel Hill had a strong day on the ground, amassing a career-high 104 yards to go along with a touchdown. Trae’shawn Brown and EJ Crowell both tallied rushing touchdowns in the contest. Lotzier Brooks led six Crimson Tide receivers that caught passes with five receptions for 54 yards and a successful catch on a two-point conversion. Ryan Coleman-Williams tallied four receptions for 43 yards. Rico Scott scored Alabama’s first receiving touchdown of the season and finished the night with 44 yards on three receptions. Defensively, the Tide was led by Caleb Woodson with 12 tackles, including two for loss, and two sacks. Teammate Luke Metz returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown to go along with eight tackles. Devan Thompkins also tallied a pair of sacks to go along with six tackles, including two for loss. Courtesy of UA Athletics Alabama rallies for win over Kentucky
Courtesy of UAB Athletics
UAB DEFEATS ULM - The UAB Blazers erased a 10-point second-half deficit and scored the game’s final 16 points to rally for a 26-20 victory over ULM on September 12, 2026 at Protective Stadium. Read the full story online at www.thesportsledger.com.
Photo by Zach Bland, Auburn Tigers
AUBURN IMPROVES TO 2-0 - Auburn's Cody Sigler (#94) stops Southern Miss quarterback Ethan Hampton (#5) on this play at Jordan Hare Stadium on Saturday, September 12, 2026. The Tigers improved to 2-0 overall with a 43-8 victory over the visiting Golden Eagles. Auburn will open SEC action on September 19 against the Florida Gators. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Jordan Hare Stadium.
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