Illinois
QUINCY — A family showdown. A preview of things to come for the John Wood Community College men’s basketball program. A last hurrah for two storied senior classes. The start of a new summer basketball tradition. The Muddy River Showcase boys basketball all-star game had it all. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — By the time she finally had a chance to sit and relax for a moment, Caydee Kirkham felt the aftereffects of spending 39 of the 40 minutes in the inaugural Muddy River Showcase girls basketball game on the floor. “My legs are cramping a lot,” she said. “But it was fun, so that’s…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The inaugural Muddy River Showcase got off to a rousing start as the Illinois girls all-stars overcome diminished depth to outrun Missouri and post a 67-55 victory Saturday at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the intensity, camaraderie and enjoyment of the players and coaches…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Greg Altmix floated the idea. The Muddy River Showcase organizing committee became enamored with it. And Brock Edris signed off on it. Right then, another level of intrigue was added to the Illinois vs. Missouri all-star basketball event. Quincy High School all-stater Jeremiah Talton originally declined his invitation to play in the boys…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — After running up and down the court for the better part of an hour Thursday night, the Illinois girls all-stars wrapped up their final practice before Saturday’s inaugural Muddy River Showcase. They weren’t quite done, though. Hallie Ray and Abbie Johnson, teammates at Illini West, asked if they could stick around John Wood…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — It’s only fitting the final two area baseball teams left standing in the Land of Lincoln were honored with spots on the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state teams. Brown County senior center fielder/pitcher Gabe Blakeley and Quincy Notre Dame junior first baseman/pitcher Dalton Miller were named to the Class 1A and…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Despite a shoulder injury that now has her prepping for surgery, Eryn Cornwell remained a force in the middle of the Quincy Notre Dame softball team’s lineup. Her production resulted in receiving Class 2A first-team all-state honors from the Illinois Coaches Association. QND freshman Caitlin Bunte was a second-team selection, while five area…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Only a father can truly appreciate a day like Saturday. Quincy’s Jeff Scott, son Riley and daughter Avery all finished among the top eight in the Briggs Heavy class of the Grand Prix of Karting on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon at South Park. “It’s awesome,” Jeff Scott said. “Being able to race with…
Read Full Article 
QUNCY — We’ve reached the equivalent of the one-third mark in the dirt-track season at Adams County Speedway. With no racing scheduled Sunday — the track is off to allow race fans to attend the Grand Prix of Karting at South Park — it’s a good time to sit back and reflect. Here’s one man’s…
Read Full Article Here is the Muddy River Sports Leaderboard for the second week of June: Stevie Dirt DIRTY THIRTY rankings Sport Mods 1. Adam Birck: He’s established himself as the steadiest driver in the series. He leads in both track points and Muddy River Performance Points. 2. Tanner Klingele: There are two sport mod drivers with five…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — So, how in the world did Austen Becerra win that race? Becerra, with his modified trailored for the night after a series of mechanical issues earlier Sunday evening, asked a friend if he could borrow his ride for the feature at Adams County Speedway. But Becerra wasn’t just asking to borrow another modified.…
Read Full Article 
PEORIA, Ill. — These weren’t Texas leaguers, nubbers or Punch-and-Judy pokes coming off the bats of the Brown County baseball players. “There weren’t a lot of balls hit soft,” first baseman Mason Henry said. “Every ball was hit on the screws.” Too often, though, they were within the reach of the Louisville North Clay outfielders.…
Read Full Article 
PEORIA, Ill. — The traffic along Highway 24 between Peoria and Mount Sterling was steady late Saturday afternoon. After all, most of Mount Sterling made the trek to River City in order to watch the Brown County baseball team play for the Class 1A state championship. Although the Hornets lost 12-4 to Louisville North Clay…
Read Full Article 
PEORIA, Ill. — The tension gripping the Brown County baseball team’s dugout and its legion of fans in the stands apparently wasn’t being felt by those on the field. “I was calm the entire time,” shortstop Colby Wort said. “I had my whole belief in our pitchers and our fielders.” Hornets center fielder Gabe Blakeley’s…
Read Full Article 
PEORIA, Ill. — After a bunt single loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh inning, Ottawa Marquette freshman center fielder Julian Alexander thought the Crusaders had put Brown County in a precarious spot. He even told Hornets shortstop Colby Wort so. “I thought it was pretty funny,” Wort said. “He’s…
Read Full Article 
PEORIA, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team snared the lead in the first inning, extended it in the third inning and never relinquished it in beating Ottawa Marquette 2-1 in the Class 1A state semifinals Friday at Dozer Park. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the atmosphere and action on and off the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The most fascinating accomplishments in the long and storied history of Adams County Speedway? That, of course, is a topic that might earn a hundred different answers from a hundred different dirt-track fans — myself included. While you contemplate your own responses, here are a few of mine from the 24-plus years I…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team will be making the program’s first appearance in the state final four Friday when it faces Ottawa Marquette at 10 a.m. at Peoria’s Dozer Park in the Class 1A state semifinals. Hornets coach Jared Hoots sat down with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman for an…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — A slow drive down Main Street on Wednesday night — the way the posted speed limit intends it — allowed onlookers and gawkers to witness what community spirit truly is. Outside Hagel 1891, a modern American cuisine restaurant located next to Dorothy’s Market in the historic Hagel building, had green and…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Everyone in the Brown County baseball team’s dugout and those on the field could see Carrollton’s Grant Pohlman looming in the on-deck circle and casting a rather sizable shadow over the Claude Kracik Field grass. “We knew he was coming up and we knew what he had done to us,” Hornets catcher…
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Brown County baseball coach Jared Hoots struggled a little to come up with an apt description for Colby Wort’s effort. “He is a competitive animal,” Hoot said. “Whatever adjective you want to use, go for it. The slang would be a dog. Some people say a competitive fire. I don’t know what…
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team made history Monday, beating Carrollton 4-3 in the Class 1A Springfield Super-Sectional at Lincoln Land Community College’s Claude Kracik Field to advance to the state final four for the first time ever. The Hornets are guaranteed to bring home the first state trophy in school history. Muddy…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The streak lives. Robert Cottom continued his early season domination at Adams County Speedway with a scintillating Sunday night street stock feature win. Cottom claimed his fourth straight main-event victory, fueled by a last-lap pass of Jake Powers. Cottom had been the pursuer the first 17 laps of the feature before turning the…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Brown County Hornets advance to the Lincoln Land Super Sectional with an 11-1 win Concord Triopia in the Class 1A Sectional final at Alumni Field. Mason Henry was the star for the Hornets. He scattered five hits over six innings with just one earned run allowed and five strikeouts. He also…
Read Full Article 
CHARLESTON, Ill. — Ezra Thompson led the brigade of area athletes into the finals of the Class 1A boys state track and field championship. The Central leaper qualified for two events, finishing seventh in the long jump at 6.47 meters and eighth in the triple jump at 12.76 meters. He will compete in the finals…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Gabe Blakeley merely said out loud what the rest of the Brown County players were thinking to themselves. When the time arrives for the Hornets to leave the baseball field for the final time this spring, they want to be carrying one thing with them. “The state championship trophy,” Blakeley said. Thanks…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Reaper will always remember Quincy quite well, specifically the dirt track at 8000 Broadway. McKay “The Reaper” Wenger smiles when his No. 42 super late model approaches the flagman’s stand at Adams County Speedway. After winning a feature in Quincy in 2016, and moments after accepting the checkered flag in victory lane,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is a look at this week’s Adams County Speedway leaderboards: Stevie Dirt Dirty Thirty rankings Sport Mods 1. Logan Cumby: That second dominating feature win catapulted him back to the top spot. 2. Adam Birck: He’s the only Missouri sport mod driver in the rankings. Birck also extended his string of consecutive…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Karsyn Moorman waited, then delivered. The Brown County softball team’s left-handed-hitting first baseman drilled a two-run single after Havana made a pitching change in the second inning to give the Hornets a 5-0 lead in Wednesday’s Class 1A Jacksonville Routt Sectional semifinal. The Hornets were in a position to avenge their lone…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — For a fleeting few minutes, the Liberty softball team had everyone thinking its magical run might continue. With two outs in the top of the first inning Tuesday against the state’s No. 1-ranked team, the Eagles made a little noise. Larissa Neisen and Natalie Hildebrand collected back-to-back singles before a strikeout ended…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Tommy Sheppard Jr. saved his best for last. Actually, the last four laps. Sheppard dazzled Sunday night’s big turnout at Adams County Speedway with a late-race charge that admittedly stunned frontrunners Ryan Unzicker and Jason Feger. Sheppard, who had been a bottom feeder throughout the 40-lap MARS super late model special, spent most…
Read Full Article 
CHARLESTON, Ill. — Olivia Campbell discovered twice is nice. The defending Class 1A state discus champion, the Pittsfield senior was the only thrower in the field to break the 42-meter barrier, doing it in both the preliminaries and the finals of the Class 1A girls state track and field championships. Her toss of 42.47 meters…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — As usual, Taryn Moorman was in complete control. That should not have come as a surprise, considering what she had already accomplished during her junior season as the ace of the Brown County softball team. “Taryn throws strikes,” Brown County coach David Woodruff said. “She also works quickly and never gets…
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — B.J. Fessler was prepared for it to happen. The Liberty softball coach had watched, time and time again this season, his team play well but lose games because of one disastrous inning. So when the Eagles took the lead in Friday afternoon’s Class 1A regional championship game with three runs in…
Read Full Article MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Mason Henry’s last day as a high school senior received the perfect punctuation. Moments after exiting Brown County High School for the last time as a student, the left-hander pitched the Hornets baseball team to a Class 1A regional championship — on his home field, no less. Henry was in complete…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — That friendly, almost folksy voice that permeates the grounds of Adams County Speedway is always a welcome greeting for fans and drivers alike. When the deep, baritone sounds of announcer Doug Mealy are first heard Sunday evenings, everyone knows racing is not far behind at the dirt track tucked away off the entrance…
Read Full Article 
CHARLESTON, Ill. — Shannon O’Neil keeps going faster and faster, while Olivia Campbell keeps throwing farther and farther. Saturday, they will have the chance to make a little history. O’Neil, the Liberty senior hurdler, lowered her school-record time in the 300-meter hurdles yet again Thursday during the preliminaries at the Class 1A girls state track…
Read Full Article 
RUSHVILLE, Ill. — The combination of springs and speed led to a historic moment Wednesday night for the Central boys track and field program. The Panthers won three individual field events and two sprint relays at the Class 1A Rushville-Industry Sectional on Wednesday. It led to Central piling up 90 team points and capturing the…
Read Full Article 
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…
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — Jade Blair’s hair was a bit frazzled, and her eyes carried a look that her check-engine light was probably blinking. Still, the Liberty right-hander was able to gather her wits, weather a couple of late-inning storms and pitch the Eagles past Central 5-4 in the Class 1A Central Regional softball semifinals…
Read Full Article 
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…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Tanner Klingele was living the high life. Literally. Normally, the 27-year-old driver prefers to work his way around the low groove at Adams County Speedway, but Sunday night saw Klingele take to the high line to eventually outlast Adam Birck, Joe Bliven and Nicholas Profeta in a dandy four-car battle for the checkered…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — West Central Illinois will be well represented at the Illinois girls state track and field championships next weekend at O’Brien Stadium on the Eastern Illinois University campus in Charleston. Quincy High School pushed two athletes through the Class 3A Danville Sectional on Thursday, while Illini West got two through at the Class 1A…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A.J. Tournear mirrors the feelings of most drivers and fans alike who have found their way back to Adams County Speedway, which in its former lifetime was known as Quincy Raceways. Tournear’s emotions can be felt through his responses. “Dirt-track racing is everything to me,” said the driver behind the wheel of the…
Read Full Article 
LIBERTY, Ill. — Jared Schmidt’s excitement is understandable. Despite a spring in which the weather has been “absolutely atrocious,” the Liberty girls track and field team has piled up a number of school records in individual events. Now the weather is ripe for running as the Eagles head to Friday’s Class 1A Beardstown Sectional. “So…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Adam Birck will readily admit the top groove at Adams County Speedway is not necessarily his pursuit of choice. Sunday night, however, was different. Birck found the fastest way around the track — and to catch Logan Cumby — was by pushin’ the cushion. Birck took to the top relatively early in the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The message came through loud and clear. Whichever prep softball team wins the Class 1A Jacksonville Routt Sectional is going to have to earn it. Pleasant Hill took a pair of games from top competition at the QND Cluster, outlasting Central 6-5 after stymieing the Panthers’ rally from a six-run deficit and then…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Obviously, the kid is a natural. Actually, Logan Cumby is only a “kid” in a dirt-track racing sense, but the 26-year-old is rapidly opening eyes in his sport mod rookie season at Adams County Speedway. Cumby won his first feature in just his second try at the Broadway Bullring, warding off a deep…
Read Full Article 
PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Steve Smith became known throughout West-Central Illinois as one of the region’s most influential and impartial basketball referees. For Katie Cox, he was simply grandpa. “He truly always wanted me to be the best,” said Cox, a senior three-sport athlete at Pittsfield High School. “With everything I did, he was pushing me.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Want to relive the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s postseason run to the Class 2A state championship? Would you want to revisit the Liberty boys basketball team’s pursuit of the highest state tournament finish in program history? Here’s your chance. Muddy River Sports has put together a pair of commemorative editions, highlighting…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The ability to produce in every spot in the order is what has made the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team a 20-win season. A never-say-die attitude has done the same for Brown County. Monday, glimpses of both were evident. The Raiders sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning,…
Read Full Article 
The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. CARTHAGE, Ill. — Grant Surprenant took a hiatus from basketball…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The comeback track has another fan. Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, a St. Louis native who these days keeps himself busy driving a dirt-track modified, showed up unannounced Sunday night at Adams County Speedway. Wallace knew of the track’s recent troubled past — it had been shuttered since late 2019 — and felt…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jimmy Lieurance is the first to admit there were some hiccups. But not many. “I was totally blown away by the community’s response,” said Lieurance, who with his wife, Tammy, are one week into their first year of operating Adams County Speedway, the .29-mile dirt track that had been shut down for two…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Cannen Wolf’s plan didn’t go exactly how either he or Liberty track coach Jared Schmidt envisioned. Luckily, there will be other chances to chase the school record in the 1,600-meter run. Should Wolf chase the record down, it would be the perfect catapult to an NCAA Division I track career. The Eagles senior…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The man they call “Superman” provided the perfect punctuation for a perfect night. Moments after “Superman Sam” Halstead outdueled Denny Woodworth to win the season-opening late model feature at Adams County Speedway — formerly known as Quincy Raceways — he delivered a loud and oh-so-clear message Sunday night to the raucous crowd of…
Read Full Article 
RUSHVILLE, Ill. — Ezra Thompson’s leaping ability, Jettason Rose’s speed and LaMarrio Rodgers’ strength were the highlights of the 19th Rob Garcia Invitational, which featured 17 prep track and field teams. Central’s Thompson shattered his personal best in the triple jump, winning the event with a leap of 12.45 meters. He also set a new…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jimmy Lieurance has his fingers crossed. And so do about 100 racers and a few thousand dirt-track fans. “If we don’t get any more rain, we’ll be able to race Sunday,” said Lieurance, the 62-year-old first-year promoter at Adams County Speedway. Realistically, that might be a big “if.” “There’s a 38-percent chance of…
Read Full Article 
MENDON, Ill. — One swing gave Aidan Obert the memory for a lifetime. The Unity baseball team trailed Southeastern 5-1 going to the sixth inning last Friday when the Mustangs began piecing together a rally. With one out, Cody Shaffer walked, Obert was hit by a pitch and Bryson Muegge reached on an error to…
Read Full Article 
PAYSON, Ill. — Kylie Simmons earned the ultimate sign of respect. Pitchers quit pitching to her. A senior on the Payson Seymour softball team, Simmons drew six walks in three victories last week as the Indians knocked off Unity, Griggsville-Perry and Pittsfield. The rest of the damage she did was more impressive. Simmons went 7…
Read Full Article 
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…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team fought the Law and the Law won. With two outs in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday and Brown County having already scored once in the frame to take the lead, the Raiders chose to intentionally walk Karsyn Moorman after a passed ball allowed both runners…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Gabe Blakeley’s success and the 7-0 start for the Brown County baseball team are going hand-in-hand. In his last three games, Blakeley has gone 7 for 10 with five runs scored, four RBIs and three doubles as the Hornets outscored their opponents 38-2 in that stretch. That included a 4-for-4 effort…
Read Full Article 
LIBERTY, Ill. — For a University of Illinois graduate who has remained loyal to his alma mater and is a basketball junkie through and through, walking out of the tunnel onto the State Farm Center court was like living out a dream. Seeing his players live out their dream of playing for a state championship…
Read Full Article 
The success of teams throughout the area on the boys basketball scene led to incredible memories and remarkable performances on both sides of the Mississippi River. Here is the inaugural Muddy River Sports boys basketball all-area team, with the the 10 players listed in alphabetical order:
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — Keaton Dickhut harbored ideas of being a multi-sport athlete when he entered high school, but physically, he didn’t exactly fit the part. “I couldn’t even jump up and touch the net if I wanted to,” said Dickhut, now a senior three-sport athlete at Central who said he checked in at 5-foot-7…
Read Full Article 
The success of teams throughout the area on the girls basketball scene led to a vast number of players on both sides of the Mississippi River receiving postseason honors. Here is the inaugural Muddy River Sports all-area team, with the the 10 players listed in alphabetical order:
Read Full Article 
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — It turned out to be a medal-filled weekend for area track athletes at the Illinois Top Times indoor championships at the Shirk Center on the Illinois State University campus. Jettason Rose led a trio of Quincy High School runners into the finals by placing in the top five in two events in…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Jeremiah Talton’s senior season ranks as one of the best produced by a Quincy High School boys basketball player in the last quarter century. It’s fitting then he is only the second player in that span to receive first-team all-state honors. The 6-foot-6 Talton, who led the Blue Devils to a 28-6 season,…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The arena entrance was breath-taking, and the postgame exit was humbling. Yet, the welcome the Liberty boys basketball team received in its own gym from a community that raced home from the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center following Saturday’s Class 1A state championship game made the experience complete. “I wasn’t expecting…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Logan Robbins embraces playing defense. Actually, he enjoys it quite a bit. “It’s another way to impact the game,” said Robbins, a 6-foot-5 senior forward on the Liberty boys basketball team. “And if you can get the guy your guarding frustrated, it’s going to give you an edge.” It helps explain why…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Alex Altmix harbors dreams of eventually being a head coach and running his own high school basketball program. Should his brother, Jordan, want the same thing, neither will have to search far to find a blueprint for success. It’s been in front of them since the day either picked up a whistle.…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Greg Altmix was agitated, and he had no problem telling his Liberty boys basketball team why. The veteran head coach scanned the Class 1A all-state teams released Wednesday by the Associated Press and didn’t see any of his players on the first or second team despite their upcoming appearance in the final…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Breiton Klingele’s hairstyle came down to a choice. Not a bet. Not a dare. Not anything other than a conscious decision to let it grow. “I just decided it one day, so I started growing it,” Klingele said. “No other reason. I just wanted a mullet.” The Liberty senior’s long, curly locks…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The fans of the Liberty and Southeastern boys basketball teams filled the Jacksonville Bowl on Monday night for a titanic matchup in the Class 1A Jacksonville Super-Sectional. Photographer Steve Davis captured the moments from start to finish. Below is a gallery of Davis’ images.
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Devin Klauser likely has never been in trouble for talking in class at Liberty High School. The senior is a guy of few words. Very, very few words. “He’s kind of shy,” Eagles teammate Cannen Wolf said, with the expected grin. The 6-foot-6 Klauser let his performance on the floor do his…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Danny Stephens will be back for a curtain call. The 6-foot-7 Stephens’ junior year came to halt Monday night when he and his Southeastern Suns were beaten by a talented — and deep — Liberty team 49-42 in the Class 1A Jacksonville Super-Sectional at the Jacksonville Bowl. The defeat did not diminish…
Read Full Article 
WHITE HALL, Ill. — Understandably, Breiton Klingele found it difficult to keep his emotions in check. “Ever since I was little, all I have wanted to do was play in the state tournament,” he said. Well, Klingele, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, and his Liberty teammates now find themselves one step away from the Class 1A…
Read Full Article 
ABINGDON, Ill. — Late in the first half Friday night, Danny Stephens turned to the bench and tugged at his jersey, signaling he needed a break. The breather never came for the Southeastern standout forward, but that didn’t stop him from powering the Suns to a dazzling finish and 45-34 victory over Peoria Christian in…
Read Full Article 
ABINGDON, Ill. — Former University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal liked to say, “You dance with who brung you,” when referring to the importance of consistency — especially when his quarterback was handing the ball off to Heisman Trophy-winning running back Earl Campbell. The Southeastern boys basketball team has consistently danced with Danny Stephens…
Read Full Article 
WHITE HALL, Ill. — The inbounds play worked the way Liberty coach Greg Altmix thought it would. Clayton Obert set a screen for Logan Robbins, who curled toward the basket. “Our first option was actually open,” Altmix said. Cannen Wolf, who was throwing the inbounds pass with 2.9 seconds left in the game, didn’t agree.…
Read Full Article 
GRIGGSVILLE, Ill. — Logan Robbins’ right knee is feeling just fine, thank you. So is that troublesome left ankle. Finally able to showcase his overall talent that had been hampered much of the season because of injuries, Robbins helped power Liberty to a 59-39 victory over Winchester-Bluffs West Central in Friday’s Class 1A regional championship…
Read Full Article 
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Pleasant Plains’ Zach Powell dribbled across the lane midway through the third quarter and tossed up a right-handed hook shot that Quincy Notre Dame’s Jake Wallingford got a fingertip on. Powell grabbed the rebound, then went back up for a second shot — only for Wallingford to swat it into a group…
Read Full Article 
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…
Read Full Article 
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The rules of high school basketball call for a game to be played for 32 minutes, but the Quincy Notre Dame basketball team needed less than five Wednesday night. The Raiders dominated their Class 2A regional semifinal matchup with Illini West, scoring the game’s first 12 points and leading 30-10 at halftime…
Read Full Article 
GRIGGSVILLE, Ill. — Better late than never. Liberty withstood Griggsville-Perry’s upset bid Wednesday night in a Class 1A regional semifinal game, eventually pulling away in the final quarter to secure a 61-47 victory. The top-seeded Eagles (25-5) entered the game a huge favorite but were unable to turn back Griggsville-Perry (15-17) — a team they…
Read Full Article 
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The West Hancock boys basketball team appeared to be primed for a massive upset when it got within 31-30 with 5:15 remaining to play in the third quarter. Five minutes of a leaky zone defense proved costly. The Titans gave up 16 of the game’s next 18 points, and not even a…
Read Full Article 
GRIGGSVILLE, Ill. — Unfortunately, the third time was not the charm for the Payson Seymour boys basketball team. The Indians saw their postseason run come to an abrupt end Wednesday night when Winchester West Central posted a 62-49 victory in a Class 1A Griggsville-Perry Regional semifinal game. West Central’s victory was its third this season…
Read Full Article 
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 
WAVERLY, Ill. — The team with a penchant for fourth-quarter magic needed to drum up another miracle moment. Shots have to fall for that to happen. Tuesday night, in the semifinals of the Class 2A Waverly Sectional, the Illini West girls basketball team couldn’t make a field goal to start a rally until the deficit…
Read Full Article 