There was no mistake – contrary to rumors circulating, the Brewer cheerleading team was not the victim of a mathematical error at Saturday’s state championship meet at the Bangor Auditorium.

If anything, Brewer coach Kristie Reed said, the subjective nature of the sport may have done in the Witches.

The Brewer squad missed out on making the final round by half a point. Bonny Eagle of Standish earned the final slot in the final round with a 72 out of 100 possible points in the preliminary, while Brewer scored 711/2 points.

The teams with the top four prelim scores earn spots in the final.

The confusion arose from the Witches’ score in the jump category, where judges can award up to five points for execution of the jumps and five points for degree of difficulty. Denise Gelinas, the head judge at Saturday’s meet, said the judge awarded Brewer a four in both sections of the category.

In order to earn a five in the degree of difficulty section, cheerleading teams must perform at least three of the five jumps considered advanced jumps (toe touch, front hurdler, side hurdler, pike and double 9). In their routine the Witches had a front hurdler, side hurdler and double 9 – the necessary jumps, it would seem, to earn a five.

Because the judge in question gave the Witches a four in the degree of difficulty section (and because Brewer has earned a five in that category in all of its other competitions this year), Reed questioned the score.

“It is up to the judge,” she said. “It’s not something that can be overruled. She had to see that we had three of the five jumps. I think she probably thought that something was wrong with one of them. She meant to do that and we have to go by her opinion.”

Gelinas said the judge in question was asked about the score and intended to give the Witches a four.

“It’s not a situation where an official made an error at all,” said Gelinas, who did not name the judge. “The judge absolutely wanted to give them [a four] and she was not going to change her score.”

Reed said if Brewer had received a five, the additional point would have tied the Witches with the Scots instead of putting them ahead, because the two jump scores would have been averaged. In that case, both Brewer and Bonny Eagle would have been called back to perform in the finals.

The Witches have accepted the outcome of the meet and moved on, and Reed said she’s not questioning whether her squad could have beaten the top teams (Marshwood of Eliot won the championship and Oxford Hills of South Paris came in second).

Reed has also said she understands that the judge’s score was a matter of opinion and that Gelinas has been “very good” about dealing with the situation.

“With the sport that we have, this happens,” Reed said. “I just have to write some letters, voice my opinion. Maybe they can add some checks and balances.”

John Farrington, a Maine Principals’ Association cheerleading committee member and the athletic director at Schenck of East Millinocket, said the committee may discuss the situation when it meets next month.