By Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com


The Brighton High School Cheerleading team captured the KLAA Conference championship over the weekend, besting 11 other squads while amassing 788.38 points, easily outdistancing Canton, their closest challenger.

The team is coached by Christina Wilson, who is also a 6th-grade teacher at Maltby Intermediate School. Earlier in the season, Brighton won the KLAA West Division title and this past weekend it was for the overall conference championship. The last time Brighton won a KLAA championship was in 2017. Canton finished runner-up with 750.80 points, while Livonia Churchill had 713.06 points for third place.

In the conference meet this past weekend, Brighton trailed Plymouth in the early going but gained the lead after the first round and never looked back. The Bulldog squad was led by its five seniors, who were honored for their efforts after the meet. The seniors include Riley Harvill, Gabby Ditto, Sage Spangler, Audrey Meyer, and Elena Davis.

The next competition for the Bulldog Cheer Team is the district tournament to be held on March 20th in Howell. A total of 13 teams will be competing in two sessions: one of seven teams and the other of six. The top four squads from the sessions will advance to the regionals, also to be held at Howell High School, on March 23rd. The top four teams out of the regionals will advance to the state finals, for which a date and location have not yet been determined.

Brighton finished state runner-up in a cheerleading competition in 1999 and placed fourth in 2019.