A couple from San Antonio is now engaged, thanks in part to a local — and very spirited — high school cheerleading squad.
Natalie Earthman, an English teacher and cheerleading coach at East Central High School (ECHS), admitted that she was somewhat bummed that her squad had to cheer at a football game on Halloween, as the spooky holiday is her favorite. The ECHS alumnus, however, had no idea that she was in for a life-changing surprise.
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The cheer coach told Fox News that her varsity-squad cheerleaders were acting “a little weird” after halftime during an away game last Thursday, and that the athletes caught her off guard when they rose up into stunt formations, with four of the “fliers” holding signs.
“But we didn’t bring signs,” Earthman recalled, adding that she soon realized the messages read “Will you marry me?”
“The crowd was screaming,” Earthman remembered. “It didn’t really register until my mom started screaming from the crowd, from the stands, and I looked up. Then I knew it was happening.”
Her boyfriend, Jorge Gutierrez, soon ran out on the track dressed as the ECHS hornet mascot. Earthman said she didn’t realize it was him as he jogged toward her — although his checkered Vans sneakers gave her a clue — and eventually threw off the costume’s head before getting down on one knee.
She said “yes,” and the crowd went wild. The sweet moment was also witnessed by Earthman and Gutierrez’ immediate family, who had secretly gathered in the stands, according to the bride-to-be.
Behind the scenes, the future groom said he planned the big moment with the help of the Elisa Larson, the cheerleading squad's assistant coach.
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"I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while. Natalie spends a lot of her time and is very involved with her cheerleaders. I knew asking her in front of them, with her family there as well, would mean the most to her," Gutierrez told Yahoo. "All I knew was that I wanted to be in the mascot costume, Larson and the cheerleaders really helped with putting the rest together. It was perfect."
Earthman told Fox News that she is mystified that everyone around her kept the proposal secret, but said she's thrilled the “magical” moment went down exactly as it did.
Moving forward, the couple is looking forward to planning the wedding, and they hope to host their nuptials in the fall or winter, Earthman added.
When the time comes, Earthman said that she’s expecting backup from some extra-special helpers — her cheerleaders.
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“They took floral design last year, they want to help with the planning!” the bride-to-be said, adding that the students might even perform a dance routine on the big day. A former cheerleader herself, Earthman said that she and some of her cheerleading friends performed dance routines at each other’s weddings, too.
Most importantly, Earthman said she can’t wait for happily-ever-after with Gutierrez.
“He is my fairy tale,” she said.