D1 Preview: Opportunities Abound
March 1, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A year ago, Sterling Heights Stevenson won its first MHSAA Finals in competitive cheer. Five more Division 1 teams will look to do the same at Friday’s Division 1 championship meet at the Grand Rapids Delta Plex.
But the past champs will provide plenty of competition. Stevenson is back, Grandville has won six times and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek appears primed to win for the first time since 2010.
Below are glances at all eight teams competing Friday. Round 1 begins at 6 p.m. and the event in its entirety will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and viewable on a subscription basis. Click here for the Finals draws and other important information.
BRIGHTON
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West and overall
Coach: Christina Wilson, seventh season
Championship history: Class A runner-up 1999.
Top score: 787.48 at the Regional.
Team composition: 22 total (nine seniors, six juniors, three sophomores, four freshmen)
Outlook: After missing the Finals last season by half a point, Brighton is back with a runner-up finish at its Regional and fourth straight District championship. The Bulldogs’ average total score of 779.7 ranks fourth in Division 1, and Brighton won eight of 10 events it cheered at this winter. Senior Kylie Neal made the all-District first team last season.
GRAND BLANC
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League
Coach: Christina Swansey, eighth season
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 788.56 at Regional.
Team composition: 25 total (four seniors, 11 juniors, seven sophomores, three freshmen)
Outlook: Grand Blanc finished fourth at last season’s Finals and has surged into this weekend with league, District and Regional championships. Its average total score of 779.8 ranks third in Division 1, and its best Round 3 score of 320.7 ranks fourth. Most of last year’s standouts are leading the way again: senior Alyssa Sornson made the all-state first team last season, while senior Rachel Zelley and junior Lanya Bates made the second and junior Jacquelyn Engel and sophomore Mackenzie Hummel earned honorable mentions.
GRANDVILLE
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Julie Smith-Boyd, 38th season
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), nine runner-up finishes.
Top score: 789.02 at the District.
Team composition: 29 total (10 seniors, seven juniors, six sophomores, six freshmen)
Outlook: Last season’s sixth-place finisher has won two of its championships this decade and could contend for another this weekend riding six straight scores above 780. Its Round 3 is especially strong, with its best score ranking fifth in Division 1 at 320.6. Senior Hailey Brower made the all-state second team last season, and senior Mackenzie Corey earned honorable mention.
HARTLAND
League finish: Second in KLAA West
Coach: Candace Fahr, second season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2013.
Top score: 783.96 at the Regional.
Team composition: 20 total (seven seniors, eight juniors, two sophomores, three freshmen)
Outlook: Hartland is returning to the Finals for the first time since 2015 after finishing third or better in nine of 11 events this winter. Round 3 also is the Eagles’ strength, as its best score of 319.8 ranks ninth in Division 1. Seniors Moriah Sweet and Macy Bonar both earned all-Region recognition last season.
ROCHESTER HILLS STONEY CREEK
League finish: Second in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Tricia Williams, 17th season
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2010.
Top score: 793.78 at the District.
Team composition: 26 total (seven seniors, seven juniors, 10 sophomores, two freshmen)
Outlook: After finishing fourth last season, Stoney Creek has blasted into this weekend as the possible favorite coming off Regional and District wins. The District score shown above is the highest in Division 1 this season, and Stoney Creek also has posted the top Round 1 (239.4), Round 2 (232.6), Round 3 (322) and average total scores (782) this winter. Seniors Renee Kehren and Mandy Lilla earned all-state honorable mentions last season.
ROCHESTER ADAMS
League finish: First in OAA Red
Coach: Brooke Miller, fifth season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2018, Class A runner-up 1996.
Top score: 792.32 at the District.
Team composition: 23 total (seven seniors, six juniors, six sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Adams has finished first or second in every event this season, including ahead of Stoney Creek at the league final. The Highlanders rank just behind Stoney Creek with the second-highest Round 2 (tied – 232.3) and Round 3 (321.2) scores in Division 1 this season, and also with the second highest total score. Seniors Amanda Lee and Taylor Mickens and junior Katie Crowe made the all-state second team last season, and junior Lyndi Harmon earned honorable mention.
STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON
League finish: Second in Macomb Area Conference Red
Coach: Brianna Verdoodt, 14th season
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2018, two runner-up finishes.
Top score: 786.84.
Team composition: 26 total (14 juniors, eight sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: A team that graduated 10 seniors and had no juniors when it won the title a year ago is now led by a large group of juniors. Stevenson has scored 780 or higher six times this season including to win its District, and its top Round 1 score (238.8) ranks second in Division 1 while its best Round 3 (321.2) ranks third. Juniors Sophia Costa, Ava Baich and Alexis Juncaj all earned all-state honorable mentions last season.
UTICA EISENHOWER
League finish: First in MAC Red
Coach: Kristy Potance, first season
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 790.76 at the District.
Team composition: 23 total (10 seniors, five juniors, eight sophomores)
Outlook: Eisenhower will compete at the Finals for the first time, led by first-year coach Potance – who brought to the program her two decades of success including at the California high school level. The Eagles have scored at least 790 twice, with their high score ranking third this season in Division 1, and their best Round 1 (238.4), Round 2 (232.1) and Round 3 (320.4) scores all among the top six. Senior Amanda Beger earned all-District honorable mention last season.
PHOTO: Rochester Hills Stoney Creek competes at its Regional last weekend; the Cougars won the meet. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)
Record-Setting Forest Hills Northern Focused Next on Finals Return
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
February 21, 2023
GRAND RAPIDS – The Forest Hills Northern competitive cheer team doesn’t want to be labeled as a one-year wonder.
The Huskies qualified for the Division 2 Final a year ago for the first time since 1998, and are currently in pursuit of another trip.
“We had a breakthrough year last year.” FHN competitive cheer coach Carly Sienkiewicz said. “It was a great year, and I think a lot of our returners were excited to try to top it if we can and live up to that expectation.
“We wanted to prove that it wasn't just a fluke year, it wasn’t just a one-time thing. It's been driven by the girls to prove that we’re here to stay.”
Last season was definitely memorable for the Huskies.
In addition to a Finals appearance, where they finished sixth, they also won their first District championship.
“It was the coolest thing ever,” FHN senior Julie Fiser said. “To make it to state always seemed like such a big goal, and then to make it there last year was unforgettable. We were all so excited and so proud, and we’ve all been fighting for the same feeling this year.
“It has been a theme for us this season. We really want to repeat it and grow as a program and sport.”
The Huskies have put themselves in position to vie for another Finals berth with another outstanding season, led by the return of seven seniors.
FHN won the Ottawa-Kent Conference White championship for the third-straight year a few weeks ago and set several school records in the process.
At the final conference meet, the Huskies established program-high marks in each round (Round 1: 230.6, Round 2: 224.2, Round 3: 318) and overall team score with a 771.5.
“They’ve been doing great,” Sienkiewicz said. “We started off the year pretty slow and we had a lot of people come in and look at our rounds and help us as much as they could with technique stuff.
“I do that every year, but this year’s team just ran with it and was really diligent about applying it and fixing little details. That has been a big help in our rounds.”
Senior Alexis Linder said the last four years have been a culmination of improving and building toward acquiring high scores.
“We’ve broken records throughout my four years, but this was exciting, especially coming against our rivals,” she said. “We pushed through some adversity.”
The senior core has led the charge in helping the Huskies make a name for themselves within the landscape of the top teams in the state.
“It's a talented group, and a group that has been with our program for a long time, most of them since freshman year,” Sienkiewicz said. “So just a lot of returners with experience who can lead the new ones along.”
FHN competed Saturday in a Division 2 District and finished third behind Cedar Springs and champion Muskegon Reeths-Puffer.
The Huskies dealt with a few setbacks earlier in the week, including an injury, but did enough to move on and place among the four qualifying teams.
“It was a little bittersweet,” Sienkiewicz said. “Obviously we’re excited to move on and have an additional week together, but I think the team had higher expectations.
“We came off a strong three-week run and the conference championship, and then things happened that hurt some of our rounds, especially Round 2. We talked about how we had to regroup and decide that we are still in this to fight. I think we are going to be stronger going into next weekend.”
Another top-four finish at Regionals would put them back into the Finals.
“It’s sad that we didn’t get as high as we wanted (at the District), but we will take it and hopefully fight for another week,” Fiser said. “We will use that lower place as motivation and beat some of those teams that we’ve gone up against. We will use that as fire.”
The Huskies will attempt to overcome the hurdles that plagued them.
“The big thing is we have to execute where we can,” Sienkiewicz said. “Since we had to take our tucks out of Round 2, if we can execute on other higher-difficulty skills then that will help optimize our score. I think we will still be in the fight.”
Added Linder: “It will be hard, but we have to stay consistent with what we’ve been doing and improve the little things. We’ve had some setbacks, but we’ve been able to come back from those and we’ll just keep fighting.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS Forest Hills Northern competes during Saturday's District on its home mat. (Photos by Jamie McNinch Photography.)