CHS cheerleaders qualify for IHSA state finals
"Battle Hard" is the theme of the Chester cheerleading squad's 2020-21 routine, and they battled all the way to the IHSA state finals.
The squad's videotaped performance was ranked fifth in the IHSA Edwardsville sectional small school competition, good enough to make the state finals to be held this coming Saturday.
"I am really proud of this team!" said head coach Alisa Herrell. "They learned the routine Feb. 13 and had just 2½ weeks to prepare it for filming.
"It is tough to just perform in front of a camera and our squad did very well."
The "Battle Hard" routine is the brainchild of P.I.T. Choreography of Belleville and trainers Ben Sonnenberg and Austin Seaford. Sonnenberg and Seaford conducted a six-hour training session on Feb. 13 and the team worked really hard to learn it, and then perfect it in the next two weeks, Herrell said. She is assisted by Coach Amanda Middendorf.
"Battle Hard" depicts the tough year it has been for high school students since last March when the COVID-19 pandemic set in and shut down all schools in the state.
All cheerleading and dance team competitions being held in Illinois this winter and spring are done virtually.
Coaches and cheerleaders filmed the routine for judging on March 3 and 4 at Colbert Gym, and parents were invited in on the 4th. Sectional results were sent out just last week.
The Chester squad is thrilled to be the just the third squad in school history to qualify for the state finals.
"In addition it was also very special that our squad finished 16th out of all 57 teams in the state that competed in our small schools division," Herrell added.
The top five finishers at the Edwardsville sectional are 1. Carterville; 2. Breese Central; 3. Pinckneyville; 4. Breese Mater Dei; and 5. Chester.
Senior Captains of the 2020-21 CHS cheer squad are Kennedy Herrell and Lauren Soellner. The rest of the squad is juniors Hannah Blechle and Alex Hennrich; sophomores Emma Eggemeyer, Savanah Guebert, and Reese McCormick; and Freshmen Bethany Baughman, Dyson Helmers, Amanda Kennon and Ellen McCormick.