By virtue of the system in which four teams from each region in Classes A, B, C, and D qualify for the state tournament, all four defending state champions will put their titles on the line at the Bangor Auditorium Saturday evening in the state cheerleading tournament beginning at 6 p.m.

Additionally, all four state runnersup will return, working to finish one spot higher than last year.

The 1991 Maine Secondary School Principals’ Association Invitational Cheerleading Touranment is under the direction of William Fletcher of Brewer High School.

Defending their 1990 titles will be Class A’s Brunswick and Class B’s Marshwood of Eliot, both winners of their Western Maine regional competitions.

Defending state Class C champion Washington Academy of East Machias makes a return bid for a state title after having won its Eastern Maine regional competition, while defending state Class D champion Central Aroostook of Mars Hill returns to the tournament by virtue of its second-place finish in the Other 1990 runnersup returning to the event will be Class A Gardiner, this year’s Eastern regional runnerup; Eastern Maine Class B regional champion Bucksport, and Eastern Maine Class D champion Shead of Eastport. Last year’s Class C runnerup, St. Dominic of Lewiston, makes a return appearance after finishing third in its regional competition.

Completing the qualifiers for this year’s tournament from Eastern Maine are 1991 EM Class A champion Brewer, third-place finisher Presque Isle, and fourth-place finisher Winslow.

Qualifying by finishing second through fourth from Eastern B are Ellsworth, Dexter, and Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln. The three other Eastern C qualifying teams are Calais, Sumner of East Sullivan, and Central of East Corinth. Completing the Eastern Class D qualifiers are Machias and Greenville.

Representing Western Maine Class A following Brunswick, in order of their regional finishes, are Lewiston, Edward Little of Auburn, and Deering of Portland, and, in “B,” Leavitt of Turner, Madison, and Gorham.

Western C champion Traip Academy of Kittery, runnerup McAuley of Portland, and fourth-place finisher Jay qualify from that regional with “D” winner and runnerup Buckfield and Rangeley, respectively, the only teams in that division.

Introductions of teams will be made at 6 p.m. with Class D competition beginning at 6:15 p.m., Class C at 6:50 p.m., Class B at 7:35 p.m., and Class A at 8:10 p.m.

The order of competition is as follows: East 3rd place, West 3rd place, West 1st place, East 1st place, West 2nd place, East 4th place, East 2nd place, and West 4th place.

The Class D final starts at 9 p.m. followed by Class C at 9:20 p.m., Class B at 9:40 p.m., and Class A at 10 p.m. The presentation of awards is set to start at 10:45 p.m.