Submitted Photo Warren’s cheerleaders finished fifth in the 2A Large Varsity Division on Saturday at the PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

HERSHEY — It’s tough to do better than the best you’ve ever done.

That’s right where the Warren Area High School cheerleaders are at after finishing fifth in the 2A Large Varsity division on Saturday at the PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships.

“What a weekend we had together. The team definitely shined. I’m so incredibly proud of them, and I love the memories we made together,” Warren head coach Melissa Feaster posted on Facebook after the state finals Saturday at Hershey Giant Center.

For good reason; it was the first Warren team to advance to the second day of competition at states. The Dragons advanced to states after winning their second straight District 10 2A Large Varsity title.

The journey to Hershey didn’t start there, however.

“The journey has been great,” said Feaster. “In early December, we started competing in front of judges. At our first competition, we scored a 71 with five deductions. Week after week, we kept working at perfecting our routine and on the execution of our stunts. Each time we competed, we got a higher score. Better yet, our deductions kept getting smaller. At finals, we hit zero deductions. That’s amazing with the amount of pressure the team experienced competing. … All that hard work helped us score 10 points higher than we did in December.

“Overall the last couple years, we have continued to take strides toward gaining the recognition that we feel the sport of cheerleading deserves,” added Feaster. “Anyone that has competed at the state level knows how big of an accomplishment that is. Last year, we competed at the state level, placing sixth with a score 67.07 with 5 points of deductions (out of eight teams). This year, we placed fifth (out of 14) with a score of 81.7 with zero deductions. As you can see, we are closing in on some of the best teams in the state of Pennsylvania; some of these teams compete at nationals, too. Our cheer program is heading in an amazing direction, and we have the heart and drive to continue to grow.”

It won’t take long.

“As we reflected on our weekend in Hershey, the team eagerly started rattling off goals for next season,” said Feaster. “Some of them have already requested that I start having open practices to work on harder stunting skills.”

The Dragons already want better.

“When I went to states as a freshman, I thought it was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Warren senior cheerleader Jaelyn Mohney. “Going last year as a junior was great, but everything was so different because of COVID restrictions. Addison (Downer), Jayden (Slack), Olivia (Goss) and I were just hoping that our senior year would be somewhat normal, but to have it ended like this is beyond what we could’ve ever imagined. Our last performance was on the big stage at the Giant Center in front of our friends and families, and we nailed it. I am really excited to see what’s to come for this program. They’ve got so much talent and potential.”