BAR HARBOR – The Bangor High cheerleading team has always done well in the Penobscot Valley Conference championship meet – the first round of the meet, that is.

The trouble has traditionally come in the final round. That’s where the Rams seemed to have slipped up in the past couple of years.

Not this time, though.

Bangor had a slim lead going into the finals, but managed an even bigger 10.2-point advantage for the team’s first PVC title in at least five years.

“We’ve been in the same position the past couple of years were we’ve done really well in the first round and then in the second round we’ve lost it,” Bangor junior Caitlyn Johnson said. “But this year we knew what we had to do to win the title.”

The Rams scored 139.1 points for the championship Saturday at MDI High’s Bernard Parady Gymnasium. John Bapst of Bangor was second with 129.3, edging Brewer (129.2) and Hampden (126.5).

Caribou (120.2) and Nokomis of Newport (117.7) also made the final round.

Other teams in the competition were Hermon, MDI, Bucksport, Ellsworth, Foxcroft and Old Town.

The Rams were third at PVCs last year and tied for fourth in 2003, but they were riding high after last week’s Big East Conference win.

“We had a lot of energy and we knew if we could stick everything we would win,” senior Liz Hall said.

Coach Stephanie Crane was pleased with her team’s final routine, which was mostly clean except for a flyer who came out of a stunt a bit too soon. The flyer still managed to save things with a clean twist on the landing.

“I don’t know how she did that, but she did,” Crane said of the save.

Bangor had a 140.8 in the prelims, just seven-tenths of a point ahead of Brewer. Just like they did in the Big East competition, the Rams were the last team to compete in the finals.

The rest of the Bangor team is made up of Ashley Crockett, Erin Healey, Kristen Thompson, Hannah Bennett, Sarah Coleman, Alise Jenkins, Anmarie Reed, Maria Coffin, Katie Soo, Karly Ueda, Amanda Mitchell, Jessica Tweedie, Jocelyn Christiansen, Kristen Cote, Erika Rogers, Katie Cox and Becca Bogan.

Second place for the Crusaders, meanwhile, represents a jump from fifth at last year’s PVCs. Bapst was third at the Big East meet.

“Our goal was just to come out and do our routine the best we could and try to be at the top of Class B,” coach Jennifer Babcock said. “We superceded that and we were really, really excited.”

The Crusaders don’t have the difficulty of some other teams. Instead, Babcock wants her team to emphasize a clean routine and a showy performance.

“We don’t have the difficulty we did last year, so we’re trying to play up the choreography and enthusiasm and energy,” she said.

Bapst is without Meagan Tilton, a key flyer and tumbler who suffered a broken ankle last week. Sophomore alternate Katie Saucier has taken Tilton’s place.

Raiders take DAC title

At Machias, the Washington Academy Raiders claimed their sixth straight Downeast Athletic Conference cheerleading title Saturday at the UMaine-Machias gymnasium.

The defending Eastern Maine Class C champion Raiders scored 122.2 points. Calais posted a 106.5 for the runner-up title, while defending Eastern Maine and state Class D champ Machias was third with 99.9 points. Narraguagus scored a 98.1 and Woodland tallied 79.3 points.

“Oh yeah, I’m very happy,” WA coach Laurie Schoppee said of the win. “I have a very young squad, just five back from last year and nine are brand new to the team. And none of the nine have ever competed before.”

Washington Academy’s team members are Jared Ham, Jason Labonte, Hillary Maker, Rebekah Cox, Katie McCormick, Brittan Porter, Heather Burch, Carly Small, Jackie Small, manager Celia Small, Brittany Bigger, Jessica Honea, Ashley Noyes, Marci Hatt, and Gabrielle Rushforth. The alternates are Rianne Barker, Rebecca Schors and Dezra Markley, Brittany Newquist.