Stoney Creek cheerleading wins school’s first state championship

By Sue Teggart
C & G Sports Writer

It’s not often that teams get to make history, but that’s exactly what Rochester Hills Stoney Creek’s competitive cheer team did by winning the school’s first-ever state championship.

The Cougars captured the MHSAA state title March 6, topping the field at the Division 1 state finals in Grand Rapids with 797.2064 points.

East Kentwood was second in the final (795.8536), followed by Hudsonville (793.6236), defending champion Rochester High (792.3760), Utica Stevenson (782.4392), Holland West Ottawa (782.3408), Hartland (779.2344) and Lake Orion High (778.9048) in the eight-team field.

“It’s still a little bit unreal,” said Stoney Creek coach Tricia Williams the day after winning the championship. “There wasn’t really a favorite in this year’s competition, so we knew we had a shot. It’s still just a little unbelievable that we came away with the state championship.”

Stoney Creek had several top finishes during the season, including the Oakland Activities Association Red Division league meet Feb. 6, but none were bigger than winning their first regional title Feb. 27.

The Cougars road the wave of momentum from regionals straight into the finals.

“They really were motivated to make sure they did not slack off at all the whole week leading up to the state finals,” Williams said.
Before this year, the Cougars’ best finish in the state final was fourth in 2008. Last season, the squad finished sixth.

How they did it
Mighty Rochester High held the lead entering the third round, almost a point ahead of East Kentwood and four points ahead of Stoney Creek.

“It was very close,” Williams said. “It seemed this year, more than any year, it came down to that stunt round.”

The Cougars collected 320.8 points in Round 3 — the second highest in the round behind Hudsonville’s 321.

“We’ve been getting pretty consistent and solid with our Round 3, and the girls just were really motivated to do their best performance … and they were able to pull it off at the time they needed it most,” Williams said.

“When we kept going, it became so solid, and we became so confident with it,” senior Riley Frenak said about the squad’s Round 3 performance.

When all was said and done, only 19 points separated the field in the final standings, and fewer than four points separated the top four teams.

After having some time to let the win sink in, Williams said the Cougars are honored to be the first squad at the school to win a state title, while also making an impact in the cheer community.

“Everyone had that drive to get it done this year,” Frenak said. “We were just ready to come out on top and make a name for ourselves.”

Williams added that it is rewarding to know that her young program has found its own place in a community it shares with “a phenomenal dynasty” in Rochester High.

 “It really is something neat to be out from under their shadow,” she said.

‘Fightin’ for it
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s squad finished eighth with 728.0384 points in Division 4. The Fighting Irish started their postseason run with a third-place finish in districts and a fourth place at the Feb. 27 regional.

You can reach Sports Writer Sue Teggart at steggart@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1107.