AUGUSTA — At Poland Regional High School, the emphasis in the word “cheerleaders” falls on the second syllable.

The Knights’ competition cheering team represents more than the athletic program’s most vocal supporters. It’s the standard-bearer of that program.

Already established as the only squad in school history to win a state title in any sport, Poland cheering claimed that Class B crown for the the second time in three years and third overall Saturday before a standing-room-only throng at Augusta Civic Center.

Poland prevailed over Ellsworth by nine-tenths of a point, giving lone senior Sophie Geelhoed and juniors Stephanie Campbell, Olivia Doyer, Lee-Ann Hopper, Brianna Morris, Billy Jo Morrison, Colleen Murphy, Abbie Strout and Alycia Walsh a repeat taste of that championship feeling.

“It was a wild dream at the start of the season,” Doyer said. “But after regionals (two weeks ago) I thought we had a good shot at it. And we just kept working.”

Class A Biddeford and Class D Central Aroostook of Mars Hill each won its third consecutive title before an estimated crowd of more than 6,000 spread out over dual sessions. Sumner Memorial High School of Sullivan captured its first-ever Class C crown.

Considered threats to win states after the conference and regional rounds, Lewiston and Monmouth fell shy of their expectations.

The Blue Devils, bidding to get back to the Class A summit for the first time since 2006, finished as runners-up by a relatively wide, six-point margin. Biddeford topped Lewiston 161.5 to 155.4 on a 175-point scale.

There were no obvious deductions or mistakes responsible for the gap. And after a runner-up finish to Bangor in the Eastern Maine competition that left Lewiston coach Lynnette Morency lamenting the extra effort her team left on the table, there could be no such regrets Saturday.

Lewiston wildly celebrated what it felt was a flawless performance and appeared visibly surprised and shaken by the results.

“I thought it was awesome. They nailed it,” Morency said. “We’re going to be gracious. There are a lot of teams out there that would like to be second place. We’re a little tired of being a bridesmaid, but that’s fine. We couldn’t have done any more.”

Two five-point penalties — one acknowledged, one questioned — dropped Monmouth from what would have been a runner-up finish in ‘C’ to sixth in the 12-team pack.

One of the Mustangs’ stunts ended with their base performer touching the floor, necessitating a deduction. The other miscue was a double twist in which the judges determined that Monmouth’s flyer landed prone upon her stomach.

“This is one of those times where we wish we had instant replay so we could say, ‘Wait! No, no, no.’ It was kind of a discombobulated catch, so we thought she landed on her side,” said Monmouth coach Leanne Yeaton Burnham. “But you know, it’s like figure skating. One centimeter off can make the difference between finishing second and finishing sixth.

“I don’t know which is worse. If we ended up second by one-tenth of a point, the what-if game would have been even more.”

Poland pushed confidently through its three-minute routine with panache and near-perfection.

When defending champion Hermon made an obvious drop less than 10 seconds from the end of its routine, the door was open for the closely-knit Knights. Performing last by virtue of its regional title, Poland still needed to get through its showcase without a hitch to fight off Ellsworth.

“We didn’t know what to expect (from the Eastern teams),” said Poland coach Katie Hebert. “They didn’t want to worry too much about any of the other teams. They just focused on themselves.”

The Knights have celebrated their three state championships under three different coaches. This was Hebert’s first year.

Expectations were relatively restrained after a 2008-09 season in which the Knights qualified for the state meet but weren’t among the leaders.

“After we won the Western Maine Conference, I knew we had a chance to have a really great season and that we were one of the best teams,” Geelhoed said.

Buckfield placed third in the six-team Class D field. 

The top three teams in each class qualify for the New England championships March 20 in Providence, R.I. 

Poland and Lewiston expect to take a short break before preparing for the trip.

“All the teams are very good,” Doyer said, “but I think we can do it.”

Mt. Blue, Leavitt, Mountain Valley, Dirigo, St. Dom’s, Oak Hill, Livermore Falls and Jay also competed Saturday.

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