Dallas Drive Leaps to Their First Win of the 2026 Pro Cheer League Season

For the first time, all four teams earned a quarter win, highlighting their growing depth and talent

ANAHEIM, Calif., March 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pro Cheer League's final regular season match at the Anaheim Convention Center delivered a close competition that tightened the standings and set the stage for an exciting league championship. Despite Miami Metal's dominance through the first three matches, a judging review after the last match adjusted the standings and gave Dallas Drive the chance to close the gap with their first official win. Golden State Grit and Atlanta Air remain locked in a tight race for third place as each team made strategic adjustments heading into the final matches.

Ultimately, the Dallas Drive broke through thanks to a first-quarter routine that impressed the judges with a steady stream of advanced skills and a dramatic fourth-quarter seeding game against Miami featuring a bar-clearing 7'9" highest tumbler pass that ultimately clinched the match win. The win secured another $15,000 team prize and left Dallas just two points out of first place heading into the league championship.

"Hats off to the Dallas Drive for rising to the moment and keeping their title hopes alive," said John Newby, Commissioner of the Pro Cheer League. "But the biggest takeaway tonight was the level of competition. There were no easy wins and each team put in the hard work and showed the preparation and commitment this sport demands. I'm so incredibly proud of these athletes and cannot wait to see an incredible finish in Nashville."

First Quarter

• After opening Houston with a show-stopping routine, Dallas picked up where they left off, impressing the judges with a routine Judge Denise Dicharry called "a comprehensive performance with non-stop dynamics from the front of the mat to the back."
• All four teams delivered strong performances in the most competitive opening quarter of the season, with Dallas narrowly taking the win. Miami Metal finished second, followed by Golden State Grit in third and Atlanta Air in fourth.
• After the prepared opening routines, the remaining quarters featured specialized head-to-head events that determine seeding and points available in each round. Teams are assigned a quick competition, with the winning teams advancing to select a new game to determine the overall winner of the round. The losing teams compete in a second event to determine third and fourth place.

Second Quarter

• The second quarter opened with Hangtime, where both teams had one back tuck toss to see who could send their flyer highest into the air, as the seeding game. Dallas Drive Team Captain Maddie Hayes continued to own the arena rafters, easily winning her match up with Golden State to remain unbeaten in it for the season. Miami Metal's Hailey D'Lynn then soared to a replay decision over the Atlanta Air, ensuring a first matchup with Dallas to decide who won the second quarter.  
• Dallas and Miami then faced off in All Girl Endurance, where four female athletes from each team compete to see who can complete the most tick tocks in 45 seconds.
• Miami's Julia Romero matched the league record of 46, setting the tone early and putting pressure on Dallas before an early fall in their half of the round secured four points for the Metal.
• The Atlanta Air and Golden State Grit faced off in All Girl Big Trick, demonstrating their best all-girl team stunt skills for the judges. In a nearly split decision, Atlanta was awarded the win for adding a difficult extra skill, drawing a strong reaction from the pro-Golden State hometown crowd.

Third Quarter

• The quarter opened with Bullseye, a fan favorite where three athletes from each team complete a tumbling pass before attempting to land on a floor target. Points are awarded based on how close they land to the center, with the top three scores determining the winner.
• Miami first faced off against Golden State, and Kory Little landed the first perfect bullseye in league history, hitting the center target and bringing the crowd to its feet.
• "That was probably luck," Little joked in a mid-quarter interview. "But I came here both to show out for my Stumble family watching and to makes sure everyone knows we're hungry for the title."  Little, who appeared in the first season of the NBC show, celebrated the moment with castmates in attendance.
• On the other side of the bracket, Dallas and Atlanta squared off in Bullseye. The Air hit two near-perfect 9-point targets, narrowly outscoring Dallas 26–24 to advance.
• Miami and Atlanta faced off in the winners' bracket in Coed Big Trick. Miami's Hailey D'Lynn Smith and Josh Hill had set the standard for the event all season, Atlanta introduced new athletes to their roster that dominated in this game., Newcomers Sam Ditta, the new youngest member of the 18+ league, and Tyson Carter brought their skilled stunting experience to the mat and pulled off a major upset
• "The team made it really easy to walk into practice and start preparing," said Ditta. "Coed Big Trick felt like stunting with Tyson back home, so I was excited and felt like we had nothing to lose going against Hailey and Josh. It all happened fast, but we had spent a lot of time preparing, so we had fun and made sure we left it all out there."
• In the loser's bracket matchup, Dallas and Golden State competed in Last Pass, where four athletes from each team showcase their tumbling skills. Three of the tumblers perform a synchronized pass across the mat before a solo pass from a fourth athlete. Dallas earned a narrow win, highlighted by a standout pass from Kobe Williams, keeping the standings tight heading into the final quarter.
• Before the next quarter, Miami won the fan favorite vote to keep the title belt in their possession for third time in a row.

Fourth Quarter

• For the first time since the season opener, the Highest Tumbler event returned to determine seeding and potential point totals for the entire match as Dallas and Miami were on the same side of the bracket. A Dallas win would guarantee the Drive a first-place finish based on the final tiebreaker rule.
• Despite never clearing the height before the match, Dallas's Asa Ware cleared the 7'9' bar, setting off a wild celebration as the Drive won the event and secured their first win of the season.
• "We've been so close time after time, so it feels rewarding to finally celebrate a win," said Dallas Drive Coach Tucker Hunter. "There were a lot of moments in this match with upsets and crazy wins, including highest tumbler. We hadn't dedicated a ton of time training that game, so we told them not to put too much pressure on themselves, and they delivered such a special moment."
• On the other side of the bracket, Golden State advanced without the same tense lead up as Atlanta struggled and could not clear any of their attempts, allowing the Grit to rest their second athlete with the win secured with Kenzie Carrothers clearing her 6'4" bar.
• While Dallas had clinched the match, they faced Golden State in Coed Endurance, an event where each team's strongest duo completes as many popovers as possible in 45 seconds without a drop, with additional season points on the line.
• Golden State's Oscar Perez and Gillain Rupert showed steady strength with 45 popovers to open the round, putting pressure on Dallas, who ultimately dropped after 8, ending their turn and giving the full four points to the Grit.
• In the other bracket, Atlanta and Miami competed in Flash Pyramid, a best-of-five game where each team quickly competes to see who can first build a pre-determined pyramid. The first team to build three formations wins the matchup.
• Miami had excelled at this game all season, while Atlanta had struggled, but their new additions once again showed this match was different.    
• Sam Ditta again played a key role in the win, taking the top of the pyramid in the fifth and deciding formation as Miami fell, securing third place for quarter four.  

With their first official win secured, Dallas flooded the stage with hugs and shouting of their signature team chants as the event came to a celebratory close.

"We are so used to being the underdogs in any situation," said Dallas Drive Athlete Anuhea Keene. "People think we bring the entertainment and that's it, but the best thing Dallas does is make it work when the lights and music are on. Expect even more in Nashville."

The championship will be at 8 p.m. ET in Nashville on March 27, with each round worth twice as many points as a regular season match. Ticket information and how to watch live on ION can be found at procheerleague.com. Replays of the match will air periodically on ION and are available on demand through Varsity TV.

Video and image assets from the league and each match are available here. Additional items will be added throughout the season.

Media Contact
Brian Bianco, [email protected]

About The Pro Cheer League
The Pro Cheer League presented by Varsity Spirit is the world's first professional cheer league.  Featuring paid elite-level cheer athletes at the top of their sport, the Pro Cheer League takes cheer skills to a professional stage. The season started on January 2026 and features teams in Atlanta, Dallas, Miami and San Diego that will compete in five matches across the country to determine the first-ever Pro Cheer League champion. Updates on team rosters, schedules and other league news can be found at procheerleague.com or by following @procheerleague on Instagram.

SOURCE Varsity Spirit