Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

February 12

Cheerleading state finals: It's not routine for a title

The state's cheering champs are Lewiston (Class A), Hermon (B), Dexter (C) and Deer Isle-Stonington (D).

By Travis Lazarczyk tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

BANGOR - Moments after her Monmouth Academy cheering team finished its routine and left the Bangor Auditorium floor, Miranda Allen wiped a tear from her eye and smiled.

"I've never wanted to cry so much in my life," Allen said. "In a good way."

The Mustangs placed seventh in Class C with 109.5 points. Madison placed ninth in Class C with 103.9 points.

In Class B, Gardiner scored 116.4 points and finished in ninth.

Lewiston won its third straight Class A title, edging second-place Marshwood. The Blue Devils had 167.7 points; the Hawks scored 166.3.

In Class B, Hermon earned the title for the third straight year, scoring 155 points. Medomak Valley placed second with 148.1 points.

Dexter won the Class C title with 129.3 points, while Sumner was runner-up (122.9). In Class D, Deer Isle-Stonington was the winner with 117.4 points, with Central Aroostook second (115). The Mariners' win snapped Central Aroostook's five-year hold on the title.

The only team that decided not to compete because of Monday's poor weather was Traip Academy of Kittery.

Originally scheduled for Saturday, the state championships were postponed until Monday because of the weekend's storm. Monmouth's cheerleaders felt the extra time off was helpful.

"We really used the past weekend to make everything cleaner," Emilie Greenwald said. Added Allen: "More practice time is never a bad thing."

Gardiner felt it gave its best performance of the season, particularly in the opening stunts.

"We've struggled with them, but we pulled them off today," Helen Dow said.

Added Hannah Morgan: "Overall, I thought we hit everything well."

Madison came off the floor extremely happy with its effort.

"It went really well," Madison Coach Amber Noyes said. "They nailed it."

Noyes thought the extra time off had the potential to hurt teams that had been mentally ready to compete on Saturday. "It's hard to say. You were mentally ready to go, then they tell you to wait a few days," Noyes said. "Mentally, sometimes that can hurt you. But they nailed it."

Morgan said the postponement hurt Gardiner, in terms of crowd support. Some fans that planned to attend on Saturday were unable to attend on Monday, Morgan said.

"The more time off, the harder it is to get into it," Gardiner's Paige Hinkley said.

Morning Sentinel Staff Writer Travis Lazarczyk can be contacted at 861-9243 or at:

tlazarcyk@centralmaine.com

 

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