IT’S UIL STATE CHEER COMPETITION! | Cheer teams from the ETB area hit the road to Fort Worth to compete Thursday & Friday! (W/VIDEO!)

Remember on the 1986 classic “Top Gun,” where Maverick and Goose were called in, and told they were being sent to go against the best of the best?

That’s where cheerleaders from East Texas programs are going this week.

It’s the University Interscholastic League’s state spirit competition at the Fort Worth Convention Center, and it’s Thursday through Saturday for all classifications.

And in the ETBlitz.com coverage area, we have had some great performances, too.

Last year, Tatum, White Oak, Troup and Kilgore all finished high. Tatum was fourth overall in Class 3A, Division I, with a 87.40 overall score. White Oak was 13^th in 3A-DI (83.57). Troup (83.87) was 16^th in 3A-Division II, and Kilgore was 17^th overall in 4A, Division I (84.80).

All of those programs are back in Fort Worth again this year, and more from the ETBlitz coverage area are going, as well.

Again, the event is at the Fort Worth Convention Center, at 1201 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX, 76102.

If you can’t go, but you’d like to watch the UIL State Spirit Competition live online, you can do so on the NFHS Network, but for a subscription fee. Watch it here (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/uil/spirit).

If you’re planning to go, here’s what you need to know.

Children five and under are admitted free. Anyone else who’s going will need tickets, which you can get here: UIL STATE CHEER COMPETITION 3A. They are $15 each. There’s no cash accepted at the gate – you’ll have to purchase tickets online at that link, and when you get there, you’ll be given a wristband.

Coed and classes 1A, 2A and 3A will all compete on Thursday. Classes 4A and 5A will compete on Friday, although the state finals for 5A won’t take place until Saturday. Class 6A will compete in their entirety on Saturday.

Doors open at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday and at 8 a.m. Friday, and teams compete in three categories: band chant, crowd leading and fight song.

For crowd leading, according to UIL regulations on the UIL spirit / cheer site, time begins with the buzzer sound with the team already on the floor following the band chant. Each performance should have an emphasis on crowd involvement.

For fight song, in addition to fight song motions and movement, up to three consecutive eight counts should be incorporated with stunts, jumps and / or tumbling.

There are several programs from the ETBlitz.com coverage area headed to Fort Worth this year.

Programs headed to the UIL Spirit Competition from our area, in alphabetical order:

Arp, who will compete in Class 3A, Division I, competing will be (Heidi Bryand, Kelsie Cole, Bree Golden, Emma Harris, Lily Hooper. Lucy Hopson, Elizabeth Lee (mascot), Kylee Maxwell, Jaycee McCollum, Gracey Nichols, Cortlynn Quinalty, Addison Rhoades, Kennedy Richter, Kinley Schminkey, Abigail Skipper, Marissa Vanover, Skylar Wallace, and Madison Williams. Arp cheer sponsor is Elizabeth Johnson.

Gilmer, led by sponsor Carly Riley, will compete in 4A, Division II. Gilmer cheerleaders are Ashlie Acy, Hannah Bockmon, Brylee Bowman, Sophia Dean, Adalynne Dodd, Iyunna Godfrey, Laynee Hall, Lexi Hancock, Breanna Hornsby, Samantha Jimenez, Brinly Jones, Micah Kaunitz, Laurel Lee, Chloe Mayfield, Keira Parsons, Karsyn Pate, Elie Richins, Blayklee Riley, Jayna Rucker, Mary Nelly Sanchez (captain), Millie Sanchez, Karsyn Turnbow, Alex Werbeck, Ashlynn White, and Kaelyn Williams (mascot).

Gladewater is going to observe in Class 3A, Division I. Gladewater cheerleaders are Lily Childress, Madison Cusatis, Aliyah Franquieradesousa, Alayah Gordon, Kymorah Gordon, Peyton Hunter, Garret Kegarise (mascot), Olivia Miller, Janiah Strickland, Kamila Turner, and Teresa Villalobos.

Kilgore will compete once again at the 4A-DI level. Kenslea Harper-Fickett and Laney Edmonson, both seniors, are co-captains.

Also seniors are Carter Barton, Emma Kate Bailey, Makinley Haynes, Ellie McKinney, Emma Propes, and Lincoln Rounsavall.

Juniors for KHS are co-captains Zoey Johnson and Carsyn McKinney, and juniors on the team are Ava Henry, Sole Hunt, Adalynn Martinez, Addison Vanzandt, and Brittany Yzaguirre.

Kilgore sophomore cheerleaders are Emersyn Beets, Kailynn Bullock, Aspen Gaudet, Kyler Harper-Fickett, Lauryn Hok, Skarlet Steuck, Kyleigh Wells, and Vivienne Wright.

And Bulldog freshmen cheerleaders are Allie Hendrix, Leiken Murphy, and Camila Valenzuela.

Kilgore’s cheer sponsor is Saidie Hamblen.

Sabine finished 16^th overall in Class 3A, Division I last year (82.70). The girls’ sponsors this year are Emily Barr and Jennifer Wood.

Captains of Sabine cheer are seniors Keelie Roper and Camryn Tatum, as well as junior Reese Silvertooth.

Sabine cheer: Kattlin Akers, Kaegan Boaze, Hollie Boone, Addy Carney, Madisyn Davis, Landry Griffith, Natalee Hairston, Brookelyn Henigan, Addison Ketteman, Jayda Lewis, Kera Reyne, Sarah Roberts, Keelie Roper, Marlie Roper, Reese Silvertooth, Camryn Tatum, Lainey Thurston, Brookelyn Tucker, Dakota Wick, and Avery Williams.

Sabine will again compete in 3A-DI this week.

Tatum has gone since UIL began state competition, and has never finished out of the top 20, finishing fourth last year, and second the year before.

Eagle cheer has six top-six finishes, and four top-four finishes.

The team: Austyn Anthony, Jamyah Butler, Taliyah Dixon, Leah Fletcher, Lexie Ford, Taylan Fulmer, Kailey Garcia, Mikah Good, Corrine Herrera, Shaelynn Hicks, Elyana Hill, Preslee Marcott, Jordyn Murphy, Ryleigh Nicole, Libby Perry, Baylee Pruitt, Jasmin Salas, Brailey Smith, Aedyn Taczek, Winter Taylor, and Jacey Yoder.

Sponsors are Tammy Holder and Kim Permenter; Holder was named coach of the year back in the 2018-19 school year.

Sterling Mathis is driving them over.

Troup cheer will compete at 3A-Division II. Senior captain is Bailey Gibson, and co-captain is Briar Kirkland. Seniors are Emory Cover, Reese Lovelady and Payton Wells. Juniors are Kaylee Alamazan, Addison Blanton, Audree Hinkle and Kambry Nelson. Sophomores are Adalyne Burks, Bailey Darden, Wylie Green, Reagan Hart, Molleigh Nord, and Kylie Switzer.  And freshmen are Olivia Anderson, Peyton Boyd, Addy Hollis, Elaine Howard, and Mariyah Pullins.

Troup’s mascots are Nate Howell and Cassie Murry, and their music maestro is Maddy Howell. Cheer sponsor for Troup is Mandy Lovelady.

White Oak cheer sponsor Stacey Clair Morrow will take another strong line-up to Fort Worth. They are: Alaina Baker, Kimber Brooks, Londyn Bodovsky, Sydney Bodovsky, Sophie Carter, Taylor Dark, Sophia Fisher, Addie Fritsche, Morgan Gee, Kendadei Giles, Danica Herrera, Teagan Holder, Addison Milligan, Austyn Noll, Marlee Rhodes, Addison Saccoccio, Layne Simpson, Carlee Smale, Peyton Thompson, and Preslee Twomey,

White Oak will compete in 3A-DI.

Teams from the ETBlitz area that opted not to compete in UIL Spirit Competition this year are Henderson, West Rusk, Overton and Leverett’s Chapel.

Competing in 3A, Division I across the state – against Sabine, Tatum, and White Oak – are Amarillo River Road, Aransas Pass, Atlanta, Bishop, Brekenridge, Buna, Bushland, Cameron Yoe, Coldspring, Commerce, Corpus Christi London, Denver City, Edna, Eustace, Falfurrias, Fort Worth Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Franklin, Grandview, Halletsville, Huntington, Kirbyville, Lamesa, Little River Academy, Llano, Malakoff, Mineola, Mount Vernon, Orange Grove, Palmer, Peaster, Pilot Point, Ponder, Pottsboro, Rio Hondo, Shallowater, Texas Leadership of San Angelo, Tuscola Jim Ned, Universal City Randolph, Whitesboro, Winnie East Chambers, and Yoakum.

Competing in 3A-DII against Arp and Troup will be Alpine, Altair, Harmony, Blanco, Blue Ridge, Boyd, Brady, Brownsville, Buffalo, Callisburg, Clifton, Commanche, Crane, New Diana, Gunter, Hardin, Hooks, Idalou, Jacksboro, Jefferson, Kountz, Leonard, Littlefield, Lubbock Roosevelt, Merkel, New Boston, Paradise, Poth, Queen City, Redwater, Sadler S&S Consolidated, Santa Gertrudis Academy, Scurry-Rosser, Slaton, Trinity, Valley view, Vanderbilt Industrial, Waco Harmony, Wall, Warren, and Woodville.

Teams in the 4A-DI field against which Kilgore will compete: Alvarado, Andrews, Bay City, Big Spring, Bridge City, Burkburnette, Burnet, Canyon, Canyon Randall, Canyon West, Celina, China Spring, Comal Canyon Lake, Corpus Christi Calallen, Dallas Carter, Dallas Pinkston, Decatur, Fort Bend WillowRose, Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis, Fredericksburg, Freeport Brazosport, Hereford, Huffman-Hargrave, Jarrell, Kennedale, La Vernia, Lake Dallas, Lampasas, Lindale, Livingston, Pine Tree, Lorena, Lumberton, Mabank, Marble Falls, Needville, Navada Community, New Braunfels Long Creek, Orange Little Cypress, Palestine, Port Lavaca, River Oaks, Somerset, San Elizario, Stafford, Stephenville, and Taylor.

And competing in 4A-DII against Gilmer: Austin Eastside Memorial, Austin Travis, Bellville, Bonham, Brock, Caddo Mills, Cumberland, Dallas Hampton Prep, Eagle Mountain, Ferris, Fort Worth Benbrook, Gatesville, Geronimo Navarro, Glen Rose, Godley, Gonzales, Hamshire-Fannett, Hardin-Jefferson, Hillsboro, Lufkin-Hudson, Ingleside, Jasper, Katy Freeman, Jasper, Kemp, La Grange, La Marque, Lago Vista, Levelland, Liberty, Lubbock Cooper, Manor New Tech, Midland Greenwood, Monahans, North Lamar, Pittsburg, Port Israel, Robinson, Rusk, Salado, Sanger, Seminole, Silsbee, Sunnyvale, Sweeny, Pleasant Grove, Van, Van Alstyne, Venus, Waco Connally, West Columbia, Wills Point, and Wimberly.

Shallowater won the 3A-DI state title a year ago; Jacksboro won it in 3A-DII. Celina won the state championship in 4A-DI, and Lago Vista in 4A-DII.

For more on the UIL state spirit championships, go here: Spirit — University Interscholastic League (UIL). At that link also has the 2025 state program, and SO much more!