NORRIS CITY — Led by a drumline and followed by the Red Army fan section, the NCOE Volleyball team received a heroes’ send-off Wednesday afternoon as they boarded a bus to head to state.

The 36-2 Fighting Cardinals will face 39-1 Illini Bluffs in the second 1A semifinal Friday morning at 10:30 at Redbird Arena in Normal.

This will be NCOE’s second trip to state in the last four seasons. They finished fourth in 2016.