By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
 INDEPENDENCE TWP. — The beginning of the fall athletic season is right around the corner and with it comes familiar faces in new roles with Megan Collins leading the Clarkston Varsity Cheer team as head coach and Megan Bryer as assistant coach.
Collins begins her sixth year with the Clarkston Cheer program this school year and her eighth year teaching at Pine Knob Elementary.
“I am super excited to be the new head coach of this program,” Collins shared. “I have loved my experience thus far, and I’m excited to continue the positive trajectory while also adding my own

ideas/style to the program. The seniors this year are a very special group of athletes for me. I have coached a few of them every season they have been members of the Clarkston Cheer program – by the time they graduate, some I will have coached for a total of 12 seasons. We have been together for our entire Clarkston Cheer experience and it’s my mission to make this final season for them the best it can be.”
“I am thrilled to step into the role of assistant coach alongside Coach Collins,” Bryer said. “We’ve quickly developed a strong bond and share many aligned ideas for coaching. I’m eager to bring my background and experience to the team while continuing to learn and grow. With the vision we have for this season, I’m confident we’re set for a successful year and a bright future for the program.”
Collins shared her favorite season to coach is winter – the competitive season, adding the fall sideline season is fun for different reasons.
“Sideline is fun to cheer at football games and provides us the chance to be seen and interact with the community,” she shared. “The competitive season is about us and our goals as a team. There’s no feeling like being on the mat during a cheerleading competition with adrenaline running through your body and the thrill of the crowd cheering as you perform. Even as a coach, I feel that rush of adrenaline, and I have a difficult time standing still while watching my girls perform. The bond created between the girls that are part of the competitive team is unmatched. I had such a positive experience as a cheerleader myself and my hope is to give that same type of positive experience and share my love for the sport with my athletes.”
Collins shared some qualities she feels are important for continued growth in the program are consistency, high standards and work ethic.
“We have had consistency within our coaching staff for the past several years and each year, we set the standards a littler higher for our athletes to continue to push for success as a program,” she said. “We are coming off the most successful competitive season I have seen since being part of the cheer program. In 2024, the Wolves earned the title of OAA White League Champions and we were part of the top four teams from our district competition to advance to regionals for the first time in almost ten years.
“The athletes have a new hunger after getting a small taste of success and it’s our responsibility as coaches to feed that hunger by giving them the tools to continue advancing their skills,” she added. “Coach Bryer and I have a shared vision to utilize our sideline season in the summer and fall to build the skills we need for a successful competitive season in the winter. This means adding more conditioning and strength training, drills to improve each component of the sport and setting the bar higher for performance expectations at practices and football games to push our athletes to continuously be better than they were the day before.”
Collins added they have many challenges ahead for the upcoming season including being moved up to the OAA Red and competing against some of the top teams on the east side of the state. The competition will help as they work toward their goal to make it back to regionals for the second consecutive year.
“We feel optimistic that with the work we plan to put in and the work ethic we see in our athletes so far that we can make it another great season,” Collins said.
She added along with improving our skills, our ultimate goal is to create strong leaders and well-rounded athletes.
“Athletics are more than just titles and competitions, the work ethic and passion we instill in kids will last a lifetime,” Collins said. “We strive to empower our athletes to be accountable for themselves and build a high sense of integrity. Our hope is to impact our athletes to be positive representatives not only for our program, but for Clarkston High School and the Clarkston community.”
Bryer shared in her new role as assistant coach her primary goals include supporting Collins through various tasks.
She is also committed to helping the student-athletes including enhancing their skills through focused drills and constructive feedback, aiming to boost both their performance and confidence.
“Building a strong sense of team cohesion is essential, and I will work to foster a positive, supportive environment where every athlete feels valued and motivated,” she added.
Collins grew up in Rochester where she cheered for six years on both sideline and competitive teams.
“Rochester has a powerhouse cheerleading program, and I cheered for coaches that set extremely high expectations and demands on athletes,” Collins said. “ This instilled a permanent work ethic in me that I am forever grateful for. I was excited when the previous head coach, Stephanie Haslinger, offered me the opportunity to bring a sideline cheer program back to Sashabaw Middle School and Clarkston Junior High School for seventh and eighth grade athletes after not having one for a number of years.”
Collins spent two years coaching at the middle school level for both sideline and competitive seasons, one year sideline season coaching JV and three years coaching as an assistant at the varsity level.
“Being a teacher and coach in Clarkston, I have developed a love for the close-knit community,” Collins shared. “My passion and love for cheerleading run deep. Within the last five years, the program has seen tremendous growth that makes me so proud and excited for what is to come.”
Bryer began cheerleading around six-years-old with the Clarkston Chiefs program.
“It sparked my love for the sport,” she shared.

Bryer continued her cheer journey with Stars & Stripes Athletics with Liberty All Star cheer.
“In middle school, I briefly joined the Wolves for a sideline season,” she said. “By my senior year, I began coaching at Stars & Stripes, focusing on both the cheer and tumbling programs. I still coach tumbling at the gym and offer private lessons. I graduated from Clarkston High School in 2016. My passion for coaching and working with athletes of various skill levels is immense. I’m thrilled to continue my coaching journey with the Clarkston Varsity Cheer team.”
Collins lives in Troy with her husband, Ryan, and their dog, Lucy.
When she isn’t teaching or coaching, she loves spending time with her family especially at their house up north near Lake Huron.
“I enjoy reading, playing golf, traveling, baking and attending and watching college football games – especially Michigan State, my alma mater where I earned my Bachelors and Masters degrees,” she added.
When Bryer isn’t coaching at Clarkston she is working in the office at her family’s company, Bryer’s Irrigation, or coaching at Stars & Stripes Athletics.
“I love spending time with my family at our cottage in Sanford, Mich., or at my boyfriend’s family’s place in Hale, Mich,” she shared. “Traveling to tropical destinations and exploring new places is a passion of mine. Currently, I’m training for my second full marathon, which I’ll be running in Detroit on October 20.”
The first practice for all fall sports across Michigan was Monday, Aug. 12.

  Clarkston Athletics, Clarkston Cheer