The Butler High School cheerleaders are all smiles as they pose with the championship trophy and medals after winning the PIAA Competitive Spirit title Saturday in Hershey.Members of the team are, first row, from left: Logan Donnel, Kamryn Heller, Aliegh Kradel, Nathan Baker, Logan Francis and JR Herald; second row, from left: Peyton Holt, Emma Herold, Mykaela Lipscomb, Natalie Marburger and Aleena Hutchens; third row, from left: coach Kristin Karam, coach Kylie Thoma, Samantha Penrod, Kendall Atkinson, Nadia Hindman, Yazamis Cupec, Emma Rihn, Brynne Shay and head coach Marianne Miller; fourth row, from left: Bella Shook, Sophia Wogan, Jenna Birkbichler and Mya Slomers.

HERSHEY — A bobble proved to be just a prelude to a championship.

The Butler cheerleading squad used a Friday mistake as fuel to light a fire toward capturing the program's third PIAA Competitive Spirit title Saturday in Hershey. Butler is in its second season as a coed squad.

Butler's score in the finals was 89.33, putting the Golden Tornado less than a full point ahead of runner-up McDowell's 88.68. Five of the 17 coed squads competing in the PIAA event reached the finals.

Downingtown West finished with an 88.57, Red Lion an 86.77 and New Oxford a 75.03.

“Everything was so tight. The key is in the precision of your performance, to avoid deductions,” Butler coach Marianne Miller said.

The Tornado had a two-point deduction in Friday's preliminaries, causing Butler to enter the finals with a score of 87.00, trailing McDowell's 87.90.

Still, Butler was one of four teams earning a bye straight to the finals, where all scores reset and everything starts over.

“We knew we made a mistake (Friday) and I think that helped us in the long run,” senior Aliegh Kradel said. “It really lit a fire under us.

“We felt like we were good enough to win this.”

Butler will compete at the UCA Nationals in Orlando, Fla., in February.

Moniteau reached the semifinal round in the girls medium varsity division. Karns City did not advance from Friday's preliminary round.

This is an excerpt — read more about Butler's win in Monday's Butler Eagle.