City High’s cheer coach, Kate Degner, has left her position after two years of coaching the team. Athletic director, Phil Lala, is working to fill the position quickly in order to keep the team on track for the 2026-2027 season.
“I think the challenging part is always just finding great candidates for the position, and it’s not just unique to cheer; it’s for any position that we have. We just want to find somebody who’s going to be a great coach, relate to our kids, hold them accountable, and build a great program,” Lala said.
Given that the coaching position is new, Mr. Lala and the hiring team are following the standard process for a new role.
“Usually, we have a job posting for somewhere between one and two weeks, and then, depending on the applicants we get, we will set up interviews right after that, so it really depends on what the applicant pool looks like,” Lala said.
Coach Degner has led the cheerleading team to the state competition after working with them for two seasons. City High placed 5th in the state under her guidance, and was hoping to improve in the next competition season. However, finding a coach who is willing to send a team to compete in their first season together is often difficult.
“This year we got 5th at state, and I think our competition program might be eliminated for the next year, maybe for the next two years, depending on our coach’s skill level,” Avery O’Brien ’28 said.
The team will experience many more changes with a new coach than meets the eye. The environment and interactions, both inside and outside of practice or games, will also be altered. Having a tight-knit group of Little Hawks is what makes the team successful, partly due to Coach Degner’s dedication to socialization.
“She had a lot of really great advice. She advocated so much for our team dinners, and I feel like that really brought us closer with the football team,” Bella Ragona ’28 said.
While the team has many unanswered questions about who the next coach will be, they’re hopeful the hiring team will select someone knowledgeable and successful to lead them for many years to come.
“It’s always up in the air. We have no clue who’s going to be hired next, but whoever it is, if they are just as dedicated as Ms. Degner was, then I have no doubts that it’ll be a great season,” O’Brien said.
