The headlines weren’t necessarily the Friday night lights rivalry between the Riverton Silverwolves and the Herriman Mustangs, two high schools that are separated by less than five miles. Nor was it the presentation of the huge American flag and the marching band show before the packed home crowd at Herriman’s homecoming.

It’s a story that was on the sidelines.

On the home side was sophomore Jaymi Bonner waving her pom poms along with other Herriman High cheerleaders as the football team ran onto the field and scored the first points of the game.

On the visitors’ side was Mia Jackman, also a sophomore, who rallied Riverton’s fans by standing on top of a pyramid of her cheerleading team.

While both girls have Down syndrome, a genetic disorder which causes developmental changes, their journey together began when Jaymi was adopted from Russia as a 6-year-old.  

“Their friendship is such a beautiful story,” said their former Mountain Creek Middle teacher Karlee English. “Jaymi’s mom has another daughter with Down syndrome so the girls’ mothers were friends from a Down syndrome community before Jaymi arrived. When Jaymi got here from Russia with her mom, Mia and her mom were at the airport to welcome them with open arms.”

Jaymi’s mom, Jeana, remembered amongst the large crowd, the girls met and immediately “clicked. They've been pretty much best friends since. When they were tiny, none of us could understand what either of them were saying, but they spoke in their own language.”

That bond continued in kindergarten through middle school, mostly being in all the same classes. The past three years, English has taught them their core classes.

“They’ve been almost inseparable since they met,” she said. “Jaymi can be difficult to understand, especially during the COVID mask time, so Mia interpreted what she was saying so we could understand. They're in their own world together. There’s a deep connection. When one gets in trouble, the other one gets in trouble, too. She doesn’t care if she gets in trouble because neither of them wants their friend to be in trouble alone. It really is the cutest thing ever.”

English said while their personalities are different, the girls complement each other.

“Mia is a smart one, she was one of my higher readers. She is funny, a little firecracker. Jaymi is more athletic; she can climb a rope to the top of the gym, and she walked the entire LDS pioneer trek. She’s not afraid of anything she tries,” she said. “Together, they’re just spitfires. I can just see them in the nursing home together when they’re old and gray just causing all sorts of chaos. Don’t get me wrong, they are compliant and very sweet, but together they're very feisty. I miss everything about them, their laughing, their drama. My staff and I were really close with those two and five others who left my classroom, so it’s been really rough.”

Since they were young, the two girls played soccer, danced, cheered and done “everything together,” Holly Jackman said, Mia’s mom.  

During their middle school years, they added band, dance company, yoga, cooking, unified basketball, ceramics and performing in a community special needs theater production of “Frozen.” They also threw out the first pitch of a Bees game together in August 2022.

“They’ve been almost inseparable in all their activities,” English said, noting that while Jaymi served as a middle school studentbody officer, Mia was on Mountain Creek’s PTSA board. “They even have a bound book about their friendship, how they’ve been best buddies.”

Bonner said that her daughter loves performing.

“Jaymi’s done ballet, jazz and hip hop. She started cheer around age 7 and the two girls have been on the same team. They’ve traveled to compete in the special athletes’ division in California and multiple times to Vegas. They’ve cheered at nationals together,” she said.

Mia, too, loves dancing and cheer.

“She loves to be around people. This is her first year at that school. She didn't go to middle school with most of them,” Jackman said about her daughter’s home high school. “Already, she knows quite a few people.”

Mia’s dad, Jared, agrees: “She loves the attention with cheer. She likes having all the friends. She’s very sociable.”

At Riverton, 15-year-old Mia auditioned for the team. She performed cheers in front of the judges. She is one of three students on the cheer squad with special needs.

“She was really excited to do a stunt,” her mother said. “Two other girls put their knees out and she stands on their thighs. She loves performing that.”

While Mia’s participation with the team is “definitely modified as she’s not at the same level of stunts that the other girls are,” according to her dad, she can cheer at whichever games she wants and can travel with the rest of the squad.

“She’s doing it more than her special needs cheer team because they have football games every Friday and they cheer at assemblies. She's even cheered at a volleyball game,” Jackman said.

Similarly, 16-year-old Jaymi tried out for Herriman’s cheer squad. 

“The coach has just been amazing. She approached two girls that had been cheerleaders, but they weren't planning to do it their senior year and asked if they’d be Jaymi’s mentors and come to other games with her. So, they're all cheerleaders, going to the games and traveling, just not competing,” Bonner said.

Like Mia, Jaymi is “drawn to performing and being on the stage. She is a go-getter and loves interacting with the teammates. It’s a great outlet where she’s made new friends and it’s a fun way for her to be included and integrated into the school. Her passion is people, getting to know them and being with them, so this is a perfect fit for her,” her mother said.

Bonner said that she knew high school cheerleading was possible when she took Jaymi, who was a young girl at the time, to Herriman High’s volleyball game and they saw a cheerleader with Down syndrome.

“That opened my eyes. I knew there were opportunities for her and for kids with disabilities, where they could be included. They both compete in unified sports, which is great, because they’re wanting that same community bonding and wanting to be a part of something.  This has been a great experience for her to be able to go out and cheer alongside other cheerleaders for her school,” she said.

Before the game, just three days after seeing each other at a unified soccer tournament, the girls embraced on the sidelines.

“You’d think Jaymi hadn't seen Mia for 10 years,” Bonner said. “Every time Jaymi sees Mia, she'll just scream and run toward her and give her a hug. They did it in middle school and I'm like, ‘School just got out 30 minutes ago, you just saw her.’ They're so close.”

That bond was stretched across the football field.

“She’s my best friend,” Jaymi said on her sideline.

Mia, on the other side, saw Jaymi.

“I love Jaymi a lot. We’re forever friends.” λ