High school cheer squads compete for state title

by Brian Turrel

Cheerleading squads from Piper, Turner, and Bonner Springs high schools competed Saturday in the third annual KSHSAA Spirit Gameday. The Pirates’ cheerleaders took home third place in the 4A division, following up their 2018 championship.

Spirit Gameday is KSHSAA’s state championship for cheerleading, now in its third year. Squads compete in three preliminary rounds — fight song, crowd leading, and band chant. Squads that make the final round perform a routine of their own selection, and then have to lead a cheer that fits a football game scenario randomly assigned by the judges.

Piper led all seventeen 4A squads after the preliminaries, but were edged out by first-place Louisburg in the finals.

Turner and Bonner Springs competed in the 5A division, but were unable to break through to the finals.

All the squads will be returning to the court when basketball season starts in early December.