Carterville High School

Carterville High School is a public high school in Carterville, Illinois, United States.

History

Carterville High School is part of the Carterville Community Unit #5 School District in Illinois. It has an enrollment of approximately 550 students, but is continuing to grow every year. The school is a member of Illinois High School Association as a Class 1A member of the River to River Conference Mississippi Division. Carterville's mascot is the Lion and the school colors are orange and navy blue. The high school has moved into a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility for the 2011-2012 school year.

New High School

In August 2011, Carterville's students and teachers moved into the brand new high school. A state-of-the-art facility, voted as one of the top 5 high schools in the state, the new 225,000 square foot school was built for $25 million. It features two gyms; a smaller multi-purpose gym with seating for 500 and big gym with seating capacity of 2,500. The new auditorium, among the nicest in the state, has seating for 750. Two stories of classrooms and laboratories complete the front academic wing. The Performing Arts wing, which includes the auditorium, houses brand new band and chorus rooms, as well as multiple practice and storage rooms. In the center of the building is the cafeteria, with many food options and TV's for students. The high school having been in the works for at least two decades is the pride and joy of the Carterville Community Unit #5 School district.

Academics

Carterville high school is known state wide for posting some of the best ACT score results in all of Southern Illinois. In a list compiled by the Chicago Sun Times, Carterville ranked 29th out of all schools in Illinois, including private institutions, within the 72.477 percentile of students statewide.

Athletics

Carterville currently has 15 Varsity and J.V. sports including Baseball, Bowling (Coed), Boy's and Girl's Basketball, Boy's and Girl's Track and Field, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Poms, Softball, Volleyball, and Wrestling. The boys teams are called Lions, while the girls teams are known as the Lady Lions. Although Carterville prides itself on its athletic teams, traditionally Carterville is a football town. Carterville has won 116 total Black Diamond Conference championships, including 19 in football, which is the most won by any schools in the conference and likely will remain that way for quite some time.

Carterville has been a long-time member of the Black Diamond Conference. Other Black Diamond schools include Johnston City, Christopher, Zeigler-Royalton, Sesser-Valier, Elverado, Hamilton County, Fairfield, Carmi-White County, Trico, Vienna, as well as a few other schools for particular sports. In 2010, Carterville moved to the River to River Conference's Mississippi Division featuring larger schools such as DuQuoin, Anna-Jonesboro, Pinckneyville, Nashville, and Sparta. This switch has been made due to Carterville's rapid increase in enrollment, along with their football domination within the B.D.C.

Football

Beginning in 1995, Carterville has reached the Illinois High School Association football playoffs for 17 straight seasons. This span includes four quarterfinals appearances (2000, 2004, 2005, 2007) and one state title in 1996. Carterville boasts an overall record of 144-31 during that span.

In August 2008, Carterville unveiled a new outdoor athletic complex. The addition includes a football field with an artificial playing surface that sports a large "C" at midfield with orange endzones and also an all-weather 8-lane track, enabling the school to host track meets for the first time in many years. The fieldhouse is large enough that it holds locker-rooms for both home and visitor football teams, as well as a concession stand for visitors and team offices. The football field is an addition that includes baseball and softball fields.

It has been a long-time tradition during Carterville football games that "The Cannon" is shot off after every Lions' touchdown. "The Cannon" is an actual American Civil War cannon that is owned privately by a resident family of the town and is known as "Carterville Artillery Unit#1". The noise of the cannon is so loud that visiting fans are often taken aback by the boom, which can be heard throughout much of the town. "The Cannon" has become synonymous with the Carterville football tradition. Despite concerns of "The Cannon" being retired along with the old field, it has been taken out to the new complex and can still be heard following every Lions' score.

Softball

In softball, Carterville is known as a regional powerhouse having won multiple conference titles in the past decade. In 2008 the Lady Lions posted only two losses and dominated their way to the Class 2A state championship game, winning the title. Winning is a tradition for Carterville softball, so look for the Lady Lions to be a contender during the 2013 season.

Baseball

Baseball is also known for its winning tradition having been conference and regional champs several times, including consecutive sectional berths in 2007 and 2008. In 2013, the Lions reached the regional championship under the leadership of Rend Lake College signee Sammy Stearns, but were ultimately defeated by the Murphysboro Red Devils, ending their season. Although the season ended in disappointment, there were many high points throughout. The Lions had big wins earlier in the season, defeating Anna-Jonesboro, and Murphysboro in extra innings. The Lions started as many as seven freshman at times, and with graduated seniors Sammy Stearns, Patrick Brown, and Steven Wood leaving, the Lions will be looking for seniors Dalton Hoch and Cameron Lenzini to fill the void. With a year of experience on the mound, sophomore pitchers Austin Swalls, Noah Ford, and Ashton DeRousse look to lead the Lions to victory this coming season. The Lions will look to be contenders for the River-to-River championship in the 2014 season.

Wrestling

Lions wrestling has also achieved success for many straight seasons. In the past three years (2010, 2011, 2012), Gabe Bartok has led the Lions to many victories. Bartok was a state runner-up in the 2011-2012 season, and now wrestles for Rend Lake College. The 2012-2013 season looked bright for the Lions, as they posted many victories with no seniors on the team. Look for Brennan Lentz (2016), AJ Dees (2016), Kestutis Lazdinas (2016), Michael Dennison (2015), Phillip Frangello (2014), Joe Behan (2014), Zack Ury (2014), and Heath Moffet (2014) to lead the Lions in the coming years.

Music

Carterville's band program has had recent success on the field. The Marching Lions went competitive shortly after 2000. Comprising approximately 75-90 musicians, the Marching Lions entertain during football games at the halftime show. Since 2001, the band has gotten several first place trophies at regional competitions and even received third place in the state in 2005. The Marching Lions have taken several trips to perform on the national stage including Washington D.C; Memphis, Tennessee; Chicago, Illinois; and Orlando, Florida. The band does not compete in the B.O.A. or U.S.B.B.A. circuits as the I.H.S.A. does not have a system set up that regulates competitions within the state. The band even has a few members that march with Music City Drum and Bugle Corps.

External links

• Carterville High School

Coordinates: 37°45′12″N 89°04′29″W / 37.75333°N 89.07472°W / 37.75333; -89.07472