LARGE CLASS
1^st Time Qualifiers: None
15-Time Qualifiers: Sandburg
Sectional Champions: Lincoln-Way East (97.16); Huntley (94.97); Neuqua Valley (92.49); Sandburg (92.43); Stevenson (92.36)
Lincoln-Way East has been all or nothing on podium at state cheer, as all four trophies the Griffins have won in school history are of the first-place variety. Lincoln-Way East edged Marist for the state crown in 2019, marking the second consecutive runner-up finish for the perennial power from Chicago. Like Lincoln-Way East, Stevenson is another trophy team from a year ago that enters the weekend with the momentum of a Sectional championship. The Patriots have placed third the past two seasons and now have five Top 5 finishes in program history. Lincoln-Way West (4th) and Joliet West rounded out last year’s Top 5 at the state meet. Lincoln-Way West’s 2019 finish was its first in the Top 10 since 2015, while Joliet West is in the midst of an amazing run that includes state titles in 2016 and 2018, with a runner-up finish in between. Huntley has finished in the Top 10 in three of the past four seasons, and seeks its first state trophy after winning its Sectional on Saturday. Fellow Sectional champ Sandburg boasts one of the best resumes in the state, with three state championships among its six trophies. Neuqua Valley has now won back-to-back Sectional titles and will vie for its ninth consecutive Top 10 finish this weekend. Lincoln Way-Central (8th) and Harlem (9th) have both qualified for state again after placing in the Top 10 a year ago. After a nine-year state final drought, Lincoln Way-Central has now qualified in three consecutive seasons and last year’s Top 10 finish was the program’s first since 2008. Harlem made its first state final appearance just four years ago, and hasn’t missed the state tourney since.

COED CLASS
1^st Time Qualifiers: None
15-Time Qualifiers: Conant, Grant, Lockport
Sectional Champions: Belvidere North (96.07); Buffalo Grove (94.84); Lockport (91.17); Fremd (90.03); Normal West (89.91)
When Elk Grove Village kicked off IHSA state cheer in 2006 by winning the first five state titles in the Coed Class, many assumed that mark would never be matched or broken. However, Belvidere North now has the state’s full attention after the program captured its third consecutive state championship a year ago. The Thunder show no signs of slowing down, as the team won its fifth consecutive Sectional crown last week. Plainfield South has taken a quick ascent from unknown to title contender. The program qualified for state just once in the tourney’s first 11 years. Since then, the Cougars finished ninth and fourth, before earning their first trophy last year as the runner-up. Grant has never missed the state final meet, and the program has now won back-to-back trophies after finishing third in 2019. South Elgin appears to be on a similar track, as the Storm have now finished in the Top 10 in three consecutive seasons, highlighted by the best finish (4th) in school history a year ago. A Sectional winner last Saturday, Buffalo Grove has won seven Sectional titles in the past nine years, and last year’s fifth-place finisher now looks to return to podium to hoist its seventh state trophy. Fremd and Normal West both enter the state finals on the heels of winning their first Sectional titles in program history. Both will look to shakeup the standings, as Fremd has never placed in the Top 10 and Normal West’s lone Top 10 came when the school finished eighth in 2001. Sixth in 2019, perennially power Lockport captured the final Sectional title in 2020. The Porters have a proud tradition that includes eight trophies and two state championships.

Preview from the IHSA - Read more https://www.ihsa.org/IHSA-State/IHSA-State-Articles/2020-competitive-cheerleading

2020 IHSA Large/COED Cheerleading Championship Prelims - 02/07/2020 | Watch Live & On Demand

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