Trib HSSN rewind: A look back at the 2018-19 competitive spirit season

By: Bill Hartlep
Wednesday, July 10, 2019 | 4:14 PM

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It was a repeat performance for three teams at the WPIAL competitive spirit championships in January.

After claiming district titles in 2018, Bethel Park, Elizabeth Forward and Chartiers-Houston again stood atop the podium at the 2019 championship meet.

Bethel Park edged Butler by less than half of a point on the 100-point scoring scale in Class AAA.

Congrats to our Cheerleaders who competed well today at the WPIAL Championships. Stay tuned for results later today. #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/hgnzaZwWbA

— BP Athletics (@BP_BlackHawks) January 5, 2019

They did it again!!!! Competitive Cheerleaders win the WPIAL GOLD! Congrats girls. #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/aQim0Hj5gX

— BP Athletics (@BP_BlackHawks) January 5, 2019

Elizabeth Forward claimed a third straight title in Class AA by edging Hopewell.

In Class A, Chartiers-Houston won its fourth crown in the past six years.

Along with the classification awards, 15 schools qualified for the PIAA championships.

Butler won the large squad competition (21-30 competitors) for the second straight year, followed by Baldwin and Norwin.

1st place Large Varsity, WPIAL AAA Runner-Up and a bid to States?? Great day at the office for Butler!

Congratulations to AAA champs, @BPHSCheer! pic.twitter.com/xoWnGGbh4a

— Butler Cheer (@BHS__cheer) January 5, 2019

Thomas Jefferson won in the medium squad title (16-20 competitors), beating out Franklin Regional and Shaler on the podium. Penn-Trafford and Elizabeth Forward also got automatic bids.

Bethel Park repeated as well in winning the small squad competition. Pine-Richland, South Fayette and Hopewell also qualified.

South Park (small squad), North Allegheny (medium squad) and North Hills (large squad) earned at-large bids.

PIAA glory

Bethel Park continued to find success on the mat at the PIAA championships, capturing a second title in three years Jan. 12, in Hershey.

A week after winning WPIAL Gold, our Lady Hawk Cheerleaders are bringing home the PIAA Gold from Hershey as State Champions!! Way to go girls! #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/YSOoeFrkoJ

— BP Athletics (@BP_BlackHawks) January 12, 2019

Bethel Park tallied a score of 92.33 in the final round to edge South Park (89.15) for the PIAA small division title. The Black Hawks also won in 2017 and were runners-up in ‘18.

Butler captured the PIAA title in the co-ed division with a score of 89.33.

Congratulations to the Butler Competitive Cheer Team on winning the state championship! https://t.co/VnDM9NKNfy pic.twitter.com/YU45oPl9FD

— Butler Area SD (@Butler_Area_SD) January 15, 2019

The Golden Tornado narrowly edged McDowell (88.68) and Downingtown West (88.57) for their third state title. They were runners-up in the co-ed division last year.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Bethel Park, Butler, Chartiers-Houston, Elizabeth Forward, Thomas Jefferson