UPDATES
FRIDAY 12/20/19:
December’s full of traditions, and this one is a clear fave. AA Stagg (the first initials stand for Amos Alonzo, the dude who coached for the University of Chicago 100 years ago and helped make college football what it is today and created many of the basic offensive plays in the sport) plays host to teams from all divisions on Saturday as they try to pick up the last judge feedback of 2019 heading into break. First, I gotta give it up for these teams. They somehow put together a week of probably intense practice during what’s gradually become finals week for a lot of schools.
Let’s tour 2A first. You’ve got teams that have been out on the floor a few times this season (Marist, Oak Lawn, Kenwood, Argo, Belvidere North) who likely have upgraded dances to put in front of the judges. Grant, Streamwood, Hinsdale South, and DeKalb each have two routines on the schedule, so scores and feedback starts to really matter in terms of picking which dance to focus on in January for sectionals (though I bet most of these teams already have one in mind over the other). Props to teams like Guilford, DeKalb, and Belvidere North who are traveling far to face a mix of sectional foes and non-sectional opponents! Look for a lot of quality pom routines (Argo, Marist, Hinsdale South) along with eye-catching hip hop (Grant, Kenwood), and of course technically dazzling jazz and lyrical dances (Lemont, among others).
1A continues to provide lots of drama, much of it thanks to the loud arrival of Providence Catholic in that division. Same with Evergreen Park, breaking out to prominence this winter. Dance fans also get to see relatively rare comp floor appearances by St. Laurence and Back Of The Yards.
Host team Stagg wraps up the long afternoon of 3A routines, and it’s quite a star-studded list. Superstars Lake Park look to continue their 3A dominance but potentially joining them at awards time are a potent Naperville Central team, talented Lincoln-Way Central, and a hungry Neuqua Valley group. Knocking on the door are a quietly solid Plainfield South group, who danced well last weekend. Downers Grove South has had a nice run early in the season and will surely apply the heat to the rest of the field. Plainfield Central should be feeling good after a pretty strong showing last week (82+) at Waubonsie Valley. Whitney Young has raised trophies a couple times so far, so you can’t count them out, either. And clustered around that 80 mark last weekend are teams who would love to make a splash to wrap up 2019: Oswego, Stagg, Sandburg, Neuqua Valley, and Oswego East.
THE LOWDOWN
LOCATION:
Stagg HS. 8015 W. 111th St., Palos Hills, IL 60465
TIME:
Saturday, December 21. Routines start at 9 with a lunch break around 12:15, and then 1A-2A awards slated for about 2:05 or so. 3A dances run from 11:48 all the way to their awards at around 4:30
TEAM DIVISIONS:
3A, 2A, 1A, JV 3A, JV 2A, JV 1A
FAN TIPS:
Coach Brown and her crew run a smooth comp every winter. First off, make sure you enjoy that photo opp in front of the big stallion statue as you walk in to the commons area on the way to the gym. Sidelines are a little tight but the bleachers have more space than at first glance. Teams usually take the balcony, helping the leg-room situation for fans in the main sections. The commons outside the gym can be busy but there’s usually lots of room to chill. Parking’s relatively simple with lots to the east and west of the building.
HIGHLIGHTS
(Check back early during break)
3A SCORES
| Placement | Team+routine | Unofficial category | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lake Park 2 | 96.13 | |
| 2nd | Lake Park 1 | 93.77 | |
| 3rd | Lincoln-Way Central | 90.03 | |
| 4th | Naperville Central 1 | 87.37 | |
| 5th | Sandburg | 87.00 | |
| 6th | Joliet West | 86.57 | |
| 7th | Downers Grove South 2 | 86.23 | |
| 8th | Neuqua Valley 1 | 85.63 | |
| 9th | Oswego East | 84.53 | |
| 10th | Downers Grove South 1 | 84.43 | |
| 11th | Neuqua Valley 2 | 84.30 | |
| 12th | Plainfield South | 84.13 | |
| 13th | Lockport | 83.85 | |
| 14th | Naperville Central 2 | 81.17 | |
| T-15th | Waukegan | 81.12 | |
| T-15th | Stagg | 81.12 | |
| 17th | Oswego 1 | 81.07 | |
| T-18th | Bradley-Bourbonnais | 80.03 | |
| T-18th | Oswego 2 | 80.03 | |
| 20th | Lincoln-Way East | 79.63 | |
| 21st | Taft | 78.98 | |
| 22nd | Elgin | 76.53 | |
| 23rd | Plainfield Central | 75.22 | |
| 24th | Whitney Young | 73.77 | |
| 25th | Morton | 70.37 |
2A SCORES
| Placement | Team+routine | Unofficial category | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Argo | 84.48 | |
| 2nd | Hinsdale South 2 | 81.57 | |
| 3rd | Grant 2 | 81.35 | |
| 4th | Kenwood | 81.13 | |
| 5th | Lemont | 80.13 | |
| 6th | Marist 1 | 79.63 | |
| 7th | Jones | 79.62 | |
| 8th | DeKalb 2 | 79.03 | |
| 9th | Grant 1 | 77.18 | |
| 10th | Riverside-Brookfield | 76.67 | |
| 11th | Oak Forest | 76.27 | |
| 12th | Hinsdale South 1 | 75.70 | |
| 13th | Reavis | 74.43 | |
| 14th | DeKalb 1 | 74.38 | |
| 15th | Bremen | 72.67 | |
| 16th | Streamwood 2 | 72.07 | |
| 17th | Marist 2 | 69.73 | |
| 18th | Belvidere North | 69.72 | |
| 19th | Oak Lawn | 68.27 | |
| 20th | Crete-Monee | 68.07 | |
| 21st | Streamwood 1 | 67.70 | |
| 22nd | Eisenhower | 66.83 | |
| 23rd | Thornton | 60.70 | |
| 24th | Thornwood | 59.40 | |
| 25th | Guilford | 57.30 |
| Placement | Team+routine | Unofficial category | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rich East | 80.93 | |
| 2nd | Providence Catholic 2 | 80.13 | |
| 3rd | Evergreen Park | 77.13 | |
| 4th | Providence Catholic 1 | 74.62 | |
| 5th | Back of the Yards | 71.42 | |
| 6th | Rich South | 68.18 | |
| 7th | St. Laurence | 60.90 |
ILLINOIS DANCERS
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11.28.19
Props to these teams for dancing at the end of Thanksgiving weekend [more]
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After your morning at Libertyville, head 11 miles south for part 2 at Deerfield! [more]
Up Next: a morning-only sesh at Libertyville
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Preview and fan tips from the host team! [more]
DANCERS EVERYWHERE
(coming soon)
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