PIAA competitive spirit champions crowned

The 2023 PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships were held over the weekend at the Giant Center in Hershey, with five new state champions being crowned.

Teams competed in five divisions – 2A Small Varsity, 2A Large Varsity, 3A Small Varsity, 3A Large Varsity, and Co-Ed Varsity – with the champion and runner-up in each division receiving medals and a trophy.

Bishop McCort High School won the 2A Small Varsity title with a zero-deduction routine that saw the team earn a final score of 94.2667. Richland High School was the runner-up with a final score of 86.6333.

From District 9, both St. Marys Area and Moniteau were in action in the 2A Small Varsity finals. Moniteau placed fourth with a score of 83.5, and St. Marys Area placed ninth with a score of 73.9.

The top two finishers in the 2A Large Varsity division both turned zero-deduction routines in Saturday's finals. Neshannock High School won the state title with a final score of 84.4667, and Hickory High School was the runner-up with a final score of 81.1333.

Archbishop Wood High School was third in the 2A Large Varsity division with a final score of 77.9667, Warren High School was fourth with a final score of 77, and rounding out the five teams in the final was Karns City with a final score of 75.9667.

The battle for the state title was extremely close in the 3A Small Varsity division. Garnet Valley High School and South Fayette High School both turned in zero-deduction routines to claim the top two spots, with Garnet Valley winning the title by 0.2. Garnet Valley had a final score of 94.5667, and South Fayette had a final score of 94.3667.

In the 3A Large Varsity division, Hempfield High School won the state title with a final score of 92.5 and Saint Huberts High School was the runner-up with a final score of 91.7667.

Butler Area High School won the state title in the Co-Ed Varsity division with a final score of 87.5333 and McDowell High School was the runner-up with a final score of 84.5.