MOUNT PLEASANT – In the moment before Pontiac Notre Dame Prep started its final routine of the season, as thousands of fans waited in hushed anticipation, coach Jocelyn Welsh said three words from the coaching podium through tears:

“One last time.”

It was the final performance of Round 3 on Saturday at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena, and the Fighting Irish delivered another powerhouse routine to clinch their second-consecutive Division 3 title and seventh in school history.

Welsh’s emotional words certainly registered with her team on the mat.

“When she said that and got choked up, it brought all of our emotions together,” said NDP senior Maddie Rennwald. “At that moment, I just knew that we were going to be state champs.”

Notre Dame Prep, which won five consecutive Division 3 titles from 2014 to 2018, delivered the best score of the eight competing schools in all three rounds.

Despite posting a season-best total score of 787.84 (more than eight full points better than any other team), the Irish were not the most excited team on Saturday – not by a long shot.

That was definitely Armada, which used an incredible Round 3 performance to rise from fourth place to second, earning the Tigers their first “mitten” – the nickname given to the MHSAA team trophy for champions and runners-up, which is a wooden cutout in the shape of Michigan.

Armada, which is located in the Thumb and placed third at both Districts and Regionals behind perennial powers Notre Dame Prep and Richmond, had never placed higher than fourth at the Finals.

“We told our girls that they had to step up and force a change, because in our meets it’s always the same two teams at the top,” said 10th-year Armada coach Deanna Misiak. “I’m just so happy because we tell our girls that their hard work will pay off and, today, it happened.”

Armada finished second with 779.04 points, followed by Grosse Ile (777.50) and Richmond (769.48).

The huddled Tigers broke into hysterics when Grosse Ile was announced as third place, meaning their impressive final round had moved them up to the best Finals finish in school history.

“When we realized we got second, we were all like: ‘Is this real life? Is this actually happening right now?’” said Armada’s Abby Groen, one of just five seniors on a 25-member team which features 18 sophomores or freshmen. “This is a huge stepping stone for Armada cheer, for sure.”

Notre Dame Prep senior flyer Jenna Robin said her team was extremely motivated to repeat as champion, especially after the Irish had finished second in four of the previous six seasons.

“Our goal was to prove to everybody that we really are the best team in the state, and we couldn’t do that by dropping back to second,” said Robin. “Even though we had the lead today, we wanted to do our best each round and make that gap even bigger.”

Robin and junior Eva Thomas were both returning first team all-staters for NDP, while Rennwald, junior Sadie Shook and sophomore Holly Haras were all honorable mention selections.

Welsh, who is in her third season as head coach after serving as an assistant at Division 1 power Rochester Adams, noted that this championship was especially satisfying for her, as the Irish had to rebuild after losing a standout group of seniors from last year’s team.

The Irish, who do not compete in a conference, finished second to Richmond at Districts, but then won their Regional by more than six points and the Finals by almost nine.

“It was more of a gradual climb for us this season,” said Welsh, who is assisted by Alivia Tate and Shelley McGuire. “We had to replace about half of the girls in every round, so it took a little time, but they were ready and confident today.”

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