Lake Orion varsity competitive cheerleading coach Nancy de Avila said she was pleased and proud of her team after they placed third overall in the Lake Orion Invitational, held on Jan. 29 at LOHS.
‘Our goal was to finish fourth,? she said. ‘We beat two of last year’s state finals? teams. There were four of them there.?
De Avila said the varsity Dragons had a ‘great day,’as did all of the Lake Orion teams from middle school level competition and up.
‘The junior varsity team finished third, the freshman team was second, and the team from Oakview Middle School won the junior high competition,? she said.
In the Class A varsity competition, Rochester took first with 701 points, Southgate Anderson was second with 674, Lake Orion had 667.5, and Troy Athens was fourth with 656.
In their first round, the Lake Orion team finished tied for third, with only one point separating second and fifth place.
‘It was a good start,? said de Avila. ‘After the second round, we were in fourth place. Our back tuck scores were a little low, but our overall scores were up from (the Oxford Invitational two weeks ago).?
De Avila said the Dragons ‘hit everything? in the third round, finishing ahead of Rochester in that round, but third overall.
‘It was beautiful,? she said. ‘I was thrilled. They did remarkably well. They were very motivated, and the crowd was great.?
De Avila said her team was thrilled with their results.
‘They were holding up their trophy like they had won the state championship,? she said. ‘We exceeded our third round score from the entire season last year.?
This weekend the Dragons will head to the OAA League Meet in Berkley, competing against Rochester, Troy, Troy Athens and Stoney Creek, who are new to the league.
‘Last year we finished third,? de Avila said. ‘I would like to see them place second this year.
‘We have to stay ahead of Troy Athens to qualify for the state finals this year,’she said.