Central A&M High School was named the inaugural winner of the IHSA Class 1A/2A Student Section Showdown on Saturday, March 14, 2015.

Representatives from each of the four Class 1A/2A finalists - Central A&M, Dwight, Hinckley-Big Rock & Olympia (pictured above) – were on hand at the IHSA Class 1A Boys Basketball State Championship game at the Peoria Civic Center’s Carver Arena, where the winner was revealed between quarters.

“Kudos to the IHSA Student Advisory Committee for taking the initiative to begin this contest,” said IHSA Assistant Executive Director Beth Sauser. “It was a fun way to showoff great sportsmanship and school spirit, while getting student sections even more involved in representing their schools. We appreciate all the entries we received this year and can’t wait to see what these student sections come up with for next year!”

The Student Section Showdown entries were judged by the IHSA Student Advisory Committee, who graded each submission based on categories that include sportsmanship, spirit, student body participation, and the originality of cheers.

Representing Central A&M on Saturday were students Austin Christian, Tyler Conlin, Madisyn Garner, Morgan Hunter, Matt Maynard, Ben Stedman and Principal Judy Fitzgerald (above).

The Class 3A/4A winner will be announced on Saturday, March 21 during the IHSA Class 3A Boys Basketball State Championship game at the Peoria Civic Center.

See video of the announcement, Central A&M's reaction to winning and the school's entry video below…