Defending Champs Lemont HS Cheerleaders Headed to State for 10th Time

Lemont High School’s cheerleading squad has given itself the opportunity to win the program’s fifth state championship. The Indians finished fourth at the IHSA Joliet West Sectional on Saturday, January 31, earning a trip to the 2015 IHSA Medium Division Cheerleading State Finals, which will be contested at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, Ill., on Friday, February 6, and Saturday, February 7. Lemont is the defending IHSA Medium Division State Champion, and has won state trophies nine consecutive seasons.

Lemont’s cheerleading squad is one of only two athletic programs in school history to win an IHSA team state championship, having done so in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014. The Indians also finished as state runners-up in 2007, 2008 and 2013, and brought home third-place trophies in 2006 and 2012. Lemont’s baseball team is the other program that has won a team state title, having captured the 2014 IHSA Class 3A State Championship.

Led by coach Dave Erlenbaugh, the Indians qualified for the 2015 IHSA State Finals after posting a score of 86.87, which was fourth among 15 teams in the Medium Division. Lincoln-Way West (89.37) won the IHSA Sectional crown, while fellow South Suburban Conference schools Tinley Park (88.87), Oak Forest (88.53) and Bremen (84.67) rounded out the medium division state qualifiers from the IHSA Joliet West Sectional.

Earlier this season, Lemont captured its second straight SSC title. Erlenbaugh’s team includes seniors Easton Kral, Reann Kwasneski, Elly Lambert, Nicole Markley, Stephanie Markley, Kayly Norris, Brianna Olkiewicz, Samantha Palumbo, Jenna Polk and Samantha Walus; juniors Taylor Biggs, Nicole Clausius, Erin Cliff, Paige Murphy, Katelyn Papierski, Paola Prado, Jaclyn Rachanski, Kristin Ramski, Taylor Sambucci and Taryn Tate; and sophomore Caitlyn Henry.

The preliminary rounds for both the Small and Medium Divisions will begin at 9:15 a.m. on Friday, with entries from the two divisions alternating. Lemont is scheduled to compete in the preliminary round at 9:30 a.m. The finals for the Medium Division will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, with the awards ceremony scheduled to follow at 12:45 p.m.

Tickets for the IHSA State Finals will be available at the door, and are $10 for both children and adults (children in hand are free) each session.

Cheerleading is the fifth Lemont High School sport to be represented in IHSA State Finals competition this year. The girls’ cross country team was fourth at the IHSA Class 2A State Finals; the football team was the IHSA Class 6A State Runner-Up; the boys’ golf team tied for ninth at the IHSA Class 2A State Finals; and freshman Alex Knutte competed at the IHSA Girls’ Swimming State Finals.