Sunday,
March 6, 2005

Chippewa Hills wraps up first-ever regional
title

By Morning
Sun Sports

COOPERSVILLE — The
new kid on the block can sometimes turn into quite a bully.

Chippewa Hills, in its first year of being a competitive cheer
team, bullied its way to the school's first regional title – of any kind
– since 1999.

"I really can't put in words how exciting this is,“ Chip Hills coach Jenna Ruddell said. "The
girls have really worked so hard for this.“

The Warriors won the Class B regional with a score of 704.5
beating second place Sparta
which finished with a 699.5.

Chippewa Hills got things started in the first round when it
posted a 194 – for an 11-point lead over favorite Comstock Park.

"We knew coming in that we needed to get a big lead in the
fist round,“ Ruddell said. "We know that
our second round isn't as strong as some of the other schools and we feel our
third round is as strong, if not stronger than anyone else's.“

The Warriors proved their point with a 310 in the final round
which iced the victory.

"We just have lots and lots of dedication from the kids and
parents,“ Ruddell said. "It takes a
community to build a program and we just have great involvement.“

With the win, the Warriors advance to the state finals on
Saturday at the DeltaPlex. The Class B finals begin at 10 a.m.

Oilers finish third

GRAND RAPIDS — The third time will not be the charm for the Mt. Pleasant
High School competitive
cheer team.

The Oilers failed to finish in the top two of Saturday's
regional at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills
High School – taking third
behind Grandville and Rockford.

Mt. Pleasant scored 689.5 after
tallying 187.5 in the first round, with a seven-point deduction, 196 in the
second round and 306 in the third round. Perennial power Grandville scored 729
while Rockford
finished with 717.

After advancing to the state finals the past two years, the
Oilers were looking for a third straight trip to the finals but came up short.

"Obviously we are disappointed,“
MPHS coach Kristi LaFleur said. "It's too bad for the girls but I'm really
happy with how we finished.“

LaFleur said the Oilers' third round was the best they have
performed all season long.

"We didn't have one bobble in the third round,“ LaFleur said. "We had coaches from other
schools telling us how great our third round was but we were scored the third
best – I've been around a long time and I know that it is very hard to
win in Grand Rapids against Grand Rapids teams.“