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Harlan High School Cheerleaders placed 1st during the in-game competition at the All-A Classic State Tournament Thursday in Richmond.

Harlan’s cheerleading squad has a history of winning several titles in the All-A Classic State Tournament. This year’s squad is continuing the tradition of bringing home the hardware.

Coach Heather Dickenson offered high praise to the team that came out on top of the cheer competitions pyramid. All teams are judged during their first game.

“This has been a challenging year for our girls and to come up here and win the State championship is an unbelievable honor!  We have a big group of seniors who had a goal in mind,” she said. “They have kept our team focused on that goal and this weekend all of our hard work and effort paid off!  I think the thing that makes this team so unique is that they love what they do!  They love to cheer on our school and their friends!  They are right there with them for each basket.  These kids are a family and they celebrate every moment together.  One of my favorite things about last night was when we were taking our team pictures after the game and the boys came upstairs and found us to celebrate with us!  That’s what it’s all about!”

Harlan senior Alisha Prince added, “Winning the All A State Championship is a goal that everyone has. Being able to achieve that goal with the group of girls that I’m with is a dream come true. The pride that I have for this squad is unmeasurable and shows that hard work pays off.”

Senior Hannah Amburgey said, “Winning All “A” State shows off all of the hard work we have put in over the past year. Not being able to compete last year really made a lot of the older cheerleaders hungry and ready to compete. As sophomores, the seniors set a goal to win All “A” State. I am so proud of everyone for being so adaptable in a season where anything can change in any minute. I am just thankful for this opportunity and ready to cheer on our boys again.”

Senior Rachel Amburgey said, “Winning a state championship. It’s a moment most people dream of but not everyone achieves. Our squad winning All “A” state just shows that all the hard work we have all put in is worth it. I’m so proud of this team and their dedication even when things have started to look like we can’t get there. We kept going because that’s what Dragons do, we persevere.

Senior Emma Eversole added,  “All of my hard work for the last 4 years finally paid off last night.   Not competing last year due to covid felt like my dream was being stolen. I’m so thankful that I had a chance to reach the goal I set for myself as a freshman”

Senior Lily Dickenson said, “After getting 3rd place my sophomore year and losing last years tournament to COVID, coming back and achieving the goals we have had set since day one of this season is a feeling like I’ve never felt before. I’m so grateful for my girls and my coach. Not to mention how proud I am of our boys because without them we wouldn’t have even had the chance to get here. I’m just over the moon and so thankful for this experience and excited to get 2022 put on a banner!”