Cheerleading: Lewiston, Ellsworth, Lisbon/St. Dom’s capture state titles

AUGUSTA — It was a day of the heavy favorites at the Maine State Cheering Championships.

Ellsworth (Class B) and Lisbon/St. Dominic (Class C) defended their respective state titles, while Lewiston reclaimed its spot as the top team in Class A on Saturday afternoon at the Augusta Civic Center.

The Blue Devils (89.5 points) not only pulled off a near-perfect routine, but had the loudest cheering section in the building, with family and friends shouting the routine back to the team.

“It feels amazing, it’s just so incredible,” said Lewiston senior Reese Maynard. “I couldn’t be more thankful. We had a really big fire under our butts, and we just really wanted (to win it) for everyone. It just feels so amazing.”

It’s Lewiston’s first Class A title since 2022 and the 12th state championship in program history, the most of any Class A cheering program.

Lewiston head coach Matt Hanley kept his message simple to his team before its routine.

“Hard work pays off,” Hanley said. “Teamwork, having each other’s back and making sure you communicate with each other throughout the whole (routine). They really did that. They had great energy; they were super-tight and did what they needed to do as a team.”

Noble (83.9 points) finished as the Class A runner-up and had a strong performance in its own right. Bangor (81.1), Oxford Hills (77) and Bonny Eagle (76.7) rounded out the top five.

Lisbon/St. Dominic — which had one of the strongest performances of the day — won its third consecutive Class C title, its second straight as a co-op program.

“I’m so proud of them, I don’t even have any other words,” Lisbon/St. Dom’s head coach Nicole Adams said. “Just like every season, there’s challenges every competition, people in, people out, injuries. They really wanted it.”

Lisbon/St. Dom’s finished with 82.2 points. Sumner (78.6) was the Class C runner-up, with Dexter (72.65), followed by Central (66.5) and Orono (66.2).

Lisbon/St. Dom’s earned its title by pulling off a near-flawless, intricate routine.

“It was definitely so great (to hit the routine),” Lisbon/St. Dom’s sophomore Kyla Berube said. “It was definitely a lean-on (of confidence) for sure.”

Erskine Academy finished in 12th place in the Class B state cheerleading championships Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

The Greyhounds knew there was an expectation entering the competition.

“I feel like we have a lot of pressure on us, being back-to-back state champs,” Lisbon/St. Dom’s junior Riley Hoyle said. “It’s very, very stressful coming in here, and you have to hit the routine. That’s the expectation for us… You just have one time (to hit it). You just have to be confident in what you’re doing and have no doubts.”

Ellsworth captured its second consecutive Class B championship, scoring 84.95 points and had the cleanest routine of the morning.

“It’s great (to win), it’s a dream come true for them,” said Ellsworth co-head coach Kat Archer. “I’m so glad they were able to give a good performance today and do what they know they can do.”

“We just told them they had a job to do and that was their theme today,” co-head coach Melanie Fox added. “This was a business trip, and we were going to finish business.

Gardiner/Hall-Dale finished 11th in the Class B state cheerleading championships Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“One (state championship) is great, but two is unbelievable.”

Ellsworth entered the day as the heavy favorite in Class B. The Eagles were the 16th and final team to perform in the morning session, giving the team plenty of time to collect butterflies.

“I knew everybody was going to be nervous, because this is our biggest competition of the year, this is what we worked for all season,” said Ellsworth senior captain Natalie Sawyer. “When you have an undefeated season, it’s always stressful and you keep holding onto that. But I just made sure that everyone knew that, at the end of the day, this is the last time we were ever doing (this routine) together. We just needed to go out there, be calm with each other and enjoy the feeling of picking each other up and knowing we can’t do it without each other.”

Ellsworth received strong competition from Gray-New Gloucester, which finished as runner-up with 82.4 points. Hermon (76.15) was third, with John Bapst (72.25) and Winslow (73.8) rounding out the top five.

For the first time since 1988 — when the Maine Principals’ Association first recognized state champions — there was no Class D competition, due to lack of teams. Teams that were previously in Class D moved up to Class C for competition this season. The top three finishers in each class advances to the New England Cheer Championships on March 16 at Worcester State University in Worcester, Massachusetts.