Kentwood grabs competitive cheer title

Sunday,
January 08, 2006

By
Scott Jones

The Grand Rapids Press

GRANDVILLE -- In an event that
featured four of the top 10 teams in the state in Class A, it was East Kentwood that emerged on top.

The No. 3 Falcons took the Class A
Division 1 title Saturday at the 13th annual Grandville Invitational with a
three-round total of 728.1 points.

West Ottawa finished second with 720.5 points,
while host Grandville placed third with 719.5.

"Regardless of the score, we
were so thrilled with our performance today," said East
Kentwood assistant coach Stephanie Stephenson.

"Obviously Grandville and West Ottawa are great competitors and any day it could
be anybody's game and today was ours."

The Falcons won for the second time
this season by winning round two Round 2 and finishing second to West Ottawa in the third round by just half a point.

"Our Round 2 was really
strong," East Kentwood head coach Stacy
Sheler said.

"It's a great way to start the
season, it the best we've ever started off. We usually build as the season
goes on so to start off here is something."

It was a disappointing finish for
No. 2 Grandville, which had won its own invitational the previous three
years.

"I like our material, it's
just that it's going to be like that, you know," Grandville coach Julie
Smith-Boyd said. "The sport of competitive cheer is getting closer, all
the teams in our conference. You're going to pretty much have to be perfect
so that's what we're going to strive for."

In other competition, Mount Pleasant won the
Class A Division 2 championship with 655.6 total points. Mona Shores
(599.5) and Mattawan (593.9) finished second and third, respectively.

In the Class B competition,
Chesaning took the Division 1 crown with 710.4 points. Wyoming Park
was fourth in Division 1B with 665.8. Gull Lake
ran away with the Division 2B title with 670.4 points, placing ahead of
Allendale (582.2) and Catholic Central (566.9).

Pewamo-Westphalia won the morning's
Class C-D title with a 623.5 final score.