Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor
QUINCY — A colossal conference clash. A cross-river showdown of state-ranked teams. A collegiate matchup with first place in the conference on the line. And champions to be crowned. It’s going to be quite a weekend. The madness starts Friday night when the Quincy High School boys basketball team travels to Moline with the chance…
Read Full Article Girls basketball At QHS gym, Quincy Quincy High School 45, United Township 37. Click here for the story. Men’s basketball At TRAC, Springfield, Ill. Quincy University 80, Illinois-Springfield 74. Click here for the story. At Morden Center, Lamoni, Iowa Culver-Stockton College 63, Graceland 51: A second-half surge offensively carried the Wildcats to a season sweep…
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The Prairie State Profile will appear each week to highlight Illinois area student-athletes. CAMP POINT, Ill. — The youth wrestling program designed to promote the sport and serve as a feeder program for Central’s high school team is working. Saturday, the rest of the state will start to see how well it works. The Central…
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QUINCY — Brad Hoyt remembers fondly going head-to-head with players from the opposite side of the Mississippi River in a summer all-star basketball game while creating long-lasting relationships with rivals he played against during the regular season. “There are stories from that game that we still share,” Hoyt said. And it’s been almost 30 years…
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QUINCY — To win a conference title, the Quincy University baseball team better be prepared to battle a familiar foe. The Great Lakes Valley Conference released its preseason coaches poll this week, and as expected, the Hawks sit No. 2 in the Blue Division behind Illinois-Springfield. Both teams received first-place votes and are coming off…
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QUINCY — To replenish and restore the Quincy University football program’s roster, Hawks coach Gary Bass gave his coaches a pair of priorities to follow on the recruiting trail. One, talent and versatility are a must. Two, make it a regional class and forego a nationwide scope. The end result is a signing class featuring…
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The Illinois High School Association created a second class for boys basketball for the 1971-72 school year. The 2020-21 season would have been the 50th year of the boys basketball small-school tournament. Muddy River Sports is celebrating 50 years of small-school boys basketball by ranking the 50 best teams in Adams, Brown, Pike and Hancock…
Read Full Article Boys basketball At Liberty, Ill. Liberty 78, Western 39: The Eagles, ranked fifth in Class 1A, tuned up for a weekend showdown with Monroe City, the No. 1-ranked team in Missouri Class 3, by overwhelming the Wildcats and earning their 20th victory of the season. Cannen Wolf led the Eagles with 23 points, while Breiton…
Read Full Article Boys basketball At Mendon, Ill. Illini West 73, Unity 41: The Chargers finally put the finishing touch on their Hancock County Tournament championship by outgunning the Mustangs in the weather-delayed finale. Nolan Deitrich made four 3-pointers and scored 14 of the Chargers’ 16 points in the first quarter as they bolted to a 16-10 lead.…
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The Show-Me Spotlight will appear each week to highlight a Missouri area student-athlete. EWING, Mo. — If you were to line up the fastest of the fast — there are a few Highland boys who qualify for such a distinction — who ends up winning? Drew Mallett has a pretty good idea. “Well, I would…
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QUINCY — Ryan Hellenthal compared defending the Maryville men’s basketball team’s offense to a college football team staring down an option attack. You know what’s coming and it’s your job to stop it. “There is no heavy scheme involved,” said Hellenthal, the fifth-year Quincy University coach. “You just have to buck up and guard.” By…
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QUINCY — In a way, Curtis Steinkamp said goodbye with a kiss. He made his opponents kiss the mat. Then he put their backs to it. The Quincy Notre Dame senior wrestled in front of a home crowd for the final time in his career Saturday, winning the 126-pound championship of the QND Invitational at…
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QUINCY — Collin Arch knew a milestone was imminent, but the Palmyra junior wrestler didn’t allow it to alter his mindset or approach. His demeanor didn’t change either. After recording his 100th career victory in the 138-pound semifinals of Saturday’s Quincy Notre Dame Invitational at the Pit with a 15-0 technical fall of Chatham Glenwood’s…
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QUINCY — A weekend of travel, multiple matches and relentless effort could have left Quincy High School wrestler Bryor Newbold a little weary. It actually has him energized. Newbold, a sophomore wrestling at 182 pounds, finished third in both Friday’s Western Big 6 Conference championships and Saturday’s Quincy Notre Dame Invitational, providing the jolt of…
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QUINCY — Luke Triplett questioned the toughness of his Illinois counterparts Saturday. “I didn’t know they were softer on this side of the river,” the Palmyra wrestler said with a smile after his semifinal match in the Quincy Notre Dame Invitational at the Pit. It turns out no one was as tough as him, certainly…
Read Full Article Girls basketball At Bethalto, Ill. Quincy Notre Dame 60, Bethalto Civic Memorial 46. Click here for the story. At Homer B. Musgrove Fieldhouse, Sterling, Ill. Quincy High School 69, Sterling 19: The Blue Devils picked up another Western Big 6 Conference victory, limiting the Golden Warriors to one field goal in the first quarter. Quincy…
Read Full Article Boys basketball At Homer B. Musgrove Fieldhouse, Sterling, Ill. Quincy High School 60, Sterling 32. Click here for the story and video interview. At Liberty, Ill. Liberty 57, Brown County 52: A 20-point lead at the end of the third quarter got uncomfortably tight near the end as the Hornets rallied. The fifth-ranked Eagles used…
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STERLING, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys basketball team’s effort last weekend against United Township resulted in a victory, but it was anything but perfect. Blue Devils coach Andy Douglas might describe it as imperfect. “There wasn’t a defensive possession in the first quarter where we didn’t make a mistake,” Douglas said. So he…
Read Full Article Boys basketball At Monroe City, Mo. Columbia Father Tolton 59, Monroe City 41: In a battle of state-ranked teams, the Trailblazers gained the edge by limiting the Panthers to 15 combined points in the second and third quarters. Monroe City, ranked second in Class 3 according to the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association polls, trailed 32-18…
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QUINCY — The bags of ice taped to both of Nate Shockey’s ankles and the way every muscle in his body ached from exhaustion suggested he needs more than 36 hours to recuperate. Having a victory to fall back on will speed up that timeline. “Oh, 100 percent,” the Quincy University sophomore guard said. And…
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QUINCY — As a kid, Kyle Cartmill chose to be the Blue Devil mascot for his Halloween costume. His passion for the Quincy High School boys basketball program has never waned, no matter where life’s road has taken him. Cartmill, a 1995 QHS graduate, became a Hall of Fame player who enjoyed a solid career…
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QUINCY — Every big shot Maddie Spagnola hit needed a complementary piece. That never happened. Spagnola, a senior point guard on the Quincy University women’s basketball team, buried a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer Thursday night, only to see the Hawks miss their first two shots of the fourth quarter. She hit another 3-pointer early…
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FOWLER, Ill. — The hinges creak as Buster Elliott swings the wooden door open. “I better bring some WD-40 out here with me next time,” he said. “That sounds awful.” Sure, lubricating the hinges will help, but in zero degree weather, some creaking is expected. “Don’t be afraid of the cold,” Elliott said. “You’ll be…
Read Full Article Men’s basketball At Student Activity Center, Quincy John Wood Community College 86, Illinois Central College 74: The Trail Blazers won their third consecutive Mid-West Athletic Conference matchup with a blistering effort from the perimeter. The Trail Blazers shot 56 percent from 3-point range, going 14 of 25 and making several in a key second-half surge…
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QUINCY — Respect is growing for the Liberty boys basketball team. The Eagles remained No. 5 in the Class 1A state poll released Wednesday, but they received a first-place vote as the top of the Class 1A poll remains stacked. Four teams received first-place votes with No. 2 Yorkville Christian receiving the most with seven.…
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QUINCY — For the first time since 2012, when the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team won the second of its three straight state championships, the Raiders are the No. 1-ranked team in the state. QND and Winnebago switched spots atop the Class 2A state poll after the Raiders beat third-ranked Illini West on the…
Read Full Article Boys basketball At Blue Devil Gym, Quincy Quincy High School 66, Alleman 33. Click here for the story and photos. At Carthage, Ill. Quincy Notre Dame 57, Illini West 45. Click here for the story. At Liberty, Ill. Liberty 61, Jacksonville Routt 47: The fifth-ranked Eagles used their size to their advantage as their frontcourt…
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QUINCY — Had Andy Douglas wanted to keep his single-season 3-point shooting record just a little while longer, he could have benched Jeremiah Talton after the senior sharpshooter made his fifth trey Tuesday night. “I should have,” Douglas said with a laugh. “That would have been hilarious.” Even if Douglas had taken Talton out, he…
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QUINCY — The clamor began as soon as Wil Wells stood up and made his way to the scorer’s table to check in to Tuesday night’s game against Rock Island Alleman. He knew it wouldn’t stop until he scored. “It’s a little bit of pressure, I have to admit,” Wells said. A senior forward on…
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QUINCY — As Chris Harmann strolled out of the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s locker room and onto the Blue Devil Gym court last Saturday morning, instincts took over and guided him toward the home team’s bench. Then reality set in. He wasn’t supposed to be sitting on the north end of the gym.…
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