1997 IHSA State Championship Tournament
The 1997 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Championship Tournaments ended the eleventh State Championship Series conducted in Scholastic Bowl by the IHSA. It was the sixth season in which there were separate State Championship Tournaments held for small schools (Class A) and large schools (Class AA). The tournament was held at the Peoria Civic Center.
Advancement
The 1997 State Series saw a slightly altered method of qualification. There would now only be eight Sectional tournaments in each class (down from the 16-per-class that had existed since the Tournaments began in 1987). Each sectional hosted a tournament, the winner of which advanced to the State Championship Tournament. The determination of these geographic boundaries was arbitrarily decided by the IHSA Office. The official reason for the change was to being Scholastic Bowl more in line with the athletic competitions which also used a sectional format, and only advanced eight teams to their respective state tournaments.
Tournament Format
Each round was comprised of 30 toss-ups and accompanying bonus questions. The sectional tournaments and State Championship Tournament were all single elimination. Teams were randomly assigned to positions in the bracket without regard for record or performance.
The exception to the single elimination format occurred in the semifinals, where the two semifinal losers played a third place match. The top four teams earned trophies and medals for team members, coaches, principals, and activities directors. The trophies were of the design smaller than that of the athletic trophies given out by the IHSA.
New Location
The class A and class AA Tournaments were both moved to the Peoria Civic Center, with Woodruff and Carlinville still acting as hosts (meaning, they were responsible for providing scorekeepers and timers, as well as arranging for set up at the facility). This was an especially confusing choice given that Carlinville is located nowhere near Peoria, and being a smaller school, had access to a smaller number of potential qualified personnel. Eventually, Carlinville would be dropped as a host, with Woodruff following soon after. Woodruff coach, Jon Rathbun, continued acting as tournament director until 2010.
The choice of the Peoria Civic Center was also controversial, as it was hardly an ideal location for the Tournaments. Some of the rooms were quite small, and occasionally required last minute switching to accommodate teams with larger fan bases, causing delays in the tournament. The rooms were also located in a ring around a section of the Center which was concurrently hosting the Class AA Boys Basketball State Championship Series, and the accompanying fan events. It was not uncommon for some rooms to be able to hear cheering crowds and the sound of horns from the basketball games in progress. Some rooms were separated by temporary walls, forcing moderators to speak softer than normal in a large, already noisy room, to prevent the room next door from hearing them.
When questioned as to why this move was made, the reason given by then IHSA Administrator Susan Henrichsen was that the move was an attempt to garner better publicity for Scholastic Bowl by moving it along side the Boys Basketball Tournament. While for a time, the Scholastic Bowl Tournaments were mentioned at the bottom of the posters advertising the Basketball Tournament, that practice was short-lived. Also for a time, the awards ceremony was held on the stage of the main theater. This also went away, with awards being presented in the largest of the competition rooms.
There is a general feeling among some that the continued use of the Peoria Civic Center under these conditions is unintentionally demeaning to the players and the activity, as it is a reminder that academic competition is subordinate to athletic competition. This is made clear by the efforts made by the IHSA, the municipality, and the local businesses to play up the Basketball Tournament, while not mentioning the Scholastic Bowl event at all. Later administrators have stated clearly that the move was for financial reasons, as the rooms are given over to the IHSA gratis, and as a non-revenue competition, the IHSA must keep costs down. The IESA Scholastic Bowl State Finals moved to the Civic Center in 2012.
In 2020, it was announced that the IHSA Scholastic Bowl State Finals would again move to Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois for 2021, having previously hosted the IESA between 2006-2011. This also coincided with the departure of the IHSA Boys Basketball State Finals moving back to Champaign. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic marked a premature end to the venue as the 2020 IHSA State Finals were canceled. Therefore, making the 2018-19 tournament the last to play in Peoria. The IESA Scholastic Bowl State Finals still compete at the Civic Center.
CLASS A
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| State Champion: | ||||
| Runner-Up: | ||||
| Third Place | ||||
| Fourth Place | ||||
Quarterfinals
| Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 178 | Farmington | 90 |
| St. Teresa | 242 | Marquette | 215 |
| Latin School | 338 | Breese Central | 146 |
| Byron | 229 | Watseka | 170 |
Semifinals
| Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Teresa | 274 | Fairfield | 196 |
| Byron | 248 | Latin School | 209 |
Third Place
| Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latin School | 260 | Fairfield | 175 |
Finals
| Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Teresa | 330 | Byron | 197 |
CLASS AA
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| State Champion: | ||||
| Runner-Up: | ||||
| Third Place | ||||
| Fourth Place | ||||
Quarterfinals
| Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libertyville | 328 | New Trier | 263 |
| Carbondale | 277 | Princeton | 227 |
| Leyden | 271 | Quincy | 230 |
| IMSA | 333 | Homewood-Flossmoor | 193 |
Semifinals
| Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbondale | 376 | Libertyville | 244 |
| IMSA | 373 | Leyden | 145 |
Third Place
| Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libertyville | 327 | Leyden | 146 |
Finals
| Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMSA | 286 | Carbondale | 256 |
Notes
- The St. Teresa Bulldogs saw their coach, John Burke, end a nine year coaching tenure at the school as a state champion. Burke moved on to Warrensburg-Latham where, in 2001, he would lead that school to a Class A State Title, becoming the first coach in Illinois history to win state titles with two different schools.
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