Sterling
| Sterling Golden Warriors | |
| Location: Sterling, Illinois | |
|---|---|
| Coaches | Nicole Schlemmer |
| State Championships | none |
| National Championships | none |
| Program Status | Unknown |
| School Size | Unknown |
| NAQT Page | link |
Sterling High School is between Rockford and the Quad Cities in northwest Illinois. The Golden Warriors compete in Class 2A, the "large school" division of the Illinois High School Association's State Championship series.
For about 20 years starting in 1989, they were coached by IHSSBCA Hall of Fame coach Cheryl Christianson. In addition to coaching, Christianson was also very active in the IHSSBCA and hosted many tournaments including their local IHSSBCA Kickoff. Throughout the late 1990's & the 2000's they were one of the strongest teams in their area, and for a few years they were among the top teams in Illinois. The success of the team was bolstered by the tough competition in the area including cross-town rivals Newman Central Catholic and Rock Falls who were led by Hall of Fame coaches in their own right. Despite limited success in the IHSA State Tournament due to the rise of Auburn during this same era, Sterling did find breakthroughs in the Masonic tournament. The Golden Warriors finished as State runners-up in the tournament twice in 1998 and 2003 to MacArthur and Wheaton North. Before Christianson's retirement, Sterling broke through one more time to finish 3rd to PORTA in 2008.
Notable Team Accomplishments
- Masonic State Tournament: 2nd - 1998, 2nd - 2003, 3rd- 2008
- Masonic State Qualifiers: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997
- IHSA Regional titles: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2004
- IHSSBCA Turnabout Champions: 2011
- Twin City Champions: 2024
Individual Honors
IHSSBCA All-Sectional Honorees
- 2010: Marcel Bauer, Jacob Landis, Mason Vandersee
- 2009: Connor Christenson, Jonathan Schweiss
- 2008: Breanna Neubauer, Thomas Say
- 2007: Matthew Gerken, Thomas Say
- 2006: Matt Gerken, Jaden Pack
- 2004: Jaya Kalra, Paul Say
- 2003: Jaya Kalra, Paul Say
- 2002: Eapen Matthew
IHSSBCA All-State Honorees
- 2008: Thomas Say (Second Team) Class 2A
- 2004: Jaya Kalra (First Team) Class 2A
- 2003: Jaya Kalra (Second Team) Class 2A
- 2002: Eapen Matthew (First Team) Class 2A
Team Illinois
- 2004: Jaya Kalra
- 2002: Matthew Eapen