Coach Nicole Adam hugs a member of the Lisbon/St. Dominic cheer team after they won the Class C South title on Saturday in Bangor. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

BANGOR — Marissa Rowe and the rest of the Gray-New Gloucester cheering team had a rough start to their Saturday morning.

“It was crazy, our coach knocked on our doors at 5 a.m.,” said Rowe, one of the team’s two seniors. “(Listening to) music helps, and we just hyped each other up (before the routine), doing each other’s hair and makeup.”

The early start was well worth it.

The Patriots (81.3 points) won the Class B South title at Cross Insurance Center. It’s been a successful month for Gray-New Gloucester, which won the Western Maine Conference title on Jan. 18 in Augusta.

The Patriots hit a clean routine to capture the regional crown, holding off strong efforts from Medomak Valley (73 points) and Gardiner/Hall-Dale (66.6 points).

“It feels amazing,” Rowe said. “I think our confidence level was a lot higher this week, because we’ve been doing (our routine) so much more and have had more practice.”

“(The routine) was wonderful,” said Gray-New Gloucester coach Melissa Burila. “The kids were great; they did a great job. I think everyone in the state has been dealing (with illness) right now, and our kids overcame that. They’re just joyous. They’re cheering for all the teams competing here.”

Gray-New Gloucester avoided having to ride up I-95 in snowy conditions, spending Friday night at a Bangor hotel to make its 7 a.m. check in time at the Cross Center. Burila credited the school’s booster program for helping the team.

“It’s a whole community event,” Burila said. “It’s just unbelievable. What a great community we have in Gray-New Gloucester.”

It’s the second straight regional championship for the Patriots, who won for the first time in program history last year.

Ellsworth (88.7 points), which had the loudest cheering section of the morning, ran away with its third consecutive Class B North championship with an energetic routine. Hermon (77.35) was runner-up, while Lawrence (69.4), the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B champion, finished third.

The top eight teams from each region move on to compete at the Maine State Cheer Championships on Feb. 8 at the Augusta Civic Center.

Lisbon/St. Dominic (75.6) captured its fourth straight Class C South title in the afternoon session. Though it wasn’t their cleanest routine, the Greyhounds prevailed thanks to a high degree of athleticism.

“It feels amazing; I was so stressed out all day,” said Lisbon senior Riley Hoyle. “Putting four stunt groups on the floor today, it was amazing to win.”

“Considering it wasn’t a clean hit, it feels good,” Lisbon head coach Nicole Adams said. “This year, there’s a risk, because we put more (cheerleaders) on the floor. The scoresheet is not designed for a lot on the floor unless they can all successfully hit it.”

Central (67.7) was the runner-up, while Bucksport (64.15) was third.

The Greyhounds, who won the Mountain Valley Conference championship on Jan. 18, are feeling more pressure this postseason, trying to send the senior class out with a fourth consecutive state championship, never before done in program history.

“It’s very stressful, because we feel the pressure and Lisbon is expected to come out on top, no matter what, and we’re expected to be good,” Hoyle said. “It’s very stressful.”

“We feel the pressure, but at the end, we know we have to push through it to do what we have to do,” said Lisbon senior Nevaeh Fortin. “(The pressure) really doesn’t matter when we’re out there.”

Houlton (79.2) ran away with the Class C North title. Dexter (69.1) finished as runner-up, while Mattanawcook Academy (65.9) was third.

The day wrapped with Class A. The tightest competition of the day was in Class A South, where Scarborough (85.6) edged runner-up Bonny Eagle (85.3) and Thornton Academy (83).

“We were just looking at the banners today in the gym, and it doesn’t have anything on there (for cheerleading) at Scarborough,” said coach Kaitlyn Laverriere. “We were manifesting this.

“This feels really good. These girls have put a lot of work in, and it feels really great to have them recognized and (have the hard work) pay off.”

Lewiston, the defending Class A champion, successfully defended its Class A North title, racking up 92.6 points. The Blue Devils had tight competition from runner-up Oxford Hills, which finished with 91.7 points.

“I’m super thrilled with today’s outcome, it was close, and I knew it was going to be close,” Lewiston coach Matt Hanley said. “Luckily, we just worked that scoresheet hard enough to hit what they need to hit. They did their jobs again.”

The win continues another successful run for the Blue Devils, who won the KVAC A title on Jan. 18.

“We came out of KVACs six points ahead (for the win), and we said, ‘We still have work to do,'” Hanley said. “They decided to get into the gym and condition even more than they did before. We put ankle weights on and started to jump. We did everything we could to make sure we worked to perfect our routine, and they don’t slow down.”