MT. PLEASANT >> All they do is win and that’s exactly what they did on Saturday afternoon on the biggest of big stages.

The top-ranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep competitive cheer team won the Division 3 state championship Saturday via a stellar three-round showing at the MHSAA state finals hosted at McGuirk Arena on the campus of Central Michigan University.

After finishing runner-up in Division 3 in 2023 and 2024 the Fighting Irish returned to the top by posting a team score of 784.22, besting runner-up Grosse Ile (781.62) by nearly three points. Richmond was third with a 778.52 while Armada was fourth with a 768.96.

The state championship is the sixth in program history and first since 2018 for Notre Dame Prep.

“We put our best effort out there today and we accomplished our goal,” said second-year head coach Jocelyn Welsh following the festivities. “I’m so proud of these girls and everything they have been through. They pushed themselves all season to get the top spot back. There was a lot of pressure on us, but we were mentally tough. I’m exhilarated and I’m relieved.”

The state championship was also a fitting end to a perfect season for Notre Dame Prep as it won every competition in which it competed in 2024-25.

Right out of the chute the Irish established the tone as they led from beginning to end, posting a 235.60 in round one and a 228.42 in round two. They then closed it with a fine third-round score of 320.20 to seal the title.

“There’s a feeling of fulfillment,” said senior Leila Mains of winning the title. “Since our freshman year we’ve had the expectation of winning and to reach that is incredible. I’m so proud of this team.’

Senior teammate Paige Marlinga added, “We feel like we deserve this because we put in a lot of work to get it. Winning the state championship is the cherry on top of our perfect season.”

The Fighting Irish fell four-tenths of a point shy of winning the state title last year and seven-tenths of a point shy of the crown in 2023, landing runner-up behind Croswell-Lexington in both instances.

This season the Irish were determined to take the next step and they did exactly that.

“We were determined,”Marlinga added. “We practiced two to three hours every day to get ready for this.”

Mains added, “A lot of it comes from doing the extra reps and being selfless. We have a really strong core and culture on this team and that’s what has carried us.”