Sanda Gambol has been a cheer coach for over 30 years so it’s no small praise when she says, “Markayla Townsend is one of the best captains I’ve ever had in all the years I’ve been a coach. Everyone likes her, she’s a standout student and was the football homecoming queen this year.”

The senior is in her third year of cheer for the Warriors and has decided to devote all of her athletic endeavors to cheer this year in hopes of getting to cheer in college.

“When I was little, I went to the kiddie cheer champs and would go home and do all the cheers I had seen all the time,” said Markayla. “I cheered in middle school and then my freshman year I did the color guard with the band but then went back to cheer my sophomore year. I played basketball and softball until this year but am now focusing just on cheer.”

This winter Markayla has choreographed stomps that the cheer team performs at basketball games.

“I video all of these stomps from different angles and go over them with the girls and give them tapes to practice at home if they need to and it’s been a lot of work but fun too.”

Growing up Townsend had a role model that was close to home for her.

“For sure my role model is my brother Tyrone Howell. He played football at UCO and Kansas State and is now at Louisiana-Monroe. He’s always pushed me to do better, and I’ve always watched him push himself and I’ve always looked up to him.”

As a senior leader of the squad this year, Markayla has taken on that challenge as she has everything associated with cheer.

“I’m very patient because I know that everyone is not on the same level. I try to be hands-on with anyone who needs help. I think a good leader is someone who steps up when the coach asks you to do something like I did with these stomps, and you have to be confident.”

In addition to cheer, Markayla is in FCA, FCCLA, Key Club, National Honor Society and works with Special Olympics. For college she has looked at schools like Northeastern State, UCO and Grambling but is really focused in on going to and cheering at Langston because several members of her family have attended there and says she’ll probably study criminology or physical therapy. As for the rest of her senior year?

“I want to work on improving my ACT score and finish my senior year strong.”