Cheerleading: Joliet West makes history with second state title, third trophy

JOLIET – Few Joliet Township athletes are in the elite company of the eight seniors on Joliet West’s competitive cheerleading team who have won three straight state trophies while on varsity. In fact, only three Joliet Township programs have ever won consecutive trophies in a sport.

That reinforces what an historic accomplishment it is that Joliet West’s competitive cheerleading team won its third straight trophy for a top-three finish after taking home its second state title in three years at Saturday’s IHSA finals in Bloomington.

A year ago, coach Amy DiForti’s Tigers became the first girls program in the district to win back-to-back trophies, following up on their 2016 championship with a second-place finish behind Lincoln-Way East.

But after posting a 94.44 total to win the large team division title by a record 4.31 point margin over Marist, West made more Joliet Township history by joining the 1977-79 Tigers wrestling teams as the only programs to win three consecutive state trophies in their sports. Under the direction of coach Mike Cookas, the wrestlers placed second each of those seasons.

Beside becoming just the fourth school to win multiple large team titles in the event, West now joins Lockport as the only teams to record three straight first- or second-place finishes in that division. The Porters also claimed two firsts and a second from 2006 to 2008.

While becoming the first Tigers program to win two state titles, the cheerleaders also achieved something that only had been done one other time in the large division. They followed up last season’s second place finish by winning a championship, a feat that only had been done by Lockport in 2007.

All eight of the Tigers seniors also were members of the three state trophy-winning teams. Hope Benavidez, Lea Delattre, Jessica Orr and Julia Todd were four-year varsity athletes, while Leah Combs, Makayla Hurd, Isaiah McGowan and Lexi Stariha were all three-year varsity competitors.

“I’m just super thankful to have been a part of something like this,” Combs said. “I can’t thank the coaches enough for all of the effort and time that they’ve put into it. All of my teammates are hard-working and we’ve given up so much to be a part of this. I can’t describe the feeling of winning state. Winning the first time was amazing and to do it again is unbelievable. Last year taking second wasn’t a loss, but it definitely motivated us since we wanted to be back on top. We were like a family and super close. It was great to finish off on such a high note.”

After winning state as sophomores, the Tigers seniors placed second a year ago. But that finish gave them motivation to finish back on top in their final seasons.

“I’m very blessed and I wouldn’t have wanted to end my senior year any other way,” Hurd said. “I think for me personally and all of the other seniors that taking second last year just motivated us to win. It pushed everybody to understand that working hard in the long run would pay off. I wouldn’t have wanted us to perform any other way. We poured all of our passion on the mat and we left it out there and we showed the judges that we wanted first place. Coach taught us a lot of things that I’ll carry on through my lifetime. I’m so grateful.”

West improved its chances by going with a more challenging routine and based on its final score, the strategy obviously paid off in a big way.

“It was definitely an amazing experience,” Stariha said. “To win it once was incredible but hearing our name called again was absolutely unbelievable. We were very focused and determined on getting back to the top this year. This routine was very difficult but everyone gave it their all and poured their hearts out on the mat. We’ve had great chemistry throughout the years and this year we created really close bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime. I’m very grateful and beyond blessed to have been a part of the Joliet West program.”

For a program that already had won two trophies, including a title, winning another first-place trophy was a fitting ending.

“I am so grateful for all of this,” McGowan said. “It just feels amazing because we’ve worked so hard for it and every single team that I’ve been on has worked hard. East was so good last year but I was happy that I got second since it made me realize that you have to work harder and not take anything for granted. Cheer has helped me a lot and it’s helped to make me a better person. Saturday was the best way to end my senior year. I’m so proud of everyone on my team and they really made my senior year amazing and I love them all.”

Becky Stortz feels fortunate that she has been able to assist DiForti during the past three seasons and realizes that special teams like these don’t come around very often.

“These last three years have been amazing,” Stortz said. “This year they kind of took all of the difficulty that we threw at them and they rose to that challenge. These eight seniors have been a part of this for the last three years. We prepared them the best that we could and told them to trust their training and go do it like it was practiced. Also to come together as a family and add that extra passion on the mat and all of the hard work would pay off. It was a great end to the season to hit two deduction-free routines, but that’s a testament to their training.”