Performance of the Week: Gibraltar Carlson's Kaitlynn Demers
February 17, 2023
Kaitlynn Demers ♦ Gibraltar Carlson
Senior ♦ Competitive Cheer
Demers is a returning all-stater helping lead one of Michigan’s legendary programs – and the recently-crowned 2022-23 Downriver League champion. Carlson edged rival Allen Park by less than a point at the Feb. 8 league meet, scoring 781.34 to finish first in what annually is one of the strongest competitive cheer conferences in the state. The Marauders trailed the Jaguars entering Round 3, but moved ahead with a score of 318.30 – 1.7 points higher than that of the Jaguars in that round.
Carlson or Allen Park has won the last 15 Division 2 Finals championships, and Carlson finished runner-up in Division 2 both last season and in 2020 as Allen Park has won the last three titles. An all-state first-team selection last season as a junior, Demers also is a past academic all-state honoree and has been cheering since age 5. She’ll attend Grand Valley State University next and intends to major in elementary education.
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2022-23 Honorees
Feb. 9: Indya Davis, West Bloomfield basketball - Report
Feb. 2: Braydon Sorenson, Onekama skiing - Report
Jan. 26: Shayna Hruska, Iron Mountain wrestling - Report
Jan. 19: Kayla Tafanelli, Warren Woods-Tower bowling - Report
Dec. 20: Brenden Paden, Riverview Gabriel Richard hockey - Report
Dec. 16: Tuff Scott, Holton bowling - Report
Dec. 9: Macey Fegan, Standish-Sterling basketball - Report
Dec. 2: Treyton Siegert, Gladwin football - Report
Nov. 24: Lily Witte, Dexter diving - Report
Nov. 17: Navea Gauthier, Shelby volleyball - Report
Nov. 10: Derek Huisman, Holland Christian soccer - Report
Nov. 3: Thomas Westphal, New Baltimore Anchor Bay cross country - Report
Oct. 27: Justin Wickey, Colon football - Report
Oct. 20: Owen DeMuth, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood tennis - Report
Oct. 13: Mia Melendez, Ann Arbor Greenhills golf - Report
Oct. 6: Shawn Foster, Grand Ledge football - Report
Sept. 30: Hannah Smith, Temperance Bedford swimming - Report
Sept. 22: Helen Sachs, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Sept. 15: Nina Horning, Lake Orion volleyball - Report
Sept 8: Arturo Romero, Muskegon Oakridge soccer - Report
Sept. 1: Austin King, Midland Dow tennis - Report
Aug. 25: Olivia Hemmila, Troy Athens golf - Report
(Photos courtesy of Kaitlynn Demers.)
Reigning Champ Croswell-Lexington Rises to Meet Challenge Again
March 2, 2024
MOUNT PLEASANT – Alexis Bales could feel the challenge all around her Saturday afternoon.
A year ago, Croswell-Lexington had come to McGuirk Arena seeking its first MHSAA Finals competitive cheer championship, and pushed past two of the most successful programs in state history to claim it – by a mere seven-tenths of a point.
And as Bales and her teammates prepared to take the mat this time, she sensed this one wouldn’t come any easier.
“All the teams came in so much harder this year, and there was really a lot of competition,” she said. “Just seeing everybody in the warm-up room, there’s a lot of these good teams. You see them, it radiates. You can definitely feel that.”
No doubt, Croswell-Lexington gave off the same competitive vibe – and then backed it up again. Just like last year, the Pioneers entered Round 3 of the Division 3 Final chasing the lead. And just like last year, Cros-Lex delivered the day’s best third round to push into first place – this time by four-tenths of a point ahead of Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
The Pioneers scored 782.52, followed by NDP at 782.12 and Grosse Ile at 781.34. Cros-Lex scored a 319.60 in Round 3 to make up a half-point deficit on the Fighting Irish and hold on for the win.
Only a few teams competing in any of this weekend’s four divisions could match the Pioneers’ returning star power, as Bales was joined this season by seniors Shelby Oliver, Cora Katulski and Makayla Rice and junior Kaleigh Kelch as all-state first-teamers from 2023 with senior Grace Hodges and junior Maggie Wallace also back this season after making the second team a year ago.
They wanted to prove they could win it all again.
“Last year was just the building of confidence and believing we could,” Cros-Lex coach Katie Tomlinson said. “It was such an experience last year, and this year was a whole different mindset going in and just truly using that for every single competition. Today’s goal was just hit their best and do their absolute best today, and that’s exactly what they did. We were proud just for that moment alone.”
Cros-Lex and Grosse Ile both scored 234.50 in Round 1 on Saturday to trail Notre Dame Prep by nine tenths of a point. The Pioneers made back four tenths of deficit with a meet-best 228.42 for Round 2 as all three of those contenders reached 228 points and pulled away from the pack – setting up plenty of anticipation for Round 3.
“I came off the mat with my team for Round 3, and were just so satisfied with the season,” Oliver said. “We kinda know when a team is on our heels, but our coaches do a good job of just encouraging us and just telling us to push through and give it our all and be the best on the day.”
Armada, also from Cros-Lex’s Blue Water Area Conference, finished fourth Saturday in its first trip to the Finals since 2015. Paw Paw was next, followed by Portland, Howard City Tri County and Lake Odessa Lakewood.
PHOTOS (Top) Croswell-Lexington completes a routine during Saturday’s Division 3 Final at Central Michigan University. (Middle) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep competes on the way to finishing second. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)