CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Lovejoy High School cheerleaders can bring it. But cheer captain Cemaya Hardy didn’t realize how far.
“I couldn’t believe it. I got up and tried to hug my friend. She couldn’t believe it either,” Hardy told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen.
A recent event made history: “Ladies and gentlemen, your 2025 Georgia High School Association 5A Game Day State Cheerleading champions — Lovejoy!”
It’s the first state cheerleading title in Clayton County, and school administrators say the first 5A title for an all-African American cheer squad.
Head coach Megan Washington says she couldn’t be prouder.
“It’s an amazing feeling for them. It makes them feel like nothing is out of reach for them,” she said.
It was worthy of a parade. The marching band trooped inside the school, up and down the halls, to the cafeteria for a pep rally.
“It just brings me joy, knowing our school supports us, knowing we did something to make the school proud,” Henderson said.
It’s a moment that’s sure to be remembered.
“You can’t forget it. No way you can. I won’t let us forget it, and I won’t let them forget it,” Hardy said.
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