A member of the Providence Catholic cheer team floats through the air on a tumbling run at the IHSA Competitive Cheerleading State Finals during Friday's prelims.
BLOOMINGTON - After a disappointing performance in 2024, when the team failed to make the finals, Providence Catholic is back where it belongs—in the running for a state cheerleading title. The Celtics are due for another top-three finish.
"We have been on a mission moving on to day two that started 372 days ago," said three-year head coach Bridget Fox after learning the Celtics advanced to Saturday's title round at the 2024-25 IHSA Competitive Cheerleading State Finals. "We have seven seniors who have felt loss and triumph. They were really determined to make it this year."
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Celtic cheerleaders deliver fierce performance at state. The squad looks to impress judges again to bring home state hardware.
Friday morning, before thousands of competitive dance fans and their peers, the Celtics delivered an impressive performance. The message they sent to the other teams was clear: If you are going to beat us this year, you are going to have to be close to perfect.
Providence Catholic finished the preliminary round in third place after a strong performance in the Medium School division. Earning a score of 94.21, the Celtics cheer squad missed the top spot by 0.29 of a point. Grayslake Central finished the day as the division leader with a 94.50, and Oak Forest landed in second place with a 94.26.
The Providence Catholic cheerleading team has qualified for 17 IHSA Competitive Cheerleading State Finals in the past 20 years. Today at Grossinger Motors Arena, the Celtics claimed their 11th top-10 appearance in the state series.
The program has won one title (2013) and brought home two second-place (2007, 2016) and two third-place (2011-14) trophies.
This year's squad includes Annie Smith, Ava Chevalier, Caleigh Cumbee, Elissa Haddad, Emma Jirik, Fiona Warner, Grace Ogarek, Hayden Kinsella, Isabella Alejo, Kailey Velasco, Katelyn Walker, Lauren Lanz, Lilly Dillman, Lily Ingram, Lucy Lombardo, Madison Ternik, Mia Zvejnieks, Mia Piano, Payton Jerik, Reese Guzior, Rowan Tone, Sofia Felice, Violet Hassan and Zoey Xydakis.
Tickets for Saturday's finals competition are $12 at the door and can be purchased in advance online via TicketMaster or by phone at the City Box Office at (309) 434-2777.
Schedule for Saturday
Small & Medium School Competition
10:00 a.m. - Doors of the arena open to public
10:55 a.m. - Welcome & National Anthem
11:00 a.m. - Small and Medium Team Finals
(Small and Medium team performances alternate)
12:45 p.m. - Small Team Awards
1:15 p.m. - Medium Team Awards
Top ten teams advancing to Saturday's Finals
1 - Grayslake Central 94.50
2 - Oak Forest 94.26
3 - Providence Catholic 94.21
4 - Morris 93.88
5 - Cary-Grove 91.68
6 - Benet Academy 91.19
9 - Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge 90.20
10 - Lemont 89.79
Joliet Catholic Academy dance team competes during the preliminary round at the 2024 IHSA Competitive State Dance Finals. The Angels return to state this weekend for another shot at an elusive state crown.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
BLOOMINGTON — Thirty of Illinois’ top small-school dance programs will take center stage this Friday at Grossinger Motors Arena for the 2025 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Competitive Dance State Finals. These elite teams earned their spots through five sectionals held across the state, and they now set their sights on bringing back a state trophy to their school.
With high energy, intense competition, and a legacy of excellence on the line, the 2025 IHSA Competitive Dance State Finals promise to deliver another thrilling chapter in Illinois high school dance history.
The road to Bloomington was anything but easy, with each sectional producing standout performances. Jacksonville and Highland took home sectional titles at St. Anthony High School in Effingham, while Morris edged out Providence Catholic and Joliet Catholic Academy to claim top honors at the Mahomet-Seymour sectional. Evergreen Park narrowly defeated Nazareth Academy at Maine East, posting an 85.17 to Nazareth’s 84.33. Montini secured its ticket to state with a razor-thin .73-point victory over Sycamore at the Sycamore sectional.
Members of the Morris Varsity Poms perform their show routine at the 2024 state finals prelims on the way to a second place trophy a day later at Grossinger Motor Arena.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Familiar Faces Return to the Finals
Fans attending this weekend’s competition will recognize several programs from last year’s Class 1A state finals, as all ten 2024 finalists are back in the mix. The list includes defending champion Jacksonville, as well as Morris, Providence Catholic, Carmel, Nazareth Academy, Marion, Sycamore, Highland, Clinton, Glenbard South, and St. Viator.
Last year, Jacksonville dazzled the judges with an expressive lyrical routine in the finals, overcoming an initial third-place finish in the preliminary round to secure its second consecutive state title with a score of 90.70. Morris, which finished as runner-up (89.96), will be looking to close the gap this year, while Carmel (89.44), Joliet Catholic Academy (89.01), and Providence Catholic (88.52) round out last year’s top five.
Dancers from Jacksonville perform during the Friday's prelim on last January. The J'ettes went on to win the Class 1A state title.
Jacksonville’s J’ettes return with hopes of making it three straight championships. Their winning performance last year, set to a lyrical routine in flowing light taupe dancewear, captivated judges with its artistry and emotional depth. Morris, known for its powerful, athletic modern dance style, will try to breakthrough after back-to-back runner-up finishes. Carmel, which wowed fans with an energetic modern dance routine from their 13-member troupe last year, also returns to contend for the title.
A High-Stakes Competition Awaits
With a field packed with talented, seasoned programs, this year’s finals promise to be as competitive as ever. While perennial powerhouses Jacksonville and Morris enter as favorites, teams such as Joliet Catholic Academy, Providence Catholic, and Nazareth Academy have worked hard to improve to improve their precision, musicality, and overall execution, to finish in one of the top three spots.
Event Schedule and Ticket Information
The Class 1A competition kicks off Friday morning, with doors opening at 9:15 a.m. The first performance is set for 10:15 a.m., with the final routine scheduled for 2:21 p.m. The top teams from the preliminary round will advance to Saturday’s finals, with finalists announced at 2:40 p.m.
Providence Catholic dancers execute a stunt in their preliminary round performance. The Dancing Celtic return the state finals looking to improve on their 5th place finish in 2024.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Fans eager to witness the state’s best high school dance teams in action can purchase tickets for $12 per person. Digital tickets are available for purchase online or by calling the City Box Office at 309-434-2777.
Attendees should be aware that Grossinger Motors Arena enforces a clear bag policy. All bags, purses, and personal items will be subject to search upon entry. If an item is prohibited or too large, guests must return it to their vehicle or surrender it at the entrance, as the venue does not provide storage for oversized items.
Members of the Providence Catholic dance team strike their finale pose at the 2025 IHSA Competitive Dance State Finalson Friday. The Dancing Celtics finished the first day of competition as the Class 2A leaders.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
BLOOMINGTON - Providence Catholic danced its way to the top of the Class 2A preliminary standings at the IHSA Competitive Dance State Finals on Friday, posting a 93.56 score to lead the field at Grossinger Motors Arena.
The Dancing Celtics, who placed fifth in last year’s finals, improved upon their 2024 preliminary standing by one spot and will look to claim the program’s first state title in Saturday’s championship round.
Morris secured the No. 2 position for the second straight year, earning a 92.34 score with their polished routine. Jacksonville, the reigning state champion, followed closely behind in third at 91.12, setting up a potential battle for the podium among the top three.
Performing a hip hop routine, the Morris Varsity Dance team finished this year's state prelims in second place.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
A tight race for the remaining top-five spots saw Montini (89.36), Carmel (89.30) and Highland (89.26) separated by less than a tenth of a point, underscoring the level of competition heading into the final round.
Evergreen Park (88.14), Marion (87.32), Joliet Catholic Academy (87.00), Nazareth Academy (86.84), Sycamore (86.00) and Clinton (85.18) rounded out the 12-team field advancing to Saturday's final.
With four of last year’s top five teams once again among the top performers, the 2025 championship showdown will feature familiar contenders at this year's state championships.
2025 Class 2A Preliminary Standings:
1. Providence Catholic – 93.56
2. Morris – 92.34
3. Jacksonville – 91.12
4. Montini – 89.36
5. Carmel – 89.30
6. Highland – 89.26
7. Evergreen Park – 88.14
8. Marion – 87.32
9. Joliet Catholic Academy – 87.00
10. Nazareth Academy – 86.84
11. Sycamore – 86.00
12. Clinton – 85.18
The Class 2A championship round begins Saturday morning.
TOLONO - After shaking three Monticello tacklers, Unity Tre Hoggard looks for a path around Sages'Nolan Buehnerkemper during first half action. Later, as time ran out in the fourth quarter, Hoggard intercepted a pass on a Monticello two-point coversion attempt to punch the Rockets' ticket to a quarterfinal playoff game against Williamsville in a barn burning 21-20 win on Saturday.
Illini Prairie Conference scores
Monmouth-Roseville 29, Bloomington Central Catholic 28
Unity 21, Monticello 20
St. Joseph -Ogden 42, Roxana 32
Big Twelve Conference scores
Montini 47, Peoria Notre Dame 17
Oak Forest 34, Bloomington 14
Peoria 38, Morton 34
Simeon 36, Normal West 21
Wheaton St. Francis 41, Prairie Ridge 38
Chicago King 21, Chicago Corliss [Coop] 6
Belvidere North 30, Kaneland 25
Cary-Grove 55, St. Patrick 21
Washington 38, Mahomet-Seymour 14
Providence Catholic 35, Kankakee 25
Oak Forest 34, Bloomington 14
Peoria 38, Morton 34
CLASS 6A:
Nazareth Academy 28, Warrenville South 7
Lake Zurich 35, Antioch 0
Burlington Central 24, Harlem 14
Fenwick 45, Rolling Meadows 7
East St. Louis 53, Chatham Glenwood 14
Simeon 36, Normal West 21
St. Laurence 35, Bradley-Bourbonnais 21
Dunlap 28, Crete-Monee 21
CLASS 7A:
Hersey 42, Richards 21
St. Rita 31, Lincoln-Way Central 28
Batavia 42, Glenbard East 21
Glenbard North 22, Moline 14
Downers Grove North 19, Glenbard West 7
Lincoln-Way West 43, Kenwood 20
St. Charles North 26, Carmel 23
Brother Rice 46, Jacobs 0
CLASS 8A:
Mt. Carmel 48, Belleville East 29
Lincoln-Way East 55, Palatine 13
Fremd 45, Lyons 21
Bolingbrook 20, Warren 14
Barrington 38, Glenbrook South 20
Lockport 21, Homewood-Flossmoor 20
Maine South 33, Hinsdale Central 29
Oswego 45, Lane 10
TOLONO - Unity's Michael Hardin tries to get around Mt. Carmel's Zadok Fullop during fourth quarter action of their first-round playoff game on Saturday. Hardin finished with nine yards on four carries, doing a small part in the Rockets securing another home playoff game this Saturday with Illini Prairie Conference rival Monticello. The Rockets (9-1) dominated all aspects of the game to beat the Golden Aces (5-5), 42-14.
A Lemont cheerleader poses at the top a stunt during her teams routine at state cheer in Bloomington. The team rallied back from tenth place on day one to first to win this year's title.
BLOOMINGTON - Whoops! They did it again. The Lemont cheer team made state history on Saturday by capturing the title in the Medium School Division at the IHSA Competitive Cheerleading State Finals. It marked their second consecutive victory and a state-record 16th trophy for the program.
In a story that will become school legend, Lemont rebounded from a shaky opening performance in the preliminary round on Friday. The team squeezed into the finals, finishing 10th, just 0.34 points ahead of Lake Forest and trailing the Crystal Lake schools Prairie Ridge and Central. After a couple of near drops early in their routine, their performance turned timid, lacking the usual energetic vigor.
Nearly 24 hours later, the team achieved the improbable, soaring from last place to a state title. Never before in Illinois state finals history has a cheer team so dramatically reversed their fortunes, going from the lowest score in prelims to the highest in the finals.
Lemont scored 89.79 on Friday and surged to 97.50 for the title. Providence Catholic, who tallied 94.21 in preliminaries, improved to 97.22 to secure second place. Grayslake Central took third with 93.54. The Rams led the division after the first day with 94.50.
Lemont, along with Lockport Township, Oak Forest, Sandburg, and Conant High Schools, are the only five programs to qualify for state every year since the IHSA adopted the sport. Together, these programs have maintained a storied 20-year tradition of 'making it to state'.
Medium School Division Final Results
1 Lemont 97.5
2 Providence Catholic 97.22
3 Grayslake Central 93.54
4 Morris 93.09
5 Oak Forest 92.15
6 Benet Academy 91.86
7 Highland 91.16
8 Prairie Ridge 89.7
9 Crystal Lake Central 89.24
10 Cary-Grove 89.06
CHAMPAIGN - Providence Catholic's Jasper Harper celebrates his 10-7 sudden victory win over Brother Rice's Frank Miceli in their Class 2A 157-pound consolation semifinal match at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals on Saturday. Harper advanced to the third place match to face St. Ignatius' Nate Sanchez. Click here to see more Sentinel IHSA state wrestling coverage.
Normal University controlled both sets against Prairie Ridge with balanced hitting and minimal errors.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Prairie Ridge libero Tegan Vrbbancic digs a kill shot from Normal U-High in the second set of their state semifinal match.
NORMAL - Prairie Ridge has been on this stage before. Five times now, the Wolves have stepped beneath the state finals lights, trying to summon the right mix of steadiness, grit and energy to reach a championship match. On Friday at CEFCU Arena on the Illinois State University campus, that experience helped them stay composed, but it wasn’t enough to withstand the precision and firepower Normal University brought to the Class 3A state semifinals at the IHSA Girls Volleyball State Finals. The Pioneers controlled both sets and handed Prairie Ridge a 25-20, 25-18 loss that sent the Wolves into today’s third-place match.
From the opening serve, Prairie Ridge showed the composure of a program comfortable at this level. The Wolves struck first and managed to build a brief 3-2 edge, leaning on clean touches and quick transitions. But U-High’s offensive rhythm tightened almost immediately. Junior outside hitter Laney Snow delivered back-to-back kills to push the Pioneers ahead 4-3. Prairie Ridge’s Adeline Grider answered with a sharp swing of her own to level the score once more, but Snow responded again with another kill that put U-High in front 5-4. It was a small moment in the box score, but it marked the beginning of a shift in control.
From there, the Pioneers didn’t let up. U-High played an exceptionally clean first set, committing just one error while building a lead that swelled as large as eight points. Their serve receive was crisp, their defense steady, and their offense ran with the kind of balance that forces opponents to pick their poison. Prairie Ridge stayed within striking distance through stretches of the frame, but each small opening they created was quickly answered at the net.
Grider gave the Wolves their strongest spark, finishing with 12 kills, seven digs and an assist. Abigail Smith added seven kills and two digs, giving Prairie Ridge solid production at the pins. Setter Addison Smith worked to keep the offense moving, distributing 23 assists while directing the Wolves’ efforts to mix tempo and find seams through U-High’s block. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the Pioneers’ consistency. Prairie Ridge committed 11 errors across the match — nine of them in the second set — while U-High limited its mistakes to just one error in the first set and three in the second.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Normal University volleyball players on the bench stand to celebrate another point for their team. The Pioneers advanced to today's title match for a shot at the Class 3A crown.
The Wolves needed a clean start to the second set to reset the momentum, and for a while, they found one. The teams traded points and tied the score seven times after the opening serve. Prairie Ridge dug in defensively, with Tegan Vrbrancic anchoring the floor and finishing with eight digs to lead the team. The Wolves' block tightened, forcing longer rallies and creating pockets of energy from their student section.
Still, U-High remained sharp. Snow, who finished with 11 kills and nine digs, stayed efficient throughout the frame. Ava Crabtree added eight kills and eight digs, giving the Pioneers reliable production on both sides of the court. Their two-setter system kept the Wolves off balance, with Morgan Petelin and Madison Funk finishing with 14 assists each. Funk also contributed seven digs, often extending plays that looked finished.
The turning point came with U-High leading 17-15. Emma Jean Bogusz stepped to the service line and seized control of the set. Her serve run stretched to six consecutive points, pushing the lead to 23-17 and silencing any hopes Prairie Ridge had of forcing a decisive third frame. Three serves later, Penn Taylor sealed the match with a solo block, sending U-High into tonight’s championship match at 5:30 p.m.
U-High, meanwhile, advances to face Nazareth, a program with a growing collection of state trophies — one championship, one runner-up and one third-place finish. With the Pioneers performing at their sharpest, tonight’s title match promises to be a strong finale to the Class 3A season.
Prairie Ridge now turns its attention to the third-place match against Providence Catholic, which fell to Nazareth Academy in its semifinal. The Wolves have one more opportunity to close their season with hardware and a performance that reflects their experience and resolve.
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