South Salem's cheer team is chasing a second straight OSAA 6A Game Day state title after a turnaround that took the Saxons from last place to champions in one season.

Five senior captains will lead the squad into the 2026-27 competition season: Emerson Bay, Claire Harder, Erika Munguia Ortiz, Colbie Taylor and Savvy Venker. All five are Class of 2027 members profiled in The Clypian, South Salem's student newspaper.

The Saxons claimed their first-ever state cheerleading title at the 2026 OSAA Cheer State Championship on Feb. 13-14 at Oregon City High School, according to the OSAA. Grants Pass, David Douglas, Forest Grove and Lake Oswego rounded out the 6A Game Day podium.

That title capped a remarkable one-year climb. Bay told The Clypian the team entered the 2025-26 competition season with new coaches and many new members after finishing last the year before.

"We had new coaches, tons of new people, and were going into competition season having gotten last place the year prior," Bay said.

Bay said the team's trust in one another drove the championship run. Her goal this season is direct: win state again.

Taylor brings the most program experience among the five captains. She has been in South Salem's cheer program for four years and was first named captain as a sophomore. After the program shifted to naming only seniors as captains, she earned the role again for her final year.

Taylor told The Clypian she was ecstatic to share the captaincy with some of her best friends on the squad. She had been working toward the role for a long time.

Venker, who cheered as a freshman, sophomore and now senior, said she sees the captain's job as leading by example. Bay singled out Munguia Ortiz for her ability to stay present and lift up teammates, calling her "my inspiration to be excited and cheer on our cheerleaders."

The Saxons' sideline season runs through November, when the captains lead cheers at football games. Competition season begins in December. South Salem plans to compete for both the Game Day and Traditional state championship titles at the 2027 OSAA Cheer State Championship, expected in February.