PHOTO PROVIDED Students from the Keystone Central School District are pictured while performing at the ReliaQuest Bowl in Florida.

PHOTO PROVIDED
Some of the Central Mountain students who performed at the ReliaQuest Bowl pose for a photo.

TAMPA BAY, Fla. — A group of students from the Keystone Central School District closed out 2025 with a unique experience.

On Dec. 31, students from Central Mountain Middle and High schools performed in the pre-game and halftime shows for the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa Bay, Fla.

The game at the bowl featured college teams, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Vanderbilt Commodores.

Cindy Clough, executive director of Just For Kix, choreographed the performance with assistance from Ali Geraets and Macy Clough. Central Mountain High School Coach, Stephanie Ford, choreographed for the twirlers.

The group of local students, made up of dancers and twirlers, performed before over 35,000 fans in Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Students were among 481 performers in a patriotic pre-game show and joined several high school bands during the half-time show.

“We had an incredible group of dancers and twirlers representing 10 states this year. They came in more prepared than usual and worked very hard. All dancers learned the choreography from video links sent to them in late November, and once they arrived in Florida, the show was put together,” Cindy Clough said.

She noted Ford’s choreography for the twirlers’ had 12 hours to work on formations and polish the routines before the big show.

“Also, among the performers, we had 542 non-performers and 39 coaches/studio owners on the tour. Everyone had a great time and was so easy to work with,” Clough said. “It is something they will remember forever as there is nothing quite like this large-scale performance.”

The patriotic pre-game show featured the dancers in red, white and blue using poms and both twirler groups performing together, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the bowl game in Tampa Bay.

The dancers and twirlers took up the entire field, spanning from goal line to goal line as they performed their 2-minute routine “USA.” The performers remained on the field during the National Anthem and flyover.

During the half-time show, dancers and twirlers filled the field with several high school bands uniting as one mass band to provide the live music for the show.

This year’s show, titled “Good Time Country Line Dancing,” featured the songs “Boot Scooting Boogie,” “Watermelon Crawl” and “Good Time.” The younger dancers performed with older dancers to “Wagon Wheel.”

The performance ended with a patriotic finale to “America.”

Clough said she felt this year’s performance was the best one her group has put out to date. This was due, in part, to a special addition to the closing ceremony.

“We projected the video onto a large screen so the kids could see the fruits of their labor. The dancers had no idea what the ‘Big Picture’ looked like until they saw it on screen,” she said. “You would think they were watching fireworks the way they oooh’d and aah’d at their own performance.”

Outside of performances and practice, students, their families and coaches had the chance to spend an afternoon at Clearwater Beach, toured all four Disney World Theme Parks or Universal Studios in Orlando, toured Busch Gardens, attended a dinner cruise on the Yacht Starship and celebrated New Year’s Eve with a talent show and dance party at the hotel.