Athletics - St. Philomena School

Athletic programs play an important role in the total educational experience offered at St. Philomena. They are one more way in which St. Philomena helps each student realize the full range of his or her talents and abilities. The school’s program strives to develop confident, enthusiastic, and disciplined athletes who use their full physical potential. St. Philomena athletes learn the value of teamwork and the importance of sportsmanship. Most of all, the program teaches students to enjoy athletics while encouraging spiritual awareness.

To register for a specific sport, please go to the sport’s section below and click on VIEW MORE. Contact athletics@stphils.com with any questions.

Click here to read and sign our Coach Code of Conduct.

Click here to download a copy of the IESA Concussion Information Sheet.

Click here for the athletics consent form. Each family is required to complete this form once per school year.

Please refer to the parent-student handbook (page 25) for the information about family service requirements for athletics.

SCHEDULES

Click on VIEW MORE for our athletics calendar.

Schedules for our sports teams (except soccer) can be found on our 8to18 site. Click here.

For soccer game schedules, please visit ppsasoccer.org

Sponsorships

Sponsorships help our athletics program with costs such as uniforms, equipment and paying officials. Click on VIEW MORE to learn how you can become a sponsor of our athletics program.

Advertise on our gym digital screen.

Ad will run during all home girls/boys basketball and girls volleyball games, as well as Biddy Basketball.

Design your ad or send us your logo.

Good for one year: September 1—August 31.

Cost: $150, or $100 for church bulletin sponsors.

Interested?

Email: athletics@stphils.com OR
Call: 309-208-2359 OR
Scan the QR Code, Complete our Form

Girls Basketball

The girls' basketball team is open to all girls in fifth through eighth grades. The season for 5th- 8th grade begins in early September and concludes by the end of November/early December.

The seventh and eighth grade teams are affiliated with Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA). CLICK HERE to register for the fall 2024 season.

Parents, please have at least one parent attend a pre-season meeting in the school cafeteria, date and time TBD. If you have a conflict, reach out to your coach or athletics director, athletics@stphils.com.

Click here to read and sign the Parent Consent Form, which is also required for your child’s registration and participation. This only needs to be done once per school year. If it has already been completed for the 2024-25 school year (for example if you completed it for soccer, golf, cross country or softball) you do not need to do so again.

Each basketball/cheer family is required to volunteer at three sessions during the course of the season. These can be completed at either boys or girls games.

Cheerleading

The cheerleading team is open to 8th grade girls only. The school has a "no-cut" policy, which means there are no tryouts. Registration will be available in August, with the season coinciding with boy basketball, October-February. Practices usually begin in September.

CLICK HERE to register for the 2024-25 season. Reach out to the athletics director at athletics@stphils.com if you need assistance.

Click here for the athletics consent form. Each family is required to complete this form once per school year. If you’ve already completed the form for 2024-25 (for example if you filled it out for cross country, golf, softball, softball or girls basketball), you do not need to do so again.

All 8th-grade girls have the opportunity to be a cheerleader if they choose to. The size of the squad always depends on class size.

The girls cheer for the 8th-grade boys’ basketball team at home and away games. The team is moderated by a volunteer parent and generally practices twice a week starting in early September. The team also participates in an annual Diocesan cheerleading competition.

Each basketball/cheer family is required to volunteer at three sessions during the course of the season. These can be completed at either boys or girls games. Please see the section above (SCHEDULES) for game and volunteer schedules.

Boys Basketball

The boys' basketball team is open to all boys in fifth through eighth grades. The season for 5th- 8th grade generally begins in mid-October and ends in January/February.

The seventh and eighth grade teams are affiliated with Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA). CLICK HERE to register for the 2024-25 season. If you need assistance or have questions, email the athletic director at athletics@stphils.com.

Click here to read and sign the Parent Consent Form, which is also required for your child’s registration and participation. This only needs to be done once per school year. If you’ve already completed this form for 2024-25 (for example when you registered for golf, cross country or soccer), you do not need to do so again.

Wrestling

Wrestling is open to boys in grades 5-8 and takes place in the Winter.

CLICK HERE to register for the 2024-25 season. There are no fees to participate in wrestling.

Click here for the athletics consent form. Each family is required to complete this form once per school year. If you’ve already completed the form for 2023-24, (for example for basketball, golf, cross country or soccer) you do not need to do so again.

Volleyball

The volleyball program is open to all girls in 6th-8th grades. Volleyball is played in the winter. The season normally begins with practices in mid-December and finishes in March.

Seventh and eighth-grade teams participate in the IESA tournaments, sixth grade does not. There are also smaller Catholic school tournaments for each grade level. CLICK HERE to register for the 2024-25 season. Please email the Athletics Director at athletics@stphils.com with questions.

Click here for the volunteer sign up.

Click here for the athletics consent form. Each family is required to complete this form once per school year. If you’ve already completed the form for 2024-25, (like for soccer, golf, cross country, softball or basketball) you do not need to do so again.

When ready, the game schedule will be posted here.
When ready, the volunteer schedule will be posted here.

Track & Field

This is a co-ed program open to students in 5th-8th grade. It is a spring sport with approximately 10 meets per season. Registration opens around February/March with meets beginning in March/April.

CLICK HERE to register for the 2025 season.

Click here for the athletics consent form. Each family is required to complete this form once per school year. If you’ve already completed the form for 2023-24, you do not need to do so again.

The average team size is 60 students. When in season, the team practices about four days a week for 1-1.5 hours. Students in this sport can compete in the following events:

Hurdles
100M dash
200M dash
400M run
800M run
1600M run
4 x 100M relay
4 x 200M relay
4 x 400M relay
Long jump
High jump
Shot put
Discus
Pole vault

Teams in our Sectional:

Coolidge
Hollis
Limestone Walters
Manual
Norwood
Peoria Heights
Pleasant Valley
Roosevelt
St. Mark
St. Thomas
St. Vincent de Paul

Biddy Basketball

Biddy Basketball is open to all St. Philomena School students in grades 1-4. It is a fun, intramural league where children are taught sound fundamentals and rules of the game. Biddy Basketball is held in February and March for about five weeks on Saturday mornings and weekday evenings, based on availability of the school gym and other school-related activities.

The league is coached by our 5th-8th grade boys and girls coaches and other volunteers. Cost is $25 per player. Registration is not yet open for 2024-25.

The athletics committee is accepting team sponsors for this year’s league. Sponsorship is $50, cash or check payable to St. Philomena Athletics. Contact athletics@stphils.com if you are interested.

Soccer

St. Philomena is a member of the Peoria Parochial Soccer Association which is comprised of area Catholic and parochial schools. Soccer is played in the Fall. Click VIEW MORE for registration information.

CLICK HERE FOR 2024 REGISTRATION. Registration is due by May 24, 2024. If you miss registration and still want to play, contact our PPSA rep and coordinator, Andy Crusen (acrusen80@hotmail.com). If you are unsure if you signed up, check your email for a registration confirmation from athletics@stphils.com or contact Andy.

PLEASE NOTE: There are waivers that need to be completed with the registration. Details are on the registration page. Please read it carefully. Registration is not complete unless all forms are completed.

The St. Philomena’s Soccer Program is open to students and parish members in grades 1-8. The teams are co-ed for 1st and 2nd graders. The season is played in the fall, and the average team size is 10-12 kids. Games generally start in late August and run through early October. Each team plays about eight games per season. Teams in grades 3-8 play in postseason tournaments. There is a separate schedule for tournaments, so please consult the PPSA website for more information.

Practices vary according to each coach, but generally begin a week or two prior to the first game. League games are played at the FC soccer facility in Mossville (next to Caterpillar). Depending on the coach, teams may practice once or twice a week for about an hour in the evening. Registration for the soccer program begins in May.

Golf

Golf is an IESA, co-ed sport offered to our junior high students in the fall. Sign up occurs in May/June each year.

CLICK HERE to register for the 2024 season of boys and girl golf. For questions, contact athletics@stphils.com

Please complete the parent consent form for the 2024-25 school year.

Congratulations to our 2023 Sectional qualifiers:

Girls: Norah O’Leary, Bryn Coulter, Gloria Hayes, Molly Gibson, Betsy Hayes, Caroline McKee

Boys: Joey Alwan, Alex O’Leary, Nolan Kenny, Charlie McKee, Teddy Kress, Andrew Best

Softball

Softball (fastpitch) at St. Philomena is open to students in grades 6-8. It is an IESA sport and played in the Fall in cooperation (coop) with Holy Family, St. Thomas and St. Vincent dePaul Schools. Practices and home games are played at Lindbergh School in Peoria. Practice begins in late July with practice then being held two-to-three times per week.

CLICK HERE to register for the fall 2024 season of softball. Contact athletics@stphils.com for information.

Be sure to complete the athletics permission form. Each family is required to complete this form once per school year.

Cross Country

St. Philomena's Cross Country team is open to all students in fifth through eighth grades and occurs in the fall. Practice begins in late July/early August.

CLICK HERE to register for the fall 2024 season. Contact athletics@stphils.com for assistance.

Click here for the athletics consent form. Each family is required to complete this form once per school year.

Thanks to dedicated students, coaches, and parents, St. Philomena’s Cross Country team is one of the most successful Catholic grade school team in the city.

Over the last several years, the team has much to be proud of, including: