Inspired Notre Dame Prep Runs Streak to 4

March 4, 2017

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half

GRAND RAPIDS – The Fight for Four took on a whole different meaning for the Pontiac Notre Dame Prep competitive cheer team this season.

While the Fighting Irish pursued a fourth straight Division 3 title Saturday night, the squad also was committed to honoring a 2013 graduate, Kristy Malter, who died last summer after suffering from bacterial meningitis.

Notre Dame Prep carried a sign proudly that read, “Fight for Four” with “4K” in the corner.   

“We had one mission and one goal this year,” said Fighting Irish coach Beth Campbell. “We lost a girl over the summer to bacteria meningitis and she was one of our alumni so we decided then that the season was going to be 100 percent for her.

“You see us doing the 4K and that’s for Kristy. We kept our eyes focused on that and we wanted to represent our school, Kristy and her family. That was our main focus for the whole year.”

Miss Malter would’ve been proud of her former team, as it won the MHSAA Division 3 Final at Grand Rapids DeltaPlex with a narrow victory over rival Richmond.

The No.2-ranked Fighting Irish finished with a final score of 315.90, while the top-ranked Blue Devils tallied a 314.70.

It was Notre Dame Prep’s fourth consecutive MHSAA title.    

“I’ve never been more proud of how these girls came out here,” Campbell said. “It was not one round; it was all three rounds. It was their best performance of the year, and I think they had the most heart I’ve ever seen out on that mat.

“We knew it was going to be a tough competition, but they were so determined to do this for Kristy. It was always our focus, and they knew that they had to give their best.”

Five Notre Dame Prep seniors capped their high school careers with four Division 3 championships: Sarah Nantel, Grace Mackey, Jennifer Redoutey, Caroline Hauck and Anne Seyferth.  

“It was for Kristy this whole time, but I think we just wanted to prove to ourselves that we could be better than we were,” Nantel said. “It’s all about beating yourself and proving what other people thought wasn’t possible. We were going to be proud no matter the outcome, but we came out on top.”

The Fighting Irish won the first two rounds by the slimmest of margins over Richmond before the decisive Round 3.  

“It felt so good to put our best on the floor, and we knew if we hit the way we know we could that whatever happens, happens, but I think we peaked today,” Redoutey said. “Today was our best day, and we showed a lot of heart. If we could make our parents, our alumni and our Kristy proud … that was the goal this season. All of this just makes it sweeter.”

Richmond, which won the Blue Water Area Conference, suffered another heartbreaking finish. It placed as Final runner-up for a third straight season.

The Blue Devils were poised for redemption, but a rare fall in Round 3 doused their hopes of regaining the crown they won in 2012 and 2013.  

“The season has been a dream season,” Richmond coach Kelli Matthes said. “My kids have poured their hearts and souls into everything that they’ve done, and it’s not the outcome that we wanted, but when you make a mistake that’s what happens. And it doesn’t just fall on that one stunt group that had an issue, there were tiny things in each round.

“I have 37 girls on this team, and they are a family. They have been working at this for a really long time, and I just wish for them that it could’ve happened.”

Monroe Jefferson (772.62) took third after placing fourth a year ago, while Comstock Park (767.34) placed fourth. It was the Panthers’ fourth top-four finish at the Final in the past five seasons.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS: (Top) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep performs Saturday night on the way to earning a fourth straight Division 3 title. (Middle) Richmond finished second for the third straight season.

Title IX at 50: Competitive Cheer Gives Michigan Plenty to Cheer About

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

December 20, 2021

From its start in 1994, competitive cheer has given tens of thousands of athletes an opportunity to present an impressive array of athleticism, stunts and enthusiasm in a competitive format, while being cheered by hundreds of thousands during one of the MHSAA’s best-attended tournament sports.  

Competitive cheer has grown to include nearly 7,000 high school participants annually, with a high of nearly 7,800 in 2006-07, from more than 350 schools. The sport’s postseason, from Districts through Finals, set attendance records for 12 straight seasons through 2015, when it drew a high of 31,284 spectators across the three levels of postseason competition.

Unlike spirit formats in other states, the MHSAA’s competitive cheer format allows full teams to test their skills against each other, scoring based on difficulty and creativity among other criteria, plus the number of athletes competing for a team during each of three rounds.

Rochester High, guided during its entirety by coach Susan Wood, won the first three Class A championships and owns a record 14 Finals titles overall. Gibraltar Carlson is next with 11 titles, and Breckenridge has won 10. Grandville has won six championships, and Richmond, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Chesaning and Michigan Center all have won five.

Carlson, from 2011-16, set the record with consecutive championships, earning six straight in Division 2. Pontiac Notre Dame from 2014-18 and Rochester from 1999-2003 won five consecutive.

Rochester Adams (Division 1), Allen Park (Division 2) and Hudson (Division 4) are all enjoying current two-year championship streaks, and Richmond has won the last three Division 3 titles.

Second Half's weekly Title IX Celebration posts are sponsored by Michigan Army National Guard.

Previous Title IX at 50 Spotlights

Dec. 14: Evelyn's Game Had Plenty of Magic - Read
Dec. 7: 
Council Term Ends, But Leinaar Leaves Lasting Impact - Read
Nov. 30: 
Basketball Season Ready to Add to Rich Tradition - Read
Nov. 23: 
Marysville Builds Winning Streak Yet to be Challenged - Read
Nov. 16: Wroubel Has Championed Girls School Sports from Their Start - Read
Nov. 9: Pioneer's Joyce Legendary in Michigan, National Swim History - Read
Nov. 2: Royal Oak's Finch Leading Way on Football Field - Read
Oct. 26: Coach Clegg Sets Championship Standard at Grand Blanc - Read
Oct. 19: Rockford Girls Set Pace, Hundreds After Have Continued to Chase - Read
Oct. 12: 
Bedford Volleyball Pioneer Continues Blazing Record-Setting Trail - Read
Oct. 5: 
Warner Paved Way to Legend Status with Record Rounds - Read
Sept. 28: Taylor Kennedy Gymnasts Earn Fame as 1st Champions - Read
Sept. 21: 
Portage Northern Star Byington Becomes Play-by-Play Pioneer - Read
Sept. 14: 
Guerra/Groat Legacy Continues to Serve St. Philip Well - Read
Sept. 7: 
Best-Ever Conversation Must Include Leland's Glass - Read
Aug. 31: We Will Celebrate Many Who Paved the Way - Read

(MHSAA file photo.)