FORSYTH, Ga. — The Mary Persons Bulldogs are hosting one of their big rivals Friday night, the Peach County Bulldogs.
What makes this Mary Persons program so great is the success across the board in athletics, and that includes the Bulldogs' competitive cheer program.
"We don't like not being good. You know, being good feels good. Hard work don't feel good always, but the result of the hard work feels good, says Mary Persons head coach Kyle Ward.
Nobody knows that better than the Bulldogs, fresh off their first state title one year ago.
"You beat all the odds and everything. I don't know, it just happened. I was just like, 'OK, so we're really up there. All our hard work has turned into something great," says senior Campbell Brown.
It's a new year, and pressure is a privilege.
"When you win, there's a whole lot more pressure. We're not any further behind, but when you're state champions, there's a different look at you, people look at you and say, 'Oh, wow, they're not as good as last year,' which is not the case -- it's just super-early and they expect you to look the same at the beginning as you do at the end," Ward said.
How do you get there again? Easy -- treat every weekend like the Super Bowl or the Georgia State Championship.
"What we do as coaches is we try to make every week or every competition important, because if you can use that as a growing experience and make it important, it'll help you grow and grow and grow," said Ward.
As this season begins on Saturday, the Bulldogs like their chances, even without their seniors from last year.
"It's been a little bit challenging, but people from last year and people have also done cheer previously like in middle school, so we all have an idea of what this team needs to look like," Brown said.
Sure, Mary Persons wants to put another trophy in the window, but just as important is putting cheerleading back on the map in Central Georgia for the first time in almost a decade.
Brown says, "A sport is just about having fun and not worrying about a state title -- you know, just going out there and representing for your county."
The Bulldogs are ready to roll with the 2021 season. They get it all going Saturday at their first meet of the year at Northside High School in Warner Robins.