By Kalle Oakes,Staff Writer

BANGOR – St. Dominic Regional High School adopted the theme “Girls Rock” for this year’s cheerleading routine. What gave the Saints their edge and attitude, however, was a team rap.

Aside from a few subtle changes to their routine, the Saints primarily used the two weeks between regional and state competition to chat about anything other than somersaults, scorpions and pyramids.

“One night we just met in a circle and each talked about our favorite moment from the past season,” said junior co-captain Tamiko O’Connell.

Nobody’s sure if there was a consensus, but you can bet there’s a new No. 1 memory now. St. Dom’s won its fifth Class C championship in seven years Saturday at Bangor Auditorium.

St. Dom’s (146.4 of a possible 175 points) avenged last year’s third-place finish and won its sixth title overall, a Class C record.

Last year’s champs, Houlton, took runner-up honors with 144.1 points.

“This is the closest team I’ve ever been on,” said Rachel Nadeau, also a captain and one of only three seniors on the St. Dom’s squad. “All we talked about the last two weeks was coming up here and taking back our title.”

The Saints were the third private school to win a state title Saturday.

John Bapst Memorial High School of Bangor was a surprise champion in Class B, while Bangor Christian wore the Class D crown. It was the first state championship for both cheering programs.

Bonny Eagle capped the program by winning the Class A title, punctuating an 11-hour day witnessed by more than 4,600 spectators.

Western schools struggled in the morning and afternoon sessions, with only one (Gorham, in Class B) advancing to the callback round in any class.

St. Dom’s made itself right at home with the help of a routine that had dominated the regional meet. The Saints’ seemingly endless supply of tumblers and their repertoire of high tosses would make them a contender in any class.

Plus, their fan base traveled here in numbers that rival a Class A school.

“It seemed like the whole student body was here today,” O’Connell said. “That really helped us out.”

Second-year head coach Jessica Langevin said she devised only a minor change to one stunt from the Saints’ victorious regional routine.

Practices remained intense, but that consistency gave the Saints time to add subtle flourishes such as facial expressions.

“I think all the girls really liked our routine,” Langevin said, “and it showed.”

John Bapst’s rise to the Class B championship left the Crusaders mildly surprised. Poland’s fall from the Western title to seventh out of 12 teams in the state showcase had the Knights positively befuddled.

Nobody else seemed to understand the result, either.

“I guess I really don’t know what to say about it,” Poland coach Tiffany Fortier said. “We were stunned. The crowd was stunned. Other coaches and girls who talked to us were stunned.”

How the Knights ended up with 123.7 points, roughly 25 fewer than they amassed two weeks ago in claiming their third straight regional trophy, wasn’t apparent to the untrained eye, either.

One fall on a pyramid was the only obvious flaw during the Knights’ three-minute routine. Otherwise, Poland looked as crisp and composed as ever.

“We had a five-point deduction,” Fortier said, “but so did all the other teams.”

John Bapst finished fifth out of six qualifying teams at the Eastern meet, but the Crusaders won both the preliminary and callback rounds. Gorham, coached by Oxford Hills graduate Kate Loveless, went home with runner-up laurels.

The margin for error in Class A was so miniscule that one fall was enough to derail Lewiston’s aspirations for a third consecutive state championship. The Blue Devils’ miscue happened late in an otherwise textbook performance.

That opened the door for Bonny Eagle, which won its seventh Class A title and first since 1998. Brewer, Biddeford and Marshwood followed.

Oxford Hills finished seventh in the qualifying round. And how close was the competition? The Vikings wound up less than one point behind Marshwood, who earned the fourth and final transfer spot.

Bangor Christian got better with every step of its championship charge. The Patriots were third at regionals and second in Saturday’s first go-round. They knocked off defending champion Machias by 7/10 of a point in the encore.