Camp Point Central High School
QUINCY — Macomb junior Kylan McMillen thought he had won, but he was not 100 percent sure. That is because he and Camp Point Central junior Curtis Rigg were neck and neck coming to the finish line during the 100-meter dash during Saturday’s Quincy High School Invitational at Flinn Stadium. “I was out of breath…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — As dire as the situation seemed, Grace Henry believed she’d get an at-bat. The Pittsfield softball team trailed Camp Point Central 1-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning Friday when Panthers hurler Emma Stevens retired the first two batters, bringing Torie Stambaugh to the plate and Henry to the on-deck…
Read Full Article TAYLORVILLE, Ill. — Trailing by 13 points early in the second half, the Quincy Junior High School eighth grade boys basketball team got within two points in the fourth quarter but never got the lead in a 46-42 loss to the Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts (STA) from Park Forest in the…
Read Full Article Comets use strong second half to reach title game TAYLORVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Junior High School eighth grade boys basketball team will play for an Illinois Elementary School Association Class 4A state championship Thursday after winning a pair of games Saturday at Taylorville High School. The Comets beat O’Fallon Carriel 33-20 in the quarterfinals…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Junior High School eighth grade boys basketball team is headed to the Illinois Elementary School Association state tournament. Camp Point Central and Augusta Southeastern are, too. The three squads won sectional championships in their respective classes Monday night, advancing to the state quarterfinals on Saturday. Quincy defeated Mt. Zion 32-23 at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School wrestling team qualified six grapplers for sectionals, while Quincy Notre Dame will be sending five wrestlers forward after top-three finishes Saturday as the postseason got started with regional action. Overall, five area wrestlers won individual regional titles and 24 advanced to sectionals. The Blue Devils, competing in the Class…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Tucker Cook and Bodine Marable heard Pittsfield wrestling coach Johnathon Peterson’s plea loud and clear. Nearing the end of the final dual Monday night at the Camp Point Central quadrangular, the Saukees needed to rack up as many team points as they did individual victories to make a clean sweep. So…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Invitational brought a gym full of wrestlers to the Gem City and produced some epic matches on Friday’s first night of competition. The championship matches will take place Saturday afternoon at the QHS gym. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey spent his evening matside and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — Robbie Reed knows when he hears his coach call his name he better be ready. The same applies to the rest of the non-starters on the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team. “When (coach Greg Altmix) calls on us, we got to just reignite the whole team and bring us all together,” Reed…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Chalk it up to inexperience. The Liberty and Camp Point Central boys basketball teams have one senior each on rosters littered with freshmen and sophomores, and both played like it’s early December and they’re trying to find their footing in Friday night’s West Central Conference opener. The teams combined to misfire…
Read Full Article MT. STERLING, Ill. — Brown County boys basketball coach Jeff Bottorff feared a championship hangover. The Hornets entered Monday’s game against Camp Point Central fresh off of a Beardstown Tournament championship in which they defeated Winchester West Central — the reigning Class 1A state champion — in Saturday’s title game and won four games in…
Read Full Article MT. STERLING, Ill. — The rivalry between Brown County and Camp Point Central took center stage Monday night with the Brown County boys basketball team winning 62-34 and the Central-Southeastern girls winning 59-26 in the head-to-head matchups. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was courtside and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The Camp Point Central football team got in the path of a freight train, and it was wearing blue and gold. Belleville Althoff cranked out 533 rushing yards — 319 of which came courtesy of University of Oregon commit Dierre Hill Jr. — and steamrolled its way to a 58-19 victory in…
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The Belleville Althoff football team has three players committed to NCAA Division I schools, including top-ranked Oregon, and two others receiving recruiting interest from Power 5 programs. It’s a significant reason the Crusaders are rolling through the Class 1A playoffs. Althoff pulled away from Camp Point Central in Saturday’s state semifinals, scoring…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Jase Wallace accepted what awaited the Camp Point Central football team’s offensive line when the season began. A little bit of Inconsistency and uncertainty. “There was a lot to learn and improve on,” said Wallace, the senior right guard who was one of four new full-time starters for the defending Class…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Camp Point Central football team finds itself in the state semifinals for a third consecutive season with arguably its toughest test as it heads to Belleville Althoff on Saturday. Here’s a closer look at the matchup: What: Class 1A state semifinal When: 2 p.m. Saturday Where: Althoff Catholic High School,…
Read Full Article HARDIN, Ill. — Nathan Post held on to the ball as if his life depended on it. “I was not letting that thing go,” Post said. The Camp Point Central senior defensive lineman’s fumble recovery with 2:45 left helped seal the Panthers’ 16-7 win over Hardin Calhoun in Saturday’s Class 1A quarterfinals. As the Warriors…
Read Full Article HARDIN, Ill. — The Camp Point Central football team is making a spot in the state semifinals a yearly occurrence. Saturday, the Panthers found their way back to the Class 1A semifinals for the third straight season with a 16-7 victory over Hardin Calhoun. Freelance photographer Mike Pritchard spent time in Calhoun County and put…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — This isn’t about revenge. It’s about redemption. While tipping their cap to the way Calhoun played in its 14-13 victory in Week 2 — the Camp Point Central football players universally will tell you the Warriors were physical, tenacious and opportunistic — the Panthers felt they executed at a sub-par level,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The most prolific passer in the history of the Quincy High School football program and the most prolific tackler Quincy Notre Dame has ever produced share common ground. One of Camp Point Central’s most acclaimed two-way players shares it, too. They are back-to-back first-team all-state selections. QHS senior quarterback Bradyn Little received all-state…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It’s getting down to nitty-gritty time in the high school football postseason. Now that preliminary playoff rounds are out of the way, three area teams have advanced to the quarterfinals in Illinois and three Missouri teams will play for district championships this week. Reigning Illinois Class 1A champion Camp Point Central has been…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The defending Class 1A state football champion remains alive and has a little revenge in mind. Camp Point Central was dominant in all phases in rainy, windswept conditions Saturday afternoon, scoring all five of its touchdowns on as many possessions in the first half to roll to a 40-0 victory over…
Read Full Article HARTSBURG, Ill. — The scrappiness that catapulted the Camp Point Central volleyball team to Thursday’s Class 1A Hartsburg-Emden Sectional championship match was there. The Panthers just could not translate that scrappiness into enough points. Hartsburg-Emden captured the sectional championship on its home floor by sweeping the Panthers 25-17, 25-19. “It was just too much defense…
Read Full Article HARTSBURG, Ill. — All of the momentum the Camp Point Central volleyball team created by winning the first set of Tuesday’s Class 1A Hartsburg-Emden Sectional semifinal seemed to fade away rather quickly. It was just a momentary blip. Despite watching Decatur Unity Christian win four of the first five points of the second set, Central…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — That pass-and-catch connection between Elijah Genenbacher and Nate Peters goes way back. “Nate and I grew up playing backyard football together, and I’m sure that helps now,” Genenbacher said. Their familiarity with one another’s abilities was in full display on a wind-swept Saturday afternoon when the longtime friends each played essential…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The first round of the Illinois High School Association football playoffs provides lengthy road trips, rematches and the start of title defenses. Six area teams qualified for the postseason with four earning first-round home games. Here is a look at each of the six games on top for Muddy River Sports area schools.…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Elijah Genenbacher has always been a do-whatever-it-takes type of teammate. This year, his willingness to play anywhere, anytime, against anyone led to Genenbacher shifting from running back to quarterback, and with is has come a seven-game win streak for the Camp Point Central football team. The Panthers won the WIVC North…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — That vacancy in the Camp Point Central trophy case has been filled. Finally. Junior defensive specialist Agnes Genenbacher’s thoughts echoed those of her teammates following Central’s 25-14, 25-11 Class 1A regional championship victory over Mendon Unity, a memorable 46-minute match that played out in front of about 550 fans on a…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — When pressed, Lauren Miller will somewhat begrudgingly pick a preferred sport. “Basketball is probably my favorite, but I also enjoy volleyball a lot,” she said. “I have a lot of friends on both teams.” And make no mistake, Miller, a 5-foot-10 all-state basketball player for Camp Point Central, is pretty good…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The road to Normal runs through Adams County. The football teams from three schools within the county borders learned Saturday night their postseason paths begin with first-round home games, and since all three are seeded second or third in their respective brackets, home games deeper in the playoffs are a legitimate possibility. Overall,…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Here are the Associated Press state rankings for Illinois high school football as voted on by a statewide panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. First-place votes in parenthesis: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (14) 8-0 140 1 2. Naperville Central 8-0 112 2 3. Lyons 8-0 103 4 4.…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Nate Peters assures he is healthy again, and his Friday night performance confirmed it. The senior running back scored five touchdowns — three by rushing, two via reception — to headline the state-ranked Camp Point Central football team’s sixth straight victory, a 41-28 win over Carrollton before a Senior Night crowd…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — By preference, Camp Point Central’s Elijah Genenbacher would be most comfortable covered by a cloak of anonymity. By performance, he’s learned to accept life beneath the glare of a spotlight. Such was the case Friday night. Genenbacher, a strapping 6-foot-2, 220-pound two-way senior, rushed for four touchdowns and a pair of…
Read Full Article JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Nate Peters is as perceptive as he is talented. The two-way senior performer for Camp Point Central’s football team admitted he had been quite nervous — and with good reason — in the waning stages of the Panthers’ 22-21 victory Saturday afternoon over Jacksonville Routt. “They have a good kicker,” said Peters,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here are the latest Associated Press state rankings for the eight classes of Illinois prep football teams as voted on by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. First-place votes are in parentheses: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (14) 5-0 140 1 2. Barrington 5-0 114 2 3. York…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Annie Eaton’s volleyball acumen continues to amaze first-year Quincy Notre Dame coach Danielle White. For a handful of points during Monday’s West Central Conference match against Camp Point Central, Eaton, normally a setter, found herself at outside hitter in a rotation White likes to implement from time to time. “I remember this summer…
Read Full Article MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Kadin Niekamp is already thinking ahead to next season. Niekamp is admittedly salivating at the chance to move into the Camp Point Central football team’s offensive backfield on a full-time basis, but has no problem waiting his turn in a program that produces effective running backs in the same fashion Nabisco…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here are the Illinois Associated Press state football rankings as voted on by a panel of sports writers and sportscasters. First-place votes are in parentheses: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (14) 4-0 140 1 2. Barrington 4-0 119 3 3. Oswego 4-0 96 T 5 (tie) York 4-0…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Elijah Genenbacher could take a serious liking to this quarterback thing. Thanks to some lineup reshuffling, due mostly to a series of nagging injuries, Camp Point Central football coach Brad Dixon installed Genenbacher as the starting quarterback Friday night for the first time in his career. Genenbacher, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here are the latest Illinois Associated Press state football rankings as voted on by a state-wide panel of sports writers and sportscasters. First-place votes are in parentheses: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (13) 3-0 130 1 2. Chicago (Marist) 3-0 111 4 3. Barrington 3-0 101 5 4.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — History occurred Wednesday on the Gem City gridiron. The release of the Associated Press state football rankings resulted in both the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame football teams being ranked in their respective classes at the same time for the first time ever. The Blue Devils (2-0) are ranked ninth in…
Read Full Article HARDIN, Ill. — Exactly when and where Conner Longnecker broke the plane with the football may be up for debate. The fact two Western Illinois Valley Conference heavyweights went toe-to-toe for 48 minutes Friday night and the difference between the two is a matter of inches isn’t open to conjecture. This was a slobberknocker of…
Read Full Article AUGUSTA, Ill. — Kennedy Gunning’s reaction said it all. In a rematch of a three-set roller coaster that took place just nine days ago, Gunning delivered the game-winning kill for the Illini West volleyball team in a 20-25, 25-18, 15-11 victory over Camp Point Central in Lady Suns Classic pool play Thursday. Her subsequent celebration…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Hello, old friend. For the third time in a little more than a calendar year, the Camp Point Central and Hardin Calhoun football teams will clash when the Panthers make the 90-minute trek south to Hardin on Friday. “They played us as tough as anybody last year no matter who we…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — So far, so good. Camp Point Central opened defense of its Class 1A state football championship with a resounding exclamation point Friday night. The Panthers completely overwhelmed an overmatched North Greene team 69-0, winning their 23rd consecutive regular-season game. In a contest where a running clock was in place the entire…
Read Full Article Coverage of the Camp Point Central football program is brought to you by: CAMP POINT, Ill. — There is a culture that envelops the Camp Point Central football program, a powerful intangible that was not built overnight. “We never point fingers,” said Kadin Niekamp, a junior lineman mature beyond his teenage years. “Mistakes will happen,…
Read Full Article Coverage of the Camp Point Central football coach is brought to you by: CAMP POINT, Ill. — Graduation losses often hit hard. Some years, they hit harder than others. Yet, somehow the Camp Point Central football program reloads every year. That is what will take place as the Panthers kick off their season and defense…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Volleyball is often a game of momentum, but in Claire Huston’s eyes, the pivotal moment in Tuesday’s match between Camp Point Central and Illini West didn’t happen in the flow of play. After the Panthers cruised to a 25-18 first set victory, the Chargers punched back with a commanding 25-12 effort in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Four players who helped the Pleasant Hill softball team reach a sectional championship game for the first time in school history recently received all-state honors. Senior pitcher McKinley Lowe and junior outfielder and pitcher Ava Wombles each made the Illinois Coaches Association Class 1A all-state first team. Lowe tossed three no-hitters and carried…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A pair of local prep football standouts and a couple of Quincy University recruits have been invited to play in the 50th Illinois High School Shrine Game, an all-star event taking place June 15 in Bloomington. Camp Point Central running back/defensive back Drew Paben and Quincy High School lineman Chris Flachs will represent…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — The schedule for Saturday’s finals of the Class 1A boys state track and field championships didn’t afford Jack Thompson the time to take stock in all he was accomplishing. It wasn’t until hours after he and the rest of the Camp Point Central athletes racked up a handful of medals that he…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Pleasant Hill softball team received a special delivery on the way to Saturday morning’s Class 1A Camp Point Regional championship game. “The Fourth of July committee in Pleasant Hill was selling donuts at the four-way stop, and I guess they saw the bus getting ready and they said, ‘Stop by…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — A school record to go along with a state medal isn’t too shabby of a way to end the season. The Camp Point Central girls 4×100-meter relay team accomplished that feat Saturday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium, finishing in fifth place at the Class 1A state track and field championships. The…
Read Full Article RUSHVILLE, Ill. — Jack Thompson shared the results of the events he participated in Wednesday during the Class 1A Rushville-Industry Sectional and the closing line summed it up his effort quite nicely. “Huge Day!!!” he wrote. The Camp Point Central senior jumper and sprinter set a personal record in one event, helped the Panthers break…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Karly Peters knew exactly what was on the line and exactly what to do. In the bottom of the seventh inning of Wednesday’s Class 1A regional semifinal, Peters stood on second base as Lauren Miller stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, two outs and the Camp Point Central softball…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Camp Point Central softball team walked off with a 5-4 victory over Southeastern in Wednesday’s semifinals of the Class 1A Camp Point Regional, while top-seeded Pleasant Hill rolled to a 12-2 victory over Mendon Unity. The Panthers and Wolves will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday for the regional championship. Muddy…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame softball coach Eric Orne implored catcher Payton Stupvasky to have a “senior at-bat.” She didn’t disappoint. With runners on second and third base in the fourth inning of a scoreless game Friday at The Backyard, Stupavsky drove a fly ball to right-center field that Camp Point Central’s Claire Huston caught,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team completed its pursuit of the West Central Conference championship on Friday, beating Camp Point Central 4-0 at The Backyard as Caitlin Bunte tossed a one-hitter with nine strikeouts. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent time behind home plate and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Carter Reeves did exactly what Mendon Unity baseball coach Tyler McAllister has wanted him to do with an outside pitch. Simply punch it into right-center field. With two outs in the top of the fifth inning Thursday, Reeves smacked the first pitch he saw from Camp Point Central reliever Garrett Neisen…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The final week of the regular season is mirroring the rest of the spring — windy, rainy and unpredictable. Thursday’s game between the Mendon Unity and Camp Point Central baseball teams saw sunny skies turn to dark clouds, wind kick up and a steady rain that halted play in the top…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A quick answer enabled the Quincy High School baseball team to fend off Camp Point Central on Tuesday at the QHS field. After the Panthers scored four runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 7, a two-out RBI single by Brady Lowe regained the lead for the Blue…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — It takes a certain toughness to play catcher. As Camp Point Central freshman infielder Caleb Petersen put it, “There’s no such thing as a good sissy catcher.” His older brother is as tough as they come and has an iron man streak to prove it. Cole Petersen, a senior, has caught…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A roller coaster. That was the only way Camp Point Central softball coach Brey Genenbacher could describe the Panthers’ 19-9 victory over Jacksonville on Saturday at The Backyard. “Moments of greatness followed by some troubles,” Genenbacher said. The moments of greatness included 23 hits, six extra-base hits, runs in five consecutive innings to…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — Relief. That was Hunter Miller’s overwhelming emotion as he rounded the bases for the first home run of his baseball career Wednesday. “It’s taken way too long,” Miller said. The sophomore’s two-run fourth-inning home run helped Payson Seymour secure a 9-6 West Central Conference victory over Camp Point Central. “I’ve been waiting…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Friday began and ended with late-inning heroics. First, Garrett Neisen stranded the tying run in scoring position as the Camp Point Central baseball team rallied from a four-run deficit to beat Liberty 5-4. Then, the Central softball team allowed Liberty to score five times in the top of the sixth inning…
Read Full Article ABINGDON, Ill. — Size eventually won out, no matter what the Camp Point Central boys basketball team did to negate it. The Panthers neutralized Illini Bluffs’ height advantage — 6-foot-9 Hank Alvey towers above most Class 1A post players — for the better part of the first half Friday night in the Class 1A Abingdon-Avon…
Read Full Article ABINGDON, Ill. — The Camp Point Central boys basketball team knows just how big of a road block Illini Bluffs senior forward Hank Alvey can be. For the second year in a row in a sectional championship game, Alvey and the Tigers ended the Panthers’ season. Friday night, in the Class 1A Abingdon-Avon Sectional title…
Read Full Article Class 1A Abingdon-Avon Sectional Championship Camp Point Central (25-8) vs. Illini Bluffs (32-3) Where: Abingdon-Avon High School When: 7 p.m. Friday Livestream: Central Illinois Sports on YouTube Scouting the Panthers: This group just knows how to win, whether that’s on the gridiron or the hardwood. The Panthers have won 52 basketball games the last two…
Read Full Article ABINGDON, Ill. — Camp Point Central boys basketball James Barnett had complete faith Nick Moore was going to drain the game-clinching free throws no matter what had happened a minute earlier. “It might seem weird, but I felt more confident he was going to make those two because he had missed the previous two,” Barnett…
Read Full Article CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Amber Louderback ended the season with her arm raised. The Camp Point Central sophomore pinned Seneca’s Sammie Griesen in the third period of their fifth-place match at 130 pounds Saturday, earning her second state medal in as many years in the Illinois girls wrestling state tournament at State Farm Center on the…
Read Full Article AUGUSTA, Ill. — With missed shots piling up and the loss of a halftime lead, the Camp Point Central boys basketball team needed to hit the reset button. Midway through the third quarter, Central coach James Barnett called a timeout and didn’t use the friendliest voice his team has heard this season in delivering his…
Read Full Article CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Camp Point Central’s Amber Louderback is chasing another state medal. The sophomore wrestler, who finished fourth last season at 125 pounds in the Illinois girls state wrestling tournament, is one victory away from earning a spot on the podium and a top-six finish at 130 pounds. Louderback opened by pinning Edwardsville’s Olive…
Read Full Article NEW BERLIN, Ill. — The Griggsville-Perry boys basketball team had opportunities to avoid a second and a third overtime. Jacksonville Routt made sure there wasn’t a fourth. The sixth-seeded Rockets took the lead for good with two minutes remaining in the third overtime and finished off a 55-53 victory over the second-seeded Tornadoes in the…
Read Full Article