By: Dylan Shields & Nolan Sniffin, Fall '25 Interns

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is set to host the 3^rd Annual Game Day Cheerleading Championships presented by CheerSounds and Rebel Athletic on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy (Section 2). Prior to the 2024 event being hosted in Troy, Binghamton hosted the inaugural state tournament, following two years of the event being held as a NYSPHSAA-sponsored invitational.

This year, the event will take place at the McDonough Athletic Complex on the campus of Hudson Valley for just the second time. The venue won the bid in 2023 due to ample space and modern facilities to accommodate the growing teams and fan bases attending the event.

“The Cheer Committee is excited to see how the second year of a State Competition unfolds,” said Jennifer Simmons, Cheerleading State Coordinator. “Game Day is relatively new in New York State and has grown by leaps and bounds. It offers so much to the teams, schools, and communities. It is a fun event with lots of school pride on display."

Qualifiers from each of the 11 sections can qualify to compete in three classifications (A, B, C) throughout the day. This year’s event totals 29 teams and nearly 400 participating athletes.
This year, due to ties in the section tournament, there will be two additional teams representing both Section I and Section VIII in Class A. The teams advancing out of Section I are The Ursuline School and John Jay East Fishkill, while East Meadow and Oceanside will be the teams competing out of Section VIII.

In 2024, Ward Melville (XI) took home the Class A title while Eastchester (I) and Seaford (VIII) earned the Class B and C titles, respectively. Each team finished with impressive final scores. Ward Melville finished with 90.60. Eastchester finished with 91.10. Seaford finished with 90.10.

Both Ward Melville and Eastchester qualified again and will be seeking their 2^nd straight title this year in Classes A and B. Among the 2024 finalists returning to this year’s event are John Jay East Fishkill (I), Union Endicott (IV), and Putnam Valley (I).

Tickets are $13.60 including all fees and are available for purchase online at https://gofan.co/event/1712005?schoolId=NYSPHSAA

Doors will open at 9:00 AM with Class B and C beginning at 10:00 AM, and Class A kicking off at 12:30 PM. Once the last section performs in Class A, a round for Finals in all three classes will begin at 2:20 PM with an awards ceremony to follow. The entire event will be streamed on the NFHS Network, the official broadcasting partner of NYSPHSAA.
 

Game Day Cheerleading Championships presented by CheerSounds & Rebel Athletic Hudson Valley Community College, Troy Sunday, November 9, 2025
9:00 AM	Doors Open
10:00 AM	Class C & B
12:30 PM	Class A
2:20 PM	Final Round
Awards ceremony to follow Final Round