Familiar Names Top Illinois HS Sectionals
by Orlan H. Ree, Jr.
oree@cheertimes.com
JOLIET, IL—The Illinois High School Association's state tournament for Competitive Cheerleading concluded its Sectionals this past weekend with a boatload of mystery, intrigue, and another missing defending state champion.
With familiar programs like Sandburg, Elk Grove, and Lemont leading the way to the state finals this weekend, for the second year in a row, a defending state champ called in sick.
Wesclin, which won the Small Division title a year ago, did not compete in Sectionals this year because of "too many injuries," according to Wesclin's Athletic Department. Last year, Peotone pulled out of the Medium Division after winning the Small Division the year before. Oddly enough, Peotone, who also cited multiple injuries as the reason for their withdrawl in 2009, did not compete again this year.
Meanwhile, with the level of talent down across all divisions in the entire state, only Lemont looks like the strongest candidate to win its division while the Small, Large, and Coed divisions are up for grabs.
Sectionals were held at five sites across the state—Highland, Colfax Ridgeview, Joliet, Belvidere, and Grayslake North. To advance to the state finals, a team had to place in the Top 5 of their division at each site. A total of 25 teams from each division advance to Bloomington, IL, to participate in the state preliminaries on Friday, February, 5. The teams placing in the top ten from prelims move onto the finals on Saturday.
The following are recaps and thoughts about each division.
Small Division
The greatest attribute about the Small Division is its unpredictability. You never know what is going to happen.
Last year, Wesclin won the title with only seven cheerleaders on the floor. Shelbyville won the inaugural state title back in 2006; they haven't been heard from since. The best part is you get to learn geography because you see town names at the state finals you've never heard of before.
This year is no exception in terms of who should place in the top three at the finals. Kincaid South Fork is a mainstay in this division, winning the title in 2007, finishing second in 2008, and fourth in 2009. Carterville has fallen over the past two years. Knoxville is a four-time state qualifier, but they missed this year. Three-time qualifier Byron also missed this year.
However, Columbia, who put up a solid routine during last year's state prelims, is a school on the rise. They qualified for state the past two years, and finished last year with a third-place trophy. This year, they recorded the highest Sectional score in the entire division.
About the only aspect for this division that follows traditional tournament boundaries is this: the top five Sectional scores in the state were also Sectional champions, led by the aforementioned Columbia, but followed closely by Timothy Christian, Lexington, South Fork, and Eureka.
This year's Small Division will certainly be entertaining during prelims and finals.
| 2010 IHSA Small Division Sectional Scores - Entire State |
| Rank |
|
School |
Raw Score |
Deductions |
Legalities |
Total Score |
| 1 |
* ± |
Columbia |
88.03 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
88.03 |
| 2 |
* ± |
Elmhurst (Timothy Christian) |
87.27 |
|
|
87.27 |
| 3 |
* ± |
Lexington |
86.97 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
86.97 |
| 4 |
* ± |
Kincaid (South Fork) |
85.67 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
85.67 |
| 5 |
* ± |
Eureka |
85.30 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
85.30 |
| 6 |
* |
Paris |
85.27 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
85.27 |
| 7 |
* |
New Berlin |
85.10 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
85.10 |
| 8 |
* |
Breese (Central) |
84.87 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
84.87 |
| 9 |
* |
Sesser (S.-Valier) |
84.57 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
84.57 |
| 10 |
* |
Wilmington |
84.47 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
84.47 |
| 11 |
* |
Tremont |
85.37 |
1.50 |
0.00 |
83.87 |
| 12 |
* |
Sterling (Newman) |
82.70 |
|
|
82.70 |
| 13 |
* |
Williamsville |
83.10 |
0.50 |
0.00 |
82.60 |
| 14 |
* |
Riverton |
82.53 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
82.53 |
| 15 |
* |
Paxton (P.-Buckley-Loda) |
82.80 |
0.50 |
0.00 |
82.30 |
| 16 |
* |
Dwight |
82.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
82.00 |
| 17 |
* |
Braidwood (Reed-Custer) |
82.90 |
1.00 |
0.00 |
81.90 |
| 18 |
|
Athens |
81.77 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
81.77 |
| 19 |
|
Manito (Midwest Central) |
81.57 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
81.57 |
| 20 |
* |
Stillman Valley |
81.47 |
|
|
81.47 |
| 21 |
* |
Westmont |
81.10 |
|
|
81.10 |
| 22 |
* |
Sherrard |
80.57 |
|
|
80.57 |
| 23 |
|
Colfax (Ridgeview) |
81.13 |
1.00 |
0.00 |
80.13 |
| 24 |
|
Byron |
80.13 |
|
|
80.13 |
| 25 |
|
Taylor Ridge (Rockridge) |
80.03 |
|
|
80.03 |
| 26 |
* |
Nashville |
79.97 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
79.97 |
| 27 |
* |
Benton |
81.10 |
1.50 |
0.00 |
79.60 |
| 28 |
|
Farmington |
80.93 |
1.50 |
0.00 |
79.43 |
| 29 |
|
Lisle (Sr) |
78.90 |
|
|
78.90 |
| 30 |
|
Brimfield |
78.83 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
78.83 |
| 31 |
|
Poplar Grove (North Boone) |
78.30 |
|
|
78.30 |
| 32 |
|
Christopher |
78.73 |
0.50 |
0.00 |
78.23 |
| 33 |
|
Bismarck (B.-Henning) |
78.10 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
78.10 |
| 34 |
|
Oregon |
77.93 |
|
|
77.93 |
| 35 |
|
Champaign (St. Thomas More) |
77.63 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
77.63 |
| 36 |
|
Beecher |
76.20 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
76.20 |
| 37 |
|
Carterville |
78.10 |
2.00 |
0.00 |
76.10 |
| 38 |
* |
Windsor |
76.10 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
76.10 |
| 39 |
|
Winnebago |
76.07 |
|
|
76.07 |
| 40 |
|
Elmhurst (Immaculate Conception) |
75.97 |
|
|
75.97 |
| 41 |
* |
Bunker Hill |
75.90 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
75.90 |
| 42 |
|
Somonauk |
75.80 |
|
|
75.80 |
| 43 |
* |
Effingham (St. Anthony) |
76.53 |
1.00 |
0.00 |
75.53 |
| 44 |
|
LeRoy |
78.23 |
3.00 |
0.00 |
75.23 |
| 45 |
|
Franklin |
75.17 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
75.17 |
| 46 |
|
Knoxville |
76.00 |
1.00 |
0.00 |
75.00 |
| 47 |
|
Murphysboro |
74.87 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
74.87 |
| 48 |
|
Clifton (Central) |
76.00 |
1.50 |
0.00 |
74.50 |
| 49 |
|
Momence |
74.33 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
74.33 |
| 50 |
|
Vandalia |
76.00 |
2.00 |
0.00 |
74.00 |
| 51 |
|
Okawville |
74.43 |
1.00 |
0.00 |
73.43 |
| 52 |
|
Cerro Gordo |
73.10 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
73.10 |
| 53 |
|
Grant Park |
73.07 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
73.07 |
| 54 |
|
Flora |
74.37 |
1.50 |
0.00 |
72.87 |
| 55 |
|
Carlyle |
72.70 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
72.70 |
| 56 |
|
Springfield (Lutheran) |
72.33 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
72.33 |
| 57 |
|
Piasa (Southwestern) |
72.23 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
72.23 |
| 58 |
|
Roanoke (R.-Benson) |
72.07 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
72.07 |
| 59 |
|
Jacksonville (Routt) |
76.03 |
4.00 |
0.00 |
72.03 |
| 60 |
|
Oblong |
74.43 |
2.50 |
0.00 |
71.93 |
| 61 |
|
Winchester |
72.83 |
1.00 |
0.00 |
71.83 |
| 62 |
|
Pinckneyville |
71.13 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
71.13 |
| 63 |
|
Bethany (Okaw Valley) |
70.17 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
70.17 |
| 64 |
|
Raymond (Lincolnwood) |
68.27 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
68.27 |
| 65 |
|
Sullivan |
70.40 |
2.50 |
0.00 |
67.90 |
| 66 |
|
Newark |
64.30 |
|
|
64.30 |
| 67 |
|
Chicago (Austin) |
60.90 |
|
|
60.90 |
| 68 |
|
Waverly |
66.67 |
0.00 |
15.00 |
51.67 |
| 69 |
|
Pana (H.S.) |
82.33 |
82.33 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| 70 |
DNC |
Trenton (Wesclin) |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| 71 |
DNC |
Vienna |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| 72 |
DNC |
Woodlawn |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| 73 |
DNC |
Peoria (P. Christian) |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| 74 |
DNC |
DeLand (D.-Weldon) |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| 75 |
DNC |
Farmer City (Blue Ridge) |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| 76 |
DNC |
Granville (Putnam County) |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Legend: |
|
|
|
|
|
* |
State Qualifier |
|
|
|
|
|
± |
Sectional Champion |
|
|
|
|
|
DNC |
Did Not Compete |
|
|
|
|
CONTINUE 2, 3, 4
|
| |
Belvidere Sectional Results |
|
Small Division Qualifiers |
Score |
| 1 |
Elmhurst Timothy Christian |
87.27 |
| 2 |
Sterling Newman Catholic High |
82.70 |
| 3 |
Stillman Valley |
81.47 |
| 4 |
Westmont |
81.10 |
| 5 |
Sherrard |
80.57 |
|
Medium Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Lemont |
93.47 |
| 2 |
Wauconda |
84.90 |
| 3 |
Crystal Lake Central |
84.50 |
| 4 |
Rochelle |
84.00 |
| 5 |
Glenbard South |
83.10 |
|
Large Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Neuqua Valley |
89.13 |
| 2 |
Jacobs |
87.23 |
| 3 |
Wheaton North |
84.00 |
| 4 |
Glenbard North |
83.37 |
| 5 |
Waubonsie Valley |
82.17 |
|
Coed Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Lake Park |
86.70 |
| 2 |
Barrington |
86.33 |
| 3 |
Belvidere North |
85.87 |
| 4 |
Rockton Hononegah |
85.70 |
| 5 |
Belvidere |
82.30 |
|
|
|
| |
Ridgeview Sectional Results |
|
Small Division Qualifiers |
Score |
| 1 |
Eureka |
85.30 |
| 2 |
New Berlin |
85.10 |
| 3 |
Tremont |
83.87 |
| 4 |
Williamsville |
82.60 |
| 5 |
Riverton |
82.53 |
|
Small Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Lexington |
86.97 |
| 2 |
Wilmington |
84.47 |
| 3 |
Paxton |
82.30 |
| 4 |
Dwight |
82.00 |
| 5 |
Reed-Custer |
81.90 |
|
Medium Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Bloomington |
88.60 |
| 2 |
Champaign Centennial |
87.10 |
| 3 |
Morris |
86.73 |
| 4 |
LaSalle-Peru |
86.40 |
| 5 |
Peoria Richwoods |
85.50 |
|
Coed Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Rich Central |
92.83 |
| 2 |
Homewood-Flossmoor |
88.77 |
| 3 |
Streator |
84.73 |
| 4 |
Chicago Heights Bloom |
82.97 |
| 5 |
Normal Community West |
82.93 |
|
|
|
| |
Grayslake North Sectional Results |
|
Medium Division Qualifiers |
Score |
| 1 |
Grayslake North |
86.90 |
| 2 |
Antioch |
86.57 |
| 3 |
Riverside-Brookfield |
86.27 |
| 4 |
Prairie Ridge |
85.57 |
| 5 |
Fox Lake Grant |
84.90 |
|
Large Division 1 Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Conant |
95.53 |
| 2 |
Rolling Meadows |
86.77 |
| 3 |
Maine South |
86.23 |
| 4 |
Loyola Academy |
84.60 |
| 5 |
Palatine Fremd |
84.40 |
|
Large Division 2 Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Stevenson |
91.57 |
| 2 |
St. Viator |
88.37 |
| 3 |
Schaumburg |
86.63 |
| 4 |
Lake Zurich |
84.40 |
| 5 |
Warren |
84.33 |
|
Coed Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Elk Grove Village |
90.67 |
| 2 |
Palatine |
85.30 |
| 3 |
Niles North |
84.20 |
| 4 |
Libertyville |
83.83 |
| 5 |
Wheeling |
81.33 |
|
|
|
| |
Highland Sectional Results |
|
Small Division 1 Qualifiers |
Score |
| 1 |
South Fork Kincaid |
85.67 |
| 2 |
Paris |
85.27 |
| 3 |
Windsor |
76.10 |
| 4 |
Bunker Hill |
75.90 |
| 5 |
Effingham St. Anthony |
75.53 |
|
Small Division 2 Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Columbia |
88.03 |
| 2 |
Breese Central |
84.87 |
| 3 |
Sesser-Vallier |
84.57 |
| 4 |
Nashville |
79.97 |
| 5 |
Benton |
79.60 |
|
Medium Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Highland |
88.27 |
| 2 |
Troy Triad |
85.07 |
| 3 |
Bethalto Civic Memorial |
81.37 |
| 4 |
Jacksonville |
80.13 |
| 5 |
Taylorville |
77.47 |
|
Coed Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Mascoutah |
86.63 |
| 2 |
Belleville West |
83.03 |
| 3 |
Granite City |
82.53 |
| 4 |
Belleville East |
81.97 |
| 5 |
Breese Mater Dei |
81.53 |
|
|
|
| |
Joliet Sectional Results |
|
|
Medium Division Qualifiers |
Score |
| 1 |
Rich South |
86.70 |
| 2 |
Oak Forest |
83.93 |
| 3 |
Tinley Park |
83.77 |
| 4 |
Chicago Christian |
81.77 |
| 5 |
Oak Lawn Richards |
79.98 |
|
Large Division 1 Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Sandburg |
93.67 |
| 2 |
Lockport |
92.80 |
| 3 |
Chicago Marist |
91.20 |
| 4 |
Andrew |
88.13 |
| 5 |
Joliet |
86.73 |
|
Large Division 2 Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Bradley-Bourbonnais |
91.87 |
| 1 |
Lincoln-Way North |
91.87 |
| 3 |
Providence Catholic |
91.03 |
| 4 |
Edwardsville |
90.53 |
| 5 |
Lincoln-Way East |
89.87 |
|
Coed Division Qualifiers |
|
| 1 |
Downers Grove South |
89.20 |
| 2 |
Chicago St. Ignatius |
85.03 |
| 3 |
Thornwood |
84.77 |
| 4 |
Downers Grove North |
83.40 |
| 5 |
Fenton |
82.50 |
|
