Sara Myers, who captained last year’s OCHS cheerleading team, returns for her senior year. The Patriots finished 13th in Class A last year. (Ellie English/The Oglethorpe Echo)
The Oglethorpe County cheerleaders have plenty of experience this year. Over half of the team — 12 of 23 — are seniors.
“I am dreading losing that many at one time,” coach Morgan Williams said.
She took over the program five years ago and has coached nine of the 12 seniors since they were freshmen. Williams noted that in a small community like Oglethorpe County, there are not a lot of girls to begin with, so losing 12 girls will be a significant loss.
Williams said she is unsure how they are going to handle the loss or what next season will look like because of this.
“Next year may be a building year where we may not have a very large team,” Williams said.
Last year, the team qualified for the state competition. This year, Williams hopes to win a state title, or at least finish in the top five.
The Patriots were 13th in Class A last year, up from 16th the previous year.
The road to state began in March with tryouts and conditioning. Throughout the summer, the team practiced and attended professional camps to learn skills and material.
Williams spent the offseason analyzing routines to increase scoring potential for their game day competitions.
At the core of every team’s success is its dynamic.
Williams emphasized one of her primary goals this season is for the team to become like a family and maintain a positive atmosphere during the long season.
Assistant coach Courtney Patton, who joined the team last October, said she views the team as “her girls.”
The team also has a new practice space in the multipurpose building, which is the old elementary school building. The facility offers the high ceilings and the 54-by-46 foot space necessary for a full competition floor, Williams said.
Patton’s presence has helped with finances, as she has taken over most of the administrative and fundraising responsibilities. Another goal was to increase funds for the season, which the team focused on immediately after tryouts.
With the additional funds, the team was able to purchase the remaining mats needed for practice.
“Pretty much from then on we hit the ground running on fundraisers and we’ve done really well,” Williams said.
Patton expressed her optimism entering her first full year with the team.
“I’m just excited to see how we perform in our competitions this year at state,” she said. “We did so good last year that I can’t wait to see what we’re going to do this year.”
2026 OCHS football game day roster
Nicole Aguilar, Ella Bennett, London Brunson, Neveah Calhoun , Kyra Edwards, Larsin Faust, Brooke Hall, Jenna Harvey, Lili Holt, Abby Hormeku, Jayda Huff, Ava Hughes, Alexa López-Quijada, Kensley Mallonee, Malia McCalla, Dulciana Miranda, Abby Morris, Sara Myers, Nevaeh Perry, Janessa Reesman, Shyanne Spade, Laura Spearing and London Young.
Game day mascot: Hayden Williams
Manager: Bayleigh McElhannon
Competitions
Oct. 17: Lake Oconee Academy
Nov. 21: Newnan High School
Dec. 5: Loganville High School
Dec. 10-11: State competition, Macon