The PIAA’s competitive spirit meet has now existed long enough for some schools to be established title threats.
The McDowell Trojans warranted that status even before this weekend’s 12th annual meet at Hershey.
Thanks to Friday’s performance, they’re also one routine away from an unprecedented fifth coed varsity championship.
McDowell, coached by Deena Pribonic, posted the best average score for the preliminary round of their division. Its 2½-minute routine, which warranted an average score of 82.86 points from the panel of judges, was the only one which exceeded 80.
District 3’s Conrad Weiser, at 76.53, was second to McDowell. The Scouts and Trojans were two of six squads that automatically advanced to Saturday’s finals back at the Giant Center.
McDowell, as the top seed, will perform last. The Trojans’ are scheduled to start at 2:12 p.m.
Should McDowell win, its 2024 squad would join those from 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022 that returned to the Millcreek Township school with a PIAA coed varsity title trophy.