Buckaroo cheer team to compete Thursday at UIL Spirit State Championships

The Breckenridge Buckaroo cheerleading team is gearing up for one of the biggest stages of its season as the squad prepares to compete at the UIL Spirit State Championships this week.

The team offered fans a preview of its competition routine during halftime of the boys’ basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 6, performing the full sequence they will take to state. The showcase featured the group’s synchronized chants, sharp motions and stunt sequences that have been the focus of months of practice.

The cheerleaders will perform the routine once more at halftime of the Tuesday, Jan. 13 boys’ game, giving the community another chance to see the state-bound performance before the team travels to the Fort Worth Convention Center for the competition Thursday, Jan. 15.

This year’s trip comes after a strong showing in 2025, when Breckenridge posted a combined score of 166.3 in the 3A Division I qualifying round. Although the Buckaroos did not advance to the finals – finishing outside the top-20 cutoff in a deep and highly competitive field – the performance marked one of the program’s most complete routines at the state level and set a clear benchmark for the returning athletes.

The Buckaroo cheerleaders will take the mat at 8:36 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 for their preliminary round performance, one of the earlier performance slots of the morning session. The 3A Division I qualifying round runs from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside the arena at the convention center. Teams advancing out of prelims will return for the State Championship Finals at 6:45 p.m., with the award ceremony taking place immediately after the final performances.