The Brandon Junior Blackhawks football and cheerleading teams have plenty to brag about.
The freshman cheerleaders brought home a third place award in the cheer category at the SYFC Super Cheer competition on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Lake Orion High School. Although the squad didn’t place in the dance category, they were extremely happy with their showing at the dance competition.
‘For us to come out ahead of cheer powerhouses like Southfield (Jayhawks), Brighton and Clarkston is thrilling,? said Shannyn McClellan, the Junior Blackhawks Cheer General Manager and Board Vice President.
The freshman Junior Blackhawks cheerleaders are coached by Brandon High School seniors Nicole Zardus and Emily Regan, and led by team parent Karen Oosterlinck. Including games, the squad has logged more than 100 practice hours since August in preparation for the event.
Eleven of the 12 member SYFC league organizations sent freshman teams to compete at Super Cheer. The Southfield Lathrup Falcons took first place in the freshman cheer category, followed by the Rochester Redskins in second. Behind Brandon in fourth place were the Lake Orion Dragons, followed by the Clarkston Chiefs, with the Waterford Corsairs in sixth place to round out the finalists.
The freshman cheer roster is comprised of: Marigrace Francis, Sophia Gaves, Rachel Gibson, Erinn Groat, Haylie Lammp, Haley Lauwers, Kyla Cummings, Taylor Manfroni, Rachel Neal, Haley Newton, Cheyenne O’Berry, Jenna Oosterlinck, Katie Perry, Amber Revere, Lauren Tennant, Amanda Trammel, Emily Wheatcroft, and Alexis Womack.
In case the local business marquees in Brandon haven’t tipped you off, the Brandon Junior Blackhawks are on a winning streak. Both the Brandon Junior Blackhawks freshman and JV football teams won their playoff games Sunday, Oct. 26 and will advance to the National Division Championship.
The JV contest was against the top-ranked Lake Orion Dragons, with a final score of 18-6. According to JV Head Coach Ed Stermer, ‘The team could not have picked a better time to play their best football of the year. The JV squad has improved each and every game and played outstanding football against Lake Orion.?
All three touchdowns were scored by Ryan Gibilterra. Outstanding defensive players for the game were Kyle Westfall, Dakota Jones, and Tate McNalley.
On the freshman side, the Junior Blackhawks came up with yet another shutout, beating the fourth-ranked Lapeer Steelers 39-0 on the Steelers? home field in Dryden.
The JV squad is scheduled to take on the Clarkston Chiefs for the SYFC National Division title on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Waterford Kettering High School. The freshman team will play against the same location against the Waterford Corsairs for the championship. If both teams win, they will advance to the SYFC Super Bowl against the SYFC American Division Champions in Rochester.