Dancing: Highland wins fourth straight sectional title

The Highland High School varsity dance team was crowned sectional champions for the fourth consecutive year after winning the Illinois High School Association Mascoutah Sectional Saturday at Mascoutah High School.

There were a total of 15 teams at the IDTA Mascoutah Sectional. There were five Class 1A sectionals around the state. The top six teams at each sectional advance to this weekend’s IHSA Competitive Dancing State Finals to be held at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington. Prelims will be held on Friday, with the top 10 team advancing to Saturday’s finals with a shot at winning state gold.

Highland won the Class 1A state crown in 2014.

At the sectional, Highland received a final winning team score of 88.30. Joining the Lady Bulldogs as 1A state qualifiers were: sectional host Mascoutah (84.83), Wesclin (82.53), Marion (81.53) and Murphysboro (81.23) and Triad (80.67).

“The HHS dance team decided to compete with their lyrical routine for IHSA,” said Highland coach and program founder Michelle Deets. “The past three years we have taken a jazz routine, but we decided that the choreography and message of our lyrical routine would be one that we wanted to compete with this year. On Saturday at sectionals, I believe that they performed their routine the best they have ever done this season. Coach Emily Wellen and I are so proud of their accomplishments to date, and we are excited for this coming weekend in Bloomington.”

The HHS varsity dance team features Ally Becker, Lexy Hagler, Kayla Davis, Leslie Drueke, Katie Etter, Paige Foster, Olivia Genteman, Kelsey Lane, Hannah Luitjohan, Raven Miranda, Claire Pabst, Abigail Rogier, McKenzie Rosen, Reagan Thornton and Brooke Wilson.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Dancing: Highland wins fourth straight sectional title."