The Shires gave one of their best performances of the year, with no deductions from the judges, to finish fifth in the competition. Houlton (65.5 points) was a mere half-point away from runner-up Dirigo (66 points).
Team scores were: Orono 71, Dirigo 66, Central 65.8, Sacopee Valley 65.6, Houlton 65.5, Lisbon 62.5, Sumner 61.1, Monmouth Acad. 56.3, St. Dominic 52.1, Boothbay 51.3, Dexter 49.7, Mattanawcook Academy 42.
“The judges commented that we had a solid routine with creative stunts,” Foley said. “We had nice tosses. We were commended for having maximum participation. It was a very close, competitive competition.”
Lexi Fore, a member of the Houlton squad said the team was pleased with their performance.
“It felt great,” she said. “We have had a great year and being able to finish our season the way we did is a good feeling. I knew we would do great despite whatever happened. We were confident in our routine, though not everything went as planned, we still had fun performing our routine. We were all nervous, but we all encouraged each other. The seniors helped boost our confidence. We knew that if we gave our routine all we had then we would do great, and to me we did.”
Shire Cassie Butler the experience was unforgettable.
“It was such an amazing experience for me as well as my team members,” she said. “We all worked extremely hard to get to States and I’m so proud of all of my team members. It wasn’t everything I expected it to be, but it was definitely a great experience and I was so happy to get the opportunity to represent my school.”
Shire Anessa Wilde said the squad has been working on its routine since late-November and spent an “incredible” amount of time developing the routine.
“As in any competition, there were jitters for us before we competed, however, we came into our competitions this year more prepared than we have been in previous seasons, so that helped us feel less nervous and more confident,” she said.
Members of the Houlton squad include: Taylor Barnes, Abby Fore, Katie Knights, Chloe Davis, Sarah Delano, Medinah Diane, Hannah Foley, Lexi Fore, Hannah Jacobs, Toni MacDonald, Rachel Toupin, Alexis Miller, Butler, Wilde, Taylor Cowan, Breanna Croxen, Makenzie Fitzpatrick, Gabby Guiod, Yasmine Hatch, Hannah Pierce, Claire Gilpatrick, Jillian Haggerty and Emma Huot. The coaches are Foley and Julie Dunn.
