AUGUSTA – How does a cheerleading squad rally from sixth in its conference meet to win a regional championship in five days? Probably by riding the same wave of tradition that allowed the team to capture three state titles in five years.

“We changed our attitude. We sold (our performance) better than ever,” said senior co-captain Jenni Golletti of Lewiston High School, whose renewed commitment was enough to leapfrog Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference champion Oxford Hills and rival Edward Little for the Eastern Class A crown Saturday night at Augusta Civic Center.

With a flawless array of dance, stunts and exuberance set to a medley of James Bond themes, Lewiston landed 153.6 of a possible 175 points, establishing the 2003, 2004 and 2006 state champions once again as the team to beat when the finalists convene here on Saturday, Feb. 9.

Lewiston’s revival punctuated a brilliant day on the mat for local schools. Poland edged Oak Hill by an indiscernible two-tenths of a point to win the Western Class B title. Monmouth snagged second and St. Dom’s third behind Traip in the Western C competition. Lisbon, Mountain Valley, Dirigo and Jay also finished among the top six in their respective classes and advanced to states.

With the Eddies acquiring a five-point deduction for one of their stunts and the Vikings riding out two minor bobbles near the end of their three-minute spotlight, Lewiston (taking the floor next-to-last) suspected that the door was open a crack.

“We just knew what we had to do, and we got it done,” said Lewiston co-captain Lysa Laverdiere. “We were very confident today. That’s what pushed us over the top.”

Oxford Hills (147.3 points) didn’t shed many tears over second, its best showing at the regional since current assistant coaches Kate Loveless and Jessie Becher led a run of three Class A state trophies between 1997 and 2000.

“They’re just a really hard-working team. They’re a young team, and they’re dedicated,” said Oxford Hills coach Deborah Loveless, Kate’s mother. “I have five seniors, but not a lot of them competed with me last year.”

Poland boasted a similar roster this winter, with 10 seniors on paper but several who were making the switch from other winter sports.

The Knights, who still boast the only team state championship in their school’s brief history back in 2004, overcame not only Oak Hill but also Western Maine Conference rival Wells by less than one point in an intense, three-team battle.

“We have five girls who hadn’t cheered since eighth grade,” said Poland senior captain Ally St. Pierre. “It’s been four or five years since that state championship, but we’re trying to uphold that tradition.”

Monmouth lost five points due to a fall and didn’t get full credit for its jumps, according to coach Leanne Yeaton Burnham. What the judges caught Monmouth doing and what they possibly didn’t see put Traip on top by a smidge (106.7 to 104.8) in Class C.

“We’re still really excited. It’s taken us five years to get back here,” Burnham said. “We broke the cycle of third place.”

Although Monmouth holds the all-class record for state championships with eight, the Mustangs haven’t celebrated a No. 1 or No. 2 showing at the regional since the year after their lone Class C state title in 2002.

“We’ve been through a lot,” said Marissa Ayer, one of four seniors on a 17-member team that was the largest in the Class C competition. “A broken finger. Two chiropractor appointments. It’s always the night before, too. That’s our tradition.”

Third was considered a strong showing for St. Dom’s, which carries a big tradition (five state titles) but the smallest squad in the region (eight girls).

“You just have to adapt to their level of difficulty, although surprisingly they’re able to do a couple of difficult stunts, which is great,” said St. Dom’s coach Ashley Turcotte. “You try to get it as neat and clean as possible so it doesn’t look like it’s a jumble.”