The inaugural San Diego Section Spirit Championships took place Jan. 20 at Montgomery High School.
Teams competed in several divisions, including game day (maximum of 32 participants), coed (maximum of 32 participants), small (maximum of 16 participants), medium (maximum of 24 participants) and large (maximum of 32 participants).
Championship trophies and banners, along with individual championship patches, were presented during the awards ceremony.
A total of 32 schools sent teams to the history-making event, including four from South County and seven from East County.
San Diego Section Commissioner Jerry Schniepp helped present awards.
Division champions included Valhalla High School (game day division), La Costa Canyon High School (small school division), Cathedral Catholic High School (medium school division) and Granite Hills High School (large school division).
Montgomery and Mission Hills high schools tied for the coed division championship.
Runner-up teams included Eastlake High School (game day division), Central Union High School (coed division), Coronado High School (small school division), Steele Canyon (medium school division) and Our Lady of Peace (large school division).
South County schools that participated included Eastlake, Montgomery, Bonita Vista and Castle Park.
East County schools that participated included Helix, Valhalla, Grossmont, Santana, Steele Canyon, El Capitan and Granite Hills.
The total number of participants for a school team was determined by counting all spirit-leading participants including cheerleaders, dancers, mascots and flag runners.
Teams consisting of one or more male cheerleaders participated in the coed division.
