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Two local squads earned a spot in the Class 1A Competitive Dance finals.
Morris and Gardner-South Wilmington will participate in the event, which begins Friday at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington for the semifinal round.
Gardner-South Wilmington will compete at 10:31 a.m. Friday, and Morris will participate at 1:37 p.m.
Qualifying teams will compete again in Saturday’s final if they reach the qualifying standard Friday.
Morris
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Morris hopes to extend its success at the state level.
Morris finished fourth in the virtual event last season and finished second in the 2019 finals.
In the sectional competition at Fieldcrest, Morris won the team title with a score of 90.47. It was the highest score recorded at the sectional for the day regardless of school classification.
Team members are Alexa Edwards, Maddi Pilch, Maddy Rushing, Sienna Cleek, Michaela Harlan, Myah Butler, Caelyn Goffinet, Gracie Nelson, Gracie Mennenga, Brenna Mills, Ashlyn Punke, Maya Price, Macy Shell and Sammie Tully.
The team is coached by Megan Post and Haley Hanson.
Gardner-South Wilmington
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Gardner-South Wilmington qualified for the state finals with a fourth place finish at the Fieldcrest Sectional.
The Panthers posted a score of 79.33 to advance.
Team members are Molly Conger, Katelyn Farris, Ella Sandeno, Abbey Granger, Katy Wallerich, Ava Brassard, Hayden Partilla, Alexis Riggs, Emma Simms, Tess Brooks and Madalee Handzus.
The team is coached by Nicole Leigh and Holly Swisher.