The Lehighton Area High School Varsity Cheerleaders are rooting for a win at the upcoming PIAA State Competitive Spirit Championship.

The 13-member squad recently took home its third consecutive District 11 Competitive Spirit Cheerleading Championship title — earning a spot in the state finale scheduled for Jan. 30 and 31 at Santander Arena in Reading.

“It’s a busy and crazy time of year right now,” said Patricia Sterner, the squad’s head coach.

The team — along with its mascot — cheered its way to the recent district win at Easton Middle School, beating out five other teams in the 2A Small division.

“However, we were the highest scoring 2A team, even against the larger teams,” Sterner said.

During the event, the girls did something they haven’t in a while: They “hit zero,” she noted.

“It’s where we didn’t get any deductions at the competition because our stunts were very solid. They didn’t fall. Everything hit perfectly as it was supposed to,” she said of “hitting zero.”

Following the win, the cheerleaders were escorted by the Lehighton police and fire company on a celebratory ride through the borough.

Sterner said the team supports the school’s football and basketball team by offering cheers and spirit from the sidelines.

“We actually start practicing in July when we host our camp. We do have summer practices that they come to, and then the mandatory practices start in August,” she said. “So our season really runs from the middle of August until about the beginning of February. It’s a long season.”

As team members rehearse, they learn dance, gymnastics, stunts — and, of course, cheers.

Lehighton will compete against about two dozen other teams at the state competition.

“Everywhere from Pittsburgh all the way down to Philadelphia,” Sterner said of the competing squads’ origins. “There are a lot of really good teams coming this year.”

Each team is required to perform for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

“A minute and 30 is for dance, jumps and stunts,” Sterner said. The remainder is cheering.

The squad will follow a routine similar to the one that won it the district championship.

Expect some tweaks, however.

“We are adding a few elements to increase our difficulty levels so that we can score higher at states,” Sterner noted.

The performance will be completely different from what the team does for basketball and football games.

“Certain elements of our routine we cannot perform on the sidelines because we don’t have mats to perform on,” she said. “Some of the flipping stunts that we do take months to perfect and get down perfectly.”

Sterner came to the helm in 2023, and led the team to its first District 11 title in school history.

“We won every year since then,” said Sterner, herself a seasoned cheerleader who cheered with the Lehighton Booster Program, and during her time at Lehighton Area High School and the California University of Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh.

Tickets will be available through the PIAA website. Sterner said information will be posted on the “Lehighton Cheerleading” Facebook page and on Instagram.