IESA Headlines

2010 IESA Girls Softball State Finals This Weekend

Competition in the 10th annual Class A and Class AA Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Girls Softball State Final Tournaments will be this weekend at Champion Fields in Normal. This is the 33rd year of the state series.

The Class A field is highlighted by the return of the teams from McNabb Putnam County and Maroa-Forsyth. These two schools faced off against each other for the 2009 Class A championship with Putnam County claiming the title with a 12-2 victory in six innings. They face each other in the quarterfinal round this year squaring off in the 2:30 tilt on Friday. Other schools advancing to the finals this year are Carrollton, LeRoy, Pawnee, South Wilmington, Toledo Cumberland, and Glasford Illini Bluffs.

A new champion in Class AA will be crowned as last year's champion, Manteno, was defeated in the sectional final, 10-4, by Peotone. Two teams in the Class AA field return from last year, Mattoon and Tremont although Tremont participated in the Class A tournament last year but moved up to Class AA this year. Three teams enter the tournament with out a loss: Mattoon, Chatham Glenwood, and Lockport Oak Prairie. Other schools advancing to the finals are Coal City, Bloomington JHS, and Washington Central.

The starting times of the games Friday and Saturday are staggered by class.

The Class AA quarterfinals begin Friday at 10:00 a.m. The Class A quarterfinals get under way at 10:30 a.m. The four quarterfinal winners advance to semifinal games Saturday morning with the third place and championship games set for Saturday afternoon. The Class AA semifinals get under way at 10:00 a.m. with the third place game set for 2:00 p.m. and the championship game at 4:00 p.m. The Class A semifinals begin at 10:30 a.m. with the third place game at 2:30 p.m. and the title game at 4:30 p.m.

The price of admission Friday will be $5.00 for adults and high school students and $2.00 for senior citizens (62 and over) and students (K-8). Children younger than kindergarten are admitted free both days. Fans attending the games Saturday will receive a wristband that is to be worn all day and will be used for entry to the facility throughout the day. Each team advancing to the Saturday games will play two games that day. The price of admission for the wristband Saturday will be $7.00 for adults and high school students and $3.00 for senior citizens (62 and over) and students (K-8).

Complete pairings for each state final, plus the FanZone, can be found at www.iesa.org. Click on the Girls Softball link in the orange box at the top of the IESA Web Site Home Page. Scores will be updated on the IESA website after each game.

IESA girls softball began in 1978 and was a one-class state series until 2001 before the split to Class A and Class AA competition bringing eight teams in each class to the state final. Classes in IESA two-class competition are determined by dividing the schools entered in the sport evenly.

This year a total of 184 schools entered the softball series and began competition at the regional level. A total of 92 schools were assigned to Class A and 92 schools to Class AA. Classification of each school is determined by the enrollment of students in the seventh and eighth grade for the previous school year. The Class A enrollment range this year was 1-157 and AA began at 158.

Please remember for the Softball Tournament on FRIDAY that Normal West High School has their homecoming parade starting at 2 p.m. on Parkside Road. The police will close the road and no traffic will be able to get through to Champion Fields for about an hour. If you were planning on arriving at the tournament between 2-3:30, make sure you arrive earlier to avoid traffic and the Parkside ROAD CLOSURE!