When the Cairo Junior High boys basketball team made their championship run this season, they weren't alone. On the sidelines, pumping up the crowd and supporting the players through every game, were the Cairo cheerleaders—22 young women guided by Monica Woodson, who has led the program for the past two years.

"We try to go to all our boys' games," says Woodson, who is also the Cairo Elementary administrative assistant. "Out of all our games this year, we only didn't go to like four games with our boys. But we were at all the tournaments and everything."

The squad has grown significantly under Woodson's leadership, expanding from 16 cheerleaders last year to 22 this season. With such a large group, Woodson had to be creative with uniforms.

"I had some of them in black and some of them in white," she explains. The cheerleaders wear polos with skirts, long-sleeve body shirts, socks, and tennis shoes. While the uniforms are school property, parents pay for the body shirts, briefs, socks, and shoes—a more affordable arrangement than many schools where families might pay hundreds of dollars for uniforms.

Cousins Brielle and La’mariah Woods, both seventh graders on the squad, describe the team as being like "sisters." When asked how they know they've had a good season, Brielle explains it was "more happy than sad" with "tears of joy," while La’mariah says it's about knowing "I tried my best."

The cheerleaders contribute to the team's success in tangible ways. "If they miss a free throw, we tell them it's okay," says Brielle. "We get the crowd hyped, and then the crowd gets them hyped up."

This symbiotic relationship between cheerleaders, crowds, and players was especially evident during the state championship run. The cheerleaders traveled to Rend Lake College for the state tournament, though Woodson could only bring 15 of her 22 squad members due to state regulations.

The cheerleaders participated in the victory parade when the team returned home, escorted by fire trucks and police cars with community members lining the streets despite rainy weather.

While the Cairo cheerleaders don't currently compete in cheer competitions, that might change in the future. "It has been suggested to me because they get so many compliments, and people ask, 'Do they compete?'" Woodson says. She's considering working with Pam Salazar, an elementary school teacher who owns a gymnastics facility, to develop tumbling skills that would be necessary for competition.

Preparation begins early. Last summer, the squad started practicing in July, focusing on conditioning by walking, running, and developing stamina. "We'd walk all the way down to the river, which from here on 31st Street to the river on 8th Street," Woodson says. "They were tired, but I said, 'You have to have stamina to cheer.'"

The team performs multiple routines throughout the season, including special performances at their Blue and White game. During games, they lead chants and perform floor routines at halftime.

Beyond cheering, the squad bonds through Christmas parties funded by popcorn sales, Secret Santa exchanges, and occasional sleepovers. Academics remain a priority—Woodson checks grades regularly, and cheerleaders with poor grades or behavioral issues aren't allowed to participate in games.

As for Woodson's coaching style? "Ms. Woodson, she yells a lot," La’Mariah admits with a smile. Brielle adds, "That's how she shows her love—being mean."

Woodson expected this assessment. "They are probably gonna say I'm mean," she said, "but I don't play with them. You can't be going out in public acting silly."

It's a tough-love approach that's clearly working, as the cheerleaders have become an integral part of Cairo's athletic success story.