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.)
Richmond Reigns Again as Paw Paw Offers Another Titanic Challenge
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 5, 2022
GRAND RAPIDS – Richmond was backed into a corner Saturday afternoon – but like a true champion, dug deep and fought its way out to continue its reign.
The Blue Devils needed a near-perfect final round to barely hold off a gutsy and impressive performance by Paw Paw at the Division 3 Final at the Delta Plex.
“We left our hearts out there on the mat in that final round,” said Richmond senior Sarah Mikolasik. “It’s bittersweet because it’s over, but it’s unreal what we did.”
Unreal is the perfect term to describe the high school cheer career for Mikolasik and the other seven seniors, who were a perfect 4-for-4 with Division 3 championships all four years.
However, for a period of time Saturday, it looked like the fourth title might slip away.
Richmond and Paw Paw entered the third and final round in a virtual tie, with the Blue Devils holding less than a 1-point lead (463.60 to 462.80).
Paw Paw was first to go out of the eight-school field in the final round, and to say the Red Wolves delivered would be the understatement of the day.
The Red Wolves, led by the senior duo of Paige Miller and Lexi Sunlin, absolutely nailed their final routine – much to the delight of the spectators who made the trip up from Southwest Michigan – putting them in position to win their first-ever cheer Finals title and bringing tears to the eyes of their veteran coach.
“I have never cried when one of my teams came off the mat – until today,” said 13th-year Paw Paw coach Stefanie Miller, who is also Paige’s mother. “Throughout that Round 3, the tears just welled up in my eyes. They went for it. I knew they won it.”
But Richmond had its chance.
At that point, all of the pressure in the world was on the three-time reigning champion to perform a very difficult routine, all while knowing that the slightest bobble or lean on a stunt would likely mean the end of that streak.
It was against that backdrop that Richmond, representing a small town just north of Detroit, showed why it has emerged as one of the best competitive cheer programs in the state.
Even though they weren’t on the mat at the same time, the Blue Devils matched every skill and stunt of the Red Wolves, finishing with a third-round score of 317.40, slightly better than Paw Paw’s final round of 317.20.
Richmond ended up winning with a total of 781, while Paw Paw was second at 780 – nearly the same margin of victory as one year ago.
While the margin was the same, both teams improved their total score by almost 10 points, with Richmond winning 771.62-770.72 in 2021.
“I was speechless when they came off that mat for the last time, because I knew they had done everything that they possibly could,” said Richmond coach Kelli Matthes, who has won six titles to go with five runner-up finishes during her 14 years as the team’s coach.
“They are not supposed to be perfect; they are human. But they fight tooth-and-nail every day to get there.”
Matthes is assisted by Melana Szczesniak, Lauren Riggs and Jessica Hatcher.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep placed third at 776.62, followed by Croswell-Lexington and Monroe Jefferson.
The title for Richmond means that all four team champions from 2021 repeated this year – Rochester Adams in D1, Allen Park in D2, Richmond in D3 and Hudson in D4.
Gracie Ellis, one of five returning senior all-staters for Richmond, said the abilities to be coachable and always striving to get better is the reason her school has won four championships in a row.
“Never when we correct people does anybody complain,” said Ellis, who was joined as a senior returning first-team all-stater by Makenna Parker, Hannah Jeroue, Savanna Krywy and Ava Moskwa. “They take it, and they work harder. That’s how you keep getting better.”
Other seniors for Richmond were Eryn Hart, Jenna Alexander and Mikolasik.
PHOTOS (Top) Richmond competes during Saturday’s Division 3 Finals at Grand Rapids’ Delta Plex. (Middle) Paw Paw celebrates its second-straight runner-up finish. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)