Raiders defend DAC cheering championship

EAST MACHIAS – The Washington Academy Raiders successfully defended their Downeast Athletic Conference cheerleading championship with a nine-point victory in Friday night’s final round.

The Raiders, who earned their eighth DAC title in nine years, scored 100.4 points in the finals to outdistance runner-up Machias, which scored 91.3. The Bulldogs edged third-place Calais by one-tenth of a point.

Fourth place went to Jonesport-Beals (82.8) and fifth to Narraguagus of Harrington, which scored 77.7.

First-round scores were as follows: WA 103.4, Machias 90.8, Calais 86.1, Jonesport-Beals 83.4, and Narraguagus 73.8.

The team members for WA, directed by first-year coach Rianne Ackley, are Brittany Bigger, Ashley Noyes, Katie Veader, Amber Sode, Lily Evans, Arianna Sanborn, Leah Peters, Madison Barker, Saxon Schmauderer, Colin Wagner, Frankie Griffin, Caissie Nevala, Shawn Leighton, Channing Jessiman and Shelby Stanhope.