JWCC
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The John Wood Community College baseball team didn’t go away quietly. Trailing nationally ranked Heartland Community College by seven runs in Saturday’s championship game of the Region 24 tournament at the Corn Crib, the Trail Blazers put together a five-run rally in the eighth inning. The rally ended there. The Hawks, ranked…
Read Full Article BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Kevin Martinez kept the John Wood Community College baseball team’s season afloat with one swing. Leading off the bottom of the ninth inning in Friday’s elimination game of the Region 24 Tournament at the Corn Crib, the Trail Blazers designated hitter hit a home run to right field to give JWCC an…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Blair Eftink is taking more than her 3-point prowess across town. A handful of accolades are going with her. The John Wood Community College sophomore guard, who has committed to play at Quincy University next season, recently received All-Region 24 honors and second-team All-Mid-West Athletic Conference plaudits. Eftink, a 5-foot-8 guard who was…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jake Wallingford continues to show what he is capable of doing when fully healthy. The 6-foot-9 forward battled injuries his senior season with the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team and his freshman season at John Wood Community, but he played in 26 games this past season and averaged more than 23 minutes…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Local college basketball teams are entering the final two weeks of the regular season. The Quincy University women’s team finds itself in the thick of the Great Lakes Valley Conference race with four games remaining after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll. A 14-game winning streak has catapulted the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ryan Snow had been a man without minutes, but not without confidence. “I know when I get on the court I have to shoot with confidence or else there is no point in being out there,” he said. So when Snow was inserted into the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team’s lineup…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team hits the road Saturday to begin the second half of the Mid-West Athletic Conference schedule, the Trail Blazers see it as starting with a clean slate. “If we just execute well, it will give us a chance,” sophomore guard Blair Eftink said. It’s something…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team shot 64.5 percent from the field in the second half of its 81-55 victory over Lincoln Land Community College on Wednesday night at the Student Activity Center. Meanwhile. the JWCC women’s basketball team fell behind 16-0 at the start and lost 88-60 to Lincoln Land.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Just when it appeared momentum was on its side, the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team hit a wall. The Trail Blazers overcame early shooting woes to gradually whittle a 16-point first-half deficit against Parkland College to three with 2 minutes, 10 seconds left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Riding a two-game winning streak and having won four of its previous six games, the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team was eyeing a signature victory over nationally-ranked Parkland College on Saturday afternoon. The Cobras, smarting from being upset three days earlier by Danville, would have none of it. Guard Drew Lewis…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams couldn’t get over the hump Saturday afternoon in Mid-West Athletic Conference play. The JWCC women ran out of gas after trimming the deficit to three in their 78-62 loss to Parkland at the Student Activity Center, while the JWCC men trailed from start…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The women’s basketball game between John Wood Community College and Danville Area Community College on Saturday afternoon could have been billed as “Camp Point Central Day.” The coaching matchup featured Kyle Bent (Central Class of 2004) for the visiting Jaguars and Ali Schwagmeyer-Belger (Central Class of 2008) for the host Blazers. Pockets of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jordan Shelton and the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team shook off whatever rust they may have had. In Shelton’s first game of the year and the Trail Blazers’ first game in 21 days, Shelton scored 25 points and John Wood recorded its highest scoring game of the season in a 91-79…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The missing pieces caught up to the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team against Danville Area Community College on Saturday. With three players injured, the Trail Blazers struggled to meet their halftime goals and saw a two-point deficit balloon to double figures as the Jaguars went on a 19-4 run to close…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The experience was everything Ralph Wires could have hoped for. To him, though, winning was the best part. The Quincy High School graduate, now a freshman guard on the Carl Sandburg College men’s basketball team, helped the Chargers down John Wood Community College 73-67 on Wednesday in his first collegiate game in his…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The spark that spurred the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team’s second-half run against Carl Sandburg College on Wednesday was just as effective as it was unusual. With the Trail Blazers leading 62-60 in the waning seconds of the third quarter, Kylee Barry stole the ball from the Chargers’ Gabbie Vontz. Barry…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams split a doubleheader with Carl Sandburg College on Wednesday night at the Student Activity Center as the JWCC women won 84-74 and the men tumbled 73-67. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was courtside and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — The situation could have been demoralizing. The reaction to it proved otherwise. The John Wood Community College women’s soccer team, with the wind blowing in its face from the start, surrendered a goal to Parkland four minutes into Tuesday’s NJCAA Division II Great Lakes District matchup at Quincy Recycle Field on the JWCC…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A two-goal deficit at halftime in what had been a winless season to date could have turned into a playing-out-the-string effort from the John Wood Community College women’s soccer team Wednesday afternoon. Trail Blazers coach Hayley Womack refused to let that be the case. “The halftime talk with the team had one focus…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Engage Ben Kasparie in a conversation about baseball if you get the chance. What you will discover is a player whose appreciation for the craft is as strong as his spirit to compete. “A swing is like painting a picture,” said Kasparie, a graduate of Quincy Notre Dame and John Wood Community College…
Read Full Article QUINCY — This wasn’t on Jonny Dahl’s birthday wish list, but it will go down as one of the most memorable gifts he’s ever received. “Unbelievable,” he called it. Nine days shy of his birthday — Dahl turns 28 years old on July 3 — he was officially introduced Monday as the new John Wood…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Dion Doyle decided this was the perfect opportunity to run it back. The Macomb basketball standout was part of a team that included Quincy High School’s Ralph Wires that won back-to-back Gus Macker 3-on-3 championships when the event was a Memorial Day weekend staple in downtown Quincy. Saturday, the duo reunited in the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With a limited window between John Wood Community College calling a press conference and Ali Schwagmeyer-Belger being introduced as the new women’s basketball coach — less than 24 hours in fact — she didn’t expect much of a crowd to gather Friday afternoon. Seeing family, friends and her high school coach in attendance…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The John Wood Community College baseball team put itself in position to advance in the Region 24 Tournament by upsetting third-seeded Lincoln Land Community College 11-3 to start postseason play Friday. The Trail Blazers then suffered a 5-4 loss in 12 innings to Illinois Central College. JWCC (26-30) and ICC (24-33) meet…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Lauren Bogle openly talked about how coaching the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team enabled her to grow both in her ability to draw up Xs and Os and the organization of a program. So what was the most important thing she learned in two seasons at the helm? “Besides everything?” she…
Read Full Article VINCENNES, Ind. — Tyler Dance found his footing. The John Wood Community College freshman right-hander threw six scoreless innings Saturday, striking out eight and walking one as the Trail Blazers opened a four-game Mid-West Athletic Conference series with an 8-0 victory over Vincennes University. JWCC also won the nightcap of the doubleheader 14-4. Dance, a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The navigation on Brad Hoyt’s car needs to be reprogrammed. Instead of the daily drive to the John Wood Community College campus, a route he’s taken for the past 13 years as men’s basketball coach and athletic director, Hoyt will be cruising across town to the Quincy University campus to begin his new…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Field conditions forced the Parkland baseball team to travel to John Wood Community College on Friday, but the Trail Blazers couldn’t take advantage of the home field. The Cobras swept the Mid-West Athletic Conference doubleheader, winning 8-6 and 5-4. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent some time at the ballpark and put…
Read Full Article INA, Ill. — The way the first half of Sunday’s Region 24 championship game went back and forth had John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt sensing his team was in a championship dogfight. “It was physical,” Hoyt said. “And it was a game of runs. I expected more of that to happen…
Read Full Article INA, Ill. — It isn’t often John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt decides to have the Trail Blazers play zone defense. It’s even rarer for them to play that style for an extended period. Saturday was that rare occurrence where it was needed. Trailing by four points at halftime of the Region…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The patented second-half comeback was happening yet again. Only this time, it stalled out. The John Wood Community College women’s basketball team trailed top-seeded Parkland 58-39 at the end of the third quarter Saturday in the semifinals of the Region 24 tournament at Lincoln Land Community College. Three minutes later, on the…
Read Full Article Schuckman: Eftink's return to court gives JWCC women's basketball team perfect boost at perfect time
QUINCY — Blair Eftink’s roommate may have hinted at or suggested a time or two the former Quincy Notre Dame sharpshooting guard not give up on her basketball career. “Or maybe a lot,” Katey Flynn said with a smile and a chuckle. And for good reason. The John Wood Community College women’s basketball team needed…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Rend Lake College men’s basketball wanted nothing more than a trip home. So John Wood Community College sent the Warriors home for good. Instead of returning to Ina, Ill., where the Rend Lake campus is located, for the final two rounds of the Region 24 postseason tournament, the Warriors must watch the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — If the John Wood Community College women’s basketball players could attack the basket at the east end of the Student Activity Center all the time, they truly believe they’d never trail. “This side is our basket,” sophomore point guard Jada Dupree said. “We practice on it every single day. When we go that…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams took the first step toward national tournament berths Wednesday night by winning their Region 24 quarterfinal matchups at the Student Activity Center. The third-seeded JWCC men beat Rend Lake 75-61 and will face second-seeded Illinois Central College at 3 p.m. Saturday at Rend…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A simple one-word answer sufficed for everyone. The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team turned a two-point halftime advantage Saturday afternoon into a 74-59 Mid-West Athletic Conference victory over Illinois Central College to wrap up the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Region 24 postseason tournament. So what exactly did the Trail…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A forgettable first half was forgotten quickly. It had to happen for the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team to play at home again. Trailing by eight points at halftime Saturday after shooting just 22.6 percent from the field, the Trail Blazers went on a 17-2 run over the final 6 minutes,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The home slate didn’t end Saturday for the John Wood Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams. By sweeping a Mid-West Athletic Conference doubleheader from Illinois Central College — the JWCC men won 74-59 and the women won 61-52 — both will play host to quarterfinal games in the Region 24 postseason tournament…
Read Full Article DANVILLE, Ill. — Trailing by 18 points with 16 minutes remaining in one of those must-have games, the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team didn’t do anything drastic or dramatic. “We just plugged away and plugged away,” JWCC coach Brad Hoyt said. The Trail Blazers avoided mistakes, too. JWCC limited Danville to 22 second-half…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The outside doors to the Student Activity Center had been locked and a few of the inside lights dimmed by the time John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt emerged from the locker room after meeting with his team. “We’re just soul-searching a little bit,” he said. “We’re just trying to…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Winning at home has been a struggle for the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team this season. Until Wednesday night. The Trail Blazers scored the opening 12 points and 23 of the first 25 to coast to an 87-31 victory over winless Spoon River College in a Mid-West Athletic Conference game at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s basketball players packed a six-game losing streak in their belongings and carried it home for the holidays. That’s where they left it. The Trail Blazers ended the 2023 portion of their schedule with back-to-back wins, beating Kishwaukee College 62-51 on Sunday in the JWCC New Year’s Classic…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team’s 62-51 victory over Kishwaukee College on Sunday at JWCC’s Student Activity Center capped a perfect weekend as the Trail Blazers won both of their games in the JWCC New Year’s Classic. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the afternoon with the Trail Blazers and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team has some fight in it. That didn’t get left at home during the holiday break. In the Trail Blazers’ first game in two weeks, they scored the final five points, including Joshua Talton’s 3-pointer with three seconds remaining in regulation, to snare a 76-73 victory…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here are the results and the remaining schedule for the 16th Rumble on the River Shootout at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.
Read Full Article QUINCY — Chris Duesdieker’s tireless effort is done with one goal in mind. Put the spotlight on area basketball. The collection of talented teams he is bringing to John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center and the intriguing matchups he has created for the 16th Rumble on the River have transformed the event from a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brad Hoyt knows the yo-yo happens. “Finding a way to stop the bounce back is what’s critical,” he said. The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team couldn’t do that Saturday afternoon. Although Milwaukee Area Technical College led from start to finish in an 82-69 victory at the Student Athletic Center, the Trail…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brad Hoyt used two words to describe the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team’s defensive effort last weekend he hopes will be the same two words he uses to characterize the Trail Blazers all season. Toughness and physicality. JWCC won a pair of games in the John Wood Classic last weekend at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Check out a 30-page preview of the area college basketball scene with an in-depth look at the men’s and women’s programs from Quincy University, John Wood Community College, Western Illinois University and Culver-Stockton College.
Read Full Article QUINCY — The number of times Brad Hoyt criss-crosses the John Wood Community College campus on a given day probably isn’t as high as some might think. The number of questions he fields from every corner of the campus … well, that’s a number he’d rather not calculate. The JWCC men’s basketball coach’s “my door…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Commmunity College men’s soccer team surrendered two goals in each half of a a 4-1 loss to Southwestern Illinois College on Thursday on the JWCC campus. The Trail Blazers are 3-7 overall. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent time with the Trail Blazers on Thursday and put together this…
Read Full Article DANVILLE, Ill. — The influx of talent from West-Central Illinois is giving the Danville Area Community College men’s golf team a competitive edge. Liberty product Blake Arnold is at the forefront of that. Arnold tied for the individual low score at the Vincennes Invitational last weekend, shooting 4-under 140 over 36 holes at Country Oaks…
Read Full Article QUINCY — After playing 13 consecutive matches on the road, the John Wood Community women’s volleyball team finally had the chance to come home Wednesday night. The Trail Blazers showcased why the road seemed friendly. A dominant effort at the net and quality serving enabled JWCC to sweep Lewis & Clark 25-15, 25-13, 25-18 at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Lucas Loos is a making a case to be the Prospect League’s Player of the Year. Friday night, the case grew stronger. The Quincy Gems third baseman belted his league-leading 13th home run during a 13-3, seven-inning victory over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp. The Payson Seymour graduate finished 3 for 4 with…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Do you believe in Magic? The Illinois girls all-stars certainly do. Q-City Magic, that is. Six of the 10 players on the Illinois roster for the Saturday’s Muddy River Showcase began playing together in sixth grade as part of the Q-City Magic program coached by the late Gayland Blakemore. It allowed the Showcase…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The depth of talent that will be on display Saturday during the second Muddy River Showcase is quite impressive. Consider these stats: • Among the 40 players comprising the four rosters, 14 scored 1,000 or more points in their high school careers; • There are 14 planning on playing basketball in college; •…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A record-setting season on the field should end with a worthwhile honor off it. The John Wood Community College baseball program received that Monday. Freshman outfielder Payton Mansfield was named an NJCAA Division II first-team All-American, becoming the first JWCC product to earn All-American honors since 2015 and just the fourth first-team selection…
Read Full Article QUINCY — There is one thing each of the players participating in the second Muddy River Showcase have in common. They can call themselves alumni. The top senior basketball players from West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri have all officially graduated from their respective high schools, but they will team up to represent their communities and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Hunter Voth refuses to let anything stand in the way of his dream of someday becoming the radio play-by-play voice of the St. Louis Cardinals. Autism is one of those obstacles he simply pushes past. A Unity High School graduate who is a student assistant with the John Wood Community College men’s basketball…
Read Full Article BAYLIS, Ill. — Plans are underway for a fishing expo for youths ages 5-18 from 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, April 22, at the John Wood Community College Agricultural Education Center, 37803 IL 104, in Baylis. Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. The University of Illinois Extension, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and JWCC will…
Read Full Article QUINCY — For the fifth straight season and the eighth time in the past 10 seasons, the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team has produced the Region 24 Player of the Year. This year, for just the second time in that stretch, the Trail Blazers swept three major postseason awards. Credit Jeremiah Talton for…
Read Full Article CANTON, Ill. — The dark ride home gave John Wood Community College men’s basketball Brad Hoyt to accept there will be no tomorrow, at least not for this year’s team. “The reality has sunk in,” Hoyt said. “You get spoiled.” For the first time in six years, the Trail Blazers won’t play for the Region…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Pat Rafferty says he will know when it’s finally time to walk away from basketball and coaching. At 72, after spending nearly a half-century with teams in high school and college gymnasiums, that time has yet to arrive. “He’s in his happy place,” John Wood Community College coach Brad Hoyt said of his…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brad Hoyt might not sleep too soundly if he goes to bed with visions of a one-possession loss to nationally ranked Danville dancing in his head. “When you have a one-possession game, you think about all those one possessions that don’t go very well,” the John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach said.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Fighting for a higher seed in the Region 24 Tournament, the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team suffered a 60-58 loss to nationally ranked Danville Area Community College on Saturday at the Student Activity Center. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action courtside in this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brad Hoyt should have felt comfortable watching his team control the tempo and continuing to knock down shots to open a 19-point lead at home five minutes into the second half. He wasn’t. “It made me nervous,” the John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach admitted. His apprehension proved to be well founded.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Lauren Bogle doesn’t dwell on the fact the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team has only six players healthy and eligible at this juncture. “You just need five on the floor, right?” the first-year Trail Blazers coach said. If the Trail Blazers can maintain the right level of defensive aggressiveness without getting…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Coming out of the holiday break, John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt gave his team an immediate challenge. The Trail Blazers struggled to meet it. Des Moines Area Community College, ranked 15th in the latest NJCAA Division II national poll, used an opening salvo that created an 11-point lead in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Camp Point Central boys basketball coach James Barnett admits the preparation for this weekend’s pair of challenges included some uneasiness. “Nervous,” Barnett said of the one word he thought of having to travel to play West Central Conference opponent Quincy Notre Dame on Friday night and then play a neutral site affair against…
Read Full Article QUINCY — On a day when Jeremiah Talton was the game’s leading scorer, it was his lone assist that cemented the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team’s victory over a nationally ranked opponent. With the ball on the baseline underneath the Trail Blazers’ basket, Milwaukee Area Technical College owning a one-point lead, and only…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Darius Bolden was disappointed in the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team’s inconsistent play Friday night. The Trail Blazers sophomore guard went as far as to say JWCC’s overall performance bordered on “ragged.” It was hard to argue. Kansas City (Kan.) Community College pulled away down the stretch for an 82-73 victory…
Read Full Article DES MOINES, Iowa — John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt schedules games in events such as the DMACC Classic to see if the Trail Blazers can handle the physical and mental challenges. The answer is quite clear. This group is on the right path to success. After beating 20th-ranked Iowa Western by…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When Jeremiah Talton was deciding where the best college fit would be, the former Quincy High School all-state basketball player wanted to find a program with an offense tailor-made for his game. “I’m a shooter,” Talton said at the time. Opponents of the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team are figuring out…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The transition to winter sports is gradually happening. Here’s a look at some of the action that took place Saturday: • The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team stumbled out of the gate and never fully recovered, losing 98-83 to 14th-ranked Kirkwood in the final game of the Town and Country Inn…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Space equals pace. If the John Wood Community College men’s basketball players execute such a notion more consistently, the offense Trail Blazers coach Brad Hoyt has designed for this group will run more efficiently. The first seven minutes of the second half Friday night against Rock Valley College proved that point. Leading by…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Saturday’s official season opener for the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team was more like a dress rehearsal. The main act starts Tuesday. The Trail Blazers kickstarted everything with a 90-42 victory over the Culver-Stockton College JV at the Student Activity Center in which three local products scored in double figures and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Leave it to a Quincy product to score the first goal in a Quincy soccer team’s historic victory. Logan Zanger, a freshman defender on the John Wood Community College men’s soccer team and a Quincy Notre Dame graduate, moved up to join the attack on a restart and finished from outside the far…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Saturday felt like a warm, welcoming hug. John Wood Community College opened its arms to the community, and Quincy embraced it. “Yeah, this is neat,” Trail Blazers athletic director Brad Hoyt said as he surveyed the meshing of JWCC athletes and personnel with fans and community members across a large swath of the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — John Wood Community College will be the host of a free community event called Blazer Bash from noon-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, on the Quincy campus at 48th and Harrison. This event is all about community, fun, free food, family and JWCC Blazer sports. The schedule of events is: 9-10 a.m., 10-11 a.m. or…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College women’s soccer team looked right at home on its new turf. Two minutes into Thursday’s home opener, the Trail Blazers’ Alondra Zacarias-Ortiz scored off a Bella Jaramillo assist and carried a one-goal lead into halftime against Southeastern (Iowa) Community College. Just like the 1-0 lead JWCC had at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — John Wood Community College athletic director Brad Hoyt’s short list of candidates to consider for the women’s basketball coaching position didn’t change because of the relatively short timeframe in which he had to conduct his search. Lauren Bogle’s name was always there. “Her energy and her commitment while she was here has resonated…
Read Full Article QUINCY — If there is a universal truth Norm Rodriguez can take from his nearly three decades coaching women’s basketball at John Wood Community College, it might be this. Even the best laid plans go awry. Rodriguez intended to coach one more season and then join his wife, Anita, at their new home in Tennessee,…
Read Full Article The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
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