The Oak Harbor High School cheer team’s run for the title at the USA Nationals in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday evening ended with the Wildcats finishing an impressive fourth.

On Saturday, the Wildcats opened preliminary competition in the coed intermediate division against 16 teams from California, New Mexico, Arizona and Washington.

Only the top four teams advanced to Sunday’s final round.

Like true champions, Oak Harbor put together a strong performance and made it into the finals.

Coach Pam Headridge said she thought teams with a larger number of boys on their rosters made the difference in the outcome of the competition.

“We were the smallest coed team in our division with only three boys and we were competing against teams that had up to 10 boys,” she said.

Headridge said the Wildcats hit a good routine but in the end, it was the bigger teams that scored higher.

Flowing Wells High School from Arizona had six boys on the team and won the championship. Woodrow Wilson was second and Headridge said the California team had five boys on the roster, and Century, with seven boys on the team, finished in third place.

“The kids were a little disappointed because with them, it’s win or nothing,” Headridge said. “As for myself, I was very pleased with the way we did.”

Six schools from Washington were represented at the USA National competition, Ballard, Decatur, Heritage, Oak Harbor, Skyview and Tahoma.

Skyview went to the finals in small novice division and finished in third place.

Also receiving trophies but not reaching the finals were Heritage, who placed fifth in the coed intermediate division, and Tahoma, who was seventh in the coed intermediate division.

Oak Harbor’s five-girl stunt team composed of Shannel Girton, Willysha Shaw, Tracy Vessels, Meghan Rikard and Ashley Parish competed Friday, but did not make it into finals in the all-girl stunt team division.

“The team hit the routine and represented Washington and Oak Harbor with style and class,” Headridge said. “I was very proud of all the kids.”

The Wildcats’ final competition of the season is the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association’s State Championships at Bellevue Community College March 22.

Oak Harbor is the defending state champion in the small coed division.