Muddy River Sports receives three awards in APSE annual national writing contest

QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman received two writing awards in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest and Muddy River Sports won an additional award for its digital platform.

Schuckman finished in the top 10 in the long feature and breaking news categories in Division D.

In the long feature category, Schuckman was honored for telling the story of Quincy Notre Dame quarterback Calvin Lavery, who was born with metopic craniosynostosis, a birth defect which occurs when the metopic suture in the skull fuses prematurely, leading to a triangular shape of the head.

Lavery underwent surgery when he was 10 months old, but the only lasting effects for the 18-year-old are the ear-to-ear scar and the bumps on his forehead where the bone grew over the screws. He recently signed a national letter of intent to play football at North Central College.

In the breaking news category, Schuckman wrote about Quincy University women’s soccer coach Mackenzie Bellows learning she had been promoted from assistant to head coach via a phone call from QU athletic director Josh Rabe while on her way home to Calgary, Alberta, for Christmas.

“I said he’s either going to ruin this trip for me or he’s going to make it the best Christmas break ever,” Bellows said.

It turned out to be a memorable holiday for Bellows.

Schuckman has received seven APSE writing awards in the last four years, including three for feature writing.

Muddy River Sports landed in the top five in the digital category, which honors publications that provide unique digital content. Muddy River Sports entered five pieces in the digital contest, including the “Schuck on a Truck” interview with Culver-Stockton College lineman Andrew Rupcich and the What the Schuck? podcast with QHS basketball coach Andy Douglas and QND basketball coach Kevin Meyer prior to the crosstown showdown.

Muddy River Sports launched on August 16, 2021. All content for the APSE contest appeared on the website during 2021.