Notre Dame Seniors Make Good on Promise
March 5, 2016
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – The seniors on this year’s Pontiac Notre Dame Prep competitive cheer squad made a pact three years ago as freshmen after placing runner-up to Richmond in the MHSAA Final.
They made a vow that ultimately came to fruition Saturday night.
“Our freshman year we came here as runner-up, and ever since that year us seniors made a promise that we would never have that feeling again,” Fighting Irish senior Stephanie George said. “We knew we would do everything we could to make sure we carried the team to three straight championships our senior year. We worked extremely hard these past few years to get here.”
Notre Dame Prep’s six seniors lived up to their promise by collecting the program’s third consecutive MHSAA Division 3 championship at the DeltaPlex.
The Fighting Irish prevailed with a 775.48 total and topped runner-up Richmond, which finished at 765.86.
Notre Dame Prep fourth-year coach Beth Campbell has watched the returning girls make their prediction after every Final.
“Every year at the completion of this, my seniors-to-be circle up on the corner and make a promise to each other that they are going to defend what the seniors started,” Campbell said. “So they made that promise last year in a circle and said that they are going to be three-time state champs. They’ve talked about it at practice since June.”
Campbell said the ultimate goal each year is to win an MHSAA title, and steps are taken throughout the season to achieve it.
While some teams may shy away from making bold statements about future success, the Fighting Irish have embraced the challenge.
“It’s a mindset, and the culture of our team,” Campbell said. “They make a promise and they deliver on that promise.
“When you’ve won before and have that target on your back, it can be stressful on kids. We were the underdog for so long that we’re just not afraid of it. It’s ours to lose and we’re going to do everything we can to defend it. Talking about it and not being afraid of it gives our kids the confidence to deliver.”
Notre Dame Prep jumped out to an early lead and kept the momentum intact throughout.
“I just feel beyond blessed,” senior Lauren Kavanagh said. “These girls have worked so hard and they stuck with us seniors through the highs and lows of the entire season. I’m so happy it fell in our favor today.”
The Fighting Irish closed with a 318.40 in Round 3 to secure the championship.
“We were told we needed to hit it, and I knew our team could do it,” senior Paige Lombardo said. “And so when we hit it, I knew it was the last round I’ll ever be doing. I just stepped off the mat and I felt relief.”
Round 3 had been a struggle for the Fighting Irish, but it finally came together toward the end of the season.
“We fell every time and it became a mental block,” Campbell said. “It was a major goal to hit that round, and they turned it on. By Districts and Regionals, it became our strongest round. They were excited and ready to perform it.”
A similar disappointment as last year was felt by Richmond as it fell short to the Fighting Irish for the second straight.
The Blue Devils won back-to-back MHSAA championships in 2012 and 2013, but have been unable to reclaim the title the past three years.
Richmond coach Kelli Matthes was frustrated after the results were announced.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything more from them today,” Matthes said. “If you saw our third round, I think it was the best third round of the day. The fact that we had to go first, it just plays into the cards.
“All I know is there are 28 ladies over there that busted their butts for me for nine months … . They are happy with how they performed, but frustrated with the outcome.”
The Blue Devils graduate only two seniors, and have a large group of eighth graders ready to make the jump.
“The program is in great shape, no doubt about it,” Matthes said. “And we’re going to keep plugging along. Maybe at some point, things will be different.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep performs a routine Saturday on the way to its third straight Division 3 title. (Middle) Richmond finished runner-up for the second straight season, giving the team five top-two finishes over the last six years.
Stoney Creek Finishes as Best from Rochester, Best in all of Division 1
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2024
MOUNT PLEASANT – “The Rochester Invitational,” an event also known as the Division 1 Competitive Cheer Finals, proved Friday how a great rivalry pushes everyone to be their best.
The MHSAA represents schools covering more than 96,000 square miles in Michigan, but the Division 1 battle came down to three Rochester Community Schools all located within four miles of each other – Rochester, Rochester Adams and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek.
The teams have tussled at the Oakland Activities Association Red level, followed by District, Regional and Finals for years, with the difference between them often coming down to a tenth of a point, or less.
Rochester Adams won the Finals for the third-straight year in 2022, Rochester took the title last year and, appropriately enough, Stoney Creek led from start-to-finish and won Friday at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena.
“Today was our day, and it feels great,” said Stoney Creek senior Charlotte Cahill. “It’s so tough. All three of our teams have experienced the close losses and the wins. It’s three great teams, and it comes down to the little, tiny, minute details.”
Stoney Creek finished with a three-round score of 792.98 - good for a 1.42-point margin of victory over second-place Adams (791.56), with Rochester a mere two-tenths of a point further back in third at 791.36.
The Cougars captured their third Finals title, after winning most recently in 2019.
The competition was close throughout, with Stoney Creek holding the lead going into the pivotal third round, but with both Rochester and Adams less than two points behind.
McGuirk Arena was absolutely rocking with more than 3,000 fans as the three Rochester schools went back-to-back-to-back in the third round – first Stoney Creek, then Adams, then Rochester – to decide the title.
All three delivered nearly flawless performances, executing every stunt and basket toss with precision, with every flyer strong at the top.
“What you have to understand is that it’s not like this just at state,” said Stoney Creek coach Tricia Williams, who is in her 21st season. “We do this on almost a weekly basis, so we feel this same pressure and we get better at learning how to handle it. Today, our girls handled it wonderfully.”
Adams actually posted the best score of the three schools in the final round, which was enough to leapfrog 2023 champion Rochester for second place but not enough to overtake Stoney Creek, which was slightly better than Adams in both Round 1 and Round 2.
“There’s a lot of attention on Round 3, but it takes all three rounds,” explained Williams, who is assisted by Andrea Cairns, Kayla Kenan, Jessica Ma and Susan Wood. “Against this good of competition, we have to be as perfect as we can in every round.”
While some cheer teams check the standings between each round and possibly adjust their strategy accordingly, the Cougars absolutely do not look at the scores.
“That’s one of our values as a team is not knowing the score,” explained senior Abby DeGraw. “We don’t think it makes sense to change the way that we’re performing. We just try to do our best each round and let the score take care of itself.”
That strategy worked to perfection Friday, as Stoney Creek went out with wins at Regionals and Finals after finishing second in the conference behind Rochester and second at Districts behind Adams. The Cougars’ winning score of 792.98 on Friday was just shy of their season-best of 793.56, which was good for second place at Districts.
Seniors Alison Kalaj and DeGraw, both returning all-staters, are two of the leaders for Stoney Creek, along with Cahill (second team in 2023) and Ariana Rabaut (honorable mention).
Other seniors for the Cougars were Kacey Bauer, Gracie Darling, Sofia Finazzo, Lily Leone, Laura Machak, Helena Merritt and Jane Stabnick.
Adams, which took home the runner-up trophy for the second-straight year after a three-peat as champions from 2020 to 2022, nearly roared back for the title with the best Round 3 score (322.10).
“I would say that was our best Round 3, not only of the season, but in years,” said 10th-year Adams coach Brooke Miller, who had just five seniors and just one returning all-state honoree in Lily Hittle (honorable mention). “They nailed it. They couldn’t have done any more.”
Miller and Williams exchanged a hug after the awards ceremony, full of mutual respect, and both expect the three-way Rochester rivalry to continue for the foreseeable future.
“The bottom line is that these three schools are pushing each other to be amazing,” said Miller. “It’s tenths of a point that you’re fighting for, and that forces you to be the best coach and the best athlete that you can be.”
Hartland placed fourth, followed by Macomb L’Anse Creuse North and Brighton.
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester Hills Stoney Creek competes during Friday’s Division 1 Finals at McGuirk Arena. (Middle) The Cougars celebrate their championship. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)