Miami Metal survives Houston test, remains undefeated in Match 3 thriller.

📣 UPDATE: After reviewing game footage, the Pro Cheer League found a missed call in ‘Bullseye’ that affects the standings. Miami Metal’s lead over Dallas Drive has been reduced from 6 points to 3 points. More information here.

The Pro Cheer League delivered its most competitive match yet Friday night inside the Toyota Center, and for the first time all season, Miami Metal had to fight for it.

After three quarters of razor-thin margins, Miami secured a hard-earned victory over Dallas Drive to remain undefeated in the Founding Season.

Houston proved something Indianapolis and Atlanta did not:

Miami Metal can be tested.

Inside the Toyota Center on February 27 — with the Pro Cheer League positioned alongside NCA All-Star Nationals — the founding season’s third stop delivered the tightest margin of the year.

For the first time all season, Miami was forced into the losers bracket.

For the first time, they had to close under pressure.

They did.

Miami Metal secured their third consecutive win and another $15,000 prize check, maintaining their hold atop the league standings — but not without adversity.

Written By Chelsie Hollencamp — documenting the Pro Cheer League’s inaugural season. Image via Varsity.

THE CURRENT STANDINGS

1. Miami Metal: 40 points
2. Dallas Drive: 34 points
3. Golden State Grit: 23 points
4. Atlanta Air: 23 points

See the League Table here.

QUARTER 1: CREATIVE ROUTINES

Dallas Drive delivered their most complete routine of the season, earning the opening four points and briefly shifting the match narrative.

Massive tumbling from Kobe Williams, clean coed transitions, and confident pacing gave Dallas early control.

For the first time in the founding season, Miami did not anchor the opening quarter.

Quarter 1 Scores:

• Drive: 4 points
• Metal: 3 points
• Grit: 2 points
• Air: 1 point

QUARTER 2: BATTLE GAMES

Coed Big Trick once again became Miami’s territory.

Hailey D’Lynn Smith and Josh Hill — arriving in Houston just hours before competition — delivered a composed, high-difficulty sequence that the broadcast described as “elite-level execution from one of the most decorated partnerships in cheer.”

Hangtime remained razor close, with inches separating teams. Visual improvements from Indianapolis were evident across all four rosters.

The margin tightened.

Quarter 2 Scores:

• Metal: 4 points
• Drive: 3 points
• Grit: 2 points
• Air: 1 point

QUARTER 3: BATTLE GAMES

This was the turning point.

All-Girl Endurance sent shockwaves through the standings.

Golden State Grit’s Kenzie “Squirrel” Carrothers posted 46 tick tocks in 45 seconds, establishing a new league benchmark and sending Miami Metal to the losers bracket for the first time this season.

Miami answered with 36 — strong by any measure, but not enough.

But Grit wasn’t the only team pushing the ceiling.

In their seed game, Atlanta Air came out aggressively, immediately attacking the newly set record pace. For a moment, it looked as though they might approach the 46 mark themselves before a technical misstep disrupted their rhythm. The intent was clear: Atlanta wasn’t playing for placement — they were playing for history.

Houston officially had parity.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Air surged in Coed Endurance as Jonathan Taylor and Autumn Schless posted 48 popovers, keeping the cumulative race within reach.

Quarter 3 Scores:

• Grit: 4 points
• Air: 3 points
• Metal: 2 points
• Drive: 1 point

QUARTER 4: BATTLE GAMES

Championship composure defined the final quarter.

Bullseye delivered one of the tightest elimination margins of the season. Inches separated landings as scores stacked up round by round, underscoring how little separation exists between first and second in this league. 

Ultimately, this is the moment that Dallas lost the match as Miami eliminated Dallas in the losers’ bracket before edging them 25–24 in Bullseye, where Houston native Kory Little delivered a critical 9-point pass.

📣 UPDATE: After reviewing game footage, the Pro Cheer League found a missed call in ‘Bullseye’ that affects the standings. Miami Metal’s lead over Dallas Drive has been reduced from 6 points to 3 points. More information here.

“I’m doing it for my family,” Little said post-match. “Some of them never got to see me perform before.”

Bullseye once again proved unforgiving in the fourth quarter, this time for Atlanta Air and Golden State Grit. With cumulative standings tightening, neither team could afford a miss. Landings were separated by inches, and difficulty choices became calculated risks rather than crowd-pleasers.

Atlanta struck first with controlled precision, but Golden State answered with composure. Kenzie “Squirrel” Carrothers anchored the round with a high-difficulty pass that forced Atlanta to match execution rather than exceed it. The margin never stretched beyond a single skill’s value — a reminder that in this format, one step outside the target can shift the entire bracket.

Ultimately, the round tilted in Grit’s favor, reinforcing how razor-thin the separation remains between third and fourth — and how critical every landing becomes when placement points are at stake.

In the losers bracket, Dallas edged out Air as Madison Hayes continued to be the poster child of technique within Hangtime. 

But the real story of the night comes in the final game, Flash Pyramid — the league’s fastest, and most controversial game. For the first time, a Golden State win would mean a three way tie for first across the match (Grit, Metal, Drive). This would then default to a Dallas Drive victory, as the official rules state that a final tie will be broken by the Q1 scores. Since Dallas was the overall winner in the routine section – a win from Grit on the mat in Q4 meant a Match Trophy for Drive in their Home State.

Miami took the first round quickly. Round two uncovered another official rule semantic, as Lark Wood noted that Miami may have been “on the line” resulting in a disqualification from the round. If that is the case, the point would go to Grit. After review, it was determined that Metal built the pyramid past the line and while adjusting stepped back on the line, which is legal. Making the score 2-0.

Round three also had to go to instant replay, and was awarded to Golden State. Round four came through with a Swedish pyramid, something Miami Metal has mastered, and they quickly built to secure the win.

In the final showdown against Golden State, Miami closed Flash Pyramid 3–1 to secure the match. 

Quarter 4 Scores:

• Metal: 4 points
• Drive: 3 points
• Grit: 2 points
• Air: 1 point

STANDOUT MOMENTS

• Dallas Drive’s Quarter 1 Statement – Houston belonged to Drive early. Their Creative Routine was their most complete performance of the season — clean stunt sequences, controlled pacing, and explosive tumbling from Kobe Williams that set the tone. For the first time all year, Miami was chasing. That opening four-point swing proved Dallas is not just within striking distance — they can dictate tempo.

• Golden State’s Endurance Ceiling – The team behind All Girl Endurance showed up with an impressive 46 tick tocks – reshaping the scouting report across the league and forcing Miami into unfamiliar territory.

• Atlanta’s Depth – Jonathan Taylor and Autumn Schless continue to prove Atlanta can surge when execution matches difficulty.

• Miami’s Composure – Three matches in, Miami has yet to lose a match — but Houston showed they are not untouchable.

WHY THIS MATCH MATTERED

If Indianapolis was proof of concept and Atlanta was refinement, Houston was resistance.

For the first time, Miami had to respond to being behind.

For the first time, the league saw the bracket compress.

With double points looming in the final regular-season match, Dallas remains within striking distance. Golden State has proven they can set records. Atlanta continues to narrow margins.

The founding season is no longer a coronation.

It is a race.

WHAT’S NEXT

Match 4 heads to Anaheim on March 13, followed by the Championship in Nashville on March 27. Learn how to watch the matches (from anywhere) here.

Houston proved something important: this league has depth. But until someone knocks them off, Miami Metal remains the standard.

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Chelsie Hollencamp is documenting the Pro Cheer League’s inaugural season with embedded athlete access and two decades of competitive cheerleading expertise. Follow Founding Season’s coverage of professional cheerleading’s first year at foundingseasonpcl.substack.com for in-depth athlete profiles, technical analysis, and honest reporting on what it means to be a founding professional cheerleader.

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