Shane Hulsey, Sports Writer
PALMYRA, Mo. — Laden Simmons thought the Palmyra football team had snatched the game away from Clark County. The Indians snatched it right back and put the dagger in the Panthers’ season shortly thereafter to close out a 26-22 victory in Friday’s Class 2 District 7 quarterfinal. Simmons’ second touchdown of the night tied the…
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WARSAW, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team has already cleared a hurdle it couldn’t get over last season, but their quest for the ultimate prize is far from over. The Raiders swept Illini West 25-16, 25-11 in Thursday’s Class 2A Warsaw Regional championship. “This is another step in the journey,” Raiders coach Danielle…
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LEWISTOWN, Mo. — If he were in the other dugout, Paul Scifres would not welcome the thought of facing the Highland softball team right now. He would welcome some of his wife Kendra’s breakfast casserole before a state championship game, though. In his 18th season as the Highland coach, Paul Scifres has guided the Cougars…
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WARSAW, Ill. — Even Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Danielle White’s most ambitious projections couldn’t have predicted the start the Raiders got off to on Tuesday. QND scorched Monmouth-Roseville in the first set by scoring 20 of the first 21 points on its way to a 25-6, 25-15 victory in the Class 2A Warsaw Regional…
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Chargers take advantage of good fortune to close out regional semifinal, create matchup with Raiders
WARSAW, Ill. — As AJ Cook’s serve took what seemed like an eternity to creep over the net, the Illini West volleyball team held its collective breath. “I was just praying that it would hit,” Cook said. Cook was tasked with a pivotal serve in the second set of Tuesday’s Class 2A Warsaw Regional semifinal…
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PALMYRA, Mo. — Robert Fohey didn’t have some secret formula. He didn’t have some magical play that worked every time. Yes, he coached the Palmyra girls basketball teams to five final fours from 1981 to 1986. Yes, the Panthers reached the state championship game all five times they reached the final four and won three…
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QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team is heading into the postseason on a roll. The Raiders went 4-0 in the QND Volleyball Bash on Friday and Saturday, highlighted by a 25-20, 16-25, 15-11 victory over Breese Mater Dei, the No. 1 ranked team in Class 2A, on Friday. “It was some of the…
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MT. STERLING, Ill. — Tyce Fullerton couldn’t stomach missing the playoffs again. In 2023, it was out of his control. A torn ACL kept the Brown County running back and linebacker out for the final seven games of the season. The Hornets finished the campaign 3-6 and failed to reach the postseason for the first…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Bodie Rollins admitted the Hannibal career assists record had been on his mind in recent games. “Everybody knows that I’ve been a little selfishly unselfish lately,” Rollins said. The senior forward entered Thursday’s regular-season finale against Warrenton two assists away from breaking Corey Allensworth’s mark of 65 assists. Rollins tied the record…
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EAST PEORIA, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer coach Greg Reis knows once a team goes down 2-0, all they need is one goal to turn the momentum in their direction. “A 2-1 lead in soccer is always a dangerous lead because the team that was up is now being very cautious and the…
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QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Danielle White’s suit was fit for the occasion. So was the Raiders’ performance. The Raiders blitzed Quincy High School in the first set and staved off a late Blue Devils rally in the second set to win 25-16, 25-22 on Monday at the QHS gym. White took Pink…
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LEWISTOWN, Mo. — A home run trot? Not so much. A home run sprint? That’s more like it. Keera Rothweiler wanted to get to home plate as quickly as she could to celebrate with her teammates after her grand slam in the first inning of Highland’s 15-0 victory over Monroe City in the Class 2…
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HAMILTON, Ill. — Friday was a light day in weight training class for Illini West senior wide receiver and defensive back Tre Niederman, but his thoughts weighed heavily on him. As Niederman walked the track at Fuzz Berges Field during that class — Illini West football assistant coach Michael Lafferty, who teaches the class, was…
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LEWISTOWN, Mo. — Makenna Miller had to put the ball in play. By doing so, she sent the Monroe City softball team to the Class 2 District 5 championship game in the process. The Panthers junior third baseman strode to the plate with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning of Thursday’s district…
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LEWISTOWN, Mo. — Time will tell how long the Highland softball team’s postseason run lasts, but coach Paul Scifres believes the Cougars have something special brewing. Junior Abby Lay twirled a five-inning no-hitter and senior Haleigh Winter matched the school single-season home run record as the top-seeded Cougars rolled over fifth-seeded Clark County 13-0 Thursday…
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PLEASANT HILL, Ill. — Lane Hubbard doesn’t let the questions bother him. They fuel him. “A lot of times I hear people say, ‘Who’s Pleasant Hill? What’s the Wolves?’” said Hubbard, a senior runner on the Pleasant Hill cross country team. “Then I’m like, ‘I’m gonna show them.’” Wolves coach Pamela Roach hears the skeptics,…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Saturday was exhausting. Monday was relieving. After the Hannibal volleyball team played five matches in a nine-hour span at Saturday’s Quincy High School Invitational, a three-set victory in a match that took a little more than an hour was just what the doctor ordered 48 hours later. The Pirates made quick work…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — With the future of North Central Missouri Conference members now in doubt, the remaining five schools now turn their attention to finding new homes. In a joint press release Thursday, Hannibal Public Schools, Kirksville School District, Marshall Public Schools, Mexico Public Schools, and Moberly School District announced the NCMC will dissolve after…
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QUINCY — After more than 10 hours of volleyball, it’s only fitting that the final match of Saturday’s Quincy High School Invitational provided another three-set thriller. Macomb outlasted Freeburg 25-13, 21-25, 15-9 to earn second place in the tournament. The Bombers fell behind 5-3 in the third set after a long, grueling rally that lasted…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Landyn Essig’s encore performance was just as impressive as his opening act. With the Hannibal football team leading Moberly 41-18 at the start of the fourth quarter of Friday’s North Central Missouri Conference game at Porter Stadium, Essig had already run the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, rushed for a touchdown…
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QUINCY — Andrew Brown was so close. Painstakingly close. With three minutes left and the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer teams deadlocked at 3 during Thursday night’s clash at Flinn Stadium, Quincy’s Logan Epping received a through ball on the right wing from Trace Routh. Epping kept his eyes up and…
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The five remaining schools in the North Central Missouri Conference (NCMC) — Hannibal Public Schools, Kirksville School District, Marshall Public Schools, Mexico Public Schools, and Moberly School District have announced the dissolution of the North Central Missouri Conference, effective at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Superintendents and activities directors from NCMC member schools…
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MOBERLY, Mo. — Morgan Crist was one of two golfers to break 90 as she led the Highland girls golf team to a Class 1 District 3 championship at Heritage Hills Golf Course. This district championship earned the Cougars a spot at the Class 1 state tournament. Crist shot an 18-over 88, tied with Marceline’s…
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QUINCY — Redemption tasted pretty sweet. So did healing the wounds from the way last season ended. The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team avenged its loss to Macomb in the 2023 Class 2A regional championship game by sweeping the Bombers 25-21, 25-16 on Wednesday at The Pit. “They wanted this more than anything,” Raiders first-year…
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QUINCY — Danielle White and the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team know what lies ahead. That’s why the Raiders coach was as impressed as she was with her team’s 25-19, 25-13 West Central Conference win over Southeastern on Tuesday at The Pit. This win came 24 hours before a clash with undefeated Macomb, a rematch…
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Splish, splash: Raiders coach takes dip in Lake Springfield to celebrate girls golf team's state bid
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame girls golf coach Jason Knuffman made a promise to his team prior to Monday’s Class 1A Rochester Sectional at Lincoln Greens Golf Course. If the Raiders qualified for the state tournament, he would jump in Lake Springfield. Knuffman stayed true to his word and took a plunge in the…
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QUINCY — The Blue Devil brigade was out in full force at Saturday’s Tom Oakley Invitational. The Quincy High School boys and girls cross country teams blazed a trail through Bob Mays Park to capture the top five positions and team titles in both races. Quincy’s Eli Poe overcame a misstep with a mile left…
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KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — For the Hannibal football team, it was a game of what-ifs. For Kirksville, it was a game of emphatic statements. The Tigers notched their first victory against the Pirates since 1998 by grinding out a 16-15 victory Friday at Spainhower Field. “We earned some football fans tonight,” Tigers coach Gregg Nesbitt said.…
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PALMYRA, Mo. — Drew Copenhaver’s faith never wavered, no matter how improbable his comeback seemed as he lied on the turf with his right knee obliterated. Facing Centralia in the Clarence Cannon Conference football opener last fall, the Palmyra wide receiver made a spectacular overe-the-shoulder catch, was dragged down from behind a yard short of…
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MACOMB, Ill. — Macomb volleyball coach Briana Rexroat didn’t know why, but she had a vision leading up to the Bombers’ heavyweight clash with Southeastern on Wednesday. “For some reason, all day I was envisioning 25-12,” Rexroat said. “I just kept seeing those two numbers.” Nostradamus would have been proud. Rexroat’s vision came true in…
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