The first varsity cheering competition of the winter was held Saturday at Mount Desert Island Regional High School as 11 Big East Conference squads gathered for the annual event.
The Hermon Hawks placed first, scoring 78.9 points. They beat out the Ellsworth Eagles, which compiled 74.6 to take runner-up honors, and the Old Town Coyotes, which had 74.1, good for third place.
Houlton was fourth with 62.6 and Presque Isle edged out the host MDI squad for fifth place. Both teams scored 60.9 points, but the Wildcats took the tie-breaker based on points difficulty.
Caribou placed 11th with 49 points, behind, in order, Washington Academy of East Machias (54.5), Orono (54.3), John Bapst (51.6) and Foxcroft Academy (50.5).
Presque Isle, Central Aroostook and Fort Fairfield will join Caribou and Houlton for the annual Aroostook League championship, to be held at Caribou High School Friday beginning at 7 p.m.
On Saturday beginning at 11 a.m., Caribou will also host the Wildcats and fellow Penobscot Valley Conference squads Old Town, Ellsworth, John Bapst, Mount Desert Island and Hermon for their championships.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students for both competitions and the doors will open 30 minutes prior to the start.
