Sunday,
March 13, 2005

Huskies unleashed

Breckenridge wins second straight state cheer
title

By DREW ELLIS

Sun Sports Writer

Breckenridge High
School Competitive Cheer coach Deb Gaines, front, holds the state
championship trophy her team collected at Grand Rapids, Saturday, while team
members cheer their victory.

GRAND
RAPIDS — To cheer fans, Breckenridge
and Pewamo-Westphalia is like the Yankees and Red Sox or Duke and North Carolina
basketball.

The two heated rivals met once again Saturday in the Class C/D
state finals at the Deltaplex, with the Huskies taking home their
second-straight championship, beating the Pirates 694.5 to 677.

"It's nice to have what we have with (P-W),“ Breckenridge head coach Deb Gaines said.
"They're always a top competitor, so it makes for a nice rivalry. It's a
lot of fun to beat a team like that, but it is always a challenge to beat them.“

The Pirates struck first in the meet, taking a 188.5-185 lead
over the Huskies in round one. Breckenridge took over in the second round,
scoring a 207.5, where P-W scored just a 193.5. The Huskies then sealed the win
with a 302 in round three, while the Pirates scored a 295.

"It's such a good feeling to know that you went out and did
the very best you could,“ lone Huskie senior, Amanda Guthrie, said. "We left it all
out on the mat today, and that is all I could ask of my team.“

During the meet, the two teams would not acknowledge one
another, letting their performances do their talking. However, once the results
were announced, both teams showed their respect for one another, applauding
their respective efforts.

"There are a lot of good luck wishes backstage,“ Gaines said of the Pirates and Huskies. "But,
it's like a good lucky and we are going to be a little bit better than you. We
both have a desire to win so much that we are very competitive on the mat, but
off the mat, we have a lot of respect for one another.“

The rival between the two has been going strong since 2000, when
the Huskies won their first state championship, with the Pirates finishing
second. Since then, the two teams have finished first and second in every state
finals, with the Huskies winning five of the last six.

"This is the biggest rivalry in competitive cheerleading,“ Pirate coach Kami Neal
said. "I think the two teams just keep each other going. We both think we
are outstanding and think we are the best. We each seem to have the drive to
want to beat one another.“

Neal is in just her second year as coach of the Pirates, taking
over for Sherry Fedewa, who retired in 2003 after her
team beat the Huskies by one-half point for the state championship, 702.5-702.

"I don't think anything will ever make up for that,“ Gaines said of the 2003 defeat. "That half a
point still burns and is still there. I don't think that is something we will
ever forget about.“

Adding to the rivalry is the fact that Neal was once a member of
the Breckenridge cheer team, and now coaches its biggest rival.

"I have a great relationship with Deb,“
Neal added. "I am just trying to apply what she taught me to my team.
There is a reason she has succeeded like she has, she is a heck of a coach.“

The Pirates have won six championships since 1994, including
four-straight from 94-97. Now, the Pirates have had to play second fiddle to
the Huskies, who have now built a cheering dynasty with their five titles in six
years.

"The nice thing has been to new people that have come out
to cheer us on,“ Gaines said of the
championships. "We are still making believers out of people every year and
that is the most enjoyable thing about all this.“

With just one senior departing from the team, the Huskies should
be the favorite again next season as Gaines looks to win three-straight titles
and six overall. But, Gaines will stop to enjoy number five for a little while
first.

"I am going to have to start asking parents about tryouts,“ Gaines joked. "I am going to take a little
vacation, then I guess it will be back to work.“