Pair of early
exits – Brighton, Hartland can’t crack tough field at cheer regional

By Dan Strawser, DAILY PRESS
& ARGUS, March 1, 2009

Hartland's cheer team competes in the third round
of a regional at Brighton on Saturday. The Eagles and Bulldogs finished out of the running
for next week's state meet, ending a streak of seven trips to the finals
for Hartland, five for Brighton. Photo by MARK A. DULL

BRIGHTON — No room for error.

That's the way Brighton cheer coach Kim Klaus put it.

Three of the teams ranked in the top five in the
state advanced out of a Division 1 regional at Brighton High School Saturday.

Grandville, ranked No. 4, won the
regional with a score of 799.5144. East Kentwood, ranked No. 2, was second
(793.0464), Holland West Ottawa, ranked No. 3, was third (791.9192) and Lake Orion, ranked No. 9, was
fourth (789.9744).

All four of those teams advance to
the state finals next Saturday in Grand Rapids.

Hartland and Brighton finished sixth and eighth,
respectively, out of 12 teams. The Eagles scored 774.7064 points and the Bulldogs
notched 739.8456 points.

"If you look at the teams
that are going to states, they were pretty flawless," Klaus said.

Heading in to the third and final
round, Hartland was in sixth and Brighton was in seventh.

"This year the regional was a
lot tougher because districts were hard," Brighton senior Jenel
Sladewski said. "To make it to states, you
really had to prove it. The competition was really tough. Everyone did their
best. The teams that ended their seasons today,
ended them on a good note. If they made it to states, they deserved to
go."

Hartland lost one of its senior
fliers, Katie Cummings, to an ankle injury Tuesday and had to adjust its
routines accordingly.

"The hardest thing I've ever
had to do was to sit and watch them," Cummings said. "But they blew
me away. They were amazing. I don't think anyone could've expected them to
come together like they did. I'm so proud of all the girls."

(2 of 2)

Freshman
Courtney Thompson was pulled up from the junior varsity team to fill in for
Cummings.

"She
did an outstanding job," Hartland coach Paula Cunningham said.
"They did the best job they could've. I couldn't ask for anything more.
They pulled together this week and worked harder than ever before. Someone
has to lose. They have nothing to be ashamed of."

It was
the first time Hartland did not advance to the state finals since 2002.

"I'm
not disappointed in the team," Hartland senior Lydia Quella said.
"I wouldn't want to be on any other team. We did the best we've ever
done. We did better than we expected considering what happened this
week."

Rallying
after Cummings went down was key for the Eagles.

"Our
team really came together," senior Emily Steinkopf said. "It made
us stronger. We did our best and have no regrets."

For the
Bulldogs, this will be the first time they've missed the state finals since
2004.

"We
had a good day," Klaus said. "Our rounds 1 and 2 couldn't have been
any better. Today was about performing for us and they did a nice job."

Contact
Daily Press & Argus sports reporter Dan Strawser at (517) 552-2860 or by
e-mail at [email-masked].

Freshman Courtney Thompson was pulled up from the
junior varsity team to fill in for Cummings.

"She did an outstanding
job," Hartland coach Paula Cunningham said. "They did the best job
they could've. I couldn't ask for anything more. They pulled together this
week and worked harder than ever before. Someone has to lose. They have nothing
to be ashamed of."

It was the first time Hartland did
not advance to the state finals since 2002.

"I'm not disappointed in the
team," Hartland senior Lydia Quella said.
"I wouldn't want to be on any other team. We did the best we've ever
done. We did better than we expected considering what happened this
week."

Rallying after Cummings went down
was key for the Eagles.

"Our team really came
together," senior Emily Steinkopf said.
"It made us stronger. We did our best and have no regrets."

For the Bulldogs, this will be the
first time they've missed the state finals since 2004.

"We had a good day,"
Klaus said. "Our rounds 1 and 2 couldn't have been any better. Today was
about performing for us and they did a nice job."