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Plenty to cheer about for Richmond

March 6, 2012

Third, third and second.

Those are the places Richmond's cheer team had finished at Division 3 Finals over the last three seasons, respectively.

This winter, the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 the entire season -- and seemed destined to finish first for the first time in school history.

Richmond gets this week's Second Half team High 5 for finishing the run, scoring 781.838 point to claim the Division 3 championship Saturday at the Grand Rapids Delta Plex.

"This year, the focus has been on winning. They were not going to finish their season without bringing home this trophy," Richmond coach Kelli Matthes said. "To come into the championship undefeated and finish that way, that says an amazing thing for those kids."

Indeed, the Devils won all of their events this season on the way to a 16-point victory over reigning champion Comstock Park on Saturday. Richmond finished 27 points back of Comstock Park at the 2011 Final, making a strong recovery after losing a teammate to a knee injury during warm-ups.

Richmond relied on a few mottos this season, one about the success that comes with giving one's all, and the other about the price in suffering to be the best.

"We suffered last year, and we're living as champions this year,"  senior Kelsey Kasom said.

"We just stayed focused on ourselves," Matthes said. "I preached tunnel vision to our kids, and that's what we did."

1994 Competitive Cheer Finals

Title IX at 50: 29 Years, Thousands of Cheers

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

March 8, 2022

The 28th MHSAA Competitive Cheer Finals concluded Saturday at Grand Rapids' Delta Plex with Rochester Adams, Allen Park, Richmond and Hudson celebrating this season's championships. 

Those Finals sessions began with the video below, produced by MHSAA partner State Champs! Sports Network, and including a special shoutout to our first competitive cheer champions from 1994: Rochester, Gaylord, Pewamo-Westphalia and Webberville. 

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

Previous Title IX at 50 Spotlights

March 1: Kearsley Rolls On Among Girls Bowling's Early Successes - Read
Feb. 22: Marquette Ties Record for Swim & Dive Finals Success - Read
Feb. 15: Jaeger's 2004 Winter Run Created Lasting Connection - Read
Feb. 8: Marian's Cicerone to Finish Among All-Time Elite - Read
Feb. 1: WISL Award Honors Builders of State's Girls Sports Tradition - Read
Jan. 25: Decades Later, Edwards' Legend Continues to Grow - Read
Jan. 18: Iron Mountain Completes Championship Climb - Read
Jan. 11: Harrold's Achievement Heralds Growth of Girls Wrestling - Read
Dec. 20: Competitive Cheer Gives Michigan Plenty to Cheer About - Read
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

(Photos provided by those schools' competitive cheer programs or MHSAA files.)