Photos by CJ Bennett for CatchMark
North Muskegon’s competitive cheer program is back — back on the big stage, too.
The Norse were a state power in the 1990s, capturing the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Class D championship in 1997 under the direction of coach Debbie Karaba.
The program went quiet for a stretch, but now the Norse back and competing at a high level.
On Friday (March 1, 2024), North Muskegon made its way back to the state finals for the first time since 2002. Under the direction of coaches Melody Zziwambazza and Lexi Wolffis, the Norse showed off their hard work and brought home an eighth-place finish from the MHSAA Division 4 state finals at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena.
North Muskegon scored 219.20 in Round 1, 201.54 in Round 2, and 252.30 in Round 3. The Norse were penalized eight points in the third round, but they finished with 665.04 total points on the day.
Hudson captured the Division 4 state title for a sixth straight season and for the seventh time in eight years. The Tigers totaled 746.30 points.
Check out photos at the top of this story by CatchMark SportsNut and North Muskegon junior CJ Bennett, who made the trip to Mount Pleasant on Friday and captured some great imagery. See the sights-and-sounds video below with clips provided by Bennett.
Here are team scores from the Division 4 state finals:
Division 4 State Finals at CMU
Hudson 746.30
Pewamo-Westphalia 736.42
Michigan Center 733.94
Merrill 721.86
Sanford Meridian 711.28
Hanover-Horton 710.54
Lawton 687.58
North Muskegon 665.04
