D1 Preview: Rochester Seeks Perfection
March 3, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Rochester finished mere points short in 2015 from earning an MHSAA record 13th Finals championship.
If Friday goes the same as the rest of this season so far, the Falcons this time will celebrate another title – and a perfect season as well.
Following are glances at all eight Division 1 teams competing at the Grand Rapids DeltaPlex beginning at 6 p.m. Previews for Divisions 2, 3 and 4 will be published Friday morning and early afternoon. All four Finals will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and viewable on a subscription basis.
EAST KENTWOOD
Rank: No. 5.
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Co-coaches: Stacy Geerts, 15th season.
Championship history: Two runner-up finishes (most recent 2010).
Top score: 787.80.
Team composition: 26 total (five seniors, nine juniors, eight sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: East Kentwood is back at the Finals for the first time since its runner-up finish in 2010; the Falcons also were runners-up in 2004. East Kentwood also won its fourth league and third District title in five seasons after missing out on both last season. The Falcons have finished first or second in seven straight events, scoring 780 points or higher in all of them after doing so only once during their first six events, and their top Round 2 score of 231.8 also is tops in any division this season. Senior Ciboney Woods and junior Tyra Hunt made the all-region second team in 2015.
GRANDVILLE
Rank: No. 3.
League finish: First in O-K Red.
Coach: Julie Smith-Boyd, 35th season.
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), eight runner-up finishes.
Top score: 789.90 at District.
Team composition: 30 total (eight seniors, 14 juniors, four sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: After just missing on a championship in 2014, Grandville took the next step last winter to win its first MHSAA title since 2011. The Bulldogs have the top Round 1 (238.7) and 3 (322.0) scores regardless of division this season and an experienced nucleus of upperclassmen despite graduating a strong group last spring. Seniors Mackenzie Brower and Kelsey Russell made the all-state second team last season, and juniors Kayley Schuitema and Daelyn Weir earned honorable mentions.
HUDSONVILLE
Rank: Unranked.
League finish: Third in O-K Red.
Coach: Amanda Isenga, 11th season.
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2012.
Top score: 777.52 at the Regional.
Team composition: 29 total (10 seniors, 11 juniors, three sophomores, five freshmen).
Outlook: Hudsonville is back at the Finals after two seasons away and has been steadily building, increasing its overall score four straight events. The Eagles’ strongest round is Round 3, where its 319.4 top score is tied for seventh-highest in Division 1 this season, and they finished first or second overall in six events. Junior Amanda Adams earned all-district honorable mention last season.
LAKE ORION
Rank: No. 9.
League finish: Fifth in Oakland Activities Association Red.
Coach: Nicole Hills, third season.
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 778.22 in the Regional.
Team composition: 28 total (four seniors, 11 juniors, nine sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Lake Orion emerged after a fifth-place finish in the competitive OAA Red to return to the Finals for the third time under Hills, rising from that league finish to take first in its District and third in its Regional. The Dragons’ top Round 2 score of 229.8 is ninth-best in Division 1, and its best overall score of 780.7 ranks 10th. Senior Destiny Roper and juniors Olivia Duffy and Sydney Johnson both earned all-region second-team honors in 2015, when the team finished fourth at the Finals.
ROCHESTER
Rank: No. 1.
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red.
Coach: Susan Wood, 35th season.
Championship history: Twelve MHSAA titles (most recent 2009), four runner-up finishes.
Top score: 789.84 in the District.
Team composition: 25 total (13 seniors, 12 juniors).
Outlook: Last season’s Final, when Rochester finished 1.47 points from winning the championship, was the last time the team finished lower than first in an event. The Falcons have swept the season so far, posting its first of three scores of 788 or higher in just the third event of the winter. None of Rochester’s round high scores are tops in Division 1 this season, but its average total score of 781.9 is 6.5 points better than the field. Senior Allison Surinck made the all-state first team last season, while senior Gabby Leo made the second and seniors Fallon Franczyk and Kaitlyn Kok earned honorable mentions.
SOUTHGATE ANDERSON
Rank: No. 6.
League finish: Second in Downriver League.
Coach: Stacey Shaw, second season.
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2014).
Top score: 780.74.
Team composition: 29 total (eight seniors, seven juniors, nine sophomores, five freshmen).
Outlook: Anderson missed the Finals last season after winning three straight Division 1 titles from 2012-14, but the Titans are back after winning their District and finishing fourth at their Regional. Shaw was an assistant on the championship teams before being promoted last winter, and she brings a team that has scored fewer than 770 points only once over its last eight events and boasts the fifth-highest average overall score in Division 1 of 768.7. Seniors Amber Droste, Brittany Prister and Cassidy Tear and junior Alana Vallar earned all-region honors a year ago.
STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON
Rank: No. 2.
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red.
Coach: Brianna Verdoodt, 11th season.
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up in 2011.
Top score: 787.34 at the Regional.
Team composition: 28 total (six seniors, seven juniors, 13 sophomores, two freshmen)
Outlook: Stevenson’s Titans returned to the Finals last season and finished seventh, but less than a point out of fifth. They’ve finished first or second in their last nine events, including first at their District and second at their Regional, and lower than second only once this season. The top scores in all three of their rounds rank among the top 10 in Division 1, and Stevenson’s overall average score of 775.4 is second only to Rochester’s. Senior Kenzi Denoff made the all-state second team last season, and sophomore Izzie Nitecki earned honorable mention as freshman.
TROY ATHENS
Rank: No. 8.
League finish: Fourth in OAA Red.
Coach: Stephanie Brosky, 16th season; Kaja Clark, eighth season.
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 784.90.
Team composition: 21 total (12 seniors, two juniors, three sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: After a season away, Athens is back in the Finals also coming out of the OAA Red, following up league competition with third-place finishes at the District and Regional. The Red Hawks especially shine in Round 3, where their top score of 320.9 is tied for third over all divisions; their average overall score of 768.1 ranks sixth in Division 1. Athens is on a streak of three straight events with scores of at least 774.
PHOTO: Rochester performs its Round 3 routine at last season’s Division 1 Final en route to an overall runner-up finish.
Notre Dame Reloads, Runs Streak to 5
March 3, 2018
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – Pontiac Notre Dame Prep competitive cheer coach Beth Campbell was being honest when she stated that she believed the program could possibly be in rebuilding mode this season.
As Saturday night came to a close, that prediction couldn’t have ended up farther from the truth.
Despite heavy graduation losses and a bevy of underclassmen, the Fighting Irish kept their MHSAA Finals streak intact. Top-ranked Notre Dame Prep won its fifth consecutive Division 3 championship at the DeltaPlex with a three-round total of 776.48.
The Irish slipped past runner-up Richmond, which tallied a 771.50 score.
“I had 10 freshmen and five sophomores, two who had never been on the mat, and graduated seven kids that were outstanding in our program,” Campbell said. “I thought at the beginning of the season it was going to be a rebuilding year.”
Instead of rebuilding, the Fighting Irish simply reloaded. They went unscathed throughout the season, failing to lose a competition.
“I never would have dreamed it, to be honest,” Campbell said. “I thought we were going to have a lot of work ahead of us, but these kids, who were my seniors, know how to lead and they taught the kids our culture from day one. It was a pretty smooth season.”
The success was sparked by the leadership of the team’s four seniors: McKenna Dooley, Tessa Woryk, Rachel Michel and Taylor Beaver.
“These seniors never doubted it, and they told me on day one that this was how it was going to end,” Campbell said. “And they kept their word.”
The quartet refused to be denied in their pursuit of another Finals crown in their final high school season. They were committed to helping mentor the younger girls.
“To be responsible for this group of girls and teaching them our team mentality, it feels amazing,” Woryk said.
Added Michel: “We lost a very talented group of seniors from last year and only had four seniors with 10 freshmen coming on the team, but they were amazing and they caught onto the team culture right away. They worked super hard, and this ended up as one of the best teams we’ve ever had, in my opinion.”
Dooley said there was a sense of pride in keeping the tradition of the program going.
“Thinking about the girls that started it, it’s amazing that we get to continue the legacy they set for us,” she said. “I’m so grateful to be a part of it, and Rounds 1 and 2 were the best we’ve done all season. We peaked at state, which is what we planned on.”
The Fighting Irish boasted high scores in both of the first two rounds to build a comfortable advantage over Richmond.
And although their third round wasn’t their best, it proved to be enough to solidify the victory.
“Round 3 has been our power round, and we have not lost that round by any less than five points this year,” Campbell said. “You could see a little inexperience in that round today with more bobbles than we normally do, but they are fighters and they were able to keep it in the air and do enough to give us that fifth state championship.”
Richmond, ranked No. 2, placed runner-up to Notre Dame Prep for the fourth straight year. The Blue Devils previously won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
“We are disappointed because you always want to win, but after what happened last year we had a lot to deal with,” Richmond coach Kelli Matthes said. “We had kids quit and we had kids who didn’t come back. The fact that they came out and won the third round and hit better than they have all year long, they were able to put that ghost away.”
Richmond, which had only one senior, finished with a flurry and produced the top score (318.0) in Round 3.
“I’m extremely proud of them, and they left it all on the mat and it showed,” Matthes said. “And the bottom line is, we might have the silver trophy, but they won the third round and that’s what they will take with them.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep performs during Saturday's Division 3 Final. (Middle) Richmond cheerleaders elevate in unison during a routine.