IESA Headlines

2014 IESA Scholastic Bowl State Finals Set For Friday, May 9

For the third consecutive year the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Scholastic Bowl State Finals will be held in Peoria at the Civic Center this Friday (May 9). IESA Scholastic Bowl began in 1988 although a state final was not held the first year. There was one-class competition from 1989-1996, and in 1997 the state series was divided into Class A and Class AA based on school size. This is the 26th year of state series competition in Scholastic Bowl and the 18th year for Class A and Class AA competition.

A total of 16 teams will play in Peoria--eight teams in Class A and eight teams in Class AA. All teams participating will play three rounds. Each class is divided into two pools of four teams. The winners of each pool will meet for the championship of their respective class while the runners-up in each pool will play for 3rd place honors in round 4. Assignment to each pool is done by a blind draw. Competition gets underway at 1:00 p.m. in both classes. Subsequent matches are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. After an hour break for dinner, the third place and championship matches will be played at 5:00 p.m. The awards assembly will begin immediately after the conclusion of the final round.

The Peoria Civic Center is hosting the IESA state finals for the third time. Prior to the move to the Civic Center, the IESA state finals were held at Heartland Community College in Normal for a total of six years. The Civic Center provides a beautiful venue for the finals and all matches will be conducted in the 4th floor ballroom.

The price of admission is $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for seniors (62 and over) and students (K-8), and is good for the entire tournament. Children younger than kindergarten are admitted free. Fans attending the matches will receive a wristband that is to be worn all day and will be used for entry into the facility throughout the day.

This year, 367 member schools entered the state series in Scholastic Bowl. Questions used throughout the state series are provided by Questions Galore, while the lockout systems are provided by Slammer Systems.

Complete pairings for each state final, the results after the competition on Friday, plus the FanZone, can be found at www.iesa.org . Click on the Scholastic Bowl line in the orange box at the top of the IESA Web Site Home Page.

Here is a look at each of the two 2014 State Final Tournaments:

Class A Tournament

Returning to the big dance with an impressive state resume are the Wildcats of Normal Metcalf. The Wildcats have advanced to the Class A state finals nine times since 1999, while capturing four state championships during that stretch. Normal Metcalf is led by Head Coach Fred Basolo. On the flipside, the Raiders of Onarga Iroquois West have advanced to the Class A tournament for the first time in school history. The Raiders are led by Head Coach Heather Giles.

The Bullpups of Effingham St. Anthony return to the state finals, still in search of that illustrious state championship. Led by coaches Jan Cunningham and Roberta Meyer, the Bullpups have advanced to the state finals 10 times since 1999. That span of tournament appearances is highlighted by four top four finishes (99,03,05,09). Making their fifth straight Class A tournament appearance are the Bulldogs of Peoria Academy. Led by Head Coach Annette Meyer, Peoria Academy has laid claim to three third-place finishes since 2010.

Back for the first time since 2006 are the Shamrocks of Jacksonville Our Saviour. The Shamrocks, who are still looking for their first top four finish, are led by Head Coach Beth Shade. Next up are the Crusaders of Columbia ICS, who return to the Class A finals for the first time since 2008. It was during that '08 finals run that the Crusaders took home second place, falling in the championship match to Bloomington Cornerstone. Columbia ICS is led by Head Coach Tiffany Green.

Following an impressive showing a year ago, the Trailblazers of Champaign Next Generation are back hoping to complete some unfinished business. Led by Head Coach Brenda Searby, the Trailblazers advanced all the way to the state championship match a year ago, falling just short to the champion Palatine Quest. Last but not least are the Warriors of Ottawa Wallace, who are led by Head Coach Bill Keene. Making their third trip to the state finals since 2010, the Warriors sport a 3-4 record all time at state.

Following are the Class A Tournament pairings:

Pool A
1:00 p.m. – Normal Metcalf vs. Jacksonville Our Saviour
1:00 p.m. – Columbia ICS vs. Effingham St. Anthony
2:00 p.m. – Normal Metcalf vs. Columbia ICS
2:00 p.m. – Jacksonville Our Saviour vs. Effingham St. Anthony
3:00 p.m. – Normal Metcalf vs. Effingham St. Anthony
3:00 p.m. – Jacksonville Our Saviour vs. Columbia ICS

Pool B
1:00 p.m. – Onarga Iroquois West vs. Ottawa Wallace
1:00 p.m. – Peoria Academy vs. Champaign Next Generation
2:00 p.m. – Onarga Iroquois West vs. Peoria Academy
2:00 p.m. – Ottawa Wallace vs. Champaign Next Generation
3:00 p.m. – Onarga Iroquois West vs. Champaign Next Generation
3:00 p.m. – Ottawa Wallace vs. Peoria Academy

5:00 p.m. – Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B runner-up (third place)
5:00 p.m. – Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner (championship)

Class AA Tournament

Returning to the Class AA state finals for the first time since winning it all back in 2010 are the Trojans of Lincolnshire Daniel Wright. Led by Head Coach Katie Fender, the Trojans have three state titles since their inaugural Class AA advancement back in 2004. Also back to the big dance with a bevy of tournament experience of their own are the Panthers of Dunlap Middle School. Looking for their first Class AA state title since 2000, the Panthers are led by Head Coach Judith Eckstein.

Making their first ever Class AA state appearance are the Mustangs of Bolingbrook Jane Addams. Led by Head Coach Jared Ploger, the Mustangs are fresh off an impressive sectional championship in which they defeated all three teams within their round robin. Also advancing to the Class AA state tournament for the first time are the Wildcats of Washington Beverly Manor. The Wildcats are led by Head Coach Ronna James and sport an impressive squad containing four sixth graders, three seventh graders and eight eighth graders.

The Knights of Bloomington JHS return following their second place finish a season ago. Aiming for another strong showing, the Knights are led by Head Coach Deb Kay. The Ridge Runners of Danville North Ridge are back to the Class AA state tournament for the first time since 2012. Since capturing first back in 1998, the Ridge Runners have advanced three different times to the state finals (99,09,12). Hoping for another state title, Danville North Ridge is led by Head Coach Lori Woods.

Back to the state scene for the first time since 2000 are the Titans of Chatham Glenwood. Led by Head Coach Dave Laub, the Titans are in search of their first ever Class AA scholastic bowl state championship. Also in search of gold for the first time are the Indians of Minooka. Led by coaches Darren Lustik and Goolshan Cama, the Indians are back to the state tournament for the first time since taking home second back in 2011

Following are the Class AA Tournament pairings:

Pool A
1:00 p.m. – Lincolnshire Daniel Wright vs. Bolingbrook Jane Addams
1:00 p.m. – Minooka vs. Bloomington JHS
2:00 p.m. – Lincolnshire Daniel Wright vs. Minooka
2:00 p.m. – Bolingbrook Jane Addams vs. Bloomington JHS
3:00 p.m. – Lincolnshire Daniel Wright vs. Bloomington JHS
3:00 p.m. – Bolingbrook Jane Addams vs. Minooka

Pool B
1:00 p.m. – Dunlap MS vs. Washington Beverly Manor
1:00 p.m. – Chatham Glenwood vs. Danville North Ridge
2:00 p.m. – Dunlap MS vs. Chatham Glenwood
2:00 p.m. – Washington Beverly Manor vs. Danville North Ridge
3:00 p.m. – Dunlap MS vs. Danville North Ridge
3:00 p.m. – Washington Beverly Manor vs. Chatham Glenwood

5:00 p.m. – Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B runner-up (third place)
5:00 p.m. – Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner (championship)

For the third straight year, the lock-out systems that will be used at the IESA state finals will be provided by Slammer Systems. Slammer Systems automatically keeps score, manages time, controls the ring-in process, and produces detailed statistic spreadsheets for every match. In addition, the IESA and Slammer Systems will be broadcasting the Class A and AA Championship matches online. Fans can click on one of the links below and register to 'watch' the events. If you are interested in listening to a match broadcast you need to click the link below. Click Register Now and this will generate a custom link that will allow you to attend the broadcast.

For Class A click on: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/963920882

For Class AA click on: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2933553456246967041

Note: Only the Class A and AA Championship matches will be broadcast.

For additional information regarding accommodations within Peoria, please contact the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The PACVB is an official sponsor of the 2014 IESA Scholastic Bowl State Finals.

For more information, please contact the Scholastic Bowl Administrator, John Venerable at 309-829-0114 or john@iesa.org.