TCHS Junior Varsity Cheer wins First Ever National Championship

Tuscaloosa County High's Junior Varsity cheerleading squad made history this weekend at the 2025 UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida. Winning the school's first-ever National Championship.

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Adversity faced The junior varsity cheer squad from Tuscaloosa County High who finished third overall in the semifinals, trailing only Watchung Hills High School in Warren Township, New Jersey, and Tomball Memorial High School in Harris County, Texas. Tomball Memorial scored 87.6 and Watchung Hills scored 83.9, both of which were higher than the County High cheer squad's 83.6, according to UCA's website.

Despite their third place finish in the semi-finals, County High's junior varsity cheer team improved by 4.1 points in the finals, achieving a score of 87.7. This score was just enough to secure their victory over Watchung Hills, which finished with a score of 87.2, and Tomball Memorial, which had a raw score of 88 but was deducted a point, resulting in a final score of 87. The resilience demonstrated by the County High junior varsity cheer team has led them to be crowned the 2025 UCA National Champions in the Junior Varsity Non-Tumbling Division I Game Day event.

This historic team is led by Head Coach Jeromy Shaw, who is in his third year at County High after being hired in 2022. Shaw has over 10 years of experience in cheerleading, alongside County High's cheer coach. He has served as an instructor with the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) for the past 11 years. Previously, Shaw was a cheerleader for West Alabama from 2010 to 2015, where he eventually became team captain. After college, he joined County High as an assistant coach and spirit coordinator for the Tigers in 2015, where he spent two years before leaving in 2017.

In an conversation with WVUA 23 prior to the travel to Orlando, Shaw expressed confidence and excitement about his team's capabilities, saying, "We are excited to represent our school and our town," adding, "And we want to show all the hard work we've been doing. We're prepared."

County High's junior varsity cheer squad went out and did just that, bringing the White Jackets, which are awarded to national champions, to Tuscaloosa County High School for the first time in school history.

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