Refusing to Settle for Less Than Best, Stoney Creek Shines to Complete 3-Peat
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 6, 2026
MOUNT PLEASANT – It really hadn’t been Rochester Hills Stoney Creek’s year going into the MHSAA Finals.
The Cougars were the two-time reigning Division 1 champions, but they didn’t win their conference or their District or their Regional.
But on the biggest stage of all at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena, the Cougars delivered once again.
Stoney Creek, which entered the postseason ranked No. 5, used another clutch performance in Round 3 to “three-peat” as Division 1 champion with 789.94 points – once again barely edging neighboring rivals Rochester (789.52) and Rochester Adams (789.16).
“Things haven’t been going our way this year, but these girls never stopped believing in themselves,” said 23rd-year Stoney Creek coach Tricia Williams, who won her fifth Finals championship.
“They peaked at the state finals, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
It looked for a while that the Division 1 title might go to a West Michigan school for the first time since 2015, as Grandville held the lead after Round 1 and Round 2 before struggling in the final round and finishing fifth (785.56).
Brighton was also right in the mix in third place heading into the final round, but backed up a spot to fourth (788.58).
It was in the “money round” of Round 3, as has so often been the case in past years, where the three Rochester schools pulled away with their complex and more difficult routines – much to the delight of the rabid fan bases from each school.
Rochester posted the best Round 3 score of 321.80 to jump from fifth place up to second. Adams turned in a 321.00 to move from fourth to third place.
That just left Stoney Creek, going last in the final round for the second consecutive year, to see if it could do enough to hold off its rivals. The Cougars posted the same score as Adams, 321.00, to win by 0.42 over Rochester.
“I think the reason that we won today is because we didn’t win at Districts and Regionals,” said Stoney Creek’s Audrey Harvath, one of 13 seniors on the 26-athlete roster.
“We knew we had to keep climbing. We looked at each of our rounds in slow motion and tried to find every little thing that we could possibly improve, and that made the difference.”
Harvath was one of three returning first-team all-staters for the Cougars, along with fellow seniors Mia Badalucco and Natalie Marco.
Seniors Taylor Brandimarte and Kendall Keller and sophomore Kate Kacy were second team all-state last season, while senior Cassidy Niester and Isabel Williams were honorable mention.
It was not only the third-straight championship for Stoney Creek, but the eighth straight for a Rochester school and the 10th in 11 years – with Stoney Creek winning four and Adams and Rochester three each. The only non-Rochester school to win the title in Division 1 during that stretch was Sterling Heights Stevenson in 2018.
“At the end of the day, we are grateful to be in each other’s backyards because it forces us to keep getting better,” said fourth-year Rochester coach Samantha Dean. “What can I say, it came down to tenths of a point again. We can say we had the best Round 3 in the state, which is certainly something to be proud of.”
The three schools have battled each other for the last three Saturdays, with each of them winning a title – Adams at Districts, Rochester at Regionals and Stoney Creek at the Finals.
It was truly a bittersweet moment as those 13 Stoney Creek seniors lingered on the McGuirk Arena floor long after most of the fans had filed out.
The Cougars became the 13th competitive cheer program in MHSAA history to win at least three Finals championships in a row.
“Going for back-to-back was hard enough, and we knew trying to get three in a row would be even harder against some powerhouse competition,” said Harvath. “It obviously took every last ounce of energy that we had.”
D1 Preview: Rochester Seeks Perfection
March 3, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Rochester finished mere points short in 2015 from earning an MHSAA record 13th Finals championship.
If Friday goes the same as the rest of this season so far, the Falcons this time will celebrate another title – and a perfect season as well.
Following are glances at all eight Division 1 teams competing at the Grand Rapids DeltaPlex beginning at 6 p.m. Previews for Divisions 2, 3 and 4 will be published Friday morning and early afternoon. All four Finals will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and viewable on a subscription basis.
EAST KENTWOOD
Rank: No. 5.
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Co-coaches: Stacy Geerts, 15th season.
Championship history: Two runner-up finishes (most recent 2010).
Top score: 787.80.
Team composition: 26 total (five seniors, nine juniors, eight sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: East Kentwood is back at the Finals for the first time since its runner-up finish in 2010; the Falcons also were runners-up in 2004. East Kentwood also won its fourth league and third District title in five seasons after missing out on both last season. The Falcons have finished first or second in seven straight events, scoring 780 points or higher in all of them after doing so only once during their first six events, and their top Round 2 score of 231.8 also is tops in any division this season. Senior Ciboney Woods and junior Tyra Hunt made the all-region second team in 2015.
GRANDVILLE
Rank: No. 3.
League finish: First in O-K Red.
Coach: Julie Smith-Boyd, 35th season.
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), eight runner-up finishes.
Top score: 789.90 at District.
Team composition: 30 total (eight seniors, 14 juniors, four sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: After just missing on a championship in 2014, Grandville took the next step last winter to win its first MHSAA title since 2011. The Bulldogs have the top Round 1 (238.7) and 3 (322.0) scores regardless of division this season and an experienced nucleus of upperclassmen despite graduating a strong group last spring. Seniors Mackenzie Brower and Kelsey Russell made the all-state second team last season, and juniors Kayley Schuitema and Daelyn Weir earned honorable mentions.
HUDSONVILLE
Rank: Unranked.
League finish: Third in O-K Red.
Coach: Amanda Isenga, 11th season.
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2012.
Top score: 777.52 at the Regional.
Team composition: 29 total (10 seniors, 11 juniors, three sophomores, five freshmen).
Outlook: Hudsonville is back at the Finals after two seasons away and has been steadily building, increasing its overall score four straight events. The Eagles’ strongest round is Round 3, where its 319.4 top score is tied for seventh-highest in Division 1 this season, and they finished first or second overall in six events. Junior Amanda Adams earned all-district honorable mention last season.
LAKE ORION
Rank: No. 9.
League finish: Fifth in Oakland Activities Association Red.
Coach: Nicole Hills, third season.
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 778.22 in the Regional.
Team composition: 28 total (four seniors, 11 juniors, nine sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Lake Orion emerged after a fifth-place finish in the competitive OAA Red to return to the Finals for the third time under Hills, rising from that league finish to take first in its District and third in its Regional. The Dragons’ top Round 2 score of 229.8 is ninth-best in Division 1, and its best overall score of 780.7 ranks 10th. Senior Destiny Roper and juniors Olivia Duffy and Sydney Johnson both earned all-region second-team honors in 2015, when the team finished fourth at the Finals.
ROCHESTER
Rank: No. 1.
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red.
Coach: Susan Wood, 35th season.
Championship history: Twelve MHSAA titles (most recent 2009), four runner-up finishes.
Top score: 789.84 in the District.
Team composition: 25 total (13 seniors, 12 juniors).
Outlook: Last season’s Final, when Rochester finished 1.47 points from winning the championship, was the last time the team finished lower than first in an event. The Falcons have swept the season so far, posting its first of three scores of 788 or higher in just the third event of the winter. None of Rochester’s round high scores are tops in Division 1 this season, but its average total score of 781.9 is 6.5 points better than the field. Senior Allison Surinck made the all-state first team last season, while senior Gabby Leo made the second and seniors Fallon Franczyk and Kaitlyn Kok earned honorable mentions.
SOUTHGATE ANDERSON
Rank: No. 6.
League finish: Second in Downriver League.
Coach: Stacey Shaw, second season.
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2014).
Top score: 780.74.
Team composition: 29 total (eight seniors, seven juniors, nine sophomores, five freshmen).
Outlook: Anderson missed the Finals last season after winning three straight Division 1 titles from 2012-14, but the Titans are back after winning their District and finishing fourth at their Regional. Shaw was an assistant on the championship teams before being promoted last winter, and she brings a team that has scored fewer than 770 points only once over its last eight events and boasts the fifth-highest average overall score in Division 1 of 768.7. Seniors Amber Droste, Brittany Prister and Cassidy Tear and junior Alana Vallar earned all-region honors a year ago.
STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON
Rank: No. 2.
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red.
Coach: Brianna Verdoodt, 11th season.
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up in 2011.
Top score: 787.34 at the Regional.
Team composition: 28 total (six seniors, seven juniors, 13 sophomores, two freshmen)
Outlook: Stevenson’s Titans returned to the Finals last season and finished seventh, but less than a point out of fifth. They’ve finished first or second in their last nine events, including first at their District and second at their Regional, and lower than second only once this season. The top scores in all three of their rounds rank among the top 10 in Division 1, and Stevenson’s overall average score of 775.4 is second only to Rochester’s. Senior Kenzi Denoff made the all-state second team last season, and sophomore Izzie Nitecki earned honorable mention as freshman.
TROY ATHENS
Rank: No. 8.
League finish: Fourth in OAA Red.
Coach: Stephanie Brosky, 16th season; Kaja Clark, eighth season.
Championship history: Seeking first MHSAA Finals top-two finish.
Top score: 784.90.
Team composition: 21 total (12 seniors, two juniors, three sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: After a season away, Athens is back in the Finals also coming out of the OAA Red, following up league competition with third-place finishes at the District and Regional. The Red Hawks especially shine in Round 3, where their top score of 320.9 is tied for third over all divisions; their average overall score of 768.1 ranks sixth in Division 1. Athens is on a streak of three straight events with scores of at least 774.
PHOTO: Rochester performs its Round 3 routine at last season’s Division 1 Final en route to an overall runner-up finish.