Saturday, Mach 16, 2019 proved to be a special day for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), as the IHSA recognized two students at IHSA State Final events in Central Illinois.
Joined by her family, Riley Maher
(above), the IHSA nominee for the NFHS Spirit of Sport Award (
click here to read Riley’s story) was recognized at halftime of the IHSA Class 4A Boys Basketball Third-Place game at Carver Arena inside the Civic Center in Peoria. After being presented with a certificate by IHSA Board member Todd Rogers alongside her family, Riley was interviewed during the IHSA TV broadcast. See both videos below.
Meanwhile, the IHSA’s nominee for the Heart of the Arts Award, Belvidere North’s Johnathon Giesecke (
click here to read Johnathon’s story), was recognized at the IHSA Debate State Finals at Illinois State University by IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. Giesecke was there to compete, and was honored alongside his coach Nicole Kroepel, before the state final awards ceremony. As fate would have it, Giesecke and his teammate Burke Cochran would be crowned state champions in Public Forum Debate minutes later
(see both below).
RILEY RECOGNITION VIDEORILEY INTERVIEW VIDEO