Second place was just fine for Pewamo-Westphalia’s competitive cheer team at the state finals.
In the meet at the Delta Plex in Grand Rapids on March 2, Pewamo-Westphalia, the 2008 and 2010 Division 4 state champions, settled for second place for the third straight season behind three-peat champion Michigan Center.
Merrill finished in fourth place.
Michigan Center wound up with a three-round score of 731.26, P-W was at 727.2, and Hudson third at 723.70. Merrill’s score was 719.38, while fifth-place Munising had 717.74.
Coach Staci Myers completed her sixth year with the Pirates, a team which featured one senior, one freshman, and seven sophomores. “I think they did great, I’m super proud of them,” she said. “We came into this super excited and worked hard this this week. They came out and performed their best in all three rounds. They came out with second place, and I couldn’t be more happy.”
Briannne Schafer was the lone senior and Audrey Pohl the only freshman. The sophomores were Kim English, Marylou Hengesbach, Jillian Jegla, Alyssa Platte, Sarah Spitzley, Hannah Trierwieler, and Kelseah Trimmer.
Schafer completed her fourth year on the varsity. “I’m so happy because I’m really proud of what we’ve done this season,” she said. “I’m happy we got a trophy. That was my goal. We were confident. After Round 2 hit, we were excited because our Round 3 was good.”
Having been in the state finals in previous years was a boost. “I don’t get as nervous as I get excited,” Schafer said.
Michigan Center has been a tough team for the Pirates to beat.
“We’ve had strong competition against them,” Myers said. “It just pushes our team to work harder. We work hard every practice, and they know what they have to do to get here.”
Myers was happy with her team’s Round 3, which includes stunts and mounts.
“They’re showing they can keep up with past alumni, and that really helps,” Myers said. “My girls performed every round the best they could.”
The key to getting second place “was hitting every single round,” Myers said. “They went out there excited. They hit everything and performed like they wanted to be here and pledged their heart and soul into everything.”
Merrill coach Courtney Schiller just finished her ninth season with the team. She had no seniors; juniors Alexis Coppens, Paige Glazier, and Alanna Peak; sophomore Vyky Lamblin; and freshmen Samantha Brandi, Karli Good, Megan Playford, and Ashley Rich.
“I’m happy with fourth place,” Schiller said. “We have a young team. They put their hearts out there today. We finished fourth place last year, too. This year, points-wise, we were a lot closer to first place. I’m happy we closed that gap.”
The obvious goal in the future for Merrill will be to place higher.
“We never have a large team, but the kids that we have are very dedicated,” Schiller said. “I think the program will be strong in years to come.”
“I’m happy, fourth place is a good spot,” Glazier said. “A lot of teams don’t make it that far.”
Round 1 was her team’s best performance, Glazier indicated.
It was Glazier’s third year at the state finals. “You know what to expect and it doesn’t get you as nervous,” she said. “We worked really hard.”