On Saturday, February 21^st, Paint Branch hosted the school’s first-ever Varsity Cheerleading Competition. Two divisions competed, with six teams involved in stunting and showing their skills. Competing in Division One were Paint Branch, Magruder, and Richard Montgomery, while in Division Two Blair, Springbrook, and Wheaton competed against each other. The Panthers worked hard in preparation and hoped to do even better than they did in their first competition of the year at Blair High School, where they won third place.

            All of the Panthers’ hard work paid off when they won their first place trophy, defeating Richard Montgomery and Magruder. The win didn’t come easy though, as right before the Panthers went to perform, freshman Ashley Saunders fainted. As the team struggled to compose themselves, they had to rework their entire routine with just minutes until their performance to make it perfect for the judges. Junior Larissa Phifer stated, “Despite the hardship faced right before our competition, we worked well together to win first place.” Along with winning first place, junior captain Courtney Battle won second-place captain award. As the playoffs for boys’ and girls’ Varsity basketball teams begin, the cheerleaders look forward to cheering them on all the way to the end and exhibiting their own championship form.