Notre Dame Prep Takes Final Cheer Step
March 1, 2014
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – Redemption was sweet for the Pontiac Notre Dame Prep competitive cheer team.
The Fighting Irish finished runners-up at last year’s Division 3 Final, but topped the eight-team field Saturday at The DeltaPlex and collected the program’s first MHSAA title.
Notre Dame Prep, making its fifth appearance at the Finals, registered a three-round total of 764.04.
Comstock Park placed runner-up with a 759.68, while Grosse Ile (749.69) was third. Two-time reigning champion Richmond (735.46) finished fourth.
“This feels great because the kids have done nothing but work every minute for this since this time last year,” Notre Dame Prep coach Beth Campbell said. “They made up their minds that we were going to come back and win this year and they did just that. Once you get that close, you want the rest, and they were awesome.”
Notre Dame Prep senior Maggie Crowe said the team used last year’s narrow loss to Richmond as motivation.
“This is probably the best feeling I’ve ever experienced in all of high school,” Crowe said. “We worked our butts off for 10 months, and everything we wanted to come true came true today.
“To come close last year, it was a ridiculous source of drive. It was a fueling fire, and we remembered how that felt.”
Fellow senior Lauren Sadowski admired the shiny medal that signified the team’s major accomplishment.
“I’m at a loss for words right now of how amazing this feels to be able to look at this gold medal in my hand and know that it’s mine,” Sadowski said. “Everything we have in our school says, ‘runner-up’, and it is so gratifying to see that it is going to change to ‘state champs.”
Comstock Park recorded its fourth runner-up finish in the last seven years under longtime coach Kathy Felty. The Panthers won MHSAA titles in 2009 and 2011.
“The girls performed great today,” Felty said. “We had new uniforms and they looked awesome, and this was a very talented team with a lot of heart.
“People look and see them crying, but we’re happy with how we did and they’re crying because it’s the last time they will be able to do this with the group together.”
The push for the championship turned into a three-team race after the opening round.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep tallied a score of 229.9 to grab the early lead, while Grosse Ile (226.5) and Comstock Park (226.4) were within striking distance.
“Our goal in Round 1 was to come out and set the tone,” Campbell said. “It was great to see us up three right after Round 1.”
The Fighting Irish increased the advantage in Round 2, posting a high score of 223.84.
The Panthers recorded the second-highest score (220.88) and moved into second, while the Red Devils slipped to third.
Comstock Park delivered a stirring Round 3 effort and scored a 312.4, putting the pressure squarely on Notre Dame Prep to duplicate.
The Fighting Irish responded with a 310.3 to secure the title.
“I think we outscored everybody, but we just couldn’t make up that six points,” Felty said. “But we had three freshmen and a sophomore out there, so we’re happy about that.”
PHOTOS: (Top) New MHSAA Division 3 champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep performs its Round 2 routine Saturday. (Middle) Comstock Park scored 312.4 points in Round 3 to finish runner-up. (Click for action and team photos from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Reigning Champ Croswell-Lexington Rises to Meet Challenge Again
March 2, 2024
MOUNT PLEASANT – Alexis Bales could feel the challenge all around her Saturday afternoon.
A year ago, Croswell-Lexington had come to McGuirk Arena seeking its first MHSAA Finals competitive cheer championship, and pushed past two of the most successful programs in state history to claim it – by a mere seven-tenths of a point.
And as Bales and her teammates prepared to take the mat this time, she sensed this one wouldn’t come any easier.
“All the teams came in so much harder this year, and there was really a lot of competition,” she said. “Just seeing everybody in the warm-up room, there’s a lot of these good teams. You see them, it radiates. You can definitely feel that.”
No doubt, Croswell-Lexington gave off the same competitive vibe – and then backed it up again. Just like last year, the Pioneers entered Round 3 of the Division 3 Final chasing the lead. And just like last year, Cros-Lex delivered the day’s best third round to push into first place – this time by four-tenths of a point ahead of Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
The Pioneers scored 782.52, followed by NDP at 782.12 and Grosse Ile at 781.34. Cros-Lex scored a 319.60 in Round 3 to make up a half-point deficit on the Fighting Irish and hold on for the win.
Only a few teams competing in any of this weekend’s four divisions could match the Pioneers’ returning star power, as Bales was joined this season by seniors Shelby Oliver, Cora Katulski and Makayla Rice and junior Kaleigh Kelch as all-state first-teamers from 2023 with senior Grace Hodges and junior Maggie Wallace also back this season after making the second team a year ago.
They wanted to prove they could win it all again.
“Last year was just the building of confidence and believing we could,” Cros-Lex coach Katie Tomlinson said. “It was such an experience last year, and this year was a whole different mindset going in and just truly using that for every single competition. Today’s goal was just hit their best and do their absolute best today, and that’s exactly what they did. We were proud just for that moment alone.”
Cros-Lex and Grosse Ile both scored 234.50 in Round 1 on Saturday to trail Notre Dame Prep by nine tenths of a point. The Pioneers made back four tenths of deficit with a meet-best 228.42 for Round 2 as all three of those contenders reached 228 points and pulled away from the pack – setting up plenty of anticipation for Round 3.
“I came off the mat with my team for Round 3, and were just so satisfied with the season,” Oliver said. “We kinda know when a team is on our heels, but our coaches do a good job of just encouraging us and just telling us to push through and give it our all and be the best on the day.”
Armada, also from Cros-Lex’s Blue Water Area Conference, finished fourth Saturday in its first trip to the Finals since 2015. Paw Paw was next, followed by Portland, Howard City Tri County and Lake Odessa Lakewood.
PHOTOS (Top) Croswell-Lexington completes a routine during Saturday’s Division 3 Final at Central Michigan University. (Middle) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep competes on the way to finishing second. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)