Titans Believe, Achieve Second Straight
March 1, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
GRAND RAPIDS – Southgate Anderson senior Morgan Farrah knew all along her team was capable of repeating as MHSAA Division 1 competitive cheer champion Friday.
But not until just before Round 3 began at the DeltaPlex – as Anderson’s fans chanted “I believe that we will win” from the stands – did she see in her teammates that they believed as well.
And only after it was announced did the Titans know for sure they had edged a close group of contenders at the top to win their second straight title.
“We knew that we had a lot to back up to because we were the state champs, and we knew that the judges were expecting a lot from us,” Farrah said. “We had to give them more than what they were expecting.
“I knew that we were just going to go out there and pour our hearts out to those judges.”
The Titans improved from third place after Round 1 to second after 2 before finishing Round 3 with 780.36 points total to edge runner-up Hartland (778.48) by a mere 1.88. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek also was in contention until the end, finishing third with 777.08 points.
A year ago, Anderson celebrated its first MHSAA cheer title. But history moved fast Friday, and by the end of the evening the Titans were celebrating becoming just the third team in Division 1/Class A history to repeat as champion.
Anderson’s scores over their rounds were 232.7, 228.96 and 318.7, respectively. The Round 3 score was a full point ahead of the competition.
The run is even more impressive considering the team graduated nine after last season, many of whom participated in all three rounds. But as Anderson co-coach Colette Norscia put it, “We figured it out, how to get it done.”
“A lot of hard work. We had nine freshmen, so we had a really young team this year,” co-coach Stacey Shaw added. “And it’s all about just adapting to how everyone works.”
“Lots of times, we think more of them than what they think they can do themselves,” Norscia said. “We just gotta tell them we can. Every single day. … Even today.”
The Titans – champions of the Downriver League, which sent four teams to the Finals this weekend – came into the postseason ranked No. 3 in Division 1. But they also came to Grand Rapids off their lowest finish of the winter – third at the Regional.
Top-ranked Hartland, meanwhile, hoped to follow up Anderson’s 2012 achievement with its own first championship.
By placing second, the Eagles did post their best finish ever. But despite a notably difficult Round 3 that earned the second-best score, and the top-scoring Round 2, Hartland couldn't make up enough ground this time.
However, only three of the team’s 22 athletes graduate this spring.
“We’ve worked really hard, day after day. It’s a dream come true. I couldn’t ask for better,” Hartland coach Amanda Adkins said. “(Winning the title) is always a motivator. These girls are great at pushing themselves, and they always like to set their sights high.”
But Anderson could stand in the way again in 2014. The Titans too have only three seniors.
And the 22 athletes who could return next winter shouldn’t need convincing that they can extend the championship streak to three.
“It’s so much more exciting (this year) because we have worked so hard from day one, because we knew we’d have a young team,” Farrah said.
“I think we had to convince (our younger teammates) a little bit at first. But then we got to them, and they knew they were going to do it, too.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Southgate Anderson competes during Friday's Division 1 championship meet. (Middle) The Titans pose on the DeltaPlex floor with their newest trophy. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Cros-Lex Believes, Achieves in Surpassing Pair of Powers for 1st Finals Title
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 3, 2023
MOUNT PLEASANT – Croswell-Lexington senior Noelle Golda said her team pushed itself to overcome a different challenge every day in practice this season, which gave it the confidence to shock the state Friday afternoon.
That new-found belief allowed the Pioneers to move past two perennial powers and win the Division 3 competitive cheer championship at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant.
It was the first time Croswell-Lexington finished better than fourth at the Cheer Finals, and it was the first time since 2011 that a school other than Richmond or Pontiac Notre Dame Prep won the D3 title.
“Every day we gave ourselves a different type of challenge so that we could feel what it’s like to break through,” explained Golda, one of eight seniors on the 28-athlete roster, as she wiped away happy tears.
“You have to believe in yourself, and you have to be proud of who you are and where you come from. This is amazing for our school.”
Croswell-Lexington won with a score of 776.72, followed by Notre Dame Prep (776.02) and then Richmond (774.96). Grosse Ile, which turned in the best Round 3 score, was fourth (774.92) and Paw Paw fifth (768.22).
Cros-Lex, as the Sanilac County school located in Michigan’s Thumb is popularly known, finished second in the Blue Water Area Conference, second in Districts and third in Regionals. But on the sport’s biggest stage, nobody handled the pressure better than the Pioneers.
Heading into Round 3, Richmond was in the lead with Notre Dame Prep less than a half-point behind. Cros-Lex sat in a familiar position, in third, just behind those two state powers.
But on this day – after watching those two schools repeatedly win District, Regional and Finals trophies in front of them – it was the Pioneers’ turn to win.
“It was really a matter of finally believing in ourselves – not just that we were a good team, but that we were a state championship team,” said eighth-year Pioneers coach Katie Tomlinson. “We have struggled with that for so long, and today we broke through it.”
Richmond and Notre Dame Prep both struggled uncharacteristically in Round 3 under extreme pressure, while Croswell-Lexington, perhaps a little under the radar in third place, was nearly flawless in the final round.
The shocking, come-from-behind triumph was especially sweet for the Pioneers’ eight seniors, who placed fourth, fifth and fourth at the Finals the past three years – which were the best finishes in school history. Those seniors were Golda, Georgia Calegari, Santanna Horning, Alleyna Martinez, Cassidy Seaman, Emma Six, Maria Tabernero and Deborahann White.
When the final scores were read and Notre Dame was announced as second place – leaving only Croswell-Lexington left to be champion – those seniors and all 28 girls burst out in tears of joy and accomplishment.
“We had a good feeling all day,” explained White. “Something just felt different all day than all of those other competitions. Now we know why – it was our day.”
The Pioneers should be strong again next winter, as junior Shelby Oliver made the all-state second team last season, and junior Cora Katulski earned honorable mention.
Notre Dame Prep, which won five straight D3 titles from 2014-2018, improved on its third-place finishes the past two years. That was little consolation, however, as the Fighting Irish fell short of their goal of a sixth Finals championship by seven-tenths of a point.
Richmond, which had its streak of four consecutive championships snapped, put itself in position for No. 5 with outstanding showings in Rounds 1 and 2, but was unable to deliver in the pivotal final round.
“We have some really young kids, and they have had some good days and some rough days,” explained 15th-year Richmond coach Kelli Matthes. “At the end of the day, the right team won. I’m sad for our kids, but I am truly happy for (Croswell-Lexington).”
The victory was extra satisfying for Tomlinson, a Croswell-Lexington graduate and former competitive cheerleader at the school, who never made it to the Finals while in high school. She clutched the championship trophy tightly as she talked about the progression of the program, which had just nine athletes in 2016, her first season as coach.
“The turning point for us was getting more girls to come out and get buy-in from the parents,” said Tomlinson, who is assisted by Christi Whitican and Avery Falter. “When we started coming here (to the Finals), our goal changed to trying to make the top three.
“Now we are state champs, and I can’t believe it. Now I guess we just have to go back to the drawing board for next year.”
PHOTOS (Top) Croswell-Lexington competes at Friday’s Division 3 Final on the way to winning its first championship. (Middle) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep moved up a spot from 2022 in finishing runner-up.