Shaler Area's competitive cheerleading team is back after 6 years

Editor’s note: The following story was submitted for the Shaler Area Student Section, a collaboration between TribLive and The Oracle, the student newspaper of Shaler Area High School.

After a six-year hiatus, the Shaler Area varsity competition cheerleading team is returning to the floor for the 2025-26 season.

Ever since Shaler’s competition cheerleading team was established, it was a solid team that competed and won many titles at the local, state and national levels.

The team won the WPIAL championship in 2015 and 2017 and took the PIAA title in 2018.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, the team was unable to get in to the gym and work, which led to a decline in numbers and ultimately led to the team not competing.

“We have not had a competitive team since covid because it has taken several years to build up the skills necessary to be the competitive team that Shaler has always been proud of,” coach Phyllis Schatz said. “Many schools go into competition just to compete, but when we go into competition, we go to win.”

The Titans have been putting in the work and are ready to uphold the tradition that teams of the past have set for them.

The team consists of seniors Ava Romanchak, Hannah Bollig, Alaina Tavella, Victoria Peterson, Molly Kruth and Rylee Pritchard; juniors Alayna Morgano, Hayleigh Dougherty, Alexa Clokey, Brianna O’Brien, Julia June and Natalie Martinez; and freshmen Alayah Jackson, Ariyah Davis, Casey Corson, Gianna Cafeo and Taelyn Montgomery.

“I feel like preparing for All Star is a little more intense and definitely more demanding, but I’ve also never had to be loud in an All-Star routine. It’s definitely going to be hard trying to keep our voices up while executing a routine,” Clokey said.

The new team has been together for the past few years. While its members don’t have high school competition experience, many have competitive cheer experience.

“I’m really excited to compete with all of my friends. I’m a little nervous, but we’ll do good if we all work together,” Romanchak said.

The Titans’ season started off with tryouts, flowing into summer practices and camps to after-school practices. The team has been practicing since the end of last school year — from a few days a week after tryouts to most days after school now. Fans can find the Titans cheering at school sports events and some community events, as well as competitions again, which take place throughout the school year.

The Shaler Area cheerleaders do not get an “off season” like most athletes; they always have something taking place, especially now while training as a competition team.

The competition team roster consists of most of the varsity sideline athletes. Both teams work similar skills, but the competition team has been working extra hard to take their skill to the next level.

This team has been focused on perfecting every skill judged on the scoresheet. The simple movement of the way they walk in the routine needs to be up to par, all while engaging with the crowd.

“I think it’s important to emphasize the amount of time that goes into the program, both sideline cheering as well as competitive cheerleading. Our team practices year-round. During the school year, we practice four days a week as well as cheering on sports teams,” Schatz said.

Schatz and fellow coach Rebecca Troppman, who have worked together for years, are ecstatic to be back on the mat.

“We are able to instill that national pride back into our program and allow the girls to excel both on a state and national level,” Schatz said.

The competition team is doing all it can to succeed, and the girls feel they are more than ready for what this year brings.

The 2025-26 team will compete for the first time Oct. 12 at Ambridge High School during the Battle at the Bridge Competition, followed by the South Hills Showdown, Butler Cheer Classic and UPJ Cheer and Dance Classic, leading hopefully into WPIAL and PIAA championships.

“I feel pretty prepared, as long as we go into competition and give it our all, then the work we have put in will come out,” Clokey said. “We’ve been working really hard on trying to make our stunts and tumbling timing look good. I feel when that all comes together, we will be back and better than ever before.”