Local gymnasts fared well during Saturday’s subdistrict meet at Kentwood High School and are now one step away from earning a berth in the state meet.

Bonney Lake High placed third in the combined Class 2A/3A competition Saturday, meaning the entire Panther team earned the right to complete this weekend in a district meet at Auburn Mountainview High School. Sumner High didn’t advance as a team, but three Spartans qualified on their own.

The goal now is to place high enough to earn a trip to the Feb. 19-20 state meet, to be staged in the Tacoma Dome exhibition hall.

Bonney Lake managed a team total of 140.425 points to place third, trailing only dominant Auburn Mountainview and North Kitsap. Sumner was sixth overall with a team total of 130.8.

The top Panther at the subdistrict meet was Kelsi Potterf, who wound up fifth in all-around scoring. She won the floor exercise with a score of 9.275 and was seventh in the beam, 8.025; eighth in the vault, 8.1; and 14th in the bars, 6.25.

Kelsey Wells-Henderson was 12th all-around. She was fifth in the bars with a score of 7.0; sixth in the vault, 8.225; 14th in the floor exercise, 7.85; and 19th in the bars, 7.05.

Sarah Skinner was Bonney Lake’s No. 3 in the all-around. She scored 7.9 in the vault, 5.55 on the bars, 7.0 on teh beam and 6.5 in the floor exercise.

Other members of the Panther team who will participate in districts are Leslie Sumpter, Lizandra Marengo, Brittney Jenkins, Amanda Hawkins, Hope Dickson, Kristina Jenkins and Alix Brown.

Bonney Lake coach Kathleen Kirkpatrick expects to see at least three Panthers qualify for the state meet and isn’t discounting the possibility of a high enough district placing to qualify the entire team. With Brown injured, the chances of a team berth are diminished.

From Sumner High, Aja Ruswick and Lisbet Fernandez earned a district berth with their all-around finish, while Rachel O’Donnell made it in the bars competition.

Ruswick was seventh overall by placing eighth in the floor exercise, 8.65; 10th in the bars, 6.65; 13th on the beam, 7.75; and 14th in the vault, 7.925. Fernandez was 11th overall after placing 11th in the vault with a score of 8.0; 11th on the beam, 7.8; 13th in the bars, 6.275; and 13th in the floor exercise, 8.15.

O’Donnell earned her trip to district by scoring 5.95 in the bars and claiming 17th place.