Unity High School
CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Brown County girls basketball team handed Unity consecutive losses for the first time this season, while Central-Southeastern continued its winning ways as both teams battled their way into the championship game of the CSE Lady Panther Classic. Brown County, ranked fifth in Class 1A, knocked off second-ranked Unity 47-43 in…
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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 Prv 1. Geneva (5) 14-2 72 2 2. Fremd (2) 17-1 67 1 3. Bolingbrook (1) 14-1 62 4 4. Alton 17-0 61 6 5. Normal Community 18-0 38 5 6. Maine South…
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CAMP POINT, Ill — Lauren Miller never broke a sweat, let alone panicked. “We knew it was going to be a long game,” the Central-Southeastern sophomore said. Long and grueling. Miller and her CSE girls basketball teammates were not rattled when Unity bolted to a sizable advantage in the first quarter of Tuesday night’s showdown…
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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 (1) 15-1 91 3 2. Geneva (5) 12-2 89 10 3. Hersey 15-3 78 1 4. Bolingbrook (2) 13-1 77 4 5. Normal Community (2) 16-0 54 8 6. Alton (1)…
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BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Unity’s Kyra Carothers would have rather been anywhere else this week than the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic. “If I’m really honest with you, I dread this tournament,” she said. “It’s right after Christmas, and I just I want my break and blah, blah, blah.” Carothers also knows how much Unity coach Brad…
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BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Muddy River News Editor David Adam provides a look at the title game of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic, which Unity won 55-46 over Brown County, through his camera lens:
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MENDON, Ill. — Maybe it was the tournament championship his team had just won. Or the appreciative response he was hearing from those who packed the gym at Unity High School. Or just possibly it was him soaking in all that is good about high school athletics on a warm December night. “This is what…
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BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — This time, the roles were reversed. When the Unity girls basketball team defeated Illini West 50-35 in Wednesday night’s semifinals of the 40th Lady Tiger Classic at Beardstown High School, the victory helped exorcise at least some of the memories from a year ago. “(Illini West) beat us three times last season,…
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MENDON, Ill. — The Unity Athletic Hall of Fame added three members Monday night as the Class of 2022 was inducted during ceremonies between games of the Mississippi Valley Invitational Tournament. The induction class includes: Brian and Julie McAllister, athlete and supporters; Ken Ellerbrock, athlete and supporter; and Mike Myers, athlete. The Unity Athletic Hall…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Nick Maynard made two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining in regulation Tuesday night to help the Unity boys basketball team seal a 45-41 victory over Monroe City in the 15th annual Rumble on the River. It also completed a sweep for the Mustangs, as the Unity girls, ranked third in Class 1A,…
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MENDON, Ill. — Ashlynn Arnsman sees her future with a clear view. For those whose sights are a little more murky, she has a plan to help them, too. The Unity multi-sport standout who recently signed a national letter of intent with the Quincy University women’s basketball team plans to study biology and use her…
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QUINCY — The moment required Ari Buehler to ignore, focus and follow through. Not an easy task on any front. Fouled with 14.4 seconds remaining in regulation and the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team clinging to a two-point lead, the freshman guard first had to become oblivious to the chatter from the Unity players…
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QUINCY — The initial Associated Press state basketball rankings set up an intriguing showdown in just two days. The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team — the defending Class 2A state champion — opens the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the state. The Raiders are 5-0 going into Thursday’s game at West Hancock…
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WHITE HALL, Ill. — The Unity volleyball team just couldn’t put it together on Wednesday night. Unforced error after unforced error piled up for the Mustangs in their Class 1A sectional championship match against Springfield Lutheran. The Mustangs made 10 unforced errors in the first set and followed that with four service errors in the…
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WHITE HALL, Ill. — The senior members of the Unity volleyball team have been to the sectional three times during their prep careers. The first two times, the Mustangs were shown the door in the semifinals. Ashlynn Arnsman, one of four Unity seniors, is intent on making this final ride a long one. “It was…
Read Full Article KNOXVILLE, Ill. — As the Unity-Payson football team broke its final postgame huddle of the season, senior quarterback/defensive back Ryle Duke found coach Matt Woodworth. The two embraced, heads buried in each other’s shoulders for several moments, following the Mustangs’ 33-14 Class 2A first-round playoff loss Saturday afternoon at Knoxville. “In every year, you hate…
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MENDON, Ill. — Maybe, just maybe, the Unity volleyball team needed a wake-up call. The Mustangs, who won the first set against Brown County with relative ease Thursday night, eventually needed a fast-and-furious finish in round two to deliver a knockout punch. “I think we got a little ahead of ourselves after that first game,”…
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MENDON, Ill. — The Unity volleyball team launched its pursuit of a Class 1A state tournament berth with a flurry. Brown County did the same. Now the two must go head-to-head to see who survives. The Mustangs and Hornets won Class 1A Unity Regional semifinals Wednesday night in straight sets, propelling them to the regional…
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A mix of prep football, collegiate volleyball and collegiate soccer made Friday a busy day and night. Here’s a look at some of the highlights: • The Quincy University women’s volleyball team continued its dominance of NCAA Division II foes throughout the Midwest, winning a pair of matches in the Midwest Regional Crossover in Hammond,…
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MENDON, Ill. — When modern technology accents old-school charm, you wind up watching a prep football game in an environment artists pen songs about and screenwriters use as inspiration for movie scripts. Friday night, this Adams County village offered one of those backdrops. From the bonfire in the neighboring yard to a respected, celebrated old…
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…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — There is an entertaining tradition on Friday nights at Central’s home football games. In between the third and fourth quarters, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” can be heard booming from the loudspeaker. And it’s as if fans and players alike begin to anticipate the arrival of the sing-a-long portion of the soft-rock…
Read Full Article AUGUSTA, Ill. — Kyra Carothers and the Unity volleyball team made a statement Saturday. The Mustangs elevated themselves to the team to beat in Class 1A in West-Central Illinois. Behind an MVP performance from Carothers, the senior outside hitter, Unity swept a pair of matches in the championship pool and won the title of the…
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MENDON, Ill. — Spend enough time exploring YouTube, TikTok or any other video streaming service and you are bound to run across an entrance or hype video featuring an offensive lineman devouring something. With that in mind, Brady Muegge knew he needed to be different. Biting the cap off a bottle of syrup accomplished that.…
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QUINCY — Faith Kientzle’s smile never fades. Why should it? Volleyball season is officially here. “It’s supposed to be fun,” said the Quincy Notre Dame senior libero, who has already verbally committed to Lincoln Land Community College. “And that’s what Coach told us. Just go out there and have fun and the other stuff will…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Don’t worry about Brooklynn Howell being ready to pitch come Saturday. Fortunately, the Unity sophomore right-hander will have a couple of days to recover from what was a marvelous — albeit taxing — effort Wednesday afternoon at Central High School. Howell pitched the seventh-seeded Unity softball team to a 4-0, 13-inning…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Photographer Mike Pritchard found himself behind the lens of his camera for two epic softball games Wednesday in the Class 1A Central Regional with seventh-seeded Unity upsetting second-seeded Pleasant Hill 4-0 in a 13-inning marathon and fifth-seeded Liberty outlasting third-seeded Central 5-4. Here is a gallery of images Pritchard captured from…
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MENDON, Ill. — Annabelle Schaffnit started to be apologetic for her answer. What the Unity senior softball player didn’t realize in the moment was how much her answer resonated. After chatting a little about the Mustangs and their ongoing season, Schaffnit was asked about how much her life revolves around sports. “I’ll be honest,” she…
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Jordan Hildebrand’s decision to stay at Millikin University for an extra year of eligibility, pursue a master’s degree and help the Big Blue women’s basketball team chase NCAA glory turned out to be a wise move. Not only will Hildebrand walk away later this year with two degrees in her hip pocket, but the 6-foot…
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BRIMFIELD, Ill. — Unity girls basketball coach Brad Begeman knew his team needed to play well early to prove it belonged on the same court as No. 1-ranked Brimfield and take the home crowd out of the game. The first eight minutes, however, couldn’t have gone any worse. Brimfield forced No. 7 Unity into nine…
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BRIMFIELD, Ill. — Unity’s masterful execution of one of basketball’s simplest plays proved to be too much for Elmwood in the Class 1A girls sectional at Brimfield High School. The Mustangs used the pick-and-roll to perfection in a 49-29 victory on Tuesday night and advanced to the sectional championship game on Thursday against the host…
Read Full Article BIGGSVILLE, Ill. — The winter storm that forced a 24-hour postponement of the Class 1A Biggsville Regional championship game might have been a blessing in disguise for the Unity girls basketball team. Abingdon-Avon must have felt like it was a curse. Tuesday night, prior to the regional semifinal victory over Monmouth United, Mustangs junior forward…
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QUINCY — In the final state rankings before the Illinois girls basketball postseason begins, not much changed for the area teams. Quincy Notre Dame remains ranked No. 1 in Class 2A and Illini West is No. 3, although the Chargers are now tied with Pana, which is enjoying a 29-1 season and has not lost…
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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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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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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Grant Surprenant knows there is nothing easy about playing and beating the same team three times in one season, let alone within a 17-day stretch. That’s why the Illini West girls basketball coach was giddy with how the Chargers played down the stretch Saturday night. Illini West limited Unity to one…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Brad Begeman calls it his Al Bundy moment. Caroline Knox doesn’t know who Al Bundy is. Yet, the Unity girls basketball coach and his senior guard are forever linked by the memory of the clutch free throws they made in the same gym at the same basket sitting on the same…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Here we go with round three. Caroline Knox did her part to make it happen with two clutch free throws. The Illini West girls basketball team’s defense held up its end of the equation. Now, two state-ranked foes will meet for the third time in 17 days and the second time…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The three state-ranked teams in the Central-Southeastern Classic field showed why they are so highly regarded with a pair of victories apiece on the tournament’s opening day. The host school showed it belongs in the conversation, too. Illini West, ranked fourth in Class 2A and the tournament favorite after winning the…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Caydee Kirkham’s confidence in herself is equal to her confidence in her teammates. Wednesday night, they showed why. Trailing state-ranked Unity by four points with four minutes remaining in regulation, the fourth-ranked Illini West girls basketball team went on a 10-2 run with four field goals coming from players not named Kirkham…
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BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — It didn’t take long for Grant Surprenant to realize Caydee Kirkham had a different demeanor Thursday night. “She had that look that she was in attack mode,” the Illini West girls basketball coach said of his senior point guard. Nothing Unity tried altered that. Kirkham delivered an MVP performance in the championship…
Read Full Article BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Unity girls basketball coach Brad Begeman needed to see how his players reacted to being in a dogfight. Their first foray was successful. The next one is already on tap. Forced to go to overtime against Brown County in Wedneday night’s semifinals of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic, Unity’s Taylor Nichols made…
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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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NASHVILLE, Ill. — Riker Triplett’s 5-yard touchdown reception on the final play of the first half Saturday put the Unity-Payson football team in position to challenge sixth-seeded Nashville in the second half of Saturday’s Class 2A first-round playoff game. The Hornets quickly pushed the challenger aside. Leading 21-14 after Triplett’s TD, Nashville scored three touchdowns…
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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…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Ryle Duke pulled no punches during a post-game assessment of his performance. “I knew I had to recover from my mistakes,” said Duke, the Unity-Payson football team’s 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior quarterback. And, boy, did he. Duke threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Cody Schaffer, which following a two-point conversion…
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In the third quarter of last Friday’s crucial Western Illinois Valley Conference North Division game against Beardstown, the Unity-Payson football team led 6-0 when it forced the Tigers to punt. The Mustangs’ Riker Triplett bolted around the right end untouched, blocked the punt, scooped it up and scored to give Unity-Payson a 12-0 lead with…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — The instinctive and smart plays Central football coach Brad Dixon continues to see from some of his youthful playmakers is as encouraging as anything else three games into the season. Sophomore quarterback Nick Moore delivered one of those plays to help the Panthers build an insurmountable lead Friday night. Facing third…
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Cecil Hunt carried the ball just six times last Friday night in the Unity-Payson football team’s 58-0 whitewashing of North Greene, but those were six carries to remember. The senior running back ripped off a 93-yard touchdown run with a little less than four minutes remaining in the first quarter. With 16 seconds remaining in…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Matt Woodworth found it easy to pinpoint what he enjoyed most about his head coaching debut. “The aggression we played with,” the Unity-Payson football coach said. The Mustangs made Woodworth’s first game memorable, holding North Greene to minus-33 yards rushing in a 58-0 whitewashing Friday night. The Mustangs outgained the Spartans 484-119…
Read Full Article Girls Volleyball At The Pit, Quincy Notre Dame Quincy Notre Dame defeated Unity 25-17, 25-21. Junior middle Abbey Schreacke led the Raiders with 11 kills, two blocks and three aces. Senior setter Maggie Drew had 27 assists, and junior right side Laela Hernandez-Jones had six kills and nine digs. Men’s Soccer At Ellison Poulton Stadium,…
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MENDON, Ill. — The blowback from Community Unit School District No. 4’s decision to remain mask optional is impacting the district’s athletic programs. The Unity girls volleyball team was scheduled to play its season opener Tuesday at home against Griggsville-Perry, but because of CUSD No. 4’s mask policy, Griggsville-Perry will not play the match. Illinois…
Read Full Article Boys Golf Alton Redbird Invitational at Spencer T. Olin Golf Course Quincy High School finishes fifth at 313. Breese Mater Dei wins the title with a 306, followed by Edwardsville (307), O’Fallon (311) and Springfield (312). Cameron Bergman leads the Blue Devils with a 76 to finish 10th individually, and Brady Walker posts a 77.…
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QUINCY — In the brief amount of time Conner McLaughlin has been involved with the burgeoning Quincy University sprint football program, he’s answered a string of questions from those who have never heard of the sport. Is it 8-on-8? Is it 5-on-5? Is it flag football? Is it played in the spring? McLaughlin answers each…
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