TALLAHASSEE -- Minutes after the Douglas High cheerleading squad finished its routine in the small coed finals Friday, coach Jessie Metzger was overcome with emotion.

''The fact that I got to see them compete in finals made all the difference,'' a teary-eyed Metzger said. ``We worked for 10 months and they get two-and-a-half minutes. It was the best I could ask for.''

Metzger's tears were contagious, spreading backstage at Tallahassee's Civic Center among Douglas cheerleaders Emonii Wore, Morgan Romance and Chelsea Baumiller.

Even though Douglas finished fourth in the finals with a score of 393, the girls felt like winners.

''It was one of the best experiences of my entire life,'' said Baumiller, the only four-year senior on the squad.

Flanagan High also competed in the small coed division. Coach Erin Pashley said the girls attended tumbling classes two days a week to prepare for the competition.

Flanagan finished with a score of 343. It wasn't enough to advance to finals, but Pashley was pleased with her squad's routine.

''I was very happy with their performance, and I feel like they gave it their best shot and everything they worked so hard for this year paid off,'' Pashley said. ``It's great to see them have fun and for all their dreams to kind of come true, to be able to compete at a state competition.''

It was a homecoming of sorts for Pashley, who attended Florida State from 2001 to '04 and was a member of the Seminole Dance Force.

''It's funny because when I danced for Florida State, we had our homecoming here and I danced in the Pow Wow, and now we're back here and it's a nice homecoming to come back to Florida State,'' Pashley said.

Palm Beach County was represented Friday by Palm Beach Gardens and Dwyer High. The Dwyer cheerleaders wore special hair bows in honor of Rick Hubbard, the Dwyer athletic director who died of a heart attack in December.

Dwyer coach Kathy Ledbetter said they tweaked their routine just last week, but the girls pulled off their stunts without a hitch.

''I'm excited because our bow and arrows hit, which was our worst worry,'' Dwyer cheerleader Ale Betancourt said. ``So when that hit, it was good, and I'm happy.''

Betancourt's cheermate, Kara Johnson, was also relieved with the performance, even though they didn't advance to finals.

''I thought we did really well,'' Johnson said.

``I wasn't nervous. I had a lot of fun and everyone stuck [to] it. I saw in my peripheral vision when I was flying, everyone hit good and I was really excited.''

Dade Christian's routine was good enough to compete in the finals. They finished last in the small varsity division, but coach Kim Lowy was pleased backstage after their final performance at the state competition.

''I'm totally impressed,'' Lowy said.

``They did a great job -- they hit all their stunts. They were fantastic. I couldn't ask for better.''

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