Fifty-nine cheer teams competed in seven different categories ranging from middle school through varsity levels at Lake Orion High School last Saturday.
The annual Dragon Invitational was again the biggest high school cheerleading competition in metro-Detroit, with Grandville taking first and Rochester edging Lake Orion for second in Division I varsity action.
‘It was one of my best days in coaching,? said Lake Orion Coach Nancy DeAvila. ‘They responded well to the pressure.?
The Dragons set team-best marks in both round one and round three, en route to a total of 715.6 points.
Grandville scored a 735.5, while defending state champion Rochester finished with 720.5.
The Dragons gained some ground on rival Rochester, a team they placed second to at a OAA I Jamboree on Jan. 24.
‘We lost there to Rochester by 22 points,? DeAvila noted. ‘On Saturday, we were behind Rochester by just four points.?
DeAvila said what really has her excited is that her team has not ‘peaked? yet, meaning there is still room for improvement.
Their third place finish in a field that included six of the top-10 teams (according to last week’s state rankings), has the coach thrilled about the status of the program.
Both the junior varsity and freshman teams finished second to Rochester and all three Lake Orion middle schools placed in the top-five, with Oakview taking first.
‘I thought it was amazing,? DeAvila said of the event. ‘The day was terrific.?
She said a dedicated parent volunteer event staff, led by Crystal English, helped everything run smoothly.
‘She really deserves all the credit,? DeAvila said of English.
DeAvila estimated a staff of over 70 people, including some student volunteers. She noted that there were over 2,000 spectators in attendance.
‘I’ve gotten so many e-mails on how well it was run,? DeAvila said.
The team will get the chance to run another event on March 3, when regional action comes to LOHS.
The state finals are the following week in Grand Rapids.
However, DeAvila said her team has their sights set solely on the OAA I competition this weekend at Troy Athens.