Hudson Posts Top Scores in Every Round of Dominating 3-Peat Win
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
March 4, 2022
GRAND RAPIDS – As freshmen, Hudson’s Maize Sholl and Logan Parks felt the heartbreak and disappointment of missing out on a competitive cheer state championship by the slimmest of margins.
It was a feeling the pair would never have to experience again.
Hudson delivered a dominating performance Friday to win the Division 4 Final at the Delta Plex.
It was the Tigers’ third consecutive Finals title and fourth in the last five years.
Hudson finished with a three-round total of 759.80 and set a new Finals record for widest margin of victory.
Adrian Madison placed runner-up at 709.12. It was the Trojans’ first top-two finish.
“It’s just unbelievable to me and it’s like a dream come true,” Parks said. “I think freshman year when we lost by .36 (points), it just brought a fire to us and we just kept pushing. Everyone on this team has such a passion for cheer.”
Hudson finished runner-up to Pewamo-Westphalia in 2019, but hasn’t been defeated at the Finals since.
“Obviously we had a lot of doubts our freshmen year, and it really motivated us,” Sholl said. “It put a fire on our rear end. Coming out and winning all three rounds and breaking the record for most points won by was incredible.”
The Tigers were heavy favorites entering the day and proved quickly that they weren’t going to relinquish that role.
Hudson recorded a high score of 227.90 in Round 1 to grab a commanding lead. The advantage ballooned to more than 30 following an impressive Round 2.
“They were on fire all day,” Tigers coach Kelly Bailey said. “I still can’t ever get rid of their nerves, but I’m so proud of them.
“We talk a lot about preparing ourselves for this moment, and this feels absolutely amazing. We’ve won them all for these kinds of kids.”
Hudson’s roster included only three seniors, and several underclassmen who shined in all three rounds.
“We had a lot of kids who stepped up this year, and they really brought the fire and made us better,” Sholl said. “We put in a lot of hard work, and everyone was dedicated.”
Despite the large lead entering Round 3, the Tigers capped the day with another high score, 311.
“After we were told that we were up by a lot, it was just about going out there and having fun because it was our last time on the mat,” Sholl said. “This is the best thing ever, and there’s nothing better than ending your high school career with a three-peat.”
Madison’s previous best finish at the Finals was fourth the past two years, but the Trojans held off third-place Lawton with the second-highest score in Round 3.
“Coming into today, my biggest expectation was for them to peak and to do their best of the season,” Madison coach Sarah Kope said. “They did that, and they were phenomenal. The past two seasons have been crazy with quarantines constantly and having girls in and out, and they’ve just been extremely resilient. I’m very proud of them.”
PHOTOS Hudson (top) and Adrian Madison (middle) compete during Friday’s Division 4 Final at Grand Rapids’ Delta Plex. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Division 1 Cheer: Titanic Finish
March 2, 2012
GRAND RAPIDS – Moments before its final round Friday, Southgate Anderson launched into an “I believe that we will win” chant with its crew of fans at the Grand Rapids Delta Plex.
A year ago, the Titans came to the MHSAA Division 1 Final with similar confidence – and finished seventh of eight teams at the championship meet.
But this time, with lessons learned, Southgate Anderson backed it up. The Titans scored the meet’s top Round 2 and 3 scores and outlasted surging Hudsonville to win their first MHSAA cheer championship.
“Last year … it was a crushing blow. We couldn’t believe that happened, and we weren’t going to let it happen again,” Titans senior Bri Walsh said. “We worked too hard to let it go. We needed to push through.
“It was a mindset. I’ve never been on a team this dedicated.”
Southgate Anderson scored 816.6032 points Friday, besting its previous top score this season by less than a tenth of a point. Hudsonville, which like Anderson had never finished even among the top two at the Finals, came in second with 813.2976. Rochester Stoney Creek was third with a score of 811.3456.
The Titans’ pre-Round 3 chant carried additional significance because of strong performances the last two weeks. As the regular season came to a close, Southgate Anderson considered itself a strong Round 2 team. For a while before that, the Titans specialized in Round 1.
But just before Districts, Southgate Anderson made some switches in its final routine that paid off big. Also, coach Colette Norscia said the difference between this and past teams was the increased time it spent conditioning. And Walsh agreed that was a difference-maker in the Titans’ being able to land more difficult skills this winter.
Although 16 of Southgate Anderson’s 28 cheerleaders were on the team last year, most of Friday’s competitors watched from the sideline in 2011.
“They were hungry for it last year,” Norscia said. They had an opportunity to see on the sideline what needed to be done, and they took that into the gym this year.”
She admitted that unlike usual, she didn’t look at the scoreboard heading into her team’s Round 3, and had no idea where her team stood. Hudsonville performed its Round 3 later in the final rotation, and Eagles coach Amanda Cooper did look at the scores and knew her team needed to be just about perfect to move into first place.
Hudsonville was nearly flawless and finished nine tenths behind the Titans in that round with a score of 324.600. But the Eagles’ final score was its best this season by nearly three points, and the runner-up finish bested their best previous Finals placing of third in 2010. Hudsonville finished eighth last season.
“We had our best three rounds on the same day here at states, and I can’t ask for anything more,” Cooper said. “We had an amazing week of practice and an amazing warm-up, so I was just excited for them to go out there and nail (Round 3). That’s what we said – just have a clean, fun, solid round.
“Runner-up is awesome. We couldn’t be any happier.”
Click for full results from the Division 1 Final, and check back Saturday night for results from Divisions 2, 3 and 4.
