Panthers regain Class D state cheering supremacy
AUGUSTA — The Central Aroostook Panther cheerleaders are back in a big way.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
CAHS CHEERLEADERS, from left, Alexis Bradbury, Elizabeth Gillen, Sarah Gerritsen and Megan King, are all smiles during their routine at the Jan. 25 regionals in Bangor. The Panthers captured the state championship Saturday, their sixth in the last seven years.
The team, which was beaten out by Deer Isle-Stonington in last year’s event, earned the Class D state championship Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center. The team scored 114.2 points to easily outdistance both Machias and Penobscot Valley, which had 99.9 points each.
Washburn placed fourth with 96 points to match their placement in the Eastern Maine Championships held two weeks earlier in Bangor. The Fort Fairfield Tigers came in sixth with 91.5 points.
In addition to claiming the state championship trophy, their sixth in the last seven years, the Panthers were also the recipients of the Maine Principals’ Association Good Sportsmanship Award for Class D. It was the first time that award had been handed out in cheerleading.
“We are extremely pleased with our accomplishments this year. The team has worked hard six days a week and we are not only a team but a family. We love these athletes like they are our own kids,” said coach Sami Allen. “This success is because we all care for each other and push each other to do our best. Janice and I did all that we could to give them the routine that was needed to win and the athletes did what they needed to do to perform it to their best ability.
“We could have not been more pleased with their dedication to this sport,” she added.
Allen expressed appreciation for the many fans who attended to support the team and said that assistant coach Janice Mosher was a major reason behind the team’s title chances.
“I couldn’t have come up with the routine without her,” Allen said. “She’s the best assistant coach ever.”
In the Class B competition, Presque Isle scored 117.5 points Saturday to place seventh out of 12 teams in the event, held that afternoon in Augusta.
Hermon won its fourth consecutive title with 148.2 points and outdistanced second-place Medomak Valley of Waldoboro, which posted 142.8. Fellow County squad Caribou was 10th with 114.8 points.
