Unity High School
MENDON, Ill. — As the strings tightened, Raulin Zehnle stayed composed. Zehnle retired the final four batters he faced in a one-run game and stranded the tying run on base in the sixth to help the Payson Seymour baseball team beat Mendon Unity 2-1 on Friday. Zehnle took the ball from Connor Howell with the…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — The Pittsfield baseball team’s hitting approach was simple. “You can’t really do anything too special,” Saukees junior pitcher and infielder Bobby Harris said. “Smooth swings, don’t swing too hard.” Harris and the Saukees’ lineup used that approach to string together a six-run third inning and take control in a 12-5 victory over…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — On paper, the Mendon Unity girls basketball team looked to be a definitive favorite. On the court, it proved to be a different — or at least more difficult — story. While the No. 3-seeded Mustangs ultimately prevailed in their Class 1A Payson Regional semifinal matchup against No. 8 Rushville-Industry, they needed…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — As the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball players prepared to take the floor Tuesday night, they had a little extra pep to their step. Credit, in part, goes to Mother Nature. “After we heard there’s a snow day (Wednesday), that just got us excited and we got after it,” Raiders junior guard…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Yes, Kenzie Kassing was aware she had set the record. And yes, she remembered — with an obvious wince — how close she came a year ago before coming up one point shy. The Brown County girls basketball team’s sensational sophomore guard continued to rewrite the Hornets’ record book Monday night, scoring…
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 WARSAW, Ill. — Nothing has changed in the past week. Saturday night’s matchup between the Illini West and West Hancock boys basketball teams will decide the championship of the 104th Hancock County Invitational Tournament at Warsaw High School. From the start, that was the most anticipated pairing of the week-long, round-robin event. Both schools won…
Read Full Article WARSAW, Ill. — Mendon Unity boys basketball coach Keith Carothers was brutally honest Tuesday night when he was breaking down his club’s 91-42 loss to West Hancock. “They could have scored 120,” Carothers said. He meant the observation as both a compliment of West Hancock’s performance, which was accented by repeated end-to-end mercurial runs by…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s mission on Friday was simple — set the tone, not only for their West Central Conference game against Mendon Unity, but for the new calendar year and the grueling schedule that lies ahead. The Raiders did just that in dispatching the Mustangs 67-20. “You can’t be…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Everyone in the gymnasium knew sharp-shooter Blake Schwartz was going to take the shot with the Payson Seymour boys basketball team down three points in the final seconds of regulation, but it was up to his teammate, Nick Boone, to get him the ball. “Boone did a great job of being there…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — The finish to the MVIT championship game was as exciting as any title game of any holiday tournament around. The Payson Seymour boys basketball team forced overtime with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Blake Schwartz and then outlasted Mendon Unity 64-62 to win the title. Southeastern took third place with a 55-52 victory…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Blake Arnsman scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter Thursday night and helped the Mendon Unity boys basketball team put away Western 66-61 in the opening round of the MVIT. Noah Voss and Adler Gray each scored 14 points for the Mustangs, who trailed by a point at halftime…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Hudson Bock could not have imagined two more polar opposite defensive performances from the Palmyra boys basketball team against Mendon Unity on Friday. “Our defense was really good in the second half, but it was absolutely awful in the first half,” Bock said. After taking a 39-35 lead into halftime, the Panthers…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A few months down the road, the Mendon Unity boys basketball team might look back at Tuesday night’s victory as a defining moment in its quest for the school’s first winning record since the 2016-17 season. The Mustangs, on the verge of being blown right off of Mountain Dew Court on the campus…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The best is probably yet to come for the Mendon Unity girls basketball team. The Mustangs entered the season eyeing a seventh straight winning record. And? So far, so good — despite a rough start. Unity’s 54-22 domination of Atlanta (Mo.) during Tuesday night’s Rumble on the River competition produced the Mustangs’ seventh…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — If Mendon Unity boys basketball coach Keith Carothers was spotted at a local pharmacy early Saturday morning in search of some sort of magic hair-growth potion, there was a specific reason for his being there. “I’ll tell ya what, I’m a lot balder now than I was before the game,” said the…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Sawyer Allen will never be labeled as a finesse type of basketball player. Never, ever. The 6-foot junior, who served as the quarterback of the Unity football team, more resembles a bull in a china shop when on a basketball court. A bull with moves, that is. Allen feels he owns the…
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. — Maybe the third time will be the charm for the Mendon Unity volleyball team. The Mustangs dispatched Liberty 25-20, 24-26, 25-17 in Wednesday night’s Class 1A Camp Point Central Regional semifinals, which sets up an interesting matchup in the championship match. Unity (25-12) will challenge regional host Camp Point Central (24-7)…
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 MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — About the time Brown County sophomore Jack Sefton was finishing off his touchdown return to open the second half, there was a distinct sound accompanying his 80-yard sprint to the end zone. With each step Sefton advanced toward the first kick return score of his career, the slow hiss of momentum…
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 MENDON, Ill.— It wasn’t the debut Sawyer Allen envisioned. After winning the starting quarterback job with his work over the summer and through preseason practice, the Unity-Payson sophomore approached the 2023 season opener at home against Winchester West Central with eager anticipation. “I had every opportunity to show Coach I want to be the quarterback…
Read Full Article To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team wants to play at a quicker pace this season. If Wednesday’s season-opening match is any indication of where things are headed, expect them to move at a lightning pace. The…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Four months ago, Sawyer Johnson was finishing up her animal science degree at Iowa State University. Now, she is the head coach of an Illini West volleyball team that won a regional championship and set a school record with 35 victories in 2023. “It’s been a challenging step for sure, but we’re…
Read Full Article Coverage of the Unity-Payson football team is brought to you by: MENDON, Ill. — An early-season gauntlet once again awaits the Unity-Payson football team. The Mustangs are scheduled to face three playoff teams from a year ago — Winchester West Central, Greenfield-Northwestern and Camp Point Central — during the first four weeks of the season.…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — It has become a tradition for the Unity-Payson football team to practice at the stroke of midnight the first allowable day Illinois High School Association schools can begin working out in full pads. So Friday night, just before midnight, the Mustangs pulled up at their home field to see the lights shining…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — A freshman pitcher’s poise and presence is going to allow the seniors on the Winchester West Central baseball team to thoroughly enjoy the road trip that lies ahead. It should enable Grant DeWitt to have a more casual drive, too. Right-hander Anthony Hance wriggled out of a sixth-inning with a five-run lead…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — It was deja vu for the Pleasant Hill softball team ahead of their Class 1A Camp Point Regional semifinal game against Mendon Unity on Wednesday. The Wolves’ 2022 season ended in a 13-inning loss to Unity in the regional semifinals in Camp Point when Pleasant Hill was the No. 1 seed…
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 LIBERTY, Ill. — Patience, persistence and pitching have put the Mendon Unity baseball team on the verge of both a 20-win season and the program’s first regional title in more than 30 years. The second-seeded Mustangs took advantage of 10 free bases, broke through to take the lead in the third inning and finished off…
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 — Off the field, Quincy Notre Dame junior Abram Wiewel is a light-hearted jokester. On the field, he turns into a junkyard dog. “When I’m pitching, I get into a completely different mindset,” Wiewel said. “I want to hunt you down and destroy you.” Monday, Wiewel annihilated the Mendon Unity baseball team’s offense, throwing…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Mired in a midseason slump, the Pittsfield baseball team needed a turn-things-around moment. Ending Mendon Unity’s 13-game win streak may be it. Two Saukees combined to limit the Mustangs to two hits, and a five-run fifth inning helped propel Pittsfield to a 9-0 victory Saturday. The Saukees had lost three of their…
Read Full Article BUSHNELL, Ill. — With two runners on base and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Bushnell-Prairie City baseball team was one run away from a 10-run rule victory. The Spartans didn’t get it, and that gave Mendon Unity new life. The Mustangs scored five times in the top of the sixth,…
Read Full Article CONCORD, Ill. — The streak keeps building. A pair of victories Saturday in the Triopia Slam enabled the Mendon Unity baseball team to extend its winning streak to double digits following a 6-1 victory over Payson Seymour and a 12-0 victory over Triopia. The Mustangs have won 11 games in a row and are 12-2…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — The manner in which the Palmyra baseball team rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning Monday to tie the game could have put Mendon Unity on its heels. Instead, the Mustangs proved they refuse to buckle. Cody Shaffer’s single through the left side of the infield with one…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — The line drive hit Cody Shaffer’s upper right arm with enough force that the ricochet led to an out at first base and had people scrambling to check on the Mendon Unity right-hander. Immediately, the umpires called time and Mustangs coach Tyler McAllister popped out of the dugout to assess Schaffer’s injury…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Mo. — A pair of right-handed hurlers engaged in a pitchers’ duel Thursday as neither Mendon Unity’s Cody Shaffer nor Liberty’s Jackson Sims allowed a run over the first six innings. The relievers were just a stingy in the seventh inning. It wasn’t until the eighth inning when a pair of errors enabled Unity…
Read Full Article Barry's three individual victories, Blue Devils' team title highlight Quincy Invitational girls meet
QUINCY — Saylor Barry reached the Class 1A state track and field championships last spring in the long jump. She might be in store for more work in Charleston this spring after seeing how she performed Saturday during the 73rd Quincy Invitational at Flinn Stadium. The Mendon Unity sophomore won three events for the most…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Trailing by two runs heading into the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday, the Mendon Unity baseball team needed baserunners to even think about a rally. Six consecutive batters safely reaching did the trick. Ben McClelland and Sawyer Allen started the rally with back-to-back singles before the Mustangs’ patience kicked in. Three…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Three Pittsfield pitchers limited the Brown County baseball team to two hits and the Saukees used a four-run third inning to catapult themselves to a 7-1 victory to improve to 5-0 and highlight Wednesday’s action across the area. Pittsfield’s Draven Puterbaugh allowed one unearned run and two hits over the first four…
Read Full Article KINDERHOOK, Ill. — The Western eighth grade girls volleyball team is headed to the Illinois Elementary School Association state tournament. So are the Unity eighth graders. Western won its Class 8-1A sectional championship, beating Concord Triopia 25-12, 25-16 on Tuesday night at Jacksonville Routt High School. Western (19-3) will face Royal Prairieview Odgen (20-3) at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Charles Dickens famously opened his historic novel, “A Tale of Two Cities,” with the line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” During the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s 78-66 victory over Unity Tuesday night, both coaches felt those emotions — in the opposite order. In the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team improved to 14-9 with a 78-66 victory over Unity on Tuesday night at the Pit. The Raiders were paced by sophomores Jackson Connoyer with a career-high 16 points and Jace Allensworth with 14 points. Unity (13-12) placed three players in double figures — Melvin McMillen with…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — The halftime adjustments Unity boys basketball coach Keith Carothers made worked perfectly. The Mustangs trailed Bushnell-Prairie City 27-24 at halftime of Friday night’s championship game of the Mississippi Valley Invitational Tournament before taking the lead with a 17-point third quarter and holding the Spartans to a single point in the fourth quarter.…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — Melvin McMillen thoroughly enjoyed himself Friday night. “I like a physical style of game, and it’s also great when there’s a lot of trash talkin’ going on,” said McMillen, a 6-foot-4 senior whose 27 points and 12 rebounds spearheaded Unity’s 50-41 victory over rival Payson Seymour. McMillen was at his best when…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The manner in which the Pittsfield boys basketball team secured the 300th victory of Brad Tomhave’s coaching career might not be so memorable. The milestone certainly is. The Saukees overcame making just one of their first 18 field goals and a 15-point third-quarter deficit to take the lead for the first time…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A quarterback who helped his team make history, a linebacker who tackled everything in sight and a pair of all-purpose performers who have pushed their team into the state semifinals share one thing in common. They have been named first-team all-staters. The Illinois High School Football Coaches Association released its all-state teams Tuesday…
Read Full Article CONCORD, Ill. — The Unity volleyball players knew the only way to compete against one of the state’s top Class 1A teams in Hartsburg-Emden was to play the way they had all season long — calm, collected and consistent. Finding themselves in a dogfight, the Mustangs never wavered in an attempt to upset the Stags,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Saturday, four area football teams kickstart their pursuit of a trip to Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium on Thanksgiving weekend for the chance to play for a state championship. Here is a closer look at each of those matchups: West Chicago (5-4) at Quincy High School (9-0), 2 p.m. • Class 7A first-round…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — The best may be yet to come for the Unity volleyball team. Or so Hayden Frankel thinks. “I honestly don’t think we’ve played our best yet,” said Frankel, a senior setter. Frankel’s assessment came shortly after Unity’s relatively easy 25-17, 25-16 elimination of Triopia on Thursday evening in the Class 1A regional…
Read Full Article QUINCY — An answered prayer, a unique draw and a top spot on the bracket. The revealing of the Illinois High School Association’s football playoff pairings had some of the intrigue teams crave and an intriguing twist with the final team to qualify for the 256-team field spread over eight classes. Quincy Notre Dame, which…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Illinois prep football playoff picture is starting to gain some clarity. Six teams in our area have qualified, should qualify or could qualify depending on what happens over the final two weeks of the regular season. Around the state, some coaches and other prognosticators are updating and changing brackets, opinions and thoughts…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Sophia Shaffer is trying to savor the moment. A senior multi-sport athlete at Unity High School, Shaffer has learned through injury and triumph to be undeterred and play for the love of the game. “It’s why I want to make sure this year is fun,” Shaffer said. She also realizes this is…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — There is a quiet effectiveness about the Camp Point Central football team. And it’s obvious. The Panthers go about their duty on game nights with a business-like approach, and they fully expect to win. Most of the time, they do just that. “We go into every game confident,” said Nick Moore, the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A defensive stand could be the difference between making the playoffs and putting the gear away early. That depends on how the Unity-Payson football team seizes the momentum of last week’s victory. Brown County drove to the Mustangs’ 6-yard line and faced third and four with two minutes remaining in regulation. A fumbled…
Read Full Article AUGUSTA, Ill. — The championship bracket of the Lady Suns Classic showed competitive balance, which is why it took a tiebreaker to determine the champion. The Illini West, Unity and Southeastern volleyball teams each completed the final day of play with a 1-1 record, but the Chargers won their first four matches of the tournament…
Read Full Article AUGUSTA, Ill. — The top volleyball teams in each pool in the Lady Suns Classic cemented their spot in the championship bracket with straight-set sweeps Thursday night. Illini West continued its strong play, beating Brown County 25-16, 25-12. Josie Bryan led the Chargers with 11 kills and 12 digs, while Corin Robinson had 12 assists,…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — The big plays were a big deal. The Winchester West Central football team was able to ride the momentum of some big-play scores Friday night — and take advantage of a “gassed” Unity-Payson team — to hand the Mustangs a 28-15 loss before an opening-night crowd of about 550. West Central’s Conner…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Brady Muegge admits he was a little surprised as a junior last fall to be voted a captain for the Unity-Payson football team, an honor often reserved for seniors. His coach, Matt Woodworth, wasn’t. “He’s a leader on our team,” Woodworth said of the offense and defensive lineman who has started since…
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. MENDON, Ill. — Ashlynn…
Read Full Article RUSHVILLE, Ill. — Unity’s Saylor Barry won two events and finished second in another, Liberty’s Arianna Neisen dominated the distance events and a bevy of area athletes punched their ticket to the state track and field championships during Wednesday’s Class 1A Rushville Sectional. The state championships take place May 18-20 at O’Brien Stadium on the…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — With postseason play beginning next week, the Unity baseball team sent a message to those in the Class 1A Brown County Sectional complex on Wednesday. Don’t count the Mustangs out. Quincy High School learned that lesson. Unity scored twice in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead and Sawyer…
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. MENDON, Ill. — A…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — The Unity baseball team put Quincy Notre Dame in an unfamiliar spot. The Raiders trailed by two runs through three innings Monday. An offense that has pushed QND into this week’s Prep Baseball Report top 25 state poll wouldn’t let the deficit linger. The Raiders scored three times in the fourth inning,…
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 MENDON, Ill. — Opportunistic or powerful describes the Quincy Notre Dame softball team’s offense depending on the situation. In the first inning of Tuesday’s West Central Conference game against Unity, the Raiders seized the moment as Brooke Boden followed an error that put runners at the corners by stroking a two-run double to right field.…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central boys basketball team is taking advantage of playing the Class 1A regional on its home floor, knocking off Unity 63-47 in Wednesday’s semifinals. The Panthers will face Bushnell-Prairie City at 7 p.m. Friday in the championship. Camp Point photographer Mike Pritchard shared this photo gallery of the Panthers’ victory:
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — The Mustang Football Boosters will hold their annual spring dinner and auction from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon. Admission is $10 person, which includes a pork chop dinner served from 5-7p.m. A silent auction will run throughout the night, with a live auction…
Read Full Article Here are the girls prep basketball polls with rank, team, first-place votes, record and total points. Class 4A School W-L Pts Prv 1. Fremd (4) 27-2 65 1 2. Bolingbrook (1) 24-3 62 2 3. Alton (1) 27-1 56 4 4. Geneva (1) 24-3 55 3 5. Kenwood 25-4 39 5 6. O’Fallon 27-4 33…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — An overloaded stretch of games came at an opportune time for the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team. Now that a four-games-in-five-days binge is complete — the Raiders won all four of those games — they’ve earned the chance to recover, regroup and re-energize themselves for another barrage of challenges heading into…
Read Full Article Here are the Illinois girls prep basketball polls with rank, team, first-place votes, record, total points and previous ranking. Class 4A School W-L Pts Prv 1. Fremd (3) 24-2 55 2 2. Bolingbrook (2) 22-3 51 4 3. Geneva (1) 21-3 50 3 4. Alton 25-1 48 1 5. Kenwood 23-4 33 8 6. O’Fallon…
Read Full Article Here are the girls prep basketball polls with rank, team, first-place votes, record, total points and previous ranking. Class 4A School W-L Pts Prv 1. Alton (7) 24-0 79 2 2. Fremd 22-2 69 3 3. Geneva (1) 19-3 59 4 4. Bolingbrook 21-3 58 1 5. Normal Community 23-2 37 6 6. Whitney Young…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Ashlynn Arnsmann felt Saturday night’s mission was simple. “We knew we had to bounce back,” the Unity senior center said. And bounce back the Mustangs did. Rather impressively, too. Arnsmann scored 17 points, reeled in seven rebounds and blocked two shots to help power the Unity girls basketball team to an…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Similar script, different ending. Much, much different. The Brown County girls basketball team put the brakes on a five-game losing streak to Unity when the Hornets pulled off a surprising 47-43 come-from-behind victory Thursday night in the semifinals of the 30th Lady Panther Classic at Central High School. Brown County, ranked…
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