Before the Radford Rams’ cheer squad even took center stage, teams like Mililani, Kalaheo and Castle all left their school’s designated seats to find a spot on the floor to watch the seven-time state champion and three-time national champion’s routine. Family, friends and fellow cheerleaders started chanting, "Let’s go, Rams."

Every tumbling sequence and every lift was followed by thunderous applause and at the end of the long day, Radford finally reclaimed the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s championship title Saturday at Kalani High School. It’s a title that has eluded them for the past two years, despite so much recognition outside of the division.

The championship came down to 1.5 points separating them and the preseason OIA champs of Moanalua High School. But longtime Radford coach Bo Frank knew it would be this way.

"As soon as I saw Moanalua’s routine, I knew it would be a close one," he said. "It feels good when two teams hit their routines. Everyone was at their best and everyone demonstrated top-level performances. When that happens, everyone starts stepping up their level. With the level stepping up, that’s good for the state and our competition."

The Rams’ routine was strong from the beginning, with every squad member starting with a backflip. That was followed by a challenging tumbling sequence and near-flawless routine of dance and stunts. They went all out with stunts, layups and twists. The loudest cheers seemed to come from last season’s champions of Mililani.

"It’s an honor to be the squad to watch. We know other teams look up to us," Frank said. "I was happy with (the team)," said Frank. "I think it was a pretty excellent routine. That’s the thing I strive for, excellence. I know a lot of coaches focus on being perfect. I focus on excellence."

Radford took the top of nine state qualifying spots with a score of 348.5, beating out Moanalua’s 347. Kaiser took third with 305 points and Mililani finished in fourth with 299.5. Other teams who will be competing in next week’s state championship will be Castle, Pearl City, Kailua, McKinley and Leilehua.

Being a popular squad coming into the competition, Frank said, the team knew all eyes would be on them and they were a bit nervous.

"They were feeling the pressure. They didn’t want to be the team to win seven state championships and then lose," he said. "I told them, ‘If you think that way, you’ve already lost. You just have to have fun. You have to make it look easy and they way to do that is to have fun."

Moanalua rookie coaches Travis Mukina and Zach Giano were having fun and could not have been happier with the result. The pair jumped up in excitement to hug their cheerleaders the second the music stopped.

"We’re the type who look at scores and not place and we’re completely happy with how we did," said Mukina.

Mililani’s crew was right in the mix with a solid dance routine. Their performance was tight and it looked as though they were ready for a repeat.

But their chance for that repeat fell through when one of their stunts didn’t make it up. Mililani coach Renesha Kierstedt was still ecstatic for her team.

"They didn’t let (that stunt) get to them. They just went along with their routine," she said. "We accomplished our goal. We started strong and we finished strong."

Kaiser, Mililani and Radford will compete in Saturday’s state cheer competition in the large division, while Moanalua will compete in the medium division.