The Grand County High School cheer team is making history this month, becoming the first squad in school history to compete at the UHSAA state championship.
The seven-member team will compete in the Class 2A Division 3 qualifier on Friday at Crimson Cliffs High School in St. George. Teams that finish in the top 70% advance to the state championship on January 23 at the UCCU Center at Utah Valley University.
The milestone caps a breakthrough season for the program, which held its first-ever sanctioned competition earlier this year.
GCHS joins a small but growing field. Only five teams competed in 2A all-girls at last year's state championship — just the second since Utah sanctioned the sport in 2023.
“These athletes have made school history by committing to themselves and their team to be the first ones to ever compete,” said head coach Adrienne Moore. “To be at state representing Grand County — it's empowering. These girls are setting a foundation for years to follow.”
The team includes Makayla Bridenbaker, Iryss Mason, Kirrian McKinney, Kaiya Moore, Shayli Partridge, and sisters Isabella and Serenity Skidmore. Moore is joined by assistant coach Brenna Dowd.
For the athletes, the season has been transformative.
“What a whirlwind! After two years of hard work we all took the big leap together,” said senior Kirrian McKinney. “Thank you team, fans, parents, and especially my coaches.”
Kaiya Moore said competing gave the team something generations of Grand County cheerleaders never had: “Competing allowed myself and our team to experience what every other school in Utah has been able to be a part of.”
Iryss Mason said she's eager to show what GCHS cheer can do. “I am very honored and excited to show everyone that GCHS cheerleaders are more than sparkly pom-poms and pretty skirts.”
Coach Dowd reflected on the lasting impact the team will have on younger athletes watching from the stands.
“We all were once that little girl with stars in her eyes watching the big girls perform at our local sports event,” Dowd said. “They may not know it yet, but that's better than any win they'll receive. To that little girl, their parents, to us coaches, their friends, to future cheerleaders and their school — they've already won by just showing up.”
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