Richmond Adds Repeat to Seniors' Legacy
March 7, 2020
By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – For years, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep had Richmond’s number.
Richmond finished runners-up in Division 3 to the Fighting Irish for four straight seasons from 2015 to 2018, before finally breaking through with the school’s third competitive cheer Finals championship last year.
“We were fighting every year to get over that hump, and then we got over it and then the fear set in: Can we do it again?” said Kelly Matthes, who is in her 30th year of coaching cheerleading and 12th as head coach at Richmond.
The Blue Devils answered their coach’s question with a resounding “yes” on Saturday evening, leading from start to finish and capturing their second-consecutive Division 3 title at the Delta Plex with 784.28 points.
Notre Dame Prep (779.18) took runner-up for the second consecutive year, followed by Paw Paw (777.08) and Croswell-Lexington (774.46).
Richmond came out laser-focused, dominating the first two rounds and building a 3.2-point lead heading into Round 3.
Then things got interesting, at least for a moment. Richmond, which went second in the final round, was not nearly as sharp as in the first two rounds. The Blue Devils had a couple of wobbles, but held it together and finished their challenging open round routine in style.
“We had a small little issue in that final round, but we practice in case of that,” explained Matthes, who is assisted by Melana Szczesniak and Lauren Riggs. “Don’t expect it to be perfect, and prepare for something to go wrong. They didn’t stop or give up; they just kept going.”
Croswell-Lexington actually had the best score in Round 3, but Richmond’s fast start was far too much to overcome.
“We know we need to build a big lead at the beginning, just in case something goes wrong later on,” said senior Madison Daniel, whose team was champion of the Blue Water Area Conference and won 10 of its 11 competitions. “That was our mindset.”
Daniel was one of three returning senior all-staters for the Blue Devils, along with Emily Mikolasik and Jordan Valentine. Sophomore Makenna Parker was also first team all-state last year, and senior Nicole Logghe was second team.
The other seniors for Richmond were Julia Akerley, Jillian Maksymiuk, Anna Marshall, Madison McEwen, Olivia Poelker and Noelle Riggs.
Those seniors finished among the top two at the Finals all four years of their high school careers – runners-up as freshmen and sophomores and champions as juniors and seniors. Marshall said the turning point came when they stopped being obsessed with Notre Dame Prep, and instead concentrated on their own improvement.
“After 2017, we really focused on ourselves and had tunnel vision,” said Marshall. “That’s how we kept getting better, and today was our best.”
Next year could be a rebuilding year or a reloading year for Richmond, depending on your point of view. On one hand, the team is losing 10 seniors and has only two juniors in Samantha Bryant and Jenna Jaissle. On the other hand, the team also has 28 athletes on its roster.
“The way I look at it, I still have 18 kids returning,” said Matthes, who noted that most of the 10 seniors have been cheering together since they were children at the Richmond youth cheer camp. “These seniors wanted to leave a legacy, and they sure did that.”
Comstock Park place fifth, ahead of Onsted, Berrien Springs and Escanaba.
PHOTOS: (Top) Richmond hoists the Division 3 championship trophy for the second-straight season Saturday at the Delta Plex. (Middle) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep performs its routine on the way to a repeat runner-up finish.
Hudson Starts Slow, Bounces Back to Finish in Championship Fashion
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2024
MOUNT PLEASANT – Hudson certainly has not been cocky this season despite ending last winter by winning a fourth-straight Division 4 competitive cheer championship.
In fact, the Tigers were the opposite.
“The girls lacked confidence this year, to be honest,” said Hudson coach Kelly Bailey, who has guided the program 28 seasons. “That was actually our biggest obstacle to overcome.”
It didn’t help that the Tigers got off to a slow start in Friday’s Final – they sat in fourth place after the first round. But that just set the stage for a powerhouse performance during the final two rounds, as Hudson rolled to its fifth consecutive Division 4 title at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena.
Hudson won with 746.30 points, followed by Pewamo-Westphalia (736.42) and Michigan Center (733.94).
“I told them after the first round that they were in fourth place, and their jaws dropped,” said Bailey. “But they like to perform in the more athletic rounds, 2 and 3, so I really wasn’t worried.
“Anxious? Yes. Worried? Not really.”
Led by returning all-state seniors Rylie Bloomer and Victoria Hawkins, the Tigers easily made up their 4.1-point first-round deficit with a strong Round 2.
That set the stage for Round 3, where Hudson was the only one of the eight teams to eclipse 300 points (300.40). Near the end of that round, when part of its cheer was, “We will keep our crown,” it was clear that those words would be prophetic.
“Honestly, I was really nervous, but now I’m really happy,” said Bloomer, one of six seniors on Hudson’s 20-athlete varsity roster. “I like to know where we stand after each round, good or bad. It doesn’t really affect anything, because we still have to go out and do our best.”
Hudson now has finished either first or second in Division 4 for eight straight years, with six titles.
This year’s team – which featured six seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen – took a little bit longer to get rolling, with its highest scores of the season coming in victories at the District and Regional.
In addition to Bloomer and Hawkins, the other returning all-stater for Hudson was junior Jayla Bright. Senior Kayden Rogers made second team all-state in 2023, and senior Paige Clark and junior Courtney Rodifer were honorable mention.
“There is always so much pressure on us, every year, so it’s amazing to overcome that and win it again,” said Hawkins.
The Tigers’ other seniors were Callia Cooper and Eliza Pack.
The last team to win a Division 4 title before Hudson’s five-year streak was Pewamo-Westphalia, which was back in the mix Friday and finished second for the third time over the past five years – despite having just one senior, returning second team all-stater Sophia Simon.
The Pirates used an inspired Round 3 performance to rally past Michigan Center and capture the runner-up hardware.
“We have such a young team, and they have put their blood, sweat and tears into this season,” said P-W coach Staci Myers, who completed her 17th year leading the program. “They knocked it out of the park in that third round, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
The Pirates, who were led by Simon and sophomore returning honorable mention all-stater Karsyn Simmon, won District and Regional crowns leading up to Friday’s strong finish.
Merrill placed fourth and Sanford Meridian was fifth Friday.
PHOTOS (Top) Hudson competes during Friday’s Division 4 Final at CMU. (Middle) Pewamo-Westphalia competes on the way to finishing runner-up. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)