John Bapst garners second straight title Fort Fairfield takes ‘D’ championship

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AUGUSTA – It’s been their mantra all season.

The John Bapst of Bangor cheerleaders have it written on the backs of their team T-shirts. The Crusaders have included it in their performance.

And now, Bapst can say it with pride.

Once was not enough for the 2005 Class B state champions – the Crusaders used a conservative but thoroughly clean routine to win their second straight state crown Saturday evening at the Augusta Civic Center.

“We really wanted to prove it to all the people who said last year was [a fluke] and we couldn’t win it again this year,” said senior Kelly Allen.

John Bapst scored 153.3 points to become the first Class B team to win back-to-back titles since Old Town in 1999-2000, and was the only repeat winner of all four competitions Saturday.

In Class D, Fort Fairfield returned to the top with 126 points, winning its first state crown since 2003. Central Aroostook of Mars Hill claimed runner-up honors with a score of 121.

The Class B Crusaders did it by holding off a more daring routine from Wells, which finished second with 150.9 points. Oak Hill of Sabattus scored 139.3 points for third and Poland was fourth with 124.4.

The final order was the same as it was after the first round, in which six teams from Eastern Maine and six from Western Maine performed. The field was narrowed down to the top four for callbacks.

Bapst performed its routine close to perfection in both rounds of the competition, moving up almost three points in the finals.

The Crusaders’ routine was remarkable for its steadiness and consistency. Bapst performed its complicated one-legged stunts with few shakes – even when the team went with four stunt groups that might be a stretch for most teams – its pyramid came together smoothly, and the basket tosses the Crusaders added after regionals contributed to more difficulty.

“It’s a whole different feeling when you leave the floor,” said senior Audrey Lawrence. “You just know you’ve hit it.”

Wells also had four stunts at one point, but one fell in the final round.

It’s a chance teams take.

“The girls like to take more risks and I like to have it more conservative and steady and solid, and I think we had a good combination of both,” Crusaders coach Jen Babcock said.

The rest of the John Bapst team includes Ashlee Simpson, Katie Black, Megan McBurnie, Kim Robertson, Lauren Gray, Sara Moreshead, Kaili Davis, Alison Bromley, Naomi Freeman, Alex Wright, Sheila Toomey, Jana Craig, Brianne Cowan and Melissa Gliford.

Fort Fairfield coach Kelly Bubar told the Tigers they had finished third. Disappointed and a bit confused after scoring a 128 in the first round, they started to get dressed for the ride home.

“We were all upset but clapping for the other team,” said senior Danielle Langley. “When we heard ‘Tigers’ our coach took off before us so she could be down here before we were. It’s like a big joke with us.”

The team should have expected it – Bubar did the same thing before Fort Fairfield won the Eastern Maine title.

Machias finished third of the four teams called back to the finals. The Bulldogs scored 116.4 points and Buckfield was fourth with 111.3.

Eight teams competed in the first round. Half were called back.

Fort Fairfield’s 128 in the first round was also best of the field. The Tigers have a complicated routine that includes a fast-paced dance, four standing back handsprings with three tumbling passes, and one of the few basket tosses of the Class D competition.

But they also had a stunt fall on the right side near the end of the performance.

“We were extremely worried about that,” Langley said. “We knew it wasn’t a deduction and it was just a fall and they would take off points on overall appeal, but were still worried.”

The rest of the Fort Fairfield team includes Jennifer Dufour, Kylie Chambers, Lizzie Tuck, Josh Barnes, Chelsea Danilson, Ashley McNally, Taylor Turner, Janelle Duncan, Kellie Osgood, Rachel Worcester, Allan Cloney, Amelia Hebert, Ruthie Arato, Angie Burnell, Gabby Bowker, Marcus Spear, Aimee Tibbetts and Keiza Bernaiche.

Central Aroostook led 2004 champ Machias by nine-tenths of a point after the first round but stretched that to 4.6 points after the finals.

The Panthers’ unique elements included twisting dismounts out of every stunt but one and three tumbling passes.

“That puts up to a bigger [scoring] range that not many teams are in,” said coach Sami Allen. “… I have five wonderful seniors who have been with me through the beginning and they really wanted this.”