PIEDMONT – Piedmont’s Lauren Pruitt thought her cheering days were over. She had planned on becoming a normal college student majoring in nursing, but that began to change after she recently went for orientation at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville.

“I met this cheerleader. Her name is Katie. I talked to her and she was like ‘Our coach is looking for more girls (to cheer),’” Pruitt said. “When we were at the beach (at Gulf Shores on vacation), I contacted the cheer coach (Jill Lowry) myself, and she got back to me. It just all came together and it just happened. It’s really amazing.”

Pruitt officially signed a scholarship with the Lions on Tuesday morning at the Piedmont High School gymnasium. She is the second Piedmont cheerleader to sign a scholarship this year. Tykiya Mitchell signed to cheer at Jacksonville State back in the spring.

“All my life I’ve cheered, and I’ve always dreamed of cheering in college, but I never thought I’d actually do it. It was just a dream,” Pruitt said. “I’ve really worked my tail off to get here. I’m really excited about it.”

Piedmont cheer coach Anna Chambless said she’s proud to see Pruitt live out her dream.

“She is a cheerleader. It’s who she is,” Chambless said. “She’s just got a good mindset, a good teammate work ethic. For her to go on to the next level and continue doing this, it’s absolutely wonderful for her to have that opportunity. I know she’s excited and her parents are excited. She’s going to do great at Wallace. She’s going to be great for their team.

“It was like God opened every door for her, one right after the other. It’s not normal for a college cheer coach to seek after you and accept video tryouts, but I think the COVID stuff has made that a little more feasible right now. It’s pretty awesome how quickly it all happened. I think He’s showing His goodness on Lauren’s life and watching out for her and her family.”

Pruitt’s signing adds to a growing list of cheerleaders from Piedmont who have recently gone to the next level, something Chambless hopes will continue in the future.

“It’s really good for our entire program to see girls going to the next level,” Chambless said. “Not only are they getting to keep doing something they love, but this is paying for their school. This is paying for their education. It’s providing (Pruitt) the way to do whatever career she wants. This is what’s giving her the chance for it.”

It’s a chance Pruitt hopes to take full advantage.

“I’m just so blessed to receive this opportunity,” she said. “They don’t have a football team, but their competition team is really competitive. Maybe we can win a state championship.”