Downriver Dominates Again as Allen Park Leads League's top 3 in 3-Peat
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 5, 2022
GRAND RAPIDS – Allen Park senior captain Adri Carone answered the question before it was even asked.
“It never, ever, ever gets old,” said Carone with a big smile, after helping her team secure its third-consecutive Division 2 championship Saturday morning at the Delta Plex.
“I can honestly say it feels just as amazing every time.”
The Jaguars had their huge throng of fans sweating it out, but another powerhouse Round 3 performance was the difference as Allen Park (791.60) edged upset-minded Downriver League rival Gibralter Carlson (788.02).
Southgate Anderson placed third with 773.54 points, giving the nine-school Downriver League the top three spots in the state in Division 2 – and the same order of finish as the league tournament and last week’s Regional.
Carlson made things interesting by taking the lead by one tenth of a point after Round 1, then still hung within a razor-thin, 0.38 of a point after Round 2.
It came down to a test of physical and mental discipline in the final round, and that’s when Allen Park’s tradition and experience showed through.
“Round 3 has been our strength all year, and that was the case again today,” said veteran Allen Park coach Julie Goodwin, now in her 16th year. “We have amazing stunters who rise to the challenge.”
Carlson went last in the final round and delivered a fantastic performance of its own. The Marauders’ third-round score of 317.30 was more than five points better than six other teams – all but Allen Park.
The Jaguars, going sixth out of the eight teams in the last round, scored a 320.60 – pushing them over 790 points for the sixth time in their last seven competitions.
“I am so proud of this team because we worked so hard this season – day after day after day,” said Cassidy Kuhn, one of two returning senior all-staters for Allen Park, along with Carone. “Today just feels like a dream.”
Kuhn and Carone are two of nine seniors for the Jaguars, who will leave with a runner-up finish as freshmen and championships the past three years. Other seniors were Kirstyn Ferguson, Sharlotte Kehr, Cassidy Reardon, Emily Unger, Makenzy Varner, Mackenzie Waddell and Cara Wischow.
Dearborn Divine Child placed fourth, followed by last year’s runner-up, DeWitt.
First-year Carlson coach Alyssa Tocco knows all about the Allen Park cheer program. Tocco was a standout and 2016 graduate of Allen Park, who coached the past five years at Plymouth before taking over a Gibralter Carlson program which has won 11 Finals titles (the last in 2019) and now has seven runner-up finishes.
“I am so proud of this team because 18 of the 23 girls we brought here are at the state finals for the very first time,” said Tocco, who had just three seniors on the roster. “They truly are the hardest-working team I’ve ever met.”
Goodwin gave a special shoutout to the Allen Park community, which seemingly abandoned town Saturday morning and packed the Delta Plex, shaking the building’s rafters in all three rounds – particularly the pivotal Round 3 as the Jaguars nailed stunt after stunt and landing after landing.
“Our crowd makes us who we are,” said Goodwin, who is assisted by Meaghan Terry, Tina Johnson, Jessica Tremonti, Theresa Couturier and Tera Waddell. “We feed off of them. It takes all of us.”
PHOTOS Allen Park (top) and Gibraltar Carlson (middle) compete during Saturday’s Division 2 Final at Grand Rapids’ Delta Plex. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photo.)
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.