Carrollton cheerleaders win honors at state championships

Question: Who cheers for the cheerleaders?

In the case of Carrollton’s cheerleading squad, it’s the entire community.

The Warriors won not one award and not two awards at the 2026 Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators State Cheer Championships, held Feb. 21 at Big Walnut High School in Columbus. No, the Warriors won three.

First, Carrollton’s cheerleaders were named runners-up in Game Day, a specialized competition format that focuses on traditional sideline skills rather than high-difficulty stunt routines. Judges look for a squad’s ability to energize crowds through a high-energy performance.

Ask any Carrollton fans who have been to a Warriors football or basketball game, and they’ll tell you these young women mean business when it comes to getting the hometown crowd fired up.

The Warriors’ second award was in traditional cheer — non-building. Non-building doesn’t refer to a roof and four walls; rather, it refers to the type of cheers allowed. The non-building category means cheerleaders are not allowed to perform pyramids, partner stunts or basket tosses.

Instead, cheerleading teams are evaluated on high-level tumbling, creative choreography, dance and motion technique. In this category, Carrollton’s cheerleading team again excelled, receiving statewide recognition that placed it in the top 10 for Division III schools.

That is an impressive feat. As cheerleading coach Kaitlin Haugh put it, “To have both teams finish top 10 in Ohio is an incredible accomplishment. The work, the grit, the heart these athletes poured into this season showed on that mat.”

But wait — it gets even better, as Carrollton’s cheer crew was awarded the Community Service Award, out of all Ohio schools that made it to the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators state level.

OASSA’s Community Service Award honors Ohio high school cheer and dance teams for outstanding community service, with nominations submitted by school staff for initiatives such as volunteering or charity work. Presented annually, this award highlights teams that make significant, positive impacts in their communities — which is precisely what Carrollton’s cheer team is all about.

So there you have it: cheering, tumbling, dancing and firing up the crowd, while simultaneously looking out for fellow citizens and giving back to a caring, close-knit community that has given them so much.

Perhaps it’s time these selfless, special cheerleaders were cheered by all of us.