The 2023-24 Pershing County High School Cheerleaders: (from left to right)- Jena Pilon, Kaylah Hanley, Danya Zepeda, Eudosia Mendoza, Alexis Foughty and Angelica Scola.
The PCHS Spirit Squad is a true sports family. Seniors Kaylah Hanley, Danya Zepada, and Jena Pilon have been cheering with Coach Cece Thornhill for at least a decade.
This spring, they'll graduate from high school.
"This year is a little hard for me with it being my daughter Kaylah's senior year," says Thornhill.
The seniors started cheering with Thornhill during the eight years she coached the youth program.
Danya Zepeda (co-captain) and Kaylah Hanley (captain)
When she began coaching at the high school several years ago, Kaylah, Danya, and Jenna eventually followed.
Other members of the squad are trying something new. Eudosia Mendoza, Alexis Foughty, and Angelica Scola are juniors cheering for the first time. Angelica is an exchange student from Italy.
The group practices two hours a day, four or five days a week.
"We start with some conditioning. Then we jump into learning new cheers and kicks," says Thornhill. Their effort shows on the field where their voices and energy help light up Friday night football.