They wear red and black every Friday night game. With their high ponytails and loud voices, the cheerleaders command attention and spirit, but this time the campus is the one cheering on the cheerleaders.

Although the school has always had a cheer team, this is the first time in 10 years the cheerleaders competed in a UIL competition and earned third place at the UIL State Spirit Competition. Juniors Kayla Veitch and Lauren Sayers have been preparing for the competition all school year.

“We had to perfect every hit, every move and every second of each stunt. It was hard, but in the end, we learned as a team to communicate better and push through what we thought mentally we were capable of,” Veitch said. “Team bonding was a huge part of our win because in cheerleading if you can’t trust your teammates then there won’t be a solid routine, no matter how much time is put into it.”

The team competed against 23 teams in fort worth, over the course of two days and placed third overall.

“People don’t think about how every new school year we have new girls moving up into varsity. So you basically have to rebuild the foundation you created from the year before. It’s not a bad thing, but you kind of create and destroy year after years and build friendships with these girls that I know will last forever,” Sayers said. “Cheering creates friendships and builds confidence in myself that I can use on a day to day basis.”

After the UIL competition in Fort Worth, the girls came home and celebrated their win wit big hugs, tears of joy and a lot of Instagram pictures.

“I am happy I’m surrounded by girls and a coach that I know even if we didn’t win we would all still be as proud as we are if we had gotten first. It’s about the relationships you are willing to build that make you and your team a better person,” Veitch said. “After high school, we don’t carry the routines and the trophies with you, we carry all the relationships that mean something.”