D1 Preview: Adams' Title Streak Up Against Field of Past Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 3, 2022
Rochester Adams has risen above the rest of Division 1 to win the last two Finals championships, and few would argue with the Highlanders as at least one of the favorites heading into Friday’s season-ending competition.
But the Grand Rapids Delta Plex also will welcome back the two most successful championship winners in Division 1/Class A history, plus four more teams that have finished first or second at this event over the last decade and an eighth team that came in third only two seasons ago.
Division 1 competition begins at 6 p.m. Friday. Tickets cost $10 and may be bought at the Delta Plex, and all four Finals will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and viewable with a subscription. More information, including the spectator seating chart, is posted at MHSAA.com.
Below is a look at all eight finalists:
GRAND BLANC
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League.
Coach: Christina Swansey, 11th season
Championship history: Seeking first top-two Finals finish.
Top score: 790.92.
Team composition: 24 total (six seniors, eight juniors, six sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: The Bobcats finished fourth last season, their fourth straight finish among the top five in Division 1, and they could make another run this weekend at a first top-two finish after coming in third in 2020. They won their District and Regional the last two weeks going over 786 points at both. Seniors Adrianna Fuller and Isabella Haber are returning all-state first teamers, senior Jackie Kloph made the second team last season and junior Nevaeh Keller earned honorable mention.
GRANDVILLE
League finish: Third in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Julie Smith-Boyd, 41st season
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), 10 runner-up finishes.
Top score: 785.6.
Team composition: 25 total (eight seniors, two juniors, 14 sophomores, one freshman).
Outlook: Grandville returned to the Finals after a season away in 2021 and claimed its 16th top-two finish, placing second – its highest since 2016. This season’s team has posted its top two scores over its last two competitions, winning its District and finishing third at its Regional. Senior Elyse Friberg made the all-state first team last season, seniors Cece Duffy, Santana Duffy and Ashley Lam made the second, and senior Alexis Parker and sophomore Lexsee Pawloski earned honorable mentions.
HARTLAND
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association Gold
Coach: Candace Fahr, fifth season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2013.
Top score: 787.16 at Regional
Team composition: 26 total (one senior, nine juniors, 12 sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Hartland missed the Finals last season but is back for the third time in four years – contending this time but also likely building for the next few with large junior and sophomore classes anchoring the roster. The Eagles have scored 782 or higher four of their last five competitions. Junior Lily Pies earned an all-District honorable mention in 2021.
HUDSONVILLE
League finish: Second in O-K Red
Coach: Andrea Crowley, fifth season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2012.
Top score: N/A but did score 783.94 at Regional
Team composition: 29 total (12 seniors, 13 sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Hudsonville is back at the Finals for the first time since 2017, following a sizable senior class after just missing with a fifth-place Regional finish last season. The Eagles finished only 38 hundredths of a point off the lead at their District two weeks ago, also scoring better than 780 points at that meet. Seniors Jadyn Jarosch, Ava Ham and Amanda White all earned all-Regional recognition in 2021.
PLYMOUTH
League finish: Third in KLAA Gold.
Coach: Samantha Koehler, seventh season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2020.
Top score: 787.98 at District.
Team composition: 31 total (11 seniors, eight juniors, eight sophomores, four freshmen)
Outlook: Plymouth has been in the championship mix the last two seasons finishing third last year and second in 2020. The Wildcats won their District two weeks ago by nearly eight points, and their 787.16 at the Regional was their second-highest score this winter. Senior Allison Cassar is a returning two-time all-state first teamer, while Avery Maruszewski and Natalia Muzquiz Inda made the second team in 2021 and senior Hailey Tocco and junior Lexi Macyda earned honorable mentions.
ROCHESTER
League finish: Third in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Susan Wood, 41st season
Championship history: 14 MHSAA titles (most recent 2017), four runner-up finishes.
Top score: 789.9 at District
Team composition: 25 total (nine seniors, nine juniors, four sophomores, three freshmen)
Outlook: The MHSAA record holder for most Finals championships in this sport is back after a 2021 season derailed by COVID-19, and with plenty of power having nearly reached 790 points at both the District and Regional. The Falcons are made up mostly of upperclassmen and do have Finals experience on which to draw, with senior Holly McDonald an all-state second teamer and senior Isabella Olivares earning honorable mention when the team finished fifth in 2020.
ROCHESTER ADAMS
League finish: First in OAA Red.
Coach: Brooke Miller, eighth season
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2021 and 2020, three runner-up finishes.
Top score: 792.16 at District.
Team composition: 25 total (nine seniors, 10 juniors, six sophomores).
Outlook: Adams has moved from a back-to-back runner-up in 2018 and 2019 to a back-to-back champion the last two seasons, clearing the field last winter by nearly eight points. And that said, they have two scores this season higher than their highest heading into Finals weekend a year ago, posting them to win District and Regional titles. Senior Gigi Schultz made the all-state first team last season, while seniors Christina Truszkowski, Sabrina Lee and Destini Dorkins made the second team and junior Emma Maynard earned an honorable mention.
ROCHESTER HILLS STONEY CREEK
League finish: Second in OAA Red.
Coach: Tricia Williams, 19th season
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2019 and 2010.
Top score: 790.30 at District.
Team composition: 21 total (nine seniors, three juniors, eight sophomores, one freshman).
Outlook: Stoney Creek returned to the Finals last season and finished eighth, and its best score this season is nearly two points better than this time a year ago. The Cougars have scored 781 or better at eight competitions and 787 or higher three of their last four. Seniors Ella DeGraw, Rachael Kim and Jenna Lanfear earned all-Regional recognition last season.
PHOTO Rochester Adams competes during Round 2 of last season’s Division 1 Finals at Breslin Center. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Hudson Conquers Championship Climb
March 7, 2020
By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – Coming into this season, Hudson had just one MHSAA Finals championship in competitive cheer – to go with five runner-up finishes.
Those close calls have made the Tigers better, not bitter, especially last year’s razor-thin heartbreaker to perennial powerhouse Pewamo-Westphalia by less than four tenths of a point.
“Honestly, the runner-ups have been motivation to work on all the little things and to push us to where we are today,” said senior Anna Valdez.
Where Hudson is today is atop the Division 4 cheer world, after using a powerhouse second round to take the lead and then holding off a furious charge from P-W on Saturday at the Delta Plex.
Hudson won with 770 points, followed by P-W with 767.80 and Addison at 762.36. Those top three teams separated themselves early on, with Adrian Madison finishing a distant fourth at 751.34.
The Tigers, who had four runner-up finishes before breaking through for a title in 2018, have now won two of the past three years.
It sure didn’t look like it was going to be Hudson’s day early on. The Tigers drew the first slot in Round 1 and came out flat, trailing not only rival P-W, but also Addison (coached by Jessica Sword, daughter of Hudson coach Kelly Bailey), entering Round 2.
“It’s always hard to go first in Round 1,” explained Bailey, who is in her 23rd year as Hudson’s coach. “That’s a tough spot to be in, and we were really nervous today and I’m not sure why.”
Despite the shaky start, the Tigers delivered a virtuoso performance in Round 2, which is judged primarily on precision and synchronization.
Hudson’s Round 2 score of 227.70 was 5.4 points better than the next best score in that round, turned in by Pewamo-Westphalia (222.30).
“We definitely knew we had some wobbles in Round 1 and it wasn’t our best,” said Valdez, one of five seniors on Hudson’s roster. “Round 2 has always been our power round and the round that always gets us ahead by a little bit.”
That dynamite showing turned a half-point deficit into a nearly five-point lead entering the final round.
However, Bailey and her team were not taking anything for granted against a Pewamo-Westphalia team known for dominating Round 3. Exhibit A happened just one year ago, when the Pirates came from behind and edged the Tigers by less than a half-point.
P-W, which has won nine Finals titles and now has 11 runner-up finishes, certainly did its part. The Pirates went fifth out of eight teams and delivered the best Round 3 score in the Division 4 field at 313.0.
Hudson was next up and the pressure was on to avoid a repeat of one year ago. The Tigers delivered a solid, if not spectacular, Round 3 to hold on for the championship.
The win was particularly satisfying for Hudson’s five seniors – Valdez, Lyndsey Tanner, Anna Loar, Savanna Proudfoot and Summer Walker – who will graduate with two championships and two runner-up finishes during their four years of high school.
Bailey, who, in her 23rd year, is one of the deans of the state’s competitive cheer coaches, is also one of the most calm on the coaching podium – leaving all of the clapping and gesturing to her two assistants, Lyndsi Hall and Jacque Marry.
“I want to be calm up there,” explained Bailey, whose team was champion of the Lenawee County Athletic Association and won all but one of its competitions this winter. “I don’t want to confuse them or make them think that I’m upset with something.
“That’s always been my style. I’m still the same – the girls keep getting stronger and more athletic every year, though.”
Munising (742.30) took fifth, ahead of St. Charles, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian and East Jordan.
PHOTOS: (Top) Hudson held on for its second Division 4 championship in three seasons Saturday at the Delta Plex. (Middle) Reigning champion Pewamo-Westphalia ended runner-up, its 20th top-two Finals finish.