D1 Preview: Adams' Title Streak Up Against Field of Past Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 3, 2022
Rochester Adams has risen above the rest of Division 1 to win the last two Finals championships, and few would argue with the Highlanders as at least one of the favorites heading into Friday’s season-ending competition.
But the Grand Rapids Delta Plex also will welcome back the two most successful championship winners in Division 1/Class A history, plus four more teams that have finished first or second at this event over the last decade and an eighth team that came in third only two seasons ago.
Division 1 competition begins at 6 p.m. Friday. Tickets cost $10 and may be bought at the Delta Plex, and all four Finals will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and viewable with a subscription. More information, including the spectator seating chart, is posted at MHSAA.com.
Below is a look at all eight finalists:
GRAND BLANC
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League.
Coach: Christina Swansey, 11th season
Championship history: Seeking first top-two Finals finish.
Top score: 790.92.
Team composition: 24 total (six seniors, eight juniors, six sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: The Bobcats finished fourth last season, their fourth straight finish among the top five in Division 1, and they could make another run this weekend at a first top-two finish after coming in third in 2020. They won their District and Regional the last two weeks going over 786 points at both. Seniors Adrianna Fuller and Isabella Haber are returning all-state first teamers, senior Jackie Kloph made the second team last season and junior Nevaeh Keller earned honorable mention.
GRANDVILLE
League finish: Third in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Julie Smith-Boyd, 41st season
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), 10 runner-up finishes.
Top score: 785.6.
Team composition: 25 total (eight seniors, two juniors, 14 sophomores, one freshman).
Outlook: Grandville returned to the Finals after a season away in 2021 and claimed its 16th top-two finish, placing second – its highest since 2016. This season’s team has posted its top two scores over its last two competitions, winning its District and finishing third at its Regional. Senior Elyse Friberg made the all-state first team last season, seniors Cece Duffy, Santana Duffy and Ashley Lam made the second, and senior Alexis Parker and sophomore Lexsee Pawloski earned honorable mentions.
HARTLAND
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association Gold
Coach: Candace Fahr, fifth season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2013.
Top score: 787.16 at Regional
Team composition: 26 total (one senior, nine juniors, 12 sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Hartland missed the Finals last season but is back for the third time in four years – contending this time but also likely building for the next few with large junior and sophomore classes anchoring the roster. The Eagles have scored 782 or higher four of their last five competitions. Junior Lily Pies earned an all-District honorable mention in 2021.
HUDSONVILLE
League finish: Second in O-K Red
Coach: Andrea Crowley, fifth season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2012.
Top score: N/A but did score 783.94 at Regional
Team composition: 29 total (12 seniors, 13 sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Hudsonville is back at the Finals for the first time since 2017, following a sizable senior class after just missing with a fifth-place Regional finish last season. The Eagles finished only 38 hundredths of a point off the lead at their District two weeks ago, also scoring better than 780 points at that meet. Seniors Jadyn Jarosch, Ava Ham and Amanda White all earned all-Regional recognition in 2021.
PLYMOUTH
League finish: Third in KLAA Gold.
Coach: Samantha Koehler, seventh season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2020.
Top score: 787.98 at District.
Team composition: 31 total (11 seniors, eight juniors, eight sophomores, four freshmen)
Outlook: Plymouth has been in the championship mix the last two seasons finishing third last year and second in 2020. The Wildcats won their District two weeks ago by nearly eight points, and their 787.16 at the Regional was their second-highest score this winter. Senior Allison Cassar is a returning two-time all-state first teamer, while Avery Maruszewski and Natalia Muzquiz Inda made the second team in 2021 and senior Hailey Tocco and junior Lexi Macyda earned honorable mentions.
ROCHESTER
League finish: Third in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Susan Wood, 41st season
Championship history: 14 MHSAA titles (most recent 2017), four runner-up finishes.
Top score: 789.9 at District
Team composition: 25 total (nine seniors, nine juniors, four sophomores, three freshmen)
Outlook: The MHSAA record holder for most Finals championships in this sport is back after a 2021 season derailed by COVID-19, and with plenty of power having nearly reached 790 points at both the District and Regional. The Falcons are made up mostly of upperclassmen and do have Finals experience on which to draw, with senior Holly McDonald an all-state second teamer and senior Isabella Olivares earning honorable mention when the team finished fifth in 2020.
ROCHESTER ADAMS
League finish: First in OAA Red.
Coach: Brooke Miller, eighth season
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2021 and 2020, three runner-up finishes.
Top score: 792.16 at District.
Team composition: 25 total (nine seniors, 10 juniors, six sophomores).
Outlook: Adams has moved from a back-to-back runner-up in 2018 and 2019 to a back-to-back champion the last two seasons, clearing the field last winter by nearly eight points. And that said, they have two scores this season higher than their highest heading into Finals weekend a year ago, posting them to win District and Regional titles. Senior Gigi Schultz made the all-state first team last season, while seniors Christina Truszkowski, Sabrina Lee and Destini Dorkins made the second team and junior Emma Maynard earned an honorable mention.
ROCHESTER HILLS STONEY CREEK
League finish: Second in OAA Red.
Coach: Tricia Williams, 19th season
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2019 and 2010.
Top score: 790.30 at District.
Team composition: 21 total (nine seniors, three juniors, eight sophomores, one freshman).
Outlook: Stoney Creek returned to the Finals last season and finished eighth, and its best score this season is nearly two points better than this time a year ago. The Cougars have scored 781 or better at eight competitions and 787 or higher three of their last four. Seniors Ella DeGraw, Rachael Kim and Jenna Lanfear earned all-Regional recognition last season.
PHOTO Rochester Adams competes during Round 2 of last season’s Division 1 Finals at Breslin Center. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Hanover-Horton Caps Rapid Rise with Season-Best Score to Clinch 1st Title
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2025
MOUNT PLEASANT – Alexyn DuBois started preparing to be a competitive cheer state champion before she was born.
“My mom has been a coach for 25 years, so in the womb I was literally cheering,” said DuBois, a senior all-stater for Hanover-Horton.
“It’s been a part of my whole life, so to go out as a state champion, with my mom as my coach, is a dream come true.”
The DuBois mother-daughter combination was a key part of a truly amazing turnaround story, as Hanover-Horton – which never made it to the Competitive Cheer Finals before last season (when it finished sixth) – broke through with a decisive victory in the Division 4 Final on Friday at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena.
Hanover-Horton, which finished second behind Pewamo-Westphalia at their Regional, flipped the script, taking the lead after Round 1 and continuing to build the lead over the next two rounds.
The Comets posted a season-best score of 772.68 – 4.28 points better than their previous-best score – to hold off P-W (765.62).
Sanford Meridian (757.96) took third, and Hudson (752.66) placed fourth – ending the Tigers’ streak of five consecutive D4 titles.
“We needed to set the tone early, and we did that,” said Hanover-Horton coach Sarah DuBois, who is in her fourth year as the Comets’ coach after a successful 21-year run at nearby Vandercook Lake. “Starting strong gave our girls the feeling that this could be our day.”
Hanover-Horton, which had eight seniors on its 21-athlete roster, held a one-tenth of a point lead over P-W after Round 1, but Coach DuBois said it was the team’s emphasis all last week on Round 2 which proved to be the difference.
The Comets extended the lead to more than five full points with a powerhouse Round 2 performance.
“Round 2 was what cost us last week at Regionals, so we had to pull that up,” said DuBois, who brought in some of her former athletes from her days at Vandercook Lake last week to work with the team. “We really fine-tuned Round 2, and that was huge.”
Alexyn DuBois, also a standout pitcher on the Comets’ softball team who has committed to pitch at Spring Arbor next year, is the team’s leader and only returning first-team all-stater. Senior Maddy Sauber was second-team all-state, and senior Reyna Collins was honorable mention in 2024.
DuBois was a team captain, along with fellow seniors Delainey Cottrell and Sophie Schuette.
The seniors really helped the Comets elevate their game to a championship level this winter. After posting a top score of 739.86 last year, they finished this season topping 760 points in all of their final four competitions, including going over the 770 plateau on Friday.
“We knew we had to come out today and breathe fire,” explained Cottrell. “That’s what our team motto was. That’s what we needed to do to beat all of these other good teams.”
Other seniors for Hanover-Horton were Lexi VanGelder, Trinity Jones and Madison Gillett.
Pewamo-Westphalia, which came in as the favorite after a dominating victory at Regionals, couldn’t produce the same magic at CMU.
The Pirates placed second for the fourth time over the past six years, since their last title won in 2019.
“The girls are disappointed, but they put in three amazing rounds, so I’m not disappointed at all,” said P-W coach Staci Myers.
The other storyline coming into Friday was Hudson’s attempt to tie a state record with six consecutive Finals titles. The Tigers couldn’t overcome a slow start, ensuring Gibraltar Carlson’s place atop the MHSAA record book with six consecutive titles won from 2011 to 2016.
On this day, in a sport which is traditionally dominated by powerhouse programs, it was time for Cascades Conference champion Hanover-Horton to rule the state as well and join that elite group.
“Taking second at Regionals was a driving force for us to get better,” explained Alexyn DuBois. “During our cheer, we say ‘etched in stone.’ Today it was our turn to etch our school’s name in stone.”
PHOTOS (Top) Hanover-Horton raises its championship trophy Saturday at McGuirk Arena. (Middle) Pewamo-Westphalia competes during the Division 4 Final.