One of the uprising sports in high school has hit its peak. High school cheer has entered prime time, as cheerleaders are attending multiple sporting events as well as competing at divisionals. With the new UHSAA program, high school cheer teams now have the option to qualify as a sport as they compete against other schools for a first place title in three different categories, routines such as: Cheer, Dance, and Show.
This is the second year that cheer has been an official sport under UHSAA. For all of the Region 20 cheer teams, hard work and determination to go to state is the dream since school started. This year divisional cheer was held at Delta High School on January 6, 2024. All of Region 20 competed against each other, as the 1A category was split into northern, southern and central regions. Piute, Panguitch, Wayne, Milford, and Bryce Valley were all in the southern region. When the moment came, each team stepped onto the mats and gave their performance, showing the judges and crowd what it meant to be a cheerleader.
For Piute High School, the competitive cheer team performed with ferocity and passion. With more cheerleaders, the squad was able to do more with their routine. More stunts, a bigger pyramid, and more skilled stunts were all composed into each of their routines. In preparation for the competition, the Piute cheer team would show their routines during halftime at the home basketball games.
The region cheer teams’ hard work paid off at the divisionals competition. Bryce Valley’s cheer team placed 1st Co-Ed overall and 1st in each of their routines, so they will also be taking all three of their routines to state. Piute cheer team took 2nd Co-Ed overall, 4th in Cheer, 2nd in Dance, and 2nd in Show. With this outcome they will be taking all three routines to state. Along with Bryce Valley and Piute, Panguitch High took 3rd Co-Ed overall and will also be heading to state. Milford took 4th overall in Co-Ed, but will only be taking their Cheer routine.
Wayne’s cheer team, while they competed in All Girls, placed 3rd in each of their routines and will follow along with Piute, Bryce Valley, Milford and Panguitch to state.
State Cheer will commence on January 25 at UVU.
– by Ari Hurdsman
Feature image caption: Bryce Valley’s cheer team took 1st in all three of their routines and 1st overall at the Southern Region Divisionals. Courtesy of BVHS.
Ari Hurdsman – Junction
Ari Hurdsman is a junior journalist at the Byway. She just recently moved to Ephraim, Utah, where she is a freshman at Snow College. She enjoys writing about Piute sports, and she’s really good at it! In her free time, she enjoys singing, dancing, reading and hanging out with friends and family.