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Brainerd Today
By the People, for the People
State Dance Team: Shadows Earn Second Place
Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd Shadows finish just behind St. Cloud Cathedral in Class A High Kick
Published on Feb. 15, 2026
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The Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd Shadows dance team wrapped up their 2025-26 season with a second place finish in the Class A high kick competition at the state dance team championships in Minneapolis. The Shadows, led by co-coaches Carly Wager and Aailyah Schommer, were edged out by St. Cloud Cathedral, finishing just nine judges' scoring points behind the Crusaders.
Why it matters
The Shadows have been one of the state's top dance teams in recent years, winning jazz titles in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2025, as well as high kick championships in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Their second place finish this year continues their strong run of success and highlights the competitive nature of the state dance team championships.
The details
In the Class A high kick competition, St. Cloud Cathedral finished with six rank points, while the Shadows had eight. Wager said the Shadows trailed the Crusaders by six points after the preliminaries, but were able to make up ground in the finals, finishing just nine judges' scoring points behind. The Shadows had beaten Cathedral by four points in the jazz competition on Friday.
- The state dance team championships took place on February 14-15, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis.
- The Shadows wrapped up their 2025-26 season with the second place finish in high kick on Saturday, February 15, 2026.
The players
Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd Shadows
A high school dance team that has been one of the state's top programs in recent years, winning multiple jazz and high kick state championships.
St. Cloud Cathedral
The high school dance team that edged out the Shadows to win the Class A high kick state championship.
Carly Wager
The co-head coach of the Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd Shadows dance team.
Aailyah Schommer
The co-head coach of the Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd Shadows dance team.
What they’re saying
“I'm beyond proud. We wanted to make sure they came out and gave their best performance and they did. I couldn't be prouder.”
— Carly Wager, Co-head coach, Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd Shadows
“There was a lot of pressure, but we have so much to be proud of. We worked on fixing our mistakes (from the preliminaries) and we did that.”
— Carly Wager, Co-head coach, Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd Shadows
What’s next
The Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd Shadows will look to build on their strong 2025-26 season and compete for more state championships in the coming years.
The takeaway
The Shadows' second place finish in the state dance team championships highlights the continued excellence of the program and their ability to compete at the highest level, even in the face of tough competition from other top teams in the state.
