Sterling's Musgrove Fieldhouse among state's best gyms in contest

STERLING – High school sports fanatics on social media throughout Illinois agree that Homer Musgrove Fieldhouse at Sterling High School is one of the best gyms in Illinois.

Whether it can earn the title of being the best gym of all in Illinois is up to voters to decide in a Twitter contest this week.

Musgrove has made the round of eight, and voting to determine the final four will begin Monday on Twitter at @hslogoscom.

The Golden Warriors' beloved home has a unique charm to it, Athletic Director Greg King said.

“It’s one of the best environments," he said. "With the brick background, center hung scoreboard, and iconic flag, it makes for a great atmosphere.”

Head boys basketball coach Ryan Vasquez, a Sterling High alumnus, hears the occasional comment about how Musgrove looks better than most small college campuses in the nation.

“It’s been fun to watch all the schools post pictures of their facilities and compete for the best gym in the state,” he said. “Our athletes and coaches are all very lucky and fortunate to be able to call the Fieldhouse our home.”

Levi Maierhofer, a junior at Seneca High School in La Salle County, organized the bracketed contest from a pool of nearly 400 schools. Pictures of each gym were posted in each head-to-head challenge, the first of which began May 11.

The top eight gyms will be reseeded before voting resumes Monday. Each round will take 48 hours to complete. The final four will be determined Wednesday, and then will go up for a 48-hour vote that will conclude Friday. The state's best will be announced June 1.

The contest exceeded Maierhofer’s expectations, he said. Some first-round matches only had about 200 votes, but one recent match garnered more than 3,000.

“Fans really are rallying around their teams again, and coaches and fans keep spreading it among each other,” he said.

Built in 1950, Musgrove Fieldhouse is in the middle of a two-summer renovation project. The new bleachers were installed last year, and ventilation work and other enhancements will be done soon.

“When it’s all said and done, there’s no question that the Golden Warriors will have one of the top facilities in the state to compete in,” Vasquez said.

Other schools in the round of eight include Moline's Wharton Field House and Quincy's Blue Devil Stadium, both of which are in the Western Big 6 Conference with Sterling.

Kingman Gymnasium in Ottawa also advanced; it is another familiar venue for Golden Warrior fans. Northern Illinois Big 12 and NCIC conference athletic events between the schools took place there for more than 75 years.

Other high schools in the hunt are Lane Tech in Chicago, Collinsville, Frankfort High in West Frankfort, and Evanston.

Cast your vote

Go to twitter.com/hslogos.com to view the contest. Those who have Twitter accounts can vote for the best high school gymnasium in Illinois.

Sauk Valley Media also is on twitter. Follow us at @saukvalley.

Don’t have Twitter? Go to twitter.com to register.