Capping another dominant season with their best performances of the year, Kamehameha and Radford again showed why they are Hawai'i's premier high school cheerleading programs by each taking first place yesterday at the Zippy's State Championships.

An enthusiastic crowd of 1,383 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Kamehameha repeat as Large Division (minimum 11-person squad) champion with its fifth title in the past six years. Radford won its fourth straight crown in the Medium Division (10-person maximum).

"This is so awesome, our coaches prepared us so well," said Kamehameha senior flyer Ashley Murakami, a third-year letterman. "We worked our butts off, and I'm really proud of all the girls for this accomplishment."

The Warriors finished with a score of 320 points, out of a maximum 375. Mililani came in second with 292.5 points, followed by Moanalua (284), Waimea (280.5), Kailua (264) and Kapolei (257).

"I don't know if that was our highest score this season, but it definitely was our best performance," Kamehameha coach Melissa Beimes said. "It's the biggest competition so the girls had to control their nerves, but they did well."

The Warriors executed difficult stunts and flowed seamlessly from one element (tumbling/stunts/cheer) to another during their 2 1/2-minute routine. Although Kamehameha has dominated at the league (nine straight Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships) and state level in recent years, Beimes said the other programs continue to push the Warriors.

"The level is rising every year, the other teams are getting better," Beimes said. "It's hard to be creative and come up with something new ... you still wish everybody would hit their routine."

Kamehameha maintained its high standards despite some coaching transitions since last year. Longtime co-head coach Dolly Wong moved to Kaua'i after last year's title win and assistant coach Giselle Kim moved to Oregon midway through this season.

Beimes said Kim "was a big part of our choreography and cheer," and Murakami said Wong — who coached the Warriors to Medium Division state championships in 2002 and 2003 and a Large Division title in 2004 — helped establish the standards of excellence they try to maintain.

"It was hard at first not having (Wong) here, not coaching," Murakami said. "But we still have really good coaches (Beimes and assistant Shawna Lee), and her spirit is still with us. Her passion is what helped make the program the way it is, so it's almost like she's still here with us."

Radford won the Medium Division with a score of 317 points. Kamehameha-Hawai'i was second — its highest finish to date — with 273, followed by Pearl City (265), Kealakehe (244.5), 'Aiea (240), Baldwin (230.5), Kalaheo (221), Kalani (203.5) and Kamehameha-Maui (189.5).

Like Kamehameha, Radford appeared to be a notch above the field in terms of executing difficult stunts, tumbling and choreography.

"It felt good, it felt like we hit everything," said Rams junior flyer Malyssa Barbasa.

Radford coach Bo Frank said it was their best performance of the season.

"It wasn't our best score, but it was our best performance," Frank said.

The Rams won their third straight O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship Nov. 22 despite some injuries and illnesses earlier in the week. They eventually regained their health and were at full strength, but also lost a few days of preparation when they joined Radford's football team for state tournament games on Kaua'i and Maui.

The Rams cheerleaders also were on the Aloha Stadium sidelines Friday for the Division II football state championship game, which Radford lost to 'Iolani.

"It was good bonding and the girls had a lot of fun traveling to the Neighbor Islands," Frank said. "There wasn't the pressure and stress of competition (at the football games), so they had a lot of fun."