Miramar’s Jones, W. Broward’s Culbertson, Dillard’s Merrell are Broward Cheerleading Coaches of Year 

For the first time in five years, three Broward schools won state titles in the same season.

As a result, all three of their coaches — Miramar’s Tanya Jones, Dillard’s Ernest Merrell and West Broward’s Danielle Culbertson — are the Miami Herald’s Co-Cheerleading Coaches of the Year for Broward County.

Miramar won its first-ever state cheerleading title by taking first place in the Class 2A small non-tumbling division. The Patriots became the ninth team from Broward County to win a state cheerleading title.

West Broward, the only team in the county to win a state title last year, has now won six state cheerleading titles in school history and has finished either first or second each of the past six seasons. The Bobcats have won state titles overall in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022. They were also state runner-up in 2010, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

West Broward competed in the Class 2A medium non-tumbling division the past two seasons.

Dillard this season won its fourth state champion and first since 2018. All of the Panthers’ state titles — the others were in 2015 and 2017 — came in the Class 2A large non-tumbling division.

This year marked just the third time since the FHSAA began sanctioning competitive cheerleading in 2008 that at least three Broward County schools won state titles in the same year.

The last time was 2018, when Dillard (2A large non-tumbling), Coral Glades (2A extra-large non-tumbling) and Coral Springs Charter (1A small non-tumbling) all won in their respective divisions. The county also had four state-title winners in 2017: Dillard (2A large non-tumbling), Coral Glades (2A extra-large non-tumbling), Coral Springs Charter (1A small non-tumbling) and Stranahan (1A large non-tumbling).