Quincy
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Quincy High School football team created a glimmer of hope in its pursuit of a playoff berth. It faded with one bad snap. Despite allowing Rock Island to score touchdowns on its first three possessions Friday night at Almquist Field, the Blue Devils were in perfect striking distance down 21-18…
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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…
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ALTON, Ill. — The same bugaboo that had hampered the Quincy High School boys soccer team during the regular season became the Blue Devils undoing in the postseason. They struggled to finish. The fifth-seeded Blue Devils hit a post with one shot, nicked the crossbar with at least one other and created opportunities in front…
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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 — Ron Bridal had a plan if Grayson Cook was game. If it kept him from running cross country, Cook certainly was intrigued. Three years ago, when Cook and his parents were in the Quincy High School athletic office after enrolling him for his freshman year, they happened to cross paths with Bridal, the…
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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 — Adon Byquist took care of things in the first half, and two touchdowns in the first minute of the second half sealed a 48-0 victory for the Quincy High School football team over hapless Rock Island Alleman in a Western Big Six game on Friday night at Flinn Stadium. The victory evens the…
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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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BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Luke Guthrie moved up the leaderboard for the third straight day and he’s moving on to bigger and better things because of it. The Quincy native regained his Korn Ferry Tour card for the 2022 season by shooting a 2-under 70 in Friday’s final round of the Korn Ferry Q-School’s second stage.…
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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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STERLING, Ill. — Fiker Rosen made it a clean sweep. Anna Schuering and the rest of the Quincy High School cross country runners did, too. Rosen won his fourth consecutive Western Big 6 Conference individual championship while leading the QHS boys to back-to-back titles during Thursday’s conference meet at Hoover Park. Meanwhile, Schuering won her…
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BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Luke Guthrie moved closer to regaining his Korn Ferry Tour card for the 2022 season. The Quincy native climbed six spots up the leaderboard Thursday during the third round of the Korn Ferry Tour Q-School’s second stage, shooting a 5-under 67 for the second consecutive day at Southern Hills Plantation Club. Guthrie…
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BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Luke Guthrie played himself into contention. After opening the second stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School by shooting a 1-over 73 at the Southern Hills Plantation Club, the Quincy native responded during Wednesday’s second round with a 5-under 67 that vaulted him 33 spots up the leaderboard and into a tie for…
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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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FORSYTH, Ill. — Laci Novosel didn’t sugarcoat it. “Oh, it was bad,” she said. But it wasn’t so bad she couldn’t laugh it off. “I only cried like twice,” she said with a chuckle. It was that kind of day for the Quincy High School girls golfers. A few tears accompanied wayward shots and frustration…
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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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QUINCY — During Rick Little’s tenure as Quincy High School football coach, the Blue Devils have been known as a pretty tough team to beat at Flinn Stadium. This fall, winning at Flinn has been anything but easy for the Blue Devils. On Friday night, the Blue Devils finally found the right combination, mixing heavy…
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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…
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FORSYTH, Ill. — The fluctuating leaderboard had the Quincy High School girls golf team bouncing anywhere from fifth to eighth place every couple of holes Friday afternoon. It made everyone a little leery of what was transpiring. So as Laci Novosel, one of two seniors and the only current Blue Devil with state tournament experience,…
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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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QUINCY — Laci Novosel couldn’t choose. Given the option of having a higher grade point average or a lower strokes-per-round average, the Quincy High School senior golfer and self-described nerd wavered in the middle. “Oh, gosh, I can’t pick,” Novosel said. “I have to have both. My entire life is school and golf. It equals…
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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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MORRIS, Ill. — Quincy High School boys golf coach Randy Mettemeyer understands there are days you tip your cap to the field and appreciate the darts others are throwing. Monday was one of those days. The Blue Devils had three players shoot in the 70s and posted a 311 total at the Class 3A Lockport…
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AUBURN, Ill. — There’s a benefit to playing a schedule chock full of talented opponents. The Quincy Notre Dame girls golfers are realizing that. The regular-season setbacks suffered against Quincy High School and Macomb — teams that won regional championships and are sending golfers to their respective state tournaments — prepped the Raiders to be…
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WASHINGTON, Ill. — The Quincy High School girls golfers made a pact with Blue Devils coach Hanlynn Vahlkamp not to check the digital scoring app while on the course during Monday’s Class 2A sectional at Quail Meadows Golf Course. “It makes us a little too anxious,” Vahlkamp said. So Sophia Gold never took a peek.…
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'We played flat out terrible': QND buried by state-ranked Mahomet Seymour in third-quarter avalanche
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team was still in the game. The Raiders trailed 14-0 at halftime, but they forced a three-and-out by Mahomet Seymour on the first series of the third quarter. A poor punt gave QND the ball at the Bulldogs’ 42-yard line. A running play on first down moved the…
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STERLING, Ill. — A near-perfect start for the Quincy High School football team offered hope of beating Sterling for the first time as Western Big 6 Conference counterparts. A series of miscues dashed all hope. The Golden Warriors answered the Blue Devils’ game-opening touchdown drive by scoring 44 straight points and securing a 50-18 victory…
Read Full Article PETERSBURG, Ill. — Jason Knuffman has determined the best way to coach his daughter is not to coach her at all. That strategy seems to be working well for both of them. Hana Knuffman shot a 7-over 79 to finish in second place, and the Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team turned in its best…
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QUINCY — Moments after learning they had won the Class 2A regional championship on Thursday afternoon at Westview Golf Course, the Quincy High School girls golf team was … well, relaxed. They sat on the back deck of the Westview clubhouse, looking at their phones, chatting and eating snacks and petting a couple of dogs.…
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy High School golf team picked a great time to post its best score of the season. The Blue Devils finished with a season-best 305 strokes, one behind champion O’Fallon, in the Class 3A regional tournament at Arlington Greens Golf Course. Cameron Bergman shot a 73 to place second, followed by…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Ross Thompson didn’t let a rocky start to his round bother him. Zane Douglas didn’t let a rocky start to his season bother him. The Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team posted a 323 — its best second score of the year — to finish in third place at the Class 2A…
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QUINCY — Tanner Stuckman doesn’t know much about Finland. “Well, I do know it gets cold,” he said. “it’s gonna be very cold. I made sure to pack my parka with me.” Stuckman didn’t have much time to pack. After agreeing on a professional basketball contract Sunday night and signing it Monday morning, the Quincy…
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BREESE, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame never could find an answer for Breese Mater Dei’s passing combination of Bryce Reverman and Cameron Haag. And for the second consecutive week, the Raiders’ passing game has plenty of questions. Reverman threw four touchdown passes to Haag — three on the same pass pattern — and connected 12…
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QUINCY — Unfortunately, the highlight of Quincy High’s homecoming football game came during the break between the third and fourth quarters. That’s when the crowd provided a much-needed lift, accompanying the recording of Neil Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline” that was booming from the sound system. Other than that, however, the highlights were few and far…
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QUINCY — The challenges the Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team’s lineup faced early in the season due to COVID-19 quarantines and procedures have finally passed. Now, the Raiders seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time. Blake Arnold does, too. QND defended its West Central Conference championship, posting its second-best team score…
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QUINCY — The moment after contact, Macomb’s Lily Vardaman called it. “As the shot was in air, she was like, ‘Hole-in-one, baby!’” Quincy High School senior golfer Laci Novosel said. “It sounded good, which is why she said that. And it looked good.” It turned out perfect. Last Saturday, playing in the Macomb Invitational at…
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GALESBURG, Ill. — Laci Novosel and Paige Cain’s careers are perfect. At least they are against Western Big 6 Conference competition. The Quincy High School senior golfers led the Blue Devils to their fifth straight conference championship Monday, posting a team total of 310 at Lake Bracken Country Club. For both golfers, it’s four seasons…
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MILAN, Ill. — Quincy High School boys golf coach Randy Mettemeyer knew the Blue Devils could take nothing for granted despite their history of success in the Western Big 6 Conference championships and their status as the defending champions. “We knew it wasn’t just show up and bring the trophy home,” Mettemeyer said. They had…
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Jack Cornell bristles at the notion special teams aren’t prioritized in the same way as offense and defense. At Quincy Notre Dame, they are. “One-hundred percent,” said Cornell, the Raiders’ fourth-year head coach. And for good reason. “We’re not your average football team,” Cornell said. “We’re not trying to be your…
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EAST MOLINE, Ill. — It was difficult to tell which was more dominant — Quincy High School’s offense or defense. The Blue Devils racked up 399 yards of total offense and limited United Township to 19 yards of offense in the first half in an impressive 48-14 victory Friday night in Western Big 6 Conference…
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Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman talks to long-time local soccer coach Matt Longo about his career, his legendary father and Cardinal baseball.
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QUINCY — For a team desperately trying to hold its rival at bay and make amends for the batterings of recent past, Boen Brockmiller’s game-tying goal gave the Quincy High School boys soccer team the belief any and everything was possible. The Blue Devils’ defense latched on to that. “It gives us a blanket of…
Read Full Article EAST MOLINE, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys soccer team is in control of its fate. Tuesday night’s 1-0 victory over United Township moved the Blue Devils into sole possession of first place in the Western Big 6 Conference as they try to regain the crown they’ve worn more than any other team in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ben Kasparie didn’t need long to crush Marceline’s spirit. After intercepting a pass deep in the Quincy Notre Dame football team’s territory and returning it to the Tigers’ 20-yard line in the first quarter of last Friday’s game at Advance Physical Therapy Field, Kasparie scored on a 5-yard run to give the Raiders…
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QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team is developing an offense that can attack opponents in all sorts of ways. Calvin Lavery threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns, Elliott Maas and Ben Kasparie combined for 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns, Jackson Stratton caught five passes and two touchdowns, and six other receivers…
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QUINCY — Moline football coach Mike Morrisey’s postgame huddle lasted a brief moment, but it came with a poignant message. “Nice show of character in the second half,” he told the Maroons. “That’s the type of football we want to play.” Quincy High School coach Rick Little’s huddle lasted a touch longer, but it provided…
Read Full Article Here are the latest rankings of Illinois high school football teams in each class, according to an Associated Press panel of sportswriters: Class 8A School W-L Pts Prv 1. Naperville Central (3) …
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QUINCY — Quincy High School boys soccer coach Ron Bridal wasn’t about to allow fatigued legs from games on back-to-back nights morph into an excuse for sloppy, uninspired play. Learning to handle such a scenario is vital in the long run. “To come back tonight was a challenge,” Bridal said Wednesday night at Flinn Stadium…
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QUINCY — Greg Quince didn’t dwell on what could have been. He was more concerned with what needed to happen next. The Quincy High School football team’s starting strong safety then made one of what Blue Devils coach Rick Little considered the top two defensive plays of the game in the 27-20 victory over Alton…
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QUINCY — Jackson Stratton understands there is an expectation now. The Quincy Notre Dame junior linebacker scored on an opponent’s punt attempt for the second consecutive week when he scooped up Rock Island Alleman’s botched punt and returned it 2 yards into the end zone as part of a 59-0 whitewashing Friday night at Advance…
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By STEVE EIGHINGER QUINCY — There was no letdown. Quincy Notre Dame, fresh off an emotional — and convincing — victory a week earlier at Quincy High School, continued its early season surge with a 59-0 dismantling of Rock Island Alleman on Friday night at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Ranked No. 4 among the state’s…
Read Full Article ALTON, Ill. — The Quincy Blue Devils started the season with three quarterbacks sharing snaps, but after two weeks of football, a leader has emerged from the pack. Adon Byquist passed for three touchdowns and 172 yards, and he ran for another touchdown Friday night as the Blue Devils grabbed an early lead and held…
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QUINCY — The memories from the five-goal outburst the Gateway Legacy Christian Academy boys soccer team enjoyed against what had been an otherwise impenetrable Quincy Notre Dame defense back in the spring remained fresh. So fresh, in fact, the Raiders felt like underdogs even in their own hallways. “A lot of people counted us out…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The decision to cancel the Quincy High School volleyball team’s match against Hannibal, which was scheduled to be played Thursday night at the Pirates’ Korf Gym, was made with the best of intentions. “We’re trying to be cautious and make sure we get through the year,” QHS athletic director Matt McClelland said. The…
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QUINCY — The top goal scorer in the history of the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer program didn’t take long to net his first collegiate goal. A substitute midway through the first half of Sunday’s match against Creighton, Saint Louis University freshman forward Seth Anderson scored with a left-footed shot in the 33rd minute of…
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QUINCY — Calvin Lavery started to squat before realizing his muscles wouldn’t allow it. So the Quincy Notre Dame quarterback stayed standing as he talked about dealing with cramps throughout the Raiders’ 40-20 victory Friday night against Quincy High School in the crosstown showdown at Flinn Stadium. Temperatures topping out at 93 degrees with heat…
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QUINCY — Ben Kasparie needed just 17 seconds to put plans into motion to erase 37 years of longing. On the opening kickoff of Friday night’s season-opening crosstown showdown at Flinn Stadium, the Quincy Notre Dame senior glanced to his left after fielding the kick and thought there was a seam opening toward the sideline.…
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QUINCY — The most asked question of the past two weeks still doesn’t have an answer. Who is the starting quarterback? Both Quincy High School football coach Rick Little and Quincy Notre Dame coach Jack Cornell have been steely in how they’ve addressed it. Even days before Friday night’s season opener at Flinn Stadium, neither…
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QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team’s state semifinal berth in 2019 led to an offseason of believing a state championship was within reach if not the Raiders’ destiny. “And then COVID,” linebacker Elliott Maas said. The pandemic led to the 2020 fall season morphing into a six-game spring season with no playoffs. Those…
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QUINCY — Rick Little isn’t kidding when he says this Quincy High School football team is unlike any he’s coached over the past 15 seasons. There will be only three seniors starting on offense Friday night when the Blue Devils open their season at Flinn Stadium against Quincy Notre Dame — the first crosstown showdown…
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QUINCY — The way Carter Venvertloh handled an off-the-cuff question is a sign the Quincy High School junior midfielder and his teammates can handle anything else thrown their way. A 10-year-old sports fan hanging out at one of the Blue Devils’ practices during the preseason had the chance to interact with the players following a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team’s spot in the Chicagoland Soccer’s state poll isn’t simply a nod to the program’s reputation and tradition. It’s respect for the season the Raiders enjoyed in the spring and the depth of the roster that returns. QND is ranked 12th, one of only two downstate teams…
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QUINCY — The atmosphere appeals to Courtney Kvitle’s competitive nature. She hopes it brings out the best in the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball players, too. Since the Raiders first entered the gym August 9 to begin preparing for Wednesday’s season opener in Mendon against Unity, Kvitle has seen nothing but relentless effort and spirited play,…
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QUINCY — The return to Ottawa brought the Quincy High School girls tennis program some normalcy. The rest of the schedule hopefully will, too. With a vast number of underclassmen, the Blue Devils need the challenges their traditional schedule provides, starting with last Friday’s Night Light Invitational at Ottawa. The Blue Devils finished fourth as…
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QUINCY — Hope does more than float. It evaporates if you’re not careful. The Quincy High School golfers sensed that happening as the opening holes of Saturday’s 72nd Quincy Invitational proved treacherous. Yet, their experience, resolve and sticktoitiveness allowed the Blue Devils to shrug off the struggles and make a bid for a trophy. They…
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QUINCY — Anna Schuering’s goals are bigger and broader than fast times and top places. She wants the next evolution of cross country runners at Quincy High School to understand the sport isn’t solely about speed and endurance. Its enjoyment revolves around a desire to compete, a work ethic that doesn’t quit and a team…
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QUINCY — The pursuit of the right college basketball program to call home drives Jeremiah Talton, but he found a deeper mission as he traveled throughout Illinois and Iowa visiting schools this summer. It centers around his three younger brothers. “I want them to see they can do big things, too,” Talton said. That’s why…
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QUINCY — Cayge Hughes is quite confident had the coronavirus pandemic not altered the Illinois high school sports landscape last year the seniors on the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team would be staring down history. In a way, the Raiders still are. QND will kick off its season in less than a week with…
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by Steve Eighinger QUINCY — Kim Abbott wears her feelings on her sleeve, especially when it comes to dirt-track racing. “It is sad … and it’s also pretty depressing,” said Abbott, the only female track champion in the long and storied history of Quincy Raceways, which for the second straight year sits idle at its…
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PITTSBURGH — After dropping four strokes in a four-hole stretch, Alex McCulla turned to his caddie, Tyler Bertram, as they walked to the tee box of a nearly 500-yard par-4 and gave Oakmont Country Club a well-deserved salute. “I told him this is when you take your hat off to the golf course,” McCulla said.…
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PITTSBURGH — A “Tin Cup” moment led to the only visible eyesore on Alex McCulla’s scorecard Monday. Yet, it was the hole prior to catching a gust of wind that left him more disgusted. The Quincy golfer fired an even-par 70 in the opening round of the 121st U.S. Amateur at Longue Vue Club and…
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QUINCY — High temperatures and humidity which meteorologists turn into the better-take-note-of-these heat indexes greeted high school athletes for the official start of the fall sports season. Don’t think for a moment that turned into an excuse to take a play off or slug through a drill. Quincy Notre Dame football coach Jack Cornell drove…
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QUINCY — Alex McCulla braced himself for sarcastic blowback from his father. Mike McCulla delivered on cue. In preparation to play in the 121st U.S. Amateur, which begins Monday at two courses near Pittsburgh, the younger McCulla decided to add two clubs to his bag — a 3-wood and a 5-wood — to help him…
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QUINCY — When Alexandria Meyers discusses competing in her first kids triathlon roughly eight years ago and says her father, Glenn, “threw me into it,” let it be known he didn’t actually throw her into Moorman Lake. He threw her into a sport that has become her passion. Meyers was just 9 years old when…
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QUINCY — Troy Potts offered Grant Hyer the opportunity to avoid regret. The former Quincy Notre Dame two-sport standout didn’t hesitate seizing it. Potts, a graduate assistant coach with the Quincy University men’s basketball program, invited Hyer to an informal tryout at Pepsi Arena in June. After showcasing his skills in a series of pickup…
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QUINCY — The evolution of the Quincy Shootout as one of the premier prep basketball showcases in the Midwest continued Thursday night. Two players who participated in the inaugural event at Quincy High School’s Blue Devil Gym in 2018 were selected in the NBA Draft. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who starred for Bishop Miege of Shawnee Mission,…
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