Quincy Notre Dame
QUINCY — Take a breath. Such a simple directive, but it’s one the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball players needed to hear and follow. Back-to-back losses to state-ranked Jacksonville Routt and 20-win Southeastern made Tuesday night’s game at The Pit against Unity a must win in the words of Raiders coach Kevin Meyer. But instead…
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QUINCY — The lead never grew large enough for either the Southeastern boys basketball team to get comfortable or Quincy Notre Dame to get discouraged. Not until the Raiders got Fry-ed. Leading 51-47 with less than four minutes to play in regulation Monday night at The Pit, Suns senior guard Ramsey Fry made a series…
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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — Mike Siebers brings the same exuberance to a weekend interview with an old sports writer as he did to high school basketball courts and soccer fields four decades ago while playing for Quincy Notre Dame. All out, all the time. “Sorry for taking so much of your time,” he said as the…
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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…
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QUINCY — Sydney Harris said she and her Edwardsville girls basketball teammates tend to struggle following a long bus ride. That haul from Madison County to Quincy, however, proved to be little or no problem when the Tigers outlasted Quincy Notre Dame 66-54 in Saturday night’s marquee matchup in the SuperFan Shootout at The Pit.…
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QUINCY — Jake Hoyt called it “horrible.” Kevin Meyer called it “ugly.” No matter how exciting the finish was in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game between the Quincy Notre Dame and Jacksonville Routt boys basketball teams during the SuperFan Shootout at the Pit, the Raiders couldn’t overcome three quarters of abysmal play in…
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TREMONT, Ill. — Central sophomore Jack Thompson became the only area wrestler to capture a championship at the Class 1A Tremont Regional, winning the title at 113 pounds Saturday. The Panthers had three other wrestlers advance to the Stanford Olympia Sectional, while Quincy Notre Dame has three wrestlers moving on and Illini West and West…
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QUINCY — The Central-Southeastern girls basketball team was in a good spot in the third quarter of Friday night’s game at the Pit. The Panthers scored the first six points of the second half and trailed Quincy Notre Dame, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2A, 33-26 with 5:08 left in the quarter. Even better,…
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QUINCY — The analogy offered by Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer was spot on. “In NASCAR terms, it was a splash and go,” Meyer said. Meyer was recounting the fourth-quarter contribution of 6-foot-1 guard Jackson Stratton, who scored 18 of his 23 points over the final eight minutes — including 14 at…
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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…
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SHELBINA, Mo. — Any addition to the schedule two weeks before regional play begins needs to be done strategically and with purpose. That’s why hitting the road to face a top-10 team in a hostile environment made sense to Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne, whose team is ranked No. 1 in Class…
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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…
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BETHALTO, Ill. — The fourth-quarter offensive miscues — four turnovers and zero converted field goals — committed by the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team on Saturday afternoon proved it may be withering from pressure. What ultimately kept the Raiders upright was their defense. Despite going the final eight minutes without a basket, QND was…
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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…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — A team that hadn’t been the most efficient from the free-throw line is figuring out how to use the charity stripe to its advantage. It paid off down the stretch Tuesday night. The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team, which was collectively shooting 59 percent from the line, made 7 of 10…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — Abbey Schreacke’s reaction said everything. This one meant something. An all-state junior guard on the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team, Schreacke caught the ball on the left block as time ticked away in the final 15 seconds of last Thursday’s state-ranked showdown with Illini West and the game tied at 38.…
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QUINCY — It hurt like any loss. It hurt even more because it was an overtime loss. Yet a grin kept crawling across the face of Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer afterward. The Raiders fought back from a 10-point deficit to lead at halftime, then was a half-second away from winning in…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — The difference between the two best Class 2A girls basketball teams in the west-central part of the state is subtle, yet simple. One has Abbey Schreacke. The other does not. With the outcome of Thursday night’s battle of state-ranked teams, Quincy Notre Dame was going to win, lose or draw with the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It’s cold outside. Like really cold. Like your truck doesn’t want to start and whines when you do start it kind of cold. That’s OK. It’s warm in Blue Devil Gym and the Pit and a myriad of high school venues around the area where some of the best basketball is taking place…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — Granted, Quincy Notre Dame was able to stretch its boys basketball win streak to five on Wednesday night. But it was not easy. The Raiders withstood several Payson Seymour comebacks over the final three quarters before leaving with a 59-55 victory. “Payson deserves a lot of credit,” QND coach Kevin Meyer said…
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QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team didn’t score off the opening tip Tuesday night like it so often does. The Raiders didn’t convert on their opening possession either, which negated their ability to jump into a full-court press and create havoc for Quincy High School’s backcourt. It took 52 seconds for all…
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QUINCY — The raucous, creative and comical Quincy High School students who packed the bleachers behind the girls basketball team’s bench Tuesday night need to check their schedules. Their presence is requested at future games. “Tell them to come out there and get me fired up,” Quincy Notre Dame junior guard Blair Eftink said with…
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I was watching TV last night and had just made my hotel reservation in Bloomington-Normal for the 50th anniversary celebration of Title IX at Illinois State University in June. I played softball at ISU and graduated in 1988. I played volleyball, basketball and softball at Quincy Notre Dame and graduated in 1984. I thought about…
Read Full Article BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer said the Raiders “defended like crazy” during a sweep of two games Monday at the Bloomington Central Catholic Shootout. It took a collective effort to be that good. “The guys were connected,” Meyer said. “All five guys were moving as one.” It made it…
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QUINCY — Weather may have altered the brackets and forced some teams to decline making the trip to compete in the Quincy Invitational, but Friday night’s opening rounds of the long-time wrestling tournament showed the cream always rises to the top. Quincy High School had five wrestlers go unbeaten during Friday’s action, while Central had…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Tournament titles up for grabs, a conference lead at stake and a bevy of grappling. How’s that for a full weekend slate? That’s only doable if Mother Nature cooperates. With several Missouri schools rescheduling their Friday night contests for Thursday night to avoid any issues with the forecasted snowfall, the weekend prep basketball…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Offensively, work must still be be done. But the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team has been pretty stingy defensively of late. Pittsfield missed 23 of 35 shots from the field, and the Raiders forced 18 turnovers in a 43-31 victory on Friday night at Voshall Gym. QND has won 10 straight…
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QUINCY — Braden Sheffield set his sights on the rim. Unfortunately, the Quincy Notre Dame junior guard never got the chance to get his hands on it. “Some things aren’t meant to be,” he said with a wry smile. Teaming with the Raiders’ Alex Connoyer and Jackson Stratton to create chaos each time the Western…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Springfield girls basketball team got off to a sizzling start. Quincy Notre Dame had a better finish. Despite falling behind 7-0 out of the gate and getting outscored 10-5 in the first three minutes of the third quarter, the state-ranked Raiders turned to junior guard Abbey Schreacke down the stretch and…
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Jake Wallingford’s ability to play above the rim changes how the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team attacks. It also allows him to go get the basketball whenever he chooses. In the opening round of the State Farm Holiday Classic against Rock Falls, the 6-foot-8 Wallingford rose above everyone else to grab…
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer never saw the absence of two starters as a ready-made excuse for any setback. He viewed it more as a chance to grow. Having split two games Wednesday in the small-school bracket of the State Farm Holiday Classic, the Raiders showed considerable growth and…
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — It might not look like it in the scorebook, but Quincy Notre Dame actually did a good job keeping St. Joseph-Ogden star Ty Pence in check. Well, except for the final three minutes of the third quarter. Pence, a 6-foot-6 junior, scored 11 of his 26 points during that time frame, turning…
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NORMAL, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer gave his Raiders a shiny new toy under their Christmas tree last week. It looked Monday afternoon like they had a lot of fun playing with it for the first time. The press. The Raiders used their 1-2-2 three-quarter court trap and a swarming…
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QUINCY — Anyone associated with the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball program understands how on-point a team is going to have to be to win the State Farm Holiday Classic small-school bracket. The Raiders have seen the top-seeded team at its best. QND lost to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 66-42 at the Pit on December 3…
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QUINCY — The easy part is over, although Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne might argue nothing about the first half of the season could be considered easy. Compared to what lies ahead, it wasn’t quite as taxing. The Raiders get a four-day break following Wednesday night’s 66-38 victory over Lewistown in the…
Read Full Article MONMOUTH, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball players are hoping history repeats itself. Tuesday night’s 52-49 loss to Monmouth-Roseville saddled the Raiders with a 5-4 record heading into the Christmas break. It’s not too different than the 1988-89 QND team which started 8-6, ended up winning a sectional championship and is considered one…
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QUINCY — Jeremiah Talton hurt. Understandably so. Friday night, in the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s 63-49 victory over Moline in Western Big 6 Conference play at Blue Devil Gym, the Maroons chose to defend the league’s leading scorer by putting a defender chest-to-chest with the 6-foot-6 swingman. Talton got bumped on every cut…
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QUINCY — Andy Douglas didn’t need to be boisterous with his halftime speech Saturday night. The Quincy High School boys basketball coach didn’t have to say much at all. “The guys were already talking about what we needed to do before I got in the locker room,” Douglas said. “A lot of it was said…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s first West Central Conference game of the season served as a reminder of what the Raiders need to expect as they get deeper into league play. Nothing is going to come easy. Central used its physical, aggressive defense to stun, stall and starve the…
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QUINCY — Blake Bozarth’s teammates have seen his aggressive side in practice. And they know he’s more than just a spot-up 3-point shooter. “Most games, he doesn’t find the opportunity to attack off the dribble,” Quincy Notre Dame junior point guard Jake Hoyt said. “When he does, he’s pretty good at it.” Bozarth was effective…
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QUINCY — The edge in experience led to his team’s 60-32 victory Tuesday night at the Pit, but Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne took note of the abundance of young talent Palmyra put on the floor. It’s a reason for trepidation in the years to come. “They’re going to be a load,”…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The schedule is designed to continually test the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team in preparation for a deep February postseason push. Beating another state-ranked opponent Saturday at the Pit showed no challenge is too big so far. Abbey Schreacke scored 35 and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Raiders to a 57-43 victory…
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QUINCY — Add another tally to the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball program’s victory total. And much like many of the 1,500 victories celebrated in a pregame ceremony Saturday night at the Pit, this one took quite a bit of moxie. The Raiders overcame 9-of-20 shooting from the free-throw line and an off-kilter effort in…
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QUINCY — Blair Eftink started it with a 1-2 punch. Abbey Schreake followed with a couple of haymakers. And the knockout blow came from the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s in-your-face defense that befuddled Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin’s backcourt Thursday night at the Pit. Eftink’s layup off the opening tip and 3-pointer on the Raiders’…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — A game-opening 17-3 run tends to break a lot of team’s spirit. The Unity girls basketball team refused to be broken, and that nearly led to a comeback for the ages. Then came the realization Abbey Schreacke is wearing a Quincy Notre Dame uniform. Having watched the Mustangs whittle the deficit to…
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QUINCY — Take a good look, Quincy Notre Dame fans. The level of play exhibited by the Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin boys basketball team on Friday is likely the standard any Class 2A team in western and central Illinois will need to meet if it hopes to make a deep postseason run. And not just this…
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Here are the Illinois girls prep basketball polls with rank, team, first-place votes, record and total points. Class 4A School W-L Pts 1. Hersey (3) 5-1 48 2. Bolingbrook (2) 3-1 46 3. Edwardsville 3-1 38 4. Loyola 5-0 37 5. Benet 3-0 32 6. Kenwood 3-0 22 7. Homewood-Flossmoor 3-0 18 8. Normal Community…
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MONROE CITY, Mo. — Poised and patient wins. The Monroe City boys basketball team is the epitome of that. Quincy Notre Dame wants to become a team capable of that. The Panthers opened Tuesday night’s game with an 8-0 run, never relinquished the lead and systematically put away a 62-48 victory in their season opener…
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QUINCY — Each time Jake Hoyt darted to the basket, he knew punishment was coming. “That was pretty much the thought process,” he said. “I knew I had to try to score.” Hoyt completed one old-fashioned three-point play in the fourth quarter, then made two more in overtime and finished with a career-high 24 points…
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QUINCY — The second verse was the same as the first. Twenty-four hours after using a 17-point run to close the first quarter and take command in a victory over Belleville Althoff, the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team scored 20 consecutive points to close the first quarter on its way to a 51-25 victory…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Steinkamp will be inducted on Saturday, Nov. 27 before QND’s boys basketball game.) Wayne Steinkamp’s story is similar to many people who volunteer at Quincy Notre Dame. He offers to help with whatever needs…
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QUINCY — Forty-seven straight points. It doesn’t happen often in football, but we’ve seen teams score seven straight touchdowns before. When was the last time you saw it happen in basketball? After Quincy Notre Dame’s Jake Hoyt and Gateway STEM’s Jaylen Ross traded 3-point baskets in the opening minutes, the Raiders scored the next 45…
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QUINCY — Any worries about Blair Eftink’s broken wrist should be alleviated. The junior guard didn’t make any 3-pointers in the first half of Friday night’s game in the Gully Transportation Shootout at the Pit, but she made three in the second half and finished with 23 points in Quincy Notre Dame’s 72-31 victory over…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Terwelp will be inducted on Saturday, Nov. 27 before QND’s boys basketball game.) Joe Terwelp enjoyed one of the greatest careers of any basketball player in QND history, and he also was an accomplished…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. The 2003-04 boys basketball team will be inducted on Saturday, Nov. 27 before QND’s boys basketball game.) When the discussion of the best boys basketball teams in school history is held, the 2003-04 team…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Morrell will be inducted on Saturday, Nov. 27 before QND’s boys basketball game.) It would be difficult to find a pitcher who put up better statistics than Brian Morrell did during his junior and…
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QUINCY — Kevin Meyer isn’t sure how raucous the Pit will get this weekend. He’s hoping loud enough to be hostile, but since it has been 21 months since the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team last played with a fill-all-the-seats crowd and continuing concerns with the coronavirus pandemic, the Raiders’ head coach isn’t sure…
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QUINCY — When Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne says he hopes junior Abbey Schreacke averages fewer points per game this season, he isn’t crazy. Schreacke, who averaged 25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.5 steals and 3.4 blocks per game during a shortened sophomore season, has been contacted by and/or offered a…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Awerkamp will be inducted on Saturday, Nov. 27 before QND’s boys basketball game.) Kyle Awerkamp doesn’t have any individual state championships on his resume, but few golfers in Illinois history can say they finished…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Moulton Kimm will be inducted on Saturday, Nov. 27 before QND’s boys basketball game.) The Quincy Notre Dame softball program has had many outstanding pitchers, but none of them struck out more hitters than…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. The 1985 baseball team will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 26 before QND’s boys basketball game.) The 1985 boys baseball team is one of only three teams in school history to reach the semifinals…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Reis will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 26 before QND’s boys basketball game.) When fans of Quincy Notre Dame’s athletic teams get to enjoy the facilities where the games are played, few of them realize…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Deters will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 26 before QND’s boys basketball game.) Brian Deters quietly turned in one of the best soccer careers in school history. He had four goals and nine assists and…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. The 2010 girls soccer team will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 26 before QND’s boys basketball game.) The 2010 girls soccer team started a run of dominance that hasn’t been matched in the state,…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Ridder will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 26 before QND’s boys basketball game.) Excelling in one sport is great. Excelling in two sports is exceptional. Ridder, a 2004 graduate, was a three-time all-sectional selection for…
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Boltz will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 26 before QND’s boys basketball game.) Dan Boltz was one of the top basketball players for Quincy Notre Dame during the 1950s when the Raiders strung together…
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QUINCY — Tanner Anderson found it difficult to see how any top-level collegiate soccer program could have swayed him from landing at Saint Louis University. “If I’d had gone on a visit somewhere and seen something special, then maybe,” he said Still, that was unlikely. “It’s easy for me to decide SLU with everything going…
Read Full Article Monday, life seemed renewed. At 5:30 a.m., inside a fully lit Blue Devil Gym, the first high school boys basketball practice of the 2021-22 season at Quincy High School took place. It had been two years since the Blue Devils took the floor on a November morning to kickstart a campaign. For a moment, everything…
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EAST MOLINE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy High School girls swimmers won five medals at Saturday’s sectional championships. QND senior Emily Strieker finished third in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing in 5 minutes, 26.39 seconds. Strieker also finished fourth in the 200 freestyle in 2:02.68. The Raiders’ Brooklyn Biggs was fourth in the…
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CLINTON, Ill. — Four points. Four lousy, stinkin’ points. The Quincy Notre Dame girls volleyball team dominated the first set, overcame a disastrous second set and rebounded to lead 21-15 in the third set of Friday night’s Class 2A super-sectional volleyball match at Clinton High School. “You could taste it,” senior captain Maggie Drew said.…
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QUINCY — Tanner Anderson’s goal-scoring prowess is rivaling that of the greatest finishers in the history of the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer program, including that of his other brother, Seth. The accolades he is receiving are quite similar, too. The junior forward led a cavalcade of Quincy products receiving honors this fall from the…
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KNOXVILLE, Ill. — The score was about to be tied. Instead of setting the ball to Kennedy Adair, Macomb’s Avery Rexroat opted to use her left hand to dump the ball deep and into the corner of the Quincy Notre Dame backcourt. Once the ball landed on the floor, Macomb would tie the first set…
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KNOXVILLE, Ill. — This was more like it. After being forced to sweat out three sets in last week’s regional championship game against Illini West, the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team was dominant in Monday’s Class 2A sectional semifinal. The Raiders crushed Port Byron Riverdale 25-13, 25-13 at Knoxville High School. QND (31-4), ranked No.…
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QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame team needed just one play to wrap up a first-round victory in the Class 4A playoffs over Bethalto Civic Memorial. The Eagles were facing third and 20 from the QND 33-yard line with less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Raiders, however, couldn’t come up…
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QUINCY — Swipe. Score. Celebrate. It’s a recipe for success the Quincy Notre Dame football team has discovered works wonders. Having gone 6-3 in the regular season and earned a Class 4A first-round home playoff game, the Raiders understand their defense creates opportunities. In the six victories, QND has scored its first touchdown off a…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — The atmosphere generated by the Illini West faithful was something only a select few of the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball players have ever experienced. Rarely have the Raiders faced a do-or-die situation as well. The top-seeded team in the Class 2A Illini West Regional proved capable of handling anything thrown its way.…
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QUINCY — Calvin Lavery didn’t realize the mistake soon enough. Having walked into a styling center for a haircut, he requested the stylist use an electric razor guard that would take off enough for a stylish look but not too much that he appeared to have shaved his head. The wrong guard was applied, and…
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No Quincy Notre Dame girls tennis player in program history has medaled at the state tournament. Lia Quintero is inching closer to being the first. The QND junior won a fourth-round consolation match last Friday at the Class 1A girls state tennis tournament at Fremd High School in Palatine, pushing her into the top 16…
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QUINCY — Dylan Dickhut’s historical research uncovered a unique fact about the Central football program. The Panthers have never been a No. 1 seed in a playoff bracket, not even when finishing the regular season undefeated. Saturday night, history changed. Central drew the No. 1 seed in the Class 1A south bracket according to the…
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CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team gave itself a string of opportunities to erase Mendota’s lead in Saturday’s Class 1A Chillicothe IVC Sectional championship. The Raiders just couldn’t find a way to survive. QND knocked a couple of shots off the crossbar, saw Mendota goalkeeper Manny Trejo stop a penalty kick…
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ALTON, Ill. — A solid offensive output in the first half, followed by an extraordinary defensive performance in the second half, was the perfect combination to prime the Quincy Notre Dame football team for the postseason. Senior running back Ben Kasparie scored three touchdowns in the first half, and the Raiders held Alton Marquette to…
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PALATINE, Ill. — Lia Quintero proved she belonged. And it’s a safe bet she’ll be back. The Quincy Notre Dame junior won another match Friday at the Class 1A girls state tennis tournament at Fremd High School, pushing her into the fifth round of the consolation bracket and into the top 16 singles players in…
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Friday’s Schedule Quincy High School (4-4) at Rock Island (5-3), 7:30 p.m. • WGEM 1440 AM, 98.9 FM Quincy Notre Dame (5-3) at Alton Marquette (0-8), 7:30 p.m. • WTAD 930 AM Hannibal (8-0) at Columbia Battle (4-3), 7 p.m. • KICK 97.9 FM Central (7-1) at Calhoun (2-6), 7 p.m. • Central Illinois Sports…
Read Full Article ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — Lia Quintero needed composure and conviction as much as she did her powerful forehand to survive the first day of the Class 1A girls state tennis tournament. The Quincy Notre Dame junior showcased it all. Opening the singles draw against ninth-seeded Jocelyn Carmody of Troy Triad, Quintero scored an upset in…
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QUINCY — Lia Quintero’s mission is to leave her mark, and she’s OK if it comes with an asterisk. The Quincy Notre Dame junior set a goal coming into high school to be a four-time qualifier for the girls state tennis tournament, an effort that seemed doable after going 2-2 at the Class 1A state…
Read Full Article CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — The effort in the two regional victories couldn’t be considered lackluster, but the pin-the-defense-back-with-an-all-out-attack seemed to be absent. Tuesday night, the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team brought it back to life. The Raiders scored three first-half goals, consistently applied pressure on the Somonauk goal and headed home with a 4-0 victory…
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QUINCY — Abbey Schreacke was keenly aware of the inherent distractions Tuesday night’s match brought. The city rivalry was front and center. The Pink Night celebration drew a bigger crowd. And a planned post-match recognition of Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Courtney Kvitle’s 100th career victory would lose some luster if the Raiders fell to…
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QUINCY — The regional reign continues. Sectional success should be a bit more challenging. To ensure the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer players are ready for whatever lies ahead in the Class 1A Chillicothe IVC Sectional, Raiders coach Greg Reis will hold practice on the grass fields to the east of the Boots Bush baseball…
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QUINCY — Troy Cornell is off the schneid. The Quincy Notre Dame football team is, too. For the first time since his birth on September 22, the infant son of Raiders coach Jack Cornell witnessed QND set the tone with takeaways on special teams and defense, buckle down offensively in the second half and end…
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QUINCY — Ben Kasparie has been in every younger teammate’s shoes. It’s why he is cognizant of how his actions are perceived. “There’s a lot more pressure on me,” said Kasparie, the Quincy Notre Dame senior running back/linebacker who is a four-year starter and a mentor for players like Ben Schwartz, a sophomore starting on…
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ST. LOUIS — Taylor Keck helped the Maryville women’s volleyball team end a six-match losing streak with an historic effort. The Quincy Notre Dame graduate recorded 25 kills in a five-set, come-from-behind victory over William Jewell last week at Moloney Arena. The Saints won 25-23, 19-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-8 with Keck delivering kills on four…
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DECATUR, Ill. — Hana Knuffman and Blair Eftink said adios to the pressure and hello to the simple beauty of golf. Tee it up. Drive it. Find the green. Roll it in the cup. Then do it 17 more times without worrying about the score, the leaderboard or the end result. That’s how the two…
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QUINCY — Al Davis, the Hall of Fame general manager and owner of the Oakland Raiders, based his philosophy of football on speed. “Speed kills. You can’t teach speed. Everything else in the game can be taught, but speed is a gift from God,” Davis once said. The speed of the Lutheran St. Charles football…
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DECATUR, Ill. — Blair Eftink’s double bogey on the first hole after making the turn Friday put her chances of surviving to play the second round of the Class 1A state golf tournament in limbo. A series of pars changed everything. Eftink rolled in par putts on six of her final eight holes, including four…
Read Full Article Friday’s Schedule Geneseo (3-3) at Quincy High School (2-4), 7:30 p.m. • WGEM 1440 AM, 98.9 FM Lutheran St. Charles (4-2) at Quincy Notre Dame (4-2), 7 p.m. • WTAD 930 AM Hannibal (6-0) at Moberly (2-4), 7 p.m. • KICK 97.9 FM Beardstown (3-3) at Central (5-1), 7 p.m. • Central Illinois Sports on…
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QUINCY — With the start of the postseason looming just five days away, the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer players are confident they’re ready for a title chase. All it takes is a Cann-do attitude. Thursday night, a sophomore striker showed the Raiders how that looks. Off a long throw-in from the right sideline, QND’s…
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AUGUSTA, Ill. — From the moment her team stepped on the bus Tuesday night, Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Courtney Kvitle liked what she saw. “Tonight was the first time I felt like they were on a business trip,” Kvitle said. “They weren’t goofy, they weren’t overly excited, they were just happy. They were here…
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