BUTLER TWP - When asked why he likes gymnastics so much, 7-year-old Levi Cetti had a quick answer.

"It's fun," he said while grinning from ear to ear.

There's plenty to smile about when you put together six first-place finishes and one runner-up finish in seven events while competing in your first state meet during your first year in the sport.

That's what Cetti did, racking up 58.20 of a possible 60 points while competing for the Butler Gymnastics Club at the Pennsylvania State Championship Meet recently at Penn State University.

"I've had first-year kids win individual events at states before," Butler coach Dave McKinnis said. "I've never had a first-year kid make this kind of an impact before."

Competing in Level 7, Cetti had a near-perfect score of 9.95 in the floor exercise. He also won state titles in the vault, high bars, still rings, parallel bars and all-around.

The only event he didn't win was pommel horse. He missed out by one-tenth of a point.

In the eighth year of coaching a program that he founded, McKinnis has witnessed the steady progression of his Butler boys gymnastics team.

Two years ago, Eddie Hay of Butler was the lone gymnast on the squad capable of performing a triple twist.

Hay is a high school senior now. Teammates Cody Carnahan of Karns City, Dusty Cranmer of Seneca Valley and Chad Wiest of Moniteau - all 15-year-olds - can now perform the triple twist as well.

"Eddie has exceeded all of my expectations," McKinnis said. "It's just that these other guys have caught up to him.

"I can't distinguish them now. Each is as good as the other three and they are the best gymnasts I've ever coached," he added.

Hay competes in Level 1 while Carnahan, Cranmer and Wiest compete in Level 2. All four qualified for nationals in Savannah, Ga., a year ago, but the Butler squad didn't make the trip.All four - along with Aaron Zaiser in Level 3, Jesse McKinnis in Level 6, Nicholas Grant, Anthony Ferrigno, Ben Zaiser and J.B. Kolod in Level 5 - qualified for regionals this year.Besides Cetti, Grant and Ferrigno brought home state titles this year. Grant finished first in floor exercise and Ferrigno was first in vault.Only 9 years old, Ferrigno is already competing at Level 5."That's an accomplishment in itself," McKinnis said.The regional for Levels 1 through 4 is this weekend in Allentown. Gymnasts from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware will be competing."We're pretty confident we're all going to qualify for nationals again," Hay said. "We challenge each other during practice all of the time. It's made us all better."The national meet is in San Diego this year. McKinnis said there's the possibility money will be raised for the trip if his gymnasts qualify."These kids have worked so hard, achieved so much and they've had to do it in this confined setting," McKinnis said. "There's no local competition, we have to take long trips to meets. … We just stay in here and work.""It's all about repetition," Hay said. "You tinker with a new move, practice it, then keep refining it over and over and over again."Butler has no Level 4 gymnasts on its boys team this year. McKinnis said his Level 1 through 3 gymnasts - Aaron Zaiser, Carnahan, Cranmer, Wiest and Hay - "could beat any high school team I've ever had."It's unfair to compare eras like that because times change," he added. "But these guys are very, very good."