By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

HANCEVILLE – Thompson High School, Spain Park High School and Thompson Middle School cheerleaders recently took home plenty of hardware at the Alabama High School Athletic Association state finals at Wallace State Community College.

The Thompson and Spain Park cheer teams competed in several categories for Class 6A/7A schools on Dec. 15, and had strong showings.

All three teams won state championships in the game day routine categories, which required the teams to include a band chant, a situational sideline routine using a cue from the announcer and then a crowd-leading section ending with the school’s fight song. The entire routine was not allowed to exceed three minutes.

SPHS won the Junior Varsity Game Day category with a score of 95.7, beating Vestavia Hills High School’s score of 94.9.

TMS won the Junior High Game Day category with a score of 96.6, one place ahead of Liberty Middle School’s 95.8 score.

In the Varsity Game Day category, THS won with a score of 94.4, edging out Huntsville High School’s score of 93.9.

Thompson also won awards in the 7A traditional routine categories, which challenged squads to perform a cheer routine of no longer than two minutes and 30 seconds.

THS came in second place in the Junior Varsity Traditional category with a score of 78.35, which was behind Athens High School’s score of 84.6.

In the Large Junior High School Traditional category, TMS came in second with a score of 80.5 behind Hewitt-Trussville Middle School’s score of 85.5.

THS also placed fifth in the Varsity Traditional category.

All of the local teams will now move on to compete in the cheerleading national championship in Orlando, Florida in February 2019.