BANGOR – It was pure Eastern Maine domination Saturday at the state cheerleading championships at the Bangor Auditorium.

Lewiston captured the Class A title, Hermon won in Class B, Houlton in Class C and Southern Aroostook in Class D.

Additional Photos

The Biddeford High cheerleaders go through their routine Saturday during the state championships at the Bangor Auditorium. Biddeford, which won the past three state titles, finished third behind Lewiston, which set a state record with 168.5 points, and Marshwood. Michael C. York/Special to the Telegram

The Scarborough High cheerleaders compete in the state meet at Bangor. Eastern Maine dominated. Michael C. York/Special to the Telegram

Thornton Academy may be on the way up among the Class A cheerleadering competitors. Michael C. York/Special to the Telegram

Bonny Eagle may not have won the Class A championship hands-down, but put on a routine that made the ride to the Bangor Auditorium well worth it. Michael C. York/Special to the Telegram

Scarborough didn’t finish at the top of the heap in Class A but like every team, put on a dazzling show for family and fans. Michael C. York/Special to the Telegram

“It’s definitely cool,” Lewiston Coach Lynette Morency said. “I think it’s just a coincidence, but I know in Class A the top teams are usually from the West so yeah, it’s nice.”

Lewiston’s score of 168.5 broke the state record by 3.5 points, edged Marshwood (162.5) and also knocked off three-time defending champ Biddeford (152.4).

“This is just awesome,” captain Becca Lessard said. “We’ve been talking all season about breaking the record, making history, and that’s what we did today.”

The Blue Devils broke Lewiston’s version of The Curse.

“The last three times we’ve been there, we’ve had deductions,” Morency said. “Our football team comes up here every year and can’t win a game. So our athletic director was like, ‘go up there and break the curse for us,’ and that’s what we did.

“They did everything I asked them. They didn’t understand how good they were. It’s awesome, just a great way to end it.”

The Blue Devils’ high-energy routine was a Michael Jackson tribute that ended with their theme, ‘This is it.’ With seven seniors, the Blue Devils felt it was their time.

“We haven’t won a state championship yet,” Lessard said, “so we knew when we brought the 50 Super Fans here on the bus that this was it. There is so much pride to be a Lewiston High School cheerleader right now. I love it.”

Lewiston, along with Marshwood and Biddeford, advances to the New England championships March 19 in Providence, R.I. The top three teams from Class B, C and D also have the opportunity to compete.

All three of the top teams in Class C were from the East. Houlton won with 140.1 points, followed by Orono (135.5) and Sumner (134.2).

Houlton Coach Shari Good said the journey to the top wasn’t as easy as it may seem.

“We had an incident a week ago,” she said. “We lost our best tumbler/flyer but they worked extra hard to overcome it. I think it’s been a motivator. They worked extra hard.”

Like Houlton, Hermon won Class B by nearly five points, scoring 147. Ellsworth (142.3) and Medomak Valley (138.6) followed.

Unlike most contenders, Hermon had fewer than 12 cheerleaders. According to captain Meagan Dearborn, the pressure for accuracy was much higher because of it.

“The girls that tried out knew our team was going to be small this year,” she said. “Everything we did had to be twice as big, twice as loud, with twice the spirit. We had to come off like we were big.”

Central Aroostook won its fourth straight Class D title and a state-record nine overall.

“It’s amazing,” Coach Sami Allen said. “It’s too hard to explain. We’re young and they really pulled through today. It’s awesome to be able to say we have won four years in a row.”

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