Oak Forest Cheerleaders Win State Title

OAK FOREST, IL —The IHSA's 2021 Cheerleading State Finals may have been virtual, but the celebrations were real for Oak Forest, which captured the state championship in the medium team division at Saturday's competition.

The Bengals scored 97.53 and held off Lemont (96.87) and Vernon Hills (96.4). It was the second state title in program history, the previous coming in 2016, and ninth trophy (top 6).

Instead of taking place in Bloomington, the state meet was held virtually, with each team recording its performance in its own gym. Maneuvers like pyramids and tosses were not allowed because of COVID-19 precautions.

The season was shorter than usual, just five weeks, but the Bengals made the most of it, winning the South Suburban Conference (SSC) Blue Division, the sectional crown and state. Cheerleading became the only sport at Oak Forest with multiple state titles.