Nebraska cheerleader competes alone at state competition after squad backs out: 'Proud of myself'

Katrina Kohel, a 17-year-old senior, represented Morrill High School in Nebraska all on her own.

In a display of school spirit, a high school cheerleader performed solo at the Nebraska State Cheer and Dance Competition — "go-fight-and-winning" for a crowd who, in turn, cheered loudly for her on Friday, Feb. 17.

"It was definitely out of my comfort zone," Katrina Kohel, a 17-year-old senior at Morrill High School, told Fox News Digital.

"This is not something I would normally do by any means, but I didn't want to end my senior year on a low note," she added. "I guess you could say I wanted to go out with a bang."

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When the rest of her already-very-small cheer squad couldn't make it to the state competition at the last minute, Katrina decided to go at it alone (SEE THE VIDEO at the top of this article).

Katrina Kohel is pictured with her cheerleading coach, April Ott. (April Ott )

After discussing it with her cheer coach, April Ott, Katrina moved forward with plans to represent her school at state.

"It did take me aback a little bit when she said, 'I am going to compete on my own,’" Ott told Fox News Digital. "I said ‘On your own?’ And she said, ’Yeah.' So, I went home and thought about it. I thought, ‘Well, why not? The fees were already paid for. We had our hotel rooms. Let's just go.'"

Ott said she has enjoyed watching Katrina "learn and grow so much" since she first joined the squad four years ago. 

Last year, Ott said, Katrina came to her and said she was ready to step into a leadership role on the team.

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"Katrina has