D3 Preview: Familiar Favorites Lead the Way
March 4, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Three of the last five seasons, Richmond and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep have finished first and second in some order atop the MHSAA Division 3 Finals standings. The same was true again at this winter’s District and Regional competitions.
So it wouldn’t stun many to see those teams compete for the top prize again this weekend – although six more teams would love to provide a surprise or two along the way.
Following are glances at all eight Division 3 teams competing at the Grand Rapids DeltaPlex beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday. All four Finals will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and viewable on a subscription basis.
COMSTOCK PARK
Rank: No. 7.
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue.
Coach: Kathy Felty, 26th season.
Championship history: Division 3 champions 2011 and 2009, three runner-up finishes.
Top score: 762.56 at the Regional.
Team composition: 19 overall (seven juniors, seven sophomores, five freshmen).
Outlook: After graduating 11 seniors from last season’s team, Comstock Park has none but an exciting future after winning 10 of 14 events this season including the District with its highest score of the winter. The Panthers have finished fourth, second and fourth, respectively, at the last three Division 3 Finals, and this season surges during Round 3 with its top score of 762.6 ranking seventh in the division and its average total score of 733.1 listing sixth. Juniors Alyssa Geraghty, Heather Damuth and Haleigh Brown and sophomore Jakela Davis earned all-region honors last season.
ESCANABA
Rank: Unranked.
League finish: First in Great Northern Conference.
Coach: Kristopher Langlois, second season.
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 752.66 at the District.
Team composition: 22 total (nine seniors, four juniors, six sophomores, three freshmen).
Outlook: Escanaba blasted onto the downstate scene by winning a Regional last week that included No. 7 Comstock, No. 5 Lakewood, No. 10 Paw Paw and No. 8 Freeland, and advanced to the MHSAA Finals for the first time. Round 3 is where the Eskymos shine most, with their top score of 315.3 ranking third in Division 3 this season. Escanaba won nine of its 10 events, finishing second just once. Junior Samantha Flinn made the all-region second team last season as the Eskymos competed in Division 2.
LAKE ODESSA LAKEWOOD
Rank: No. 5.
League finish: First in Greater Lansing Activities Conference.
Coach: Kim Martin, 22nd season.
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 750.40.
Team composition: 19 total (seven seniors, seven juniors, four sophomores, one freshman).
Outlook: Lakewood is back at the Finals for the second straight season after finishing eighth in 2015. The Vikings’ third place at the Regional was its only place lower than second this season. Similar to last winter, they’re especially strong in Round 1, with a top score this season of 233.7 that ranks third in Division 3, and their average overall score of 728.6 ranks seventh in the division. Senior Samantha Morrison made the all-state first team last season, while senior Carley Bennett made the second team and senior Haley VanValkenburg earned honorable mention.
MONROE JEFFERSON
Rank: No. 4.
League finish: First in Huron League.
Coach: Sara Griffin, eighth season.
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 766.68 at the Regional.
Team composition: 18 total (six seniors, five juniors, five sophomores, two freshmen).
Outlook: Griffin, who formerly led Flat Rock to the Finals in 2006, brings a team that won five events this season and never finished lower than third. The Bears’ top Round 1 and 2 scores rank among the top five in Division 3 this season – with the Round 2 score of 228.2 second and their average overall score of 737.6 ranking fifth. The Regional score was 24 points better than their previous best this season. Seniors Kayleigh Adams, Chrissy Boitnott and Ashleigh Carroll and junior Haylie Jewell all earned all-district honors last season.
OVID-ELSIE
Rank: No. 3.
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference Central and overall.
Coach: Katie Calverley, fourth season.
Championship history: Class C champion 2005 and 2004.
Top score: 765.26 at the Regional.
Team composition: 19 total (nine seniors, one junior, five sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Ovid-Elsie will return to the Finals for the first time since finishing fifth in 2013 and after reaching the Regionals both of the last two seasons; Calverley was a member of the teams that won back-to-back Class B titles. A fourth-place at the Regional was the Marauders’ lowest this season; they won 10 events and finished second once. Round 2 is a strength, as the team’s top score of 228.5 is tops in Division 3 and would rank fourth in Division 2. Seniors Courtney Loynes, Leah Batora and BreAnna Deming and junior Riley Caswell earned all-region honors in 2015.
PAW PAW
Rank: No. 10.
League finish: First in Wolverine Conference.
Coach: Stefanie Miller, seventh season.
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 748.56 at the District.
Team composition: 18 total (six seniors, three juniors, nine sophomores).
Outlook: Paw Paw finished sixth a year ago, its fourth straight finish of seventh or higher. The Redskins won seven events this season including their District, and also broke 740 points to win their league meet. The team’s best Round 3 score of 313.4 ranks fifth in Division 3, and its best Round 2 score is ninth. Seniors Hannah Diaz and Georgia Waldron and juniors Brianne Korteway and Mary Schincariol earned all-region honors last season.
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP
Rank: No. 2.
League finish: Second in the Detroit Catholic League.
Coach: Beth Campbell, fourth season.
Championship history: Division 3 champions 2015 and 2014, runner-up 2013.
Top score: 778.58 at the Regional.
Team composition: 26 total (six seniors, eight juniors, seven sophomores, five freshmen).
Outlook: Notre Dame Prep has continued its string of success and is a favorite again after winning Division 3 the last two seasons. The Fighting Irish have finished first or second in every event this season and posted scores of 770 or higher four times and dating to their third meet of the season. Notre Dame Prep has the highest Round 1 (235.3), Round 3 (318.5) and overall scores (778.6) in Division 3 this winter. Seniors Paige Lombardo and Lauren Kavanagh made the all-state second team last season, and senior Allison Kot and junior Grace Mackey earned honorable mentions.
RICHMOND
Rank: No. 1.
League finish: First in Blue Water Area Conference.
Coach: Kelli Matthes, eighth season.
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2013 and 2012, runner-up 2015 and 2011.
Top score: 778.2 at the Regional.
Team composition: 28 total (two seniors, 11 juniors, five sophomores, 10 freshmen).
Outlook: Back and forth Richmond has gone with Notre Dame Prep most of the last five seasons, and was the favorite heading into the postseason after finishing second to the Fighting Irish a year ago – but before finishing second to the Irish at the District and Regional last month. Still, Richmond has the highest average overall score in Division 3 – 765.1 – and the second-highest top scores in Rounds 1 and 3. Seniors Emily Fitzsimons and Jessica Hatcher made the all-state first team last season, while juniors Kaleigh Taylor and Kari Olsen made the second team and juniors Haley Saikowski and Lauren Duche earned honorable mentions.
PHOTO: Reigning champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep performs its Round 1 routine during last season's Division 3 Final.
Mostly-New Carlson, Same Finals Result
March 7, 2015
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – The return of only two seniors and the addition of a new coach made some wonder if the Gibraltar Carlson competitive cheer team could keep its string of consecutive MHSAA Division 2 titles intact.
The Marauders put those questions to rest by delivering another sterling performance with a squad comprised of mostly underclassmen.
Gibraltar Carlson won its fifth straight MHSAA Finals on Saturday at The DeltaPlex with a three-round total of 784.88.
It prevailed over runner-up DeWitt (778.36), which edged third-place and four-time reigning runner-up Dearborn Divine Child (778.24) by 12 hundredths of a point.
“There was lot of pressure, especially this year because we only had two seniors,” senior Sheridan Skopczynski said. “You don’t want to be the seniors that lose it for everyone, and we had a streak going. We love the pressure and we had a lot of people to prove wrong this year. We pushed through every single day and we knew we could do it.”
The Marauders’ other senior, Kersten Gant, said it was vital to keep the tradition going despite losing several key seniors from a year ago.
“You never want to disappoint the seniors from before, and you always have a reputation to uphold,” she said.
“Everybody really counts on you every year, and the younger girls look up to you.”
First-year coach Aryn Ziesmer took over the reins of the perennial state powerhouse after previously coaching at Southgate Anderson.
“I came from the three-time Division 1 state champions, so I kind of knew going into how to get that out of them,” Ziesmer said. “We won Districts, we won Regionals and this was just another day on a bigger caliber. If you go in as the defending Regional champions it makes your confidence that much higher.”
The addition of a talented freshman group helped propel the Marauders. Eleven freshmen took the floor Saturday for the first time on the biggest stage.
In fact, only three girls had ever competed at the Finals previously.
“Everybody always says how do you do it with 11 freshmen, but they want it with everything they have in them,” Ziesmer said. “Our freshmen are the heart of this team.”
Skopczynski said it took time for the freshmen to become acclimated to a new environment.
“Those freshmen, it took them a month or so to get their confidence up, but once we got it going we were on fire,” she said. “They’re just great and such confident performers. I can’t wait to see what these next three years hold for them.”
Gant has been on the team since she was a freshman. She was overcome with emotion after realizing her senior year would end with another MHSAA Finals crown.
“Oh, it feels great,” Gant said. “This is my fourth title, and I’m so happy that I got to share it with all the freshmen and everyone else. I’m so proud of them.”
Gibraltar Carlson tallied the high score in Round 1 with a 235.2, while Allen Park (232.8) edged Divine Child (232.5) and was in second place.
Divine Child was superb in Round 2 and posted a score of 230.64 to close the gap heading into the final round.
Gibraltar Carlson led Divine Child by less than two points entering Round 3, but produced a high score of 319.8 to seal it.
“We have a more difficult Round 3, and we definitely don’t play it safe,” Ziesmer said “There is a lot of room for error, and the fact that they pulled it off was why we were rewarded with such a high score.”
DeWitt pulled off the second-highest score (778.36) in Round 3 to notch its first runner-up finish since 2007.
“Our Round 3 has kind of been our bread and butter all season long,” Panthers coach Candace Heskitt said. “The girls are most comfortable in Round 3, and when they get to do it, that’s their time to shine. They feel at home.”
DeWitt’s roster included only four seniors, but Heskitt said a number of Panthers have been cheering together for many years.
“There’s a core group that have been together for several years, and I think that brings a strength to the team that we have not always had,” she said. “These girls work so hard and they’ve worked hard as a group, which has made it that sweeter.
“Obviously, everybody here is chasing first place and a state title, but before we took the floor the one thing I said was, ‘I want you to walk off the floor feeling like you did your best and had an amazing day’, and that took priority. The girls did a great job.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Gibraltar Carlson performs its routine during Round 3 of Saturday's Division 2 Final. (Middle) DeWitt also competes in Round 3 on the way to finishing runner-up at the Grand Rapids DeltaPlex.