The Minooka cheerleading team fell just short of qualifying for state in sectionals.

On Jan. 26 at Edwardsville, Minooka placed seventh out of the 17 teams. The top five qualified. They were just a few crucial drops kept them away from state.

Lincoln-Way East ended up winning the sectional by .03 points in front of Lincoln-Way West.

Minooka was only .59 points away from O’Fallon who received the fifth-place bid.

“So glad to have the best coaches pushing us to be the best we can be,” Mariah McPherson, junior, said.

Minooka cheer is a young team that has a lot of upside going into next season. The team only had three upperclassman this year, which means they are young and gaining experience going into next season.