Lewiston brought down the house with its dazzling routines, then took home the New England Championship cheerleading crown in Lawrence, Mass., on Saturday afternoon.

Lewiston is the first high school in Maine to ever capture the elusive and coveted New England Championship in cheerleading.

After last year’s near miss, the Blue Devils would not entertain the idea of going home empty-handed again.

“We knew we had a shot coming in,” said Lewiston coach Lynnette Morency. “We came in second last year. The girls were really determined this year. They knew it was in their reach and they wanted to get it.

The Blue Devils have experienced spectacular prosperity over the years, especially this season where Lewiston had a second straight sweep in conference, regional and state competitions.

Morency said going into competition after a five-week layoff before New Englands wasn’t easy. Other teams had just finished their state competitions and were warmed up and ready to go at Lawrence High School.

But despite the long intermission, Lewiston’s routines went off without a hitch and obviously impressed the judges and rest of the competition.

“They were just very driven,” said Morency. “We won by 12 points.”

The Blue Devils scored a total of 199.1 points, while Leominster, Mass., took second place with 187.1 points. The other two teams from Lewiston’s district included Biddeford and Marshwood.

This was Lewiston’s fourth consecutive appearance at the New England Championship.

Seniors Rashonda Bailey, Shae Godbout, Tiana Lacombe, Rachel Mills, Gabriella Rojas and Krista Thomas used their years of experience to help put the Blue Devils over the top.

Rounding the rest of Lewiston’s finest include: Juniors Kara Barnies, Kirsty Beauchesne, Taylor Pratt, Torey Reney; Sophomores Elizabeth Fundis, Abby Madden, Erin Morris, Cassie Regner, Tiera Saffe; Freshmen Andrea Bonin, Tia Courtes, Nadine Jones, Molly Kivus, Alyssa Rousseau, Kyla Sturtevant and Erika Thibault.

“This routine was one of their best performances,” said Morency.

The judges obviously thought so, too.