Excited participants competed Saturday morning in the 2015-2016 PIAA District XI Competitive Spirit (Cheerleading) Championships at Easton Area Middle School in Easton. At stake was a trip to the state competition in Hershey on Jan. 22 and 23.

A total of 22 schools in three divisions competed. The top four schools in the small and medium divisions will go to states, as well as the top two schools in the large and coed divisions.Competing in the small division were Lehighton, Wilson, Emmaus, Bethlehem Catholic, Whitehall, Parkland and Liberty high schools. The medium division consisted of Pocono Mountain East, Southern Lehigh, Easton, Pocono West, East Stroudsburg South, Freedom, Pleasant Valley and Blue Mountain high schools. The large division included Pocono Mountain West, Northampton and Nazareth high schools. And the coed division high schools were East Stroudsburg North, William Allen, Allentown Central Catholic and Pen Argyl."They have a desire and drive to be the best of the best," said Gigi Barton, the coach for the Pleasant Valley squad. "We enjoy coming out."Pleasant Valley came in first place in their division last year and placed 10th in the state, she said.The squad's co-captain Laurissa Smith said, "We were really nervous about our stunts and the pyramids, but they went really well. I think we did better than we ever have before."Kirsten Levan, a cheerleader on Lehighton's squad, said some of the newer members were nervous, but those who have been competing for several years were ready for it."Everyone's been working as a team," Levan said. "This year went very well. All of our stunts hit."The squads can accumulate as many as 100 points. Judging is divided into two categories: cheer and music. Cheer evaluates motions, skills, execution, presentation and an overall score for up to 30 points. Music is where the crunch comes in. The squads are judged on partner stunts, pyramids, tumbling, jumps, dance and overall execution for a total of 70 points.Rebecca Schaffer, the coach for the Lehighton squad, said the judges come from two cheerleading organizations: the United Cheerleading Association and the National Cheerleading Association. The organizations emphasize different types of stunts, so having judges from both means that there is someone who can evaluate the stunts done by each squad."If things don't hit in your pyramid at the end, it's the last thing the judges see," Schaffer said. That last pyramid is one involving the whole squad.Last year, Lehighton made it to states, she said. It was the first time the school's cheerleading squad has ever gone that far."It's a fun day," Schaffer said. "We play all of these schools in football and basketball, but we never really get to see how great these cheerleaders are."Despite being competitors, there is a lot of camaraderie among the squads. Members from other squads sit along the mats and cheer on the other schools.In the end, Liberty High School took the top spot in the small division, followed by Parkland, Bethlehem Catholic, Whitehall, Parkland and wildcard spot given to Wilson. Lehighton didn't make it to states this year.In the medium division, Easton led the group with Pleasant Valley in second and on their way to states. Third and fourth place went to Pocono Mountain East and Freedom high schools.Pocono Mountain West took the top spot in the large division. Joining them at states will be Nazareth Area High School. And the two coed squads going to states are Allentown Central Catholic and East Stroudsburg North in second place.The competition was sponsored by St. Luke's University Health Network.