Submitted Photo Warren’s cheerleaders are all smiles Friday after they finished in the top four in their 2A Large Varsity class at he PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships in Hershey.

HERSHEY — After the first day of the PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships, Warren’s cheerleaders are already guaranteed the highest finish they’ve ever had.

The District 10 champion Dragons finished in the top four (out of 14 squads) in their 2A Large Varsity class on Friday at the Hershey Park Arena.

“We are not guaranteed a medal, but we are guaranteed to place top five in the state for the 2A Large Division,” said Warren coach Melissa Feaster. “Overall, they did fabulous. They stayed true to who we are as a team. They brought great energy to the mat and hit all their stunting skills. I am proud of the performance they gave. I know as a team we are extremely proud for making Warren Area High School history today. We are the first team to make it to day two of the state championships. Better yet, we are moving straight to finals (today).”

Warren’s results on Friday allow the Dragons to skip the semifinals and advance straight to the finals. While Warren has competed at states before, its highest finish was sixth a year ago, and Feaster said that was out of eight teams in its classification due to COVID.

“There was not a preliminary round of semifinal round, just finals,” she said.