Dubois, HH Climb the Mountain in Competitive Cheer

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(February 25, 2024 7:30 AM ET) Hanover-Horton High School student-athlete Alexyn DuBois made a major decision approximately three years ago.

She changed schools just before entering high school.

One thing that would not change was the fact that she would compete in competitive cheer … no matter what school she attended.

That decision paid off Saturday as Hanover-Horton advanced to the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 4 state finals in competitive cheer. It is the first time the Comets advanced to that high of a level in school history. 

DuBois said the decision to switch from Vandercook Lake – where her mother, Sarah, was the competitive cheer coach – to Hanover-Horton was tough.

“I had to dig deep and find a new friends ground,” DuBois said. “It was a good decision for me to transfer … it made me the person I am today.”

DuBois said she spent as much time as she could with teammates during the early days at Hanover-Horton and that bond paid off Saturday. 

Hanover-Horton had not been a force in competitive cheer until Sarah DuBois took over the program with her daughter in it. The Comets climbed the mountain all the way to the state finals after placing third at the Division 4 regional at Michigan Center.

Alexyn had been to the state finals a number of years watching Vandercook Lake perform.

“I knew from day one I was going to do cheer with my mom … there was no decision there,” DuBois said. “We had to come together as a team.”

The Comets were in the fourth and final qualifying spot going into the final round and were fumbling around in the warmup room during Saturday’s event.

“We were not hitting our stunts and falling apart,” Dubois said. “But we pulled it together as a team … it was amazing.

“We knew nobody was going to keep up from going to state,” DuBois said. 

She enjoys having her mother as a coach although they do “bicker and one another” from time to time.

The HHHS junior is also one of the top pitchers and hitters in softball. Last year she blasted 12 home runs and knocked in nearly 50 runs for a 24-win Hanover-Horton team. 

As a freshman in her first year on the team, a leg injury ended her year less than 10 games into it. 

But DuBois made the best of it helping teammates.

“That was tough mentally (to get hurt),” DuBois said. “I had to learn how to take a step back and help my teammates as a reserve player.

“I called pitches for a couple of games, worked with them during practice, and even fed them.”

The same type of bonding DuBois did on the softball diamond came in handy on the competitive cheer mat.

“It has taught me how to come out of tough situations and come out on top.”