HUDSON, Fla. — At Hudson High School, they say it loud. They say it proud. Actually, because they’ve got so much spirit, they make their school proud.

“It is crazy that we’ve definitely put the school on the map and definitely given something for Hudson to proud of here,” Cheer Head Coach Chelsea Hatcher said.

What You Need To Know

  • Hudson High recently won it's fifth state championship

  • The Cobras won their first title in 2018

  • Many of the student-athletes earn college scholarships and get a chance to cheer at the next level

Hatcher is a proud alum. That pride has grown with each state championship her program has won. The Cobras recently won their fifth co-ed cheerleading title.

“When I took over the program, I remember looking at some of these huge programs at states and nationals and being like, wow, I wonder if we’ll ever keep up with them,” she said. “And now we are one of those teams.”

It started in 2018 with the Cobras’ first state title. But making history wasn’t the goal - building a powerhouse program that the school would be known for was.

“It’s like the underdog mentality here,” Hatcher said. “Even when we’re at the top of our game, our kids work so hard. Our kids are working like underdogs the whole season, no matter how high up our skill level is or anything else. And I think that’s what really sets us apart.”

They have two and a half minutes to wow the judges. Their routine is jam-packed with tough skills and stunts. And of course, the cheer. 

One of the smallest schools in Pasco County has made it routine of doing more with less. It’s that mentality that allows the Cobras to take down programs twice their size with more money. Cheerleading is their ticket out. It provides a path for a better future.

“We’ve had kids in our program who are homeless that are now on college scholarships,” Hatcher said. “We have kids in our program who don’t necessarily have much, but this will get them where they need to go.”

When they’re on the cheer mat, nothing else matters. What matters is winning. And Hudson has mastered that. They’ve graduated from being one of the up and coming bright spots in the cheer community to the D word - dynasty.

“When we go to states, when we go to nationals, we’re just us and we’re Hudson and we represent ourselves,” Hatcher said. “It’s a huge thing for our community that this is something that we can brag on.”