BANGOR – The buzz that Lewiston’s competition cheerleading squad started last winter by sweeping regional and state championships escalated to a volume this season rivaling that of a fog horn, church bells and squealing tires. Combined.

Admired statewide for soaring and somersaulting where many other teams fear to tread, Lewiston roared into the Bangor Auditorium on Saturday evening and didn’t disappoint. The Blue Devils’ tumbling prowess and the flexibility of their flyers grabbed the attention of the competition and a captive audience of 3,000, who added to the cacophony surrounding the defending champs with a standing ovation.

Turned out the buzz that mattered most, however, came from the panel of five judges, and it wasn’t the sound anyone in blue-and-white wanted or expected to hear.

Lewiston lost five points due a deduction for an illegal stunt, handing Brewer the Eastern Class A title on a technicality.

Her team is one of six that earned the right to represent the region at the state finals in Augusta on Feb. 7, but Lewiston coach Deneka Fortier promises to get additional clarification about the costly infraction before then.

Key word in that statement: additional.

“We received a warning in the second round of the (Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference) championships about one of our stunts, saying that we needed extra spotters,” Fortier said. “So we did that. At least I thought we did. I went right to the Maine Principals’ Association and was told what we needed to do. I’ll talk to them again.

“The hard part is that we went through almost two full competitions before that was mentioned to us. We just have to look at it as if now we have something to prove (at states).”

Brewer finished second to Lewiston in last year’s Class A championship. The Witches checked in with 156.8 points out of a possible 175 for their deduction-free performance, just ahead of Lewiston’s 155.

Hampden, Bangor, Oxford Hills and Gardiner also advanced to the next round.

In the pre-determined order of competition, Lewiston preceded Brewer. That created a situation for the Witches simultaneously intimidating and advantageous.

“Lewiston is a great team. With the charisma they have out on the floor and their flyers, you sit and watch that and it can be kind of scary,” said Brewer coach Kristie Reed. “But something we’ve talked about all year is that we can’t control what anyone else does and to not put that pressure on ourselves. We’ve been able to do what you always hope to do, which is improve our routine every time.”

Other than the decisive ruling, Lewiston’s performance was virtually flawless. On the heels of last year’s well-received swing music theme, the Blue Devils moved ahead the calendar approximately two generations, hitting their stride to a soundtrack of straight-ahead, classic rock that began and ended with the infectious acoustic guitar solo from Electric Light Orchestra’s “Fire on High.”

Throws were crisp, balance atop the pyramids was exceptional, and voices were noticeably louder than most of the competition.

“They lit up the place,” Fortier said. “A standing ovation is pretty good.”

Rockland (Class B), Washington Academy (Class C) and Machias (Class D) captured the other Eastern competitions earlier in the day. Both East and West regions of Class D competed in Bangor, with Buckfield advancing to states from the local contingent.

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