High five: McDowell's competitive spirit squad wins fifth PIAA coed varsity championship
Deena Pribonic reacted like all others connected to McDowell’s competitive spirit program after Saturday’s PIAA meet.
The fourth-year coach erupted in excitement the moment she learned the Trojans were the competition’s coed varsity victors.
McDowell won that division for an unprecedented fifth time in the meet’s 12-year history. The squad’s 2½-minute championship round routine at Hershey’s Giant Center warranted an average score of 81.87 points from a three-judge panel.
District 3’s Conrad Weiser was snug second at 78.92. The Scouts’ average validated why Pribonic felt uneasy before Saturday’s awards ceremony.
Her vibe at that point differed from those she experienced as coach for the Trojans’ 2021 and 2022 state winners.
Unlike those seasons, there was scant guarantee McDowell would be announced as this season’s coed varsity victor.
Conrad Weiser’s score, followed by the 76.25 for third-place New Oxford, validated Pribonic’s angst.
“The competition this year was insane,” she said. “You just didn’t know who would win going into the awards. Every team hit their marks this year, and I know we did the best we could.”
“That’s what makes this (win) so great.”
Sustaining success
Saturday’s championship followed McDowell’s back-to-back PIAA victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22. Kathy Wiltse and Mindy Marshall were co-coaches for the Trojans’ first two titles.
District 3 Cumberland Valley is the only squad that possesses more first-place state trophies than McDowell. The Mechanicsburg squad, thanks to Saturday’s first-place performance in the Class 3A small varsity division, stayed ahead of the Trojans with their sixth overall championship.
Pribonic is grateful McDowell has established itself as a dynasty program after 12 years of PIAA meets.
“We feel so blessed every day,” she said. “We really try to remain humble, remember we come from a team legacy and try every year to withhold that legacy.”
“We want to be a team people want to cheer for and feel proud of for winning.”
More: McDowell among repeat champions at District 10 competitive spirit meet
‘Nerves high’ for Harbor Creek
McDowell wasn’t the only Erie County squad that competed Saturday.
The Harbor Creek Huskies, District 10’s Class 2A small varsity champions (15 members or fewer), were eliminated after the morning’s semifinal round. Their routine was worth 58.80 points.
Forest Hills (70.90) and United (68.26) advanced to berths for the finals. It was there Greater Johnstown, by .17 of a point at 88.50, edged Bishop McCort for first place.
Harbor Creek qualified for the semis based on Friday’s preliminary round of 65.60. Coach Katie Gocal was elated with the squad’s overall showing this weekend if for no other reason than its collective youth.
The Huskies arrived at the Giant Center with a roster of 12 and only two seniors.
“The nerves were high, but they were excited (Friday),” Gocal said. “They were tired going into (Saturday) but we had no injuries and they did well.”
“We’re super proud of them reaching the semifinals for such a young team.”
Hickory also in action
The Hickory Hornets, the third district champ in action Saturday, also bowed out after their semifinal routine in the 2A large varsity division (16 or more starters). Their 66.57 performance trailed Karns City (69.13) and Elk County Catholic (73.87), which advanced to the finals.
Elk County was fourth to Archbishop Ryan (84.27) in the championship round.
St. Hubert’s Catholic (91.30 in 3A large varsity) concluded the list of meet winners.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: McDowell's spirit squad wins PIAA-record fifth coed varsity title
