The Paso Robles High team won the CIF Central Section championship over the weekend

PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles High School Bearcats stunt team made history as the first team to win the CIF Central Section championship. They will move on to compete in the State CIF in Sacramento on Friday, May 13.

Bearcat Stunt Champions Kayla Degnan from the Crimson News Paper 3 — The Bearcats stunt team is shown in action during the CIF Central Section championship at Paso Robles High. Photo by Kayla Degnan from Crimson

This year was the first end-of-the-season tournament held for the Central Section, and Paso Robles High School was the first to host the competition.

“We not only got to win, but we got to host as well,” said stunt coach and PRHS athletic director Tori Loney.

Stunt, which is still an emerging sport within CIF, is derived from competitive cheerleading. It involves a head-to-head game between two teams who execute skills-based routines in various categories — partner stunts, jumps and tumbling, pyramids and tosses, and team routines.

Teams are given 18 routines in December to learn and master by the time their season starts in February. Each game ranges about 45 minutes with four quarters. Each routine is nine counts of eight equal to about 45 seconds per routine. Teams simultaneously perform one of the 18 routines picked; whichever one scores higher moves forward. Teams are scored on their accuracy, technique, and skill set.

Bearcat Stunt Champions Contributed 2 — The Bearcats stunt team poses for a photo after winning the title. This was the first CIF Central Section title given out for stunt. Contributed Photo

“It’s a lot, but it’s exciting to see how it evolves over the season,” said Loney.

The Bearcats competed against seven other teams at the CIF Central Section championship competition. On Thursday, they will leave for Sacramento to compete in CIF State.

Only nine teams are invited to the State Championships. On Friday the Bearcats will play against Oakridge, from the Sacramento area, who currently sit at second in the state. The Bearcats currently sit at number seven in the state. If they win against Oakridge, the Bearcats will move forward to the semifinals on Saturday.

“I feel I’ve been gifted with a team that’s very driven to be the best in the area,” Loney said. “[A team] to be competitive against other teams in the state. They’ve just gotten better and better every year.”