Macomb High School
CARTHAGE, Ill. — One big outburst was enough to carry the Macomb baseball team to victory. The Bombers trailed Illini West 2-0 in Saturday’s game at Jake Burling Field before erupting for six runs in the third inning. The Chargers scored twice in the sixth inning and got the leadoff hitter on base in the…
Read Full Article 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 MACOMB, Ill. — The significance of playing the Class 2A regional championship at The Hangar wasn’t lost on Macomb boys basketball coach Jeremy Anderson or assistant coach Zach Keene. “Between the two of us, that’s more than 40 years of coaching,” Anderson said. “And we could only come up with four or five times we…
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 WARSAW, Ill. — The West Hancock boys basketball team proved Friday night its victory over Macomb in late December was no fluke. The Titans controlled every aspect of the return engagement, ending with a 54-40 triumph Friday night at Warsaw High School. West Hancock is now 19-4 and within one win of a third straight…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — There was no letdown for the Macomb girls basketball team on Monday. Instead, the effort the Bombers put forth in the Jerry Logan Shootout against Mendon Unity was what Bombers coach Jackson Kane called “as close to a complete 32 minutes as we’ve had all year.” “We were making shots, defending at…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Macomb senior guard Braden Holthaus was unusually tired after the first quarter of Saturday’s Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament third place game against No. 2 seed Peoria Christian. “I was exhausted,” Holthaus said. “That usually doesn’t happen.” The fourth-seeded Bombers playing their fourth game in 48 hours likely had something to do with that…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Locked in. Those were the first words Macomb boys basketball coach Jeremy Anderson used to describe his team’s defensive performance against Mercer County in Friday’s Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament quarterfinal game at Western Hall. “I thought the effort defensively was outstanding,” Anderson said. After Mercer County shot 72.7 percent from the field in…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — The Macomb boys basketball team imposed its will when it mattered most. By doing so, the Bombers created the separation they needed to advance to the second round of the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament. The Bombers trailed Canton (Ill.) 28-26 with 35 seconds left in the third quarter and took a 30-28 lead…
Read Full Article ABINGDON, Ill. — Two things had to change this time around, and they did. In the 2022 Great Western Shootout at Abingdon-Avon High School, the Scales Mound boys basketball team handled Macomb 50-31. “I thought a couple years ago, we were pretty good,” said Bombers coach Jeremy Anderson, whose team went 25-6 that season. “We…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy High School’s girls basketball team received the perfect wake-up call Wednesday night. A bit painful, but perfect. “We came out flat, and Macomb punched us right in the mouth,” Blue Devils coach Brad Dance said. Macomb dominated the first quarter, racing to a 16-9 lead, but those opening eight minutes wound up…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It was the worst of offenses, it was the best of offenses. Now, that’s a little overdramatic for what took place Saturday night at The Pit. And Charles Dickens likely would have found something a little less overused and a little more poetic to describe the tale of two halves. Still, it seems…
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 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article GRANITE CITY, Ill. — Hunter St. Clair stayed steady. Ty Novosel stayed aggressive. It paid off for both. The Quincy High School golfers earned individual spots in the Class 3A sectional by finishing in the top 20 during Wednesday’s Class 3A Collinsville Regional at Arlington Greens Golf Course. The top three teams — Chatham Glenwood…
Read Full Article To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site: MACOMB, Ill. — The Macomb girls volleyball team continues to roll. The Bombers improved to 19-0 with Wednesday night’s 25-20, 25-12 victory over Southeastern at The Hangar in which they jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the…
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 GALESBURG, Ill. — Quincy High School senior golfer Ashley Walbring qualified for the Class 2A Normal U-High Sectional by shooting a 94 and finishing tied for 15th in the Galesburg Regional on Tusday at Lake Bracken Country Club. The Blue Devils finished sixth as a team with a 414. Dunlap won the team title with…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Even though the Macomb volleyball team won the first set of its Prairieland Conference match Tuesday against Illini West, Bombers coach Briana Rexroat knew they could play a cleaner second set. The Bombers committed 11 combined service and hitting errors in the first set, and Rexroat gave her team a benchmark to…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — The doubt Quinn Rexroat once had has transformed into confidence. Rexroat had mixed feelings about moving from libero, a position she had played for the first six years of her volleyball career, to setter as a freshman at Macomb High School. “I just liked controlling the defense and I didn’t really like…
Read Full Article COLCHESTER, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team is primed for the postseason. The Raiders posted a 321 team score Saturday in the Macomb Invitational at Gold Hills Golf Course, repeating as the tournament champion and setting the stage to chase the West Central Conference title Tuesday at Westview Golf Course and a…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — The Illini West football team received the opening kickoff in Friday night’s Lincoln Trail-Prairieland Conference matchup with Macomb, drove 65 yards and scored. The Bombers answered with authority. Led by junior quarterback Braden Holthaus, the Bombers took a 20-12 lead by halftime and rolled to a 38-12 victory to improve to 2-1,…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Macomb athletic director Steve Horrell continues to make Friday nights about football and family. Previously a long-time member of the Macomb football coaching staff, Horrell and his wife, Trish, raised their four kids at football fields throughout West-Central Illinois. Their son, Tanner, is now the Bombers head coach and his sons and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The opening week of the high school football season didn’t offer many surprises or alter many opinions, except for one head-scratching result. That happened at Ray Hentges Stadium in Jefferson City, Mo. Hannibal expected to be challenged by Jefferson City Helias, but the third-quarter breakdowns that resulted in the Crusaders scoring three touchdowns…
Read Full Article MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The Illini West volleyball team is picking up steam. After opening the season with a straight-sets victory over Camp Point Central, the Chargers swept Brown County on Thursday night, winning 26-24, 25-16. Illini West got everyone involved in the attack, too. Madalyn Boyer and Reagan Reed led the Chargers with eight…
Read Full Article QUINCY — One scored early and often, the other rallied late. Now, they’ll go head-to-head for a sectional championship. The Auburn softball team scored 11 runs in the first inning and beat Macomb 16-0 in the first semifinal Tuesday in the Class 2A QND Sectional at The Backyard. Quincy Notre Dame followed by scoring four…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — One swing is all Sarah Stufflebeam needed to set the tone. After Kaitlyn Robinson retired the Rushville-Industry softball team in order in the top of the first inning of Friday’s Class 2A Macomb Regional championship game, Stufflebeam cracked a two-run home run in the bottom of the frame and propelled Macomb to…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. MACOMB, Ill. — Connor…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — For the third straight game, the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team trailed heading to the fifth inning or later. Yet again, the Raiders rallied. This time, though, they did so against an NCAA Division I arm. QND tagged Macomb’s Jack Duncan, who has signed with Western Illinois University, for two runs in…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Until we meet again. And there is a strong chance it will happen. With the Quincy Notre Dame and Macomb softball teams each the top seed in their respective regionals, the idea Wednesday’s game will evolve into a postseason rematch lingered, especially after the Raiders scored twice in the seventh inning to…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Western Illinois University found its perfect match, so there was no reason to waste any time making it official. Six days after naming Chad Boudreau as the interim men’s basketball coach in the wake of Rob Jeter’s sudden departure to take over at Southern Utah, WIU athletic director Paul Bubb removed the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team scored five goals in the first 10 minutes of Wednesday’s game against Macomb at Advance Physical Therapy Field and rolled to a 10-0 victory. Sage Stratton recorded a hat trick and Jaden Tchapda scored her first varsity goal for the Raiders. Stratton finished a Lilly Schuette…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Despite losing two of the top three singles matches Tuesday, the Quincy High School boys tennis team showed resilience in fighting back to defeat Macomb 6-3 by winning three tiebreakers in singles at the Greeman Tennis Center at Reservoir Park. No. 2 Surya Reddy rebounded for a 6-2, 2-6 (10-6) victory over the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Photographer Samantha Carmean spent time Saturday at the Quincy High School track and field invitational at Flinn Stadium and created this photo gallery:
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — A state-ranked showdown to open the prep softball season came down to the final at-bat just like everyone hoped it would. Macomb’s Kaitlyn Robinson scored the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning and then worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to preserve a 4-3 victory over Brown County. The Bombers…
Read Full Article BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Amber Louderback and Kelly Ladd made history Saturday, becoming the first-ever girls state wrestling medalists from each of their respective high school programs. Louderback, a freshman at Central, finished fourth in the 125-pound class during the two-day event at Grossinger Motors Arena, while Ladd, a sophomore from Macomb, finished sixth at 135…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Eight nights ago, Gavin Grothaus walked off the floor at The Pit with a bitter taste in his mouth. “That one kind of hurt,” the West Hancock sophomore said of the Titans’ 17-point loss to Quincy Notre Dame on Valentine’s Day at The Pit. Grothaus made sure he wouldn’t feel the same disappointment…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A little more than a week after the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team secured its 20th victory of the season by beating West Hancock, the Raiders will have to do so again to keep their season alive. QND advanced to the championship game of the Class 2A QND Regional with a 75-47…
Read Full Article GENESEO, Ill. — A pair of local wrestlers finished third in their respective weight class at the Geneseo Sectional and will grapple at the girls state wrestling tournament. Macomb’s Kelly Ladd and Camp Point Central’s Amber Louderback both rebounded from semifinal losses by winning their final two matches. Ladd, a sophomore at 135 pounds who…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — A pair of Quincy High School wrestlers battled their way to the first state tournament berths of their careers, and they’ll be joined in Champaign by a trio of Macomb wrestlers. Owen Uppinghouse finished second at 160 pounds in the Class 3A Normal Community Sectional, while Bryor Newbold finished third at 182…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — In a perfect world for Nick Moore, he would be playing run-and-gun, playground-style basketball. And defense? That would be little more than an afterthought. Realistically, however, Moore knows that’s not how it works for a successful high school team. “Yeah,” Moore said, trying to wipe away the expected grin. “I’d probably…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — A pair of Macomb wrestlers won Class 1A regional titles and led a brigade of area wrestlers who qualified for the Clinton Sectional. Bombers senior Max Ryner improved to 45-2 with his championship at 195 pounds, while Macomb senior Carter Hoge will take a 42-6 record to sectionals after winning the title…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Area wrestlers staked their claim to the individual titles during Saturday’s Quincy Invitational at the QHS gym. Eight grapplers — four from Quincy High School and one each from Camp Point Central, Macomb, Palmyra and Quincy Notre Dame — won crowns, while the Blue Devils won the team championship. Muddy River Sports Editor…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Al Davis would have been proud. Most of the players on the Southeastern boys basketball team likely have never heard of the former owner of the NFL’s Oakland/Los Angeles (now Las Vegas) Raiders, but their “Just win, baby” mentality showed Wednesday night in a 30-27 victory over Macomb in the quarterfinals of…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Navigating his way home from wrestling practice Thursday morning wasn’t too treacherous, but Ethan Ladd realized more snow and blizzard-like conditions were coming. “I’m not a big winter guy,” the Macomb senior said. “I’m not going to lie. I hate snow.” But what if the Western Illinois University football team ended up…
Read Full Article QUINCY — As the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coaching staff met in the office adjacent to the locker room at halftime Saturday night, the Raiders were engaging in their own discussion. The theme of both conversations seemed to be the same. What is the Raiders’ identity going to be? The second half — particularly…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Three area football players have been named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association all-state teams, while seven others picked up honorable mention all-state plaudits. Central senior running back/linebacker Isaac Genenbacher, Brown County senior fullback/linebacker Colby Wort and Macomb junior wide receiver JT Jeter were first-team all-state selections. Genenbacher has been a…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Emily Horrell better get used to this if she hasn’t already. A few days before the Macomb football team played host to Murphysboro in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs, the wife of Bombers coach Tanner Horrell happened to be at a local retail store when two retirement-age women began…
Read Full Article FARMINGTON, Ill. — Five points. No more. Certainly no less. Forced to a decisive third set in Wednesday night’s Class 2A Farmington Sectional championship after Macomb staved off four match points, Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Courtney Kvitle convinced the Raiders to concentrate on winning five points at a time. “We knew we had to…
Read Full Article FARMINGTON, Ill. — Certain moments cannot be forgotten. Try October 5 for example. With the Quincy Notre Dame cheering section split between two major events — the boys soccer team played at Quincy High School, while the volleyball team played host to Macomb — the Bombers brought a sizable, boisterous crowd to The Pit. A…
Read Full Article FARMINGTON, Ill. — Taking the court under the watchful eyes of a rival and future foe could have been slightly unnerving. Facing an opponent looking for retribution could have, too. The Macomb volleyball team ignored it all and delivered a prime in-the-moment effort Monday night, dispatching Sherrard 25-15, 25-14 in the semifinals of the Class…
Read Full Article FARMINGTON, Ill. — The sectional championship showdown prep volleyball fans have anticipated for the past month is about to happen. Quincy Notre Dame and Macomb sidestepped their sectional semifinal opponents Monday night and will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday for the title of the Class 2A Farmington Sectional. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman took…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Macomb football coach Tanner Horrell could only shake his head Saturday night. “That’s a pretty good 5-4 team, huh?” Horrell asked, referring to a Quincy Notre Dame team that gave his undefeated Bombers all could they handle before coming away with a 28-14 victory over the Raiders in an opening-round Class 4A…
Read Full Article MONMOUTH, Ill. — Each season, the Macomb volleyball team has inched closer to being a sectional champion. Monday, the Bombers hope the trend continues. Macomb will carry its 32-3 record to the Class 2A Farmington Sectional, where it will face Sherrard in the semifinals following Thursday’s 25-12, 25-19 victory over Monmouth-Roseville in the Class 2A…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When the team bus rolled into the Quincy Notre Dame parking lot at around 7 p.m. Saturday, Raiders football coach Jack Cornell didn’t know which road his team would be taking in the postseason. As soon as Cornell knew, he told the players he’d spread the word. But there was a more important…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — On a field where history grows with every blade of grass, the Illini West football team was intent on keeping history from happening. For nearly eight minutes, that seemed possible. Then in a blink, it became clear history wouldn’t be denied. Facing undefeated, state-ranked Macomb in the regular-season finale Friday night at…
Read Full Article Here are the latest rankings of Illinois high school football teams in each class, according to an Associated Press panel of sportswriters: Class 8A School W-L Pts Prv 1. Loyola (9) (7-0) 108 1 2. Lincoln-Way East (2) (7-0) 101 2 3. York (7-0) 88 3 4. Glenbard West (6-1) 74 4 5. Gurnee Warren…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Leo Cann didn’t give the Abingdon-Avon boys soccer team the chance to get settled. If Quincy Notre Dame can do the same thing to Roanoke-Benson come Friday night, another regional championship should be added the Raiders’ treasure trove of titles. Cann, the junior forward, scored less than three minutes into Tuesday’s regional semifinal…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With her Macomb High School classmates milling around and her Bomber volleyball teammates screaming in the background, senior outside hitter Kennedy Adair tried to sum up Wednesday night’s three-set victory over Quincy Notre Dame. “That was amazing,” a smiling Adair said after the Bombers survived a 25-17, 17-25, 25-23 thriller at The Pit.…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — The electronic scoring system the Illinois High School Association uses for postseason golf puts the leaderboard at everyone’s fingertips. That makes it tempting to peek at where the field stands. “When you have to put the scores in on your phone, it’s hard to stay away and not hit the leaderboard button,”…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls tennis team improved to 9-3 in dual matches with Tuesday’s 8-1 victory over Macomb at the Greeman Tennis Center in Reservoir Park. After the Blue Devils’ Lily Hayes rallied to beat the Bombers’ Tali Stone 1-6, 6-2 (10-2) at No. 1 singles, Quincy swept the other five singles…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — If rainfall and lightning strikes can’t put a damper on the enthusiasm surrounding the Macomb football program, what can? Right now, nothing. Friday night’s crowd was asked to leave the stadium complex to wait out a thunderstorm cell that passed over the area just before Friday night’s kickoff against Farmington. It delayed…
Read Full Article Check out the news and notes from a busy Tuesday on the prep sports scene … • Trailing an unbeaten opponent by a goal midway through the first half, the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team trusted in its attack to adequately answer. The Raiders roared back for a 4-1 victory over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin…
Read Full Article COLCHESTER, Ill. — Samantha Carmean picked a perfect time to have a career day. The Quincy High School golfer posted a career low 90, helping the Blue Devils win the championship of the Macomb Invitational with a 330 team score at Gold Hills Golf Club. Macomb finished second at 344, and Quincy Notre Dame was…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — If Jack Duncan wanted to reconsider his college plans — and for the record, he doesn’t — there would be a vast number of college football coaches willing to invest the effort in trying to land the Macomb quarterback. When you erase the name of the legendary Phil Bradley from the top…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Make it a clean sweep for the Macomb golfers. The Bombers won both the boys and girls team titles as well as both individual championships Monday during the Prairieland Conference tournaments at Macomb Country Club. On the boys side, Macomb repeated as the Prairieland champion, putting five golfers in the top 10…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Justice Keene always understood golf to be an individual sport. What he has come to embrace and relish is the team aspect of the game. When you’re playing alongside golfers you respect, trust and have a bonafide bond with, the team result becomes as important, if not more, than the individual score.…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The Pittsfield boys golf team took advantage of playing on its home course Saturday, posting three scores in the 80s to capture the team championship of the Pittsfield Invitational at Old Orchard Country Club. The Saukees shot a 345, followed by Illini West at 351 and Rushville-Industry at 381. Illini West’s Nolan…
Read Full Article METAMORA, Ill. — The Quincy High School girls golf team appears ready to make another run at a state tournament berth. The Blue Devils posted two of the top three individual scores and took first place Wednesday in the ninth annual Redbird Classic at Metamora Fields. QHS posted a 320 team score to distance itself…
Read Full Article PEORIA, Ill. — The Macomb boys golf team seems to be finding a groove. The Bombers finished third back-to-back days in invitationals in Peoria and Normal. Macomb posted a 304 on Monday in the Peoria Notre Dame Invitational at Kellogg Golf Course to take third, while Quincy Notre Dame finished fifth with a 309. Connor…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Blustery conditions beneath a bright sun turned Spring Lake Country Club’s 18-hole golf course into a challenging track Saturday afternoon. Quincy Notre Dame’s Konnor Craven posted his second straight solid round, shooting a 2-over 74 to earn medalist honors in a quadrangular in which only three golfers broke 80. The Raiders won the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — After Brady Kindhart led off the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday with a double to deep center field, Jack Linenfelser stepped to the plate with one thing in mind. “Put the ball in play,” he said. The Quincy Notre Dame middle infielder did a little more than that. Linenfelser traded places with…
Read Full Article The heartache the Macomb boys golfers endured and the disappointment shared by the Bombers’ rivals resonated loudly. No one considered what happened at the Class 2A state tournament to be equitable or fair. The Bombers shot a 309 in last Friday’s opening round of the state tournament at Weibring Golf Club in Normal, Ill., leaving…
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