CARROLLTON – They’re moving on.

The Troup High and LaGrange High cheerleaders both did what they needed to do during the Region 5-AAAA competition on Saturday to advance to the state sectional in Columbus.

To qualify for the state sectional, LaGrange and Troup both needed to finish among the top four in the region meet, and they made that happen.

Troup, which performed first on Saturday, delivered a stellar routine and ended up finishing second to Cedartown.

LaGrange also had a strong performance, and it placed fourth to keep its season alive.

The goal now for LaGrange and Troup will be to make it through the sectional round and reach the state finals on Saturday, which will also be in Columbus.

The eight region champions in Class AAAA earned a bye into the finals, and that will leave 24 other teams fighting for the other eight spots in the finals.

LaGrange and Troup both made it to the state finals a year ago.

LaGrange ended up finishing 11th in Class AAAAA, and Troup was sixth in Class AAAA.

Both teams have had tremendous seasons that have included multiple finishes at or near the top in different competitions.

The state sectional will be held in the Columbus Civic Center, and Troup coach Amelia Key said it’s a larger venue than the cheerleaders are accustomed to, which is an adjustment.

“It sounds different, it looks different, everything’s above you,” Key said. “The only people in your view are the judges. It’s so different for them. Some of them have never been there, much less performed there.”

Each team will deliver one 2 1/2-minute routine on Friday, and the format will be the same for the finals a day later.

OF NOTE: For more on the LaGrange and Troup cheerleading teams, including team photos, see Tuesday’s sports section.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports