The Cardinelles put on an impressive show, promoted by the public address announcer as a high-octane, hip-hop routine.

I was impressed by their precision and demeanor, and wondered how they came to be at that place at that time, so I contacted their head coach Alaina Rupe to talk about the team.

It turns out that the Cardinelles are accomplished student-athletes who are well-respected amongst other squads in the 5A ranks.

Besides performing during football, basketball and other team sporting events, Utah has a sanctioned drill team competitive season each school year in December and January.

Photo supplied, Alaina Rupe

The Northridge Cardinelles have won the state 5A sportsmanship award for 2023-24, 2024-25 and were nominated top three in 2025-26.

For placement on routines, there are very specific and qualified judges, while the sportsmanship award is voted on by competing dance teams and coaches.

“When it comes to sportsmanship, who better to vote than the people who are in the thick of it with you, backstage with you? Schools vote for a team that inspires them, helps them feel good on competition days,” Rupe said. “I think it means more to our kids because other student-athletes are saying, ‘You guys are so kind, so supportive.’ We’re really all in this together.”

Northridge won three different sportsmanship awards at pre-qualifying competitions and the Region 5 sportsmanship award during the 2025-26 season, then finished top three at the state meet.

“It’s not easy to win an award like that; people want to share the love. It is sportsmanship after all,” Rupe said.

Photo supplied, Alaina Rupe

Presently, the Cardinelles are noticed on the football field, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes.

“We’re a year-round sport. We do tryouts in the spring and work hard all summer to get ready to perform for football season, but we are also prepping for our competition season in December and January,” Rupe said. “So, in addition to the football game routines, we’re getting different routines ready for our competition season.

“Those routines are substantially harder; there’s a lot more content and have a really difficult competition metric,” Rupe said.

Northridge’s three pre-qualifying meets are Dec. 12 at Southern Utah University, Dec. 19 at Davis, and Jan. 9 at Bountiful.

Those competitions are bracketed with a selected group of other 5A schools based on the previous year’s standings.

“It’s not like football, where you pick who you compete and play against; on drill team it’s all assigned. When we go to SUU, all teams will be paying attention to how other teams make them feel,” Rupe said. “We’re not competing against each other, we’re competing with them. Of course, you’re trying to place higher than the person next to you, but at events, you’re not playing defense; you can’t stop another team’s routine.

“We teach our team to root for everyone; cheering for other teams doesn’t take away from our own success, it elevates the entire dance community,” Rupe said.

The Region 5 meet is scheduled for Jan. 18 at Roy High. These meets help rank the teams heading into the state championship quarterfinals, semifinals and finals Jan. 25-30 at UVU.

“We want to support anyone and everyone as much as we can while we’re there. The other teams can feel that; it’s genuine,” Rupe said. “Go out there and do our best, and hoping they do their best. The trophies and awards that come after that are secondary.”

Tryouts for the Cardinelles were held in March and there are 27 girls on this year’s team. Although it’s a co-ed sport, no boys landed on this year’s roster.

Clinics are held so candidates can identify what is expected.

“We’re looking for coachability, to see that they’re picking up the combinations and routines … how they treat each other, how their energy is when they’re on and off the floor,” Rupe said. “(Athletes) who are going to represent our team in a positive light; who we can see have potential to get where we want to go quickly. We’re looking for kids who love to dance and are passionate about it and willing to work hard.”

A typical home-game week for the Cardinelles begins every morning at 6 a.m. with a Wednesday evening stint from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., totaling 15-20 hours a week.

“Wednesday is our techniques and conditioning time; we lift weights and do strength training and try to enhance our dance performance,” Rupe said. “Then Friday night we go down to the field to help cheer our Northridge Knights and perform at halftime.”

Captains are chosen by the coaches, and are usually seniors who have been around the program and have shown leadership and communication in their time.

This year’s Cardinelles captains are Lexi Myers, Ayo Pope, Brooklyn Clark, Marley Rausch and Olivia Perry. That group gets a one-day leadership camp to connect with other leaders across the state.

Supporting the basketball team becomes a little trickier, as games conflict with the Cardinelles’ own competitive season, but they still try to perform at three games a year.

Rupe is a graduate of Layton High and came to coach the Cardinelles after eight years at West High, taking an opportunity to return to the community where she grew up.

She is the mother of two girls and runs a sales team called Shopper Approved, which does business coaching to help e-commerce brands grow, as a full-time job.

“My day job pays the bills, but coaching, working with our drill team fulfills the heart,” Rupe said. “Knowing if I can make a difference in even one athlete’s journey; that’s what really drives me.”

Mariah Daniels joined Rupe at Northridge from West High as the head conditioning coach. Together, the duo set out to build a culture at Northridge, successful in their first year with the 2023-24 sportsmanship award.

Hallie Mendoza and Kennedy Hendricks also assist as coaches.

Trophies and awards aside, Rupe has a broader vision for her girls and her program.

“Ten years from now, our athletes might not remember every score, every trophy or how they placed in every routine, but they are going to remember how it felt being a Cardinelle, how it felt to represent Northridge High and how they treated people and how others treated them,” she said. “Our main focus and goal is sending kind, strong supportive women out into the world.

“We’re not really training athletes for four years, we’re trying to build leaders for 40 years to come.”

Last week, the UHSAA selected the Cardinelles as the 5A team of the month for September.

The post on Instagram partly read:

“While most high school athletic programs measure success solely by the scoreboard during a single season, the Northridge High Cardinelles drill team is proving that true excellence is a year-round pursuit built on character, community and radical unity.

Looking ahead to Halloween … the team is partnering with the Cheer Squad and Dance Company for a joint performance.”

The Halloween production is a home halftime performance at the Northridge and Clearfield football game scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Inside the Lines covers Northern Utah high school sports through the eyes of 51-year sportswriting veteran Bob Judson, who is a resident of Layton.