Panthers are ‘D’ cheering runners-up
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR — Central Aroostook was hoping to collect another Eastern Class D cheering crown Saturday at the Bangor Auditorium, but a title was not to be for the highly successful Panther program.
CHEER ACTION — In top photo, Central Aroostook performs its opening stunt during Saturday’s Eastern Maine Class D Cheering Championship. From left are Jordan Canney, Brittany Drost and Lexi Brewer. At bottom, Mikayla Churchill of the Beavers performs during her team’s routine. Both CA and Washburn advanced to the States.
CAHS gave a strong all-around performance, but fell just short of its goal of a sixth consecutive regional championship.
Deer Isle-Stonington pulled off the stunning upset victory with a flawless routine filled with plenty of acrobatic stunts. The Mariners scored 124 points out of a possible 175 score. Central Aroostook’s routine earned the Panthers a score of 116.8 points.
Other squads advancing to the state competition, slated for Saturday, Feb. 9 in Bangor, are: 3, Machias, 100.9; 4, Bangor Christian, 96.9; 5, Penobscot Valley, 83.3; 6, Washburn, 82.3. Also competing were: Buckfield, 82.1; Jonesport-Beals, 77.6; Woodland, 75.6; and Fort Fairfield, 74.8.
“Of course we’re a little disappointed,” said assistant coach Janice Mosher. “You always want to be on top, but we’ll go home, make some changes to the routine and come back stronger for States.”
The state Class D cheering competition will also be held at the Bangor Auditorium, Saturday, Feb. 9. The event gets under way at 3 p.m.
Central Aroostook had won five consecutive state crowns, and six overall titles.
Coaches Mosher and Sami Allen agreed that something positive could come from the Panthers’ runner-up finish this past Saturday, as it will likely give the group a little extra motivation at the state meet.
“We always compete against ourselves to be the best that we possibly can be,” Mosher said. “We had a strong routine, and I was happy with our performance. We just got beat today.”
“We just have to find a way to come back stronger for States,” added Allen. “We couldn’t have had such success without my awesome assistant coach. She is amazing person. Janice is the rock of this team and is able to keep me calm throughout the whole event. She puts a lot of time and effort into making this a great routine. I would also like to thanks all of our volunteers who all did their part to make this routine one of a kind. We have made many changes and plan to make more to hopefully have a chance at the gold.”
“This is a very young squad,” coach Allen said. “Only seven out of the 12 members on the floor were on last year’s state title team. Both flyers have little experience, but make it look like they have been flyers for years. These team members are my second family and I am very proud of their accomplishments. These kids put everything into this routine. They gave it their all. We are hoping to come up on top in two weeks.”
