Entering the 2026-2027 school year, the Saxon’s cheer team will have five captains leading cheers at athletic events. This year the captains are Emerson Bay ‘27, Claire Harder ‘27, Erika Munguia Ortiz ‘27, Colbie Taylor ‘27 and Savvy Venker ‘27.
According to an Oregon State Activities Association (OSAA) article, last season, South Salem High School won the OSAA 6A Game Day Division at the 2026 Cheer State Championship in Oregon City.
“We had new coaches, tons of new people, and were going into competition season having gotten last place the year prior,” Bay said.
Bay noted that being able to put “trust in each other,” facilitated their state championship win in the 2025-2026 season.
Captains and Goals
This season Bay and Venker aspire to fulfill their roles as captains and lead the squad to another state championship.
“My goal for the squad this season is [to] win State for the second year in a row! It is definitely achievable if we all work our hardest,” said Bay.
Venker participates in Saxon Cheer, and has been doing so during freshman, sophomore, and senior year. She hopes to be a clear and effective communicator.
“I believe a good cheer captain leads by example, helps out teammates in an effective and kind manner,” said Venker.
Usacheer.org, explains “team captains play a vital role in creating and upholding team culture,”
The captains emphasized effective communication and creating a positive environment for the squad to facilitate their roles as cheerleaders. Bay emphasized the importance of captains supporting other cheerleaders, noting Ortiz’s proficiency at staying present and supporting the squad.
“Erika especially excels at this, and she is my inspiration to be excited and cheer on our cheerleaders,” Bay said.
Taylor has participated in South’s cheer program for four years and was first named a captain in sophomore year. After Taylor’s junior year, when South elected to name only seniors as captains, South appoints her as one of the captains her senior year.
“I was absolutely ecstatic to be told I was going to be a captain for cheer this year. It was something I had been working towards for a long time, and I got to do it next to some of my best friends, serving an amazing team,” Taylor said.
Competition Season
Cheerleading.com explains cheer competition season has three phases. The first is the preseason, which includes tryouts and summer training. The second is the sideline season, running from August to November. This includes cheering on athletic events like basketball and football games. Finally, there is competition season, typically running from December to February, which includes officially sanctioned OSAA events, including State Championship titles.
This year, Bay, Harder, Munguia Ortiz, Taylor and Venker will lead the Saxons as South Salem cheerleading sets out to compete for Game Day and Traditional State Championships Feb. 13 and Feb. 14.
