On February 15, 2025, the Herrin High School Dance and Flag Team drove north to Springfield, Illinois, to compete in the state competitions for their respective sports. The Herrin Tigerettes danced until they landed fifth place in a competitive AA hip hop category.
The flag team competed at the same time as the dance team. As they finished their routines, they emerged as the 2025 AA Lyrical Flag State Champions and the 2025 AA Tall Flag State Champions. Alongside these accomplishments, the flag team ended up being the third runner-up to the Grand Champion title, naming them the fourth highest scoring team out of the 80 teams there, out of a total of 250 routines.
Ella Holthaus (12), despite being a first-year flag team member, placed in the top ten of all the flag soloists. This was all seen under the direction of Coach Elisabeth, and this recent accomplishment marks her as a fifteen-time State Championship winner for her team. The Tiger Tattler interviewed Joanna Mora (11) and Ella Holthaus (12).
“Knowing my experience from last year, this is a big success for me and the team. Knowing that we worked hard throughout the whole season, even through summer, and knowing that we qualified for the first competition — it was a big relief,” Mora said.
While Mora has been in the flag team during all her high school years, Holthaus has only joined her senior year. Despite an apparent lack of experience, Holthaus has performed well and has proven to herself that she can excel on the flag team. “As a senior, I was nervous to join flag throughout highschool, then I decided that I didn’t want to leave high school with any regrets… it means a lot to me because it shows that I could’ve done this all four years so I’m glad that I could prove to myself that I was able to join a team and be decent,” Holthaus said.
You can read more about Ella’s flag team success here on the Tiger Tattler.
But, of course, the flag team’s effort was never limited to either Holthaus or Mora. In their interviews, they stressed the team effort behind this success at state. “This year, our minds are more of a put-together group. We still worked together to have that big moment in state,” Mora said.
The HHS Tigerettes also traveled to Springfield to compete at state on Feb. 15, where they ended up in fifth place. This success has been won from both previous dance experience/training and fresh experiences with new coaches for the Tigerettes.
Maddie Martin (11) said: “This is the first year of high school where we’ve had a coach who had experience teaching dance. It made a world of difference.”
The new coach, Erin Monchino, implemented a training schedule of two and a half hour practices four days a week. The element of new coaching staff enabled the Tigerettes to grow closer and become more driven as a team.
Imogen Coop (10) said: “I can tell that just in this year, the overall drive and determination improved. As the team grew closer, we learned easier and created a friendlier environment.”
As for the seniors who are soon to leave the Tigerettes, they recognize that the team is in good hands, both with these coaches and dancers.
“This success and consistency gives me hope that Herrin can be seen as a competitive threat to other dance teams we will compete against in the future. I fully believe that the Tigerettes are up and coming and will be one of the best teams IDTA and IHSA will see in the coming year[s],” said Ava Capogreco (12).
Success has come for the Tigerettes at state, and Maddie Martin is confident that the Tigerettes will continue to be met with success. Martin said, “I define success as how much you’ve grown from your starting point, not how many awards, but how much growth you’ve achieved.”
These young ladies have shown that no matter what circumstances you might compete under, whether that be joining a new sport your senior year or needing the right coach to give you the right push, you can succeed.
