Jacksonville High School’s cheerleading program is building a successful resume heading into the Illinois High School Association Sectionals.
Back in December, Jacksonville snagged a pair of first place finishes at the Alton and New Berlin Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association Qualifiers.
Jacksonville competed against six other schools at each qualifier in the medium varsity division and their strong performance earned them a trip to the ICCA State Finals in Springfield earlier this month.
First year coach Mary Watts says the Crimson squad finished 11th out of 25 schools, but more importantly, gained some valuable experience.
“It is a good practice for the sectional coming up. Where they nailed in technique, they recognized the other things they need to work on to really polish their routine up.”
Watts says the 19 students on the cheerleading team are a special group.
“We’ve got a great bunch of kids that are super talented. It is very exciting to be working with them.”
Jacksonville will compete in the IHSA Sectional on January 30th.