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The Manchester varsity equestrian team celebrates after winning its second straight Class A district championship Sept. 21 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds. The Flying Dutch erased an 84-point deficit to beat out Milan for the title and a berth in the regional meet.
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It may have required a little overtime and some drama, but the Manchester varsity equestrian team accomplished its first mission of the season.
Sweeping through the speed events, the Flying Dutch rode their way to a second straight Class A district championship Sept. 21 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Belleville.
Manchester finished the three-meet district competition with 653 total points to capture the title. Milan was second with 614 points, while Dexter took third with 308 points. Ypsilanti Lincoln scored 199 total points to finish fourth and Ann Arbor Pioneer was fifth with 56 points.
The Dutch advanced to the Class A regional meet, held Sept. 27-28 at the Shiawassee County Fairgrounds in Corunna. They competed against Oxford, Eisenhower and defending state champion Milford. Results from the regional meet will run in next week's edition of The Manchester Enterprise.
Since the second district meet, which took place Sept. 13, was shortened by rain, the teams competed in two shows for the final meet.
"It was a long and suspenseful day, and everyone was on the edge of their seats," Manchester coach Megan Kanta said. "I'm so proud of these kids. They're tough kids that don't give up regardless of what kind of pressure they are in."
The Dutch faced a gut check midway through the meet, as they found themselves in second place and trailing Milan by 84 points. The final events of the meet were the speed races, which had been Manchester's strong point throughout the three competitions. That trend continued, as the Dutch scored 167 points in the speed events, while Milan only scored 38.
Kanta had accidentally switched lineups for the two-man relay events, but Manchester riders still earned first, second and fourth place in the competitions.
"The kids realized the pressure and never let up once," Kanta said. "I'm so proud and fortunate to have a great group of kids. Each of them contributes their own qualities to the team."
Jenny and Stacy Kempher combined to lead the charge for the Dutch throughout the district competition. For the three meets, Jenny accounted for 155 points to lead Manchester, while Stacy earned 86.5 points. Zach Osborne recorded 81.5 points and Caleb Bailie scored 67 points. Cody Simpson finished with 58.5 points, while Morgan Johnson scored 53 points. Also earning points for Manchester in district competition were Danielle Burch (40), Claire Simpson (28.5), Chloe Cicciarelli (20), Gabrielle Neely (18), Megan Liniski (10), Maya Flores (9) and Melissa Cousino (7).
Manchester finished first in all three district meets to capture the championship. Last year, the Dutch placed second in the opening district meet before rallying to win the final two.
The Dutch placed third in last year's regional meet. The teams that finish in the top two spots advance to the state championship meet.
"Even though it will be tough, I really believe we can make it to the state finals," Kanta said after the district. "We are a tough team, and I know we won't back down. We'll just have to ride strong in every event."
Members of the Manchester equestrian team are Jenny Kempher, Nicole Jackson, Lauren Dalton, Megan Liniski, Maya Flores, Melissa Cousino, Gabrielle Neely, Kari Litwin, Danielle Burch, Stacy Kempher, Shelby Osborne, Zach Osborne, Caleb Bailie, Kaisey Bulifant, Chloe Cicciarelli, Claire Simpson, Cody Simpson and Morgan Johnson. The team is coached by 2005 Manchester High School graduate Megan Kanta.
Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173 or epatino@heritage.com.
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