State Champs Again: Pike Lib captures third straight state cheerleading championship

The Pike Liberal Arts cheerleading squad left Birmingham this week with a pair of state championships and another state runner-up.

The Pike Lib varsity squad, which is coming off back-to-back UCA National Championships, started the week off by winning the Magic City UCA Regional Small DII Game Day Championship, earning a place in the national competition in January 2027, and a shot at defending their crown.

The varsity team also earned a UCA Region Championship. The varsity and junior varsity squads then competed in the AHSAA State Cheerleading Championship a few days later. The JV squad won the Private JV Game Day Single A State Championship, while the varsity team won the Private Varsity Single A State Championship and finished runner-up Private Varsity Single A Game Day.

“Between Saturday and Monday we competed in a total of five different routines,” Pike Cheer Coach Brittany Royal said. “I’m extremely proud of the team. This is a new division for us, like with every sport this year, with the way private and public schools were split up. We were in a different division, so I was excited. With JV, we had 10 new cheerleaders this year that had never competed before, out of our 15. So, that was also different. They did a really great job and as always, varsity competed as well as I expected. I’m really proud of both teams.”

Pike JV won its first state crown since 2023. It was the JV team’s first state championship since 2023. It was also the third straight state championship for the varsity team, which Royal says has become an expectation for the cheer squad, but also something she doesn’t want her team to take for granted.

“I cheered at Pike myself, so this is a program I’m extremely proud of and have been a part of practically my whole life. I feel like this is the expectation for us,” she continued. “Pike Cheer is known and we have a reputation to uphold. It almost feels like Alabama Football in that way. Sometimes that’s nerve racking but this is what we are expected to do, we have that standard. We have put a lot of time, effort and blood, sweat and tears into this program.

“Everyone has put so much into it, from the girls to the coaches to the parents, everybody. It truly does mean a lot to us. I never want anyone to become jaded and just expect to win because every win is just as important as the last. They all mean so much.”

State Champs Again: Pike Lib captures third straight state cheerleading championship

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