In the six years leading up to the state cheerleading finals Saturday, the south suburbs garnered championship trophies in every season. This year was no different, reaffirming the area as a competitive cheerleading authority with two state champions and eight top-10 finishers spread over three divisions. Sandburg, coming off a fourth-place finish last season, claimed its third title in the large-team category. Rich Central secured its first in the coed division.
“Every state title is a phenomenal feeling,” Sandburg coach Michael Bruce said. “It’s been a different group of kids for each one, and we just feel so happy each kid has gotten their time on top.”
Sandburg recognized many familiar faces in the finals, with Lockport finishing second, Marist third, Providence Catholic fourth and Lincoln-Way East sixth. Joliet West, which finished second in the Southwest Suburban Conference behind Sandburg, placed seventh.
“The south suburbs, like our conference, is great,” Bruce said. “We know we’re going to get tough competition throughout the season. We feel [the competition] brings the best out of us, and we bring the best out of them.”
While Sandburg is accustomed to hoisting championship cheer trophies, Rich Central now can join the fun. The Olympians ranked second behind Grant with 88.14 points after the preliminaries Friday, but they managed to tighten up their routine for the finals. The Olympians performed with no deductions Saturday to secure a state title with 91 points. Their near three-point bump in score was the highest of any championship team from preliminaries to the finals.
Tags: cheer trophies, cheerleading trophies, sports trophies