We are in Bloomington, Illinois for the 2025 IHSA State Cheerleading finals! Columbia High School got the day started by winning the state title in the small division. So let’s get the action started with the top performance from the Co-ed division! This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Belvidere North crowned State Champions in the C0-Ed Division
Belvidere North pulled out all the right moves. After placing third in this division in 2024, the Blue Thunder hopped up two places in this year’s standings, finishing as the state champion with a score of 96.90. It’s the program’s first state title since they won three in a row from 2016 to 2019! Placing in second is Buffalo Grove with a score of 95.58, and Dundee-Crown ends in third with a score of 94.04.
Benet Academy finishes sixth in Medium Divison of the IHSA State Cheerleading Finals
Heading into the medium division, Grayslake Central is looking to improve upon last year’s fifth-place finish. After an impressive routine, the Rams pick up third with a team score of 93.54. They top out the fourth-place finishers Morris, with a score differential of just 0.45. It’s the program’s first state trophy since winning it all in 2019.
Providence Catholic is the next to hit the floor in the medium division, and the Celtics placed 19th in the preliminaries in 2024. They improved heavily from the year before, ending this season as State runner-up! The Celtics bring home hardware for the first time since a second-place finish in 2016.
Benet Academy made it to the final day in 2024, and here they are again in 2025! Like many of the teams we’ve already seen today, the Redwings also improved from the year before. They kicked it up a notch to finish in sixth place with a score of 91.86, four spots higher than last season! It concludes another great season for Benet, as they qualified for State for a fourth straight season.
After narrowly advancing from the preliminaries by placing in tenth with a score of 89.79, Lemont looks to recover. This time around they landed the top placeholder in the medium division. Earning a score of 97.50, Lemont is the 2025 IHSA Medium team champion, for two years in a row! It gives the Flames their eighth state title in program history, all after 2009!
Neuqua Valley gets third and Marists wins the Large Divison of the IHSA State Cheerleading finals
Now we head into the large division where the Neuqua Valley Wildcats make an appearance in the finals this year after placing 15th in last year’s preliminary rounds
Rolling into action, the Wildcats get things kickstarted in the large division. Neuqua is one of the best programs in the area, qualifying for State every year since 2008, including three state trophies from 2014 to 2016! After placing sixth in the preliminary round, Neuqua Valley shines on the final day and picks up the third-place trophy! Their score of 94.5 puts them just above Edwardsville in fourth. What a routine from the Wildcats!
Donning the black and gold sparkles, Schaumburg placed eighth in the large division in 2024. The Saxons can only go up from here, as they slingshot their way to second place in 2025, earning a score of 95.70. It gives the program its first-ever state trophy, as they’ve also won two straight sectional titles!
Marist is our final routine from the day, and the defending state champs seek to dominate the competition for two years in a row. After not making it through the preliminaries in 2023, Marist took home the gold in 2024 with a score of 96.32. This year they improved their score to 96.52, about .82 higher than Schaumburg! The Redhawks secure its seventh overall state trophy since 2012.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
