Hershey, here they come.

Butler, Moniteau and Karns City all punched their ticket to this weekend's PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships with impressive cheerleading performances in their respective district meets Saturday.

The Golden Tornado won the WPIAL large division championship at Hempfield, tallying 95.63 points. Butler finished second overall in scoring at the competition, trailing only Bethel Park's 96.06 points.

Moniteau placed first in the medium division — and overall — in the District 9 championships held at DuBois High School. Karns City placed second in the medium division and third overall.

“We lost to Bethel Park by less than a point ... That shows how fine and exact the execution has to be during a routine,” Butler coach Marianne Miller said. “Every cheer, every step, every element of technique counts.

“I couldn't be prouder of our kids. There were nine teams in our division, 21 teams in Class AAA overall, and we did extremely well.”

Miller added that “this entire team is humble and hard-working. They get along and they're kind to each other. In this sport, that's a hurdle and can make a big difference.”

While Butler is in its second year as a coed team, the WPIAL does not recognize a coed division. The PIAA Championships do have a separate coed division.

The Tornado cheered at Butler's basketball game at North Hills Friday night before heading to Hempfield for its own competition Saturday.

“There is a lot of time invested,” Miller said. “Some of these kids have jobs, they go to work, go to school, do basketball games, practice for competitions, find time for family and friends ... Their lives can be hectic.”

Moniteau, coached by Jacqie Tedeski, won District 9 for the first time. The Warriors practice five days a week, two hours each practice.

“We have 19 girls and they've worked hard for this,” Tedeski said. “We scored 273.9 points to lead the entire district.”

There were 11 teams at the District 9 meet, five in Moniteau's division. The Warriors beat out Karns City, DuBois, Ridgway and Clarion-Limestone for the medium division title.

Elk County Catholic won the small division title and was second in scoring overall. Karns City was third.

Moniteau will leave Thursday for the PIAA Championships.

“We want to get to Day 2 and the finals, that's our immediate goal,” Tedeski said. “We're hoping to make the most of our performances.

“These girls were incredible (Saturday). They had every move down to a science.”

Karns City head coach Nicole Rottman and assistant Krista Ritzert are both in their first year of guiding the Gremlin cheerleading team.

“These girls are keeping up the tradition that was established in this program right away,” Rottman said. “We're thrilled to be going to states. The girls are excited and we just want to do our best.”

The Gremlins have seven seniors, but not all of them are experienced at competitive cheering.

“We have an interesting mix that way,” Rottman said. “One senior is out for the team for the first time, another is back after a year off.

“One of our seniors (Maddie Staavi of Norway) is a foreign exchange student who has never done this before.”

Karns City had to overcome an unexpected obstacle when it competed Saturday — its music stopped ealy in its performance.

“The music just shut off. We never really got an explanation,” Rottman said. “We played it all the way through that morning and it worked fine.

“The girls just kept going. We kept the count for them, our supporters did and the audience did. They were shaken, to be sure, but they never quit the routine. I'm proud of the way they handled that situation.”

Miller lauded the efforts of her assistant coaches, Kristin Karam and Kylie Thoma.

“They are a huge part of our (Butler) team and the support system I have,” Miller said. “This is a team effort. We work hours together and consider each other's opinions.

“That's one of the reasons we're successful.”

Competitive Cheer Rosters

BUTLER

(WPIAL large school champs)

Seniors-Logan Donnel, Nathan Baker, J.R. Herold, Kamryn Heller, Aleigh Kradel, Logan Francis; Juniors-Peyton Holt, Emma Herold, Natalie Marburger, Mykaela Lipscomb; Sophomores-Samantha Penrod, Kendall Atkinson, Nadia Hindman, Yaz Cupec, Emma Rihn, Brynne Shay, Aleena Hutchens; Freshmen-Bella Shook, Sophia Wogan, Jenna Birckbicjhler, Mya Slomers

MONITEAU

(District 9 medium division champs)

Seniors-Madisyn Clark, Abby Davis, Emily Lewis, Trinity Nassy; Juniors-Grace Hazlet, Kendal Campbell, Sam Broerman, Cassidy Claypoole, Cassidy Allio, Amelia Thompson, Lexi Miller; Sophomores-Emma Barkley, Hailey Campbell, Taylor Schultz; Freshmen-Victoria DeMatteis, Ally Bremiller, Kylee Surrena, Shayla Nagy, Lexi Laschek

KARNS CITY

(District 9 medium division runner-up)

Seniors-Rayna Miller (captain), Megan McGinnis (captain), Zoe Bly, Kaley Byerly, Olivia Coyle, Mackenzie Shay, Maddie Staavi; Juniors-Emily Chiappini, Abby Deal, Lexie Livengood, Macy Stewart; Sophomores-Clare Bishop, Mira Codispot, Raechel Golling, Lilli Martin, Kirsten Mauthe, Shavon McCanna, Emily Parker, Addison Ritzert, Jordan Rottman