Just four years ago, Makenzie Woods was a captain of the Montgomery County football cheerleading squad.

Now, she’s back on the squad. This time, she’s coaching it.

Woods is the cheerleading team’s new coach, replacing her sister, Madelyn, who headed the program for three years. She made her coaching debut on Aug. 29, when she and her cheerleaders were at the MCHS football team’s season opener at Hermann.

“I was helping my sister with it last year,” Woods said. “She was like, ‘You know what, it’s time for me to step back. I think I had my time.’ It was a perfect time for me to step in. That’s a little sign there. I was really excited about it.”

Woods said she found out that after a month, coaching a cheerleading team has plenty of duties.

“(When I was in high school) I was used to just showing up, doing what I need to do and leading when I was cheering, but it’s definitely different trying to wrangle all of them, dealing with all of their concerns and their questions, answering all of the parents questions as easily as I can and organizing what needs to be done,” Woods said.

This year’s squad includes senior Emma Stephenson, sophomores Kaylee Dillard, Haley Englemann and Marli Yelton and freshmen Caraline Broz, Paislee Clark, Vivian Hadden and Sarah Kolling. The managers are Gabby Hollers and Kai Kellar.

Stephenson, Dillard and Englemann are the only returning cheerleaders from last year, while Yelton transferred from Wellsville-Middletown.

Stephenson is back for her second season with the squad and takes over captain duties.

“I’m really enjoying it,” the senior said. “This squad is like family to me now. Being the older one and the leader, I feel like the mom of the group.”

Woods said she has been impressed with the work ethic from the freshman cheerleaders. Clark and Kolling were members of the middle school football cheerleading team last year.

“Our freshmen have been showing up and putting in the work,” Woods said. “I’m really proud of how they have been taking constructive criticism and taking instruction and listening to what they need to.”

The cheerleaders did some fundraising at the Old Settlers Picnic in New Florence on Aug. 2. They raised $400 for their work at the dunking booth.

“I’m really proud of our girls,” Woods said. “They really put on their sales voice and tried to lure people in. They had a great time.”

Woods said she has been collaborating with the new middle school cheerleading coach Heaven-Leigh Dempsey – a Florida native who teaches at Montgomery City Elementary – to come up with plans on building the future of the high school cheerleading team.

“She and I are trying to brainstorm and get some new ideas on how we can get that rolling,” Woods said. “They’re a tiny, but mighty squad. They’re doing all of the stunts they can do with four girls. But I think they’re going to show up and put in the work and it’s going to translate over to high school when they come.”

Woods said she is already looking forward to the Wildcats’ home opener on Sept. 12, when they take on North Callaway at Jim Blacklock Field.

“For our first home game, we’re planning on doing a lot more cheer block engagement, a lot more fan engagement, more dances and hopefully more stunts,” Woods said. “But we have to perfect the other stuff first. I think our cheers are looking really good. Hopefully, we can get a little bit louder before our first home game. Other than that, we’re trying to get a little more hype going.”

Woods, a 2022 MCHS graduate, was a member of the football cheerleading team all four years.

When she was a senior, she was selected to share captain duties with then-sophomore Mara Inness.

Woods attended St. Charles Community College before getting a job at the R-II School District. She now works as a secretary/lunch clerk at the middle school and spends her afternoons at the high school.

Stephenson, who joined the team last year, said she’s already enjoying her new coach.

“I love her,” Stephenson said. “She’s the sweetest. She’s strict when she needs to be, but she’s always there when we need her.”