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AUGUSTA, Ill. — Tim Kerr went from watching videos to learn more about the game to becoming one of the most successful and respected volleyball coaches around. On Monday, the Southeastern skipper earned his 700th career victory as the Suns beat Liberty in straight sets. Kerr joined Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman on the…
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KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — It appeared the book was closing on a career spanning more than four decades when Gregg Nesbitt announced in February he was retiring after 14 seasons as the head football coach at Truman State University. Instead, another chapter is being written. One day after Nesbitt announced he was leaving Truman State as…
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QUINCY — They bowled. They glowed. They brought awareness to an important cause. The “Find Your Spark, Light the Dark” event took place Saturday at Tangerine Bowl where event organizers put on a show that glowed. There was glow-in-the-dark bowling and a Jeep glow show outside. It was done to bring awareness to suicide and…
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QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and a series of guests spent two hours Friday night talking high school football for this week’s episode of Muddy Night Lights, powered by Farm & Home Supply. Three area coaches — Pittsfield’s Zach Ferguson, Quincy High School’s Rick Little and Monroe City’s David Kirby — joined…
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QUINCY — The legacy isn’t in the jersey number, no matter how meaningful it is for Brock Inman to wear it. That legacy lies in the leadership and leverage of how he plays. To that end, he’s upholding the legacy of No. 22 quite nicely. Inman is the third consecutive anchor of the Quincy University…
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QUINCY — Rico Clay proved he could be a defensive force for the Quincy High School football team in last season’s opener against Quincy Notre Dame when he intercepted two passes, returned the first for a touchdown and came within 5 yards of doing the same with the second. This season, he displayed his offensive…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and a series of guests spent two hours Friday night talking high school football for the debut episode of Muddy Night Lights, powered by Farm & Home Supply. Four area coaches — Camp Point Central’s Brad Dixon, Hannibal’s Jeff Gschwender, Pittsfield’s Zach Ferguson and South Shelby’s Adam…
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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…
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Coverage of the QND football program brought to you by: QUINCY — When the Quincy High School football team heads across to town to face Quincy Notre Dame at Advance Physical Therapy Field for Friday night’s season opener, the entire Gem City community gets to celebrate the prep game. QND senior safety Wyatt Mueller knows…
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QUINCY — At long last, the high school football season kicks off Friday night in both Illinois and Missouri. There will be the usual rivalry games — Quincy Notre Dame will host Quincy High School and Hannibal will host Jefferson City Helias. And Camp Point Central will open the defense of its state championship at…
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QUINCY — Beau Eftink likes Dr Pepper. A lot apparently. He also likes winning and making birdies. A lot as well. Those things went hand-in-hand Saturday as the Quincy Notre Dame junior golfer won a playoff to earn individual medalist honors at the 75th Quincy Invitational and won a bet with Raiders coach Brian Hendrian…
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QUINCY — The biggest leap of faith was made with complete faith it would work. Still, it took loyal readers to make that happen. Thank you for sticking by us. Today marks the third anniversary of the launch of Muddy River Sports, and because of your trust in the news we provide and the product…
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QUINCY — Most mornings, Bill Stitchcomb wakes to his labrador retriever, Gus, pawing at the side of the bed or the smell of percolating coffee now that he has learned how to set the coffee maker to kick on automatically at 6:30 a.m. “My grandkids bought me the new coffee pot for Christmas,” he said.…
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Random observations now that the Cardinals have clinched the season series against the Cubs: I didn’t realize it was a problem in need of a solution, but a change in the Illinois High School Association’s all-star game participation by-law went Into effect July 1. The new rule prohibits high school students at IHSA schools from…
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QUINCY — Soon enough, Alex Stratman will return home and begin preparing for the fall hunting season, where he will serve as a guide for those chasing whitetail deer and turkey. After that, he’ll focus on guiding hunters during the spring turkey season. Before that happens, he’s going to savor every minute he has in…
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QUINCY — Baseball’s trade deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Will St. Louis be buyers, sellers or bystanders? After an excruciating slow start, the Cardinals used a 33-18 run during a 51-game stretch to catapult into contention in the National League Central Division and the wild-card chase. Hope replaced frustration. But they have the second-worst record…
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PALMYRA, Mo. — The chatter and commotion steadily increased as a group of jiu-jitsu students and their parents gathered Saturday morning, just a few feet from the mats where a self-defense class was being taught and Royce Gracie happened to be sizing it up. The kids waiting to take the mat themselves were sizing him…
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QUINCY — Is someone who hits left-handed but throws right-handed considered a southpaw? Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman doesn’t include those hitters in his list of his favorite local left-handed athletes, but he does find a place for some basketball players with beautiful left-handed jumpers and a couple of nasty southpaw pitchers. Muddy River…
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QUINCY — Sleep can wait when the Olympics are on, right? That’s how I found myself thinking Thursday night despite the fact the opening ceremonies for the Paris Summer Games have yet to take place. As with any Olympics, a few of the events get started before the ceremonial kickoff, which is why the U.S.…
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QUINCY — Caren Kemner is feeling Olympic. A majority of those who have represented the United States during the Summer Olympics at some point in their career likely are as well these days. The Paris Olympics get underway this week with the opening ceremonies happening Friday and competitive action taking place over a 20-day span.…
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QUINCY — Random thoughts with the opening night of high school football season just 40 days away: • Illinois has had just four winning football seasons since the 10-2 Sugar Bowl team under Ron Turner in 2001. The program has been mired in mediocrity, managing just 15 campaigns of eight or more wins in 134…
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MACOMB, Ill. — In the seven months since Joe Davis became the Western Illinois University football coach, one thing above all else has become abundantly clear to him and everyone around him. Loyalty matters. To his players. To the football alumni. To WIU fans in general. Davis and his staff have embraced that and used…
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QUINCY — Jacob Kroeger’s day began job hunting and ended with flight plans. That’s quite a way to start the week. Monday morning, the former Palmyra multi-sport athlete and recent All-American left-handed pitcher at Maryville University had a meeting about a potential graduate assistant position with a regional college athletic program. Monday night, he signed…
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QUINCY — Jonny Bottorff is gearing up for what should arguably be the best season of his collegiate football career. The Quincy Notre Dame graduate heads into the 2024 season as the projected starter at center for Northern Arizona. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound Bottorff earned second-team All-Big Sky Conference honors last season after transferring from Missouri…
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QUINCY — One book is out, another is on the way. Former Quincy University baseball coach Jim Pransky has published a memoir based largely on the 25 years he spent as a scout for five Major League Baseball organizations. In “Baseball’s Test of Spirit: A Man’s Unlikely Odyssey into the Scouting World,” Pransky writes about…
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Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and Muddy River News Publisher Bob Gough discuss launching “Muddy Night Lights,” a two-hour prep football show that will air 10 p.m. to midnight on Friday nights during the regular season. Muddy Night Lights debuts August 30 on Muddy River Sports and Facebook Live.
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QUINCY — The best summer collegiate baseball is played on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Quincy High School graduate Kenny Taylor has a front row seat to see it all. The former Blue Devils outfielder is spending his summer as an intern with the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League, which means he is…
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QUINCY — Random musings after digging into the archives on a random July night … • Lucas Loos finds his name on Baseball America’s list of the top 100 college senior sign targets for the upcoming Major League Baseball amateur draft. Because the Payson Seymour and John Wood Community College graduate has exhausted his NCAA…
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URSA, Ill. — The sun had already started its dive toward the horizon as Armando and Cindy Gonzalez settled in to their chairs, but the fading daylight didn’t bother them. “Fresh batteries and all,” Armando said as he held up the lantern he planned to use after dusk. His wife of 30 years reached into…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Sweet or salty? Creamy or crunchy? King size or nibbles? How do you like your snacks? Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and Daily Dirt scribe and Muddy River Sports racing writer Steve Eighinger break down their favorite snack foods for the latest episode of The List. If you have an idea for…
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QUINCY — Catching up while wondering if any player 29 of the 30 NBA teams had no intention of drafting has received as much attention as Bronny James: The Illinois men’s basketball program, fresh off an appearance in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, got a boost with the signing of Will Riley, a…
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QUINCY — Vegas, baby! The Club Four 17U Boost volleyball team is heading to the Mojave Desert and what is quickly becoming one of the nation’s epicenters for major sporting events — Las Vegas — to play in the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships. The team leaves Monday and will participate in pool play…
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QUINCY — Count ‘em one, two, three. That’s how many individual tumblers from Gem City Gymnastics and Tumbling captured national championships during the United States Tumbling Association National Championships, held last week in Louisville, Ky. Palmyra’s Ruby Akerson won the championship in the advanced girls 14-15 division, while Payson’s Kaylin Vazquez-Epperson took the title in…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — If the best is yet to come, Wesley Robertson will rewrite the Illini West baseball program’s entire record book. What he did during his sophomore campaign was pretty impressive as a starting point. The third baseman set the Chargers’ single-season record for RBIs, driving in 50 runs as Illini West went 28-5…
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QUINCY — For men of a certain age — I was born 10 days before Don Larsen threw the only perfect game in World Series history — the death of Willie Mays means another link to our youth is gone. Baseball was the national pastime for kids growing up in the 1960s. While we knew…
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QUINCY — The tributes to Willie Mays since the Hall of Fame baseball player passed away have been captivating and enlightening. If you watched FOX’s pregame show prior to the St. Louis Cardinals facing the San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., you were treated to some of the most well-produced and engaging…
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QUINCY — Zach Richardson first became a household name in this region as a three-sport standout athlete at Louisiana, Mo., and later as a member of the Truman State University football team. He made his way back close to home when he joined KHQA as a sports and news reporter. Three years later, Richardson is…
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QUINCY — At its most fundamental level, the goal of golf is the same for a 5-year-old, a 75-year-old and everyone in between. Put the ball in the hole. The reaction to accomplishing that can be decidedly different however. Sometimes, it’s a fist pump and a Hallelujah. Other times, it’s an exasperated sigh or a…
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. — It has been 40 years since Rich Marcolla last tossed on a pair of shoulder pads and strapped on a football helmet to play linebacker for St. John Vianney High School in suburban St. Louis. He, like many of the students at the all-boys Catholic college preparatory school, was a fan…
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QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey put together a highlight package from the Illinois girls’ 78-43 victory over Missouri on Saturday in the third annual Muddy River Showcase at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.
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QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey put together a highlight package from the Illinois boys’ 92-70 victory over Missouri on Saturday in the third annual Muddy River Showcase at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.
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QUINCY — Before the Lil’ Devils program brought them together, before they spent 10 consecutive winters running side-by-side, there were games in the YMCA basketball league where Ralph Wires, Tyler Sprick and Cam Brown were on opposite sides. “I tore them apart per usual,” Wires said with a mischievous, sarcastic grin. His ability to dart…
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QUINCY — Over the past few days, Muddy River News writer Steve Eighinger has been conducting a countdown of what he considers the best movies from the modern golden age of film, which he categorizes as 1960-1999. In his “Daily Dirt” column, Eighinger lists 10 movies from each decade that he considers top notch. He…
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WENTZVILLE, Mo. — Joel Adam has a lifetime of ballpark memories. Like the times he snuck under the fence at old Q Stadium as a kid to take batting practice with his dad, Bill. Or playing high school and American Legion baseball for Mike Hellenthal in Quincy before continuing his career at Culver-Stockton College. There…
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QUINCY — The first pitch came at noon from a pitcher I had never seen throw for a team I have never rooted for against a team I had no idea who was on their roster. Yet, I was all-in on the University of Kentucky baseball team. It will be the case when Arizona, UNC…
Read Full Article QUINCY — During nearly two decades of broadcasting games together for local radio stations, Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and Raider Sports Network play-by-play voice Eric Ervin engaged in a variety of conversations and debates on road trips. Music was often one of the topics. Since they share a love of 1980s music, it…
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QUINCY — Zach Willing is going for four in a row. A recent Quincy University graduate and a Quincy High School alum, Willing has won three consecutive Quincy men’s city tennis singles championships and will chase his fourth title this weekend during the city tournament at the Greeman Tennis Center at Reservoir Park. Willing took…
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QUINCY — Most nights, while sitting in front of my laptop in my home office searching for inspiration in my writing or working out the kinks on a project or a plan, I’ll play music in the background. It ignites my creativity and brings my thoughts into focus in a way a quiet never does.…
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QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame had just seen its baseball season end with a 3-1 loss to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in the Class 2A regional semifinals. As the crowd began to disperse, with some fans celebrating and others consoling, David and Sharon Lunt loaded their lawn chairs and other items into a little wagon and…
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Time became Timia Reinberg’s adversary. That’s an unfair fight. Time always wins because you can’t slow it down and can’t you speed it up. It plays at its own pace, which is always the same pace. “It means I had all day to just sit around there and wait,” the Monroe…
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QUINCY — From playing baseball at Monmouth College to coaching at Quincy High School and with the Quincy Gems during the Central Illinois Collegiate League days, Randy Mettemeyer has spent enough time on the road to have watched a baseball movie or two. That made him the perfect person to join Muddy River Sports Editor…
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QUINCY — Former Quincy High School soccer standout Donivan Bradshaw continues to rack up state championships as a coach. The number reached six last week when Jenks (Okla.) High School outlasted Broken Arrow 1-0 to repeat as Oklahoma Class 6A champions. Bradshaw, a 1996 QHS graduate who was selected as one of the top 11…
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QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman’s passion for the St. Louis Cardinals, enjoyment of bird watching and competitiveness playing Jeopardy comes from the influence of his mom, Kathleen Schuckman. So to celebrate Mother’s Day, Schuckman invited his mom to join him for an episode of “Schuck on a Truck,” brought to you by…
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QUINCY — The game and everything about it felt tedious. None of the Quincy University baseball players will deny that. “When you’re getting your butt kicked, it is a chore,” first baseman Austin Simpson said. A five-run loss in the series finale against the University of Indianapolis on April 14 left the Hawks eight games…
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QUINCY — If watching the Cardinals flounder during the first six weeks of the Major League Baseball season has been painful, some fans in West-Central Illinois will get a reprieve of sorts. It was announced last week that subscribers to Comcast and its Xfinity television service can no longer watch any of Diamond Sports Group’s…
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QUINCY — Let’s start with an explanation of an omission. Last week on “The List,” Travis Dinkheller joined me to break down a list of our top 10 Chicago Cubs players. We tried to make it clear we selected players we saw either in person or on television. That meant no Ernie Banks, no Bill…
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QUINCY — The emotion spills out in ways Brock Boynton can’t always contain. Sometimes it’s a bat flip that goes a little too high or a little too far. Other times it’s the barbaric yawp everyone hears as he rounds the bases on a home run trot. And every now and then, it’s the toss…
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QUINCY — The 51st Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships will look a lot like the 50 before it. Many of the sponsors and volunteers remain the same. Ditto for the format. The youngest golfers will play at the Knights of Columbus Par-3 Course and most of the rest at Westview Golf Course during the three-day…
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QUINCY — The work isn’t done because the pads came off. Come August, Quincy University football coach Jason Killday and his staff will see if the players embraced that message. The Hawks wrapped up spring practice Saturday at QU Stadium with an energetic, determined effort that highlighted many of the positives gleaned from five weeks…
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Schuck on a Truck: QU safety Joseph Webb discusses spring practice, carrying momentum into offseason
QUINCY — The end of the spring is near for the Quincy University football program, which means the Hawks are a step closer to the debut of Jason Killday as their head coach. QU will open its season August 29 at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. As far the progress made during the 15-practice session…
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QUINCY — Stan Musial. Albert Pujols. Willie McGee. Ozzie Smith. Bob Gibson. Those were the most common names Muddy River Sports readers submitted as the players who would top their list of their top 10 favorite St. Louis Cardinals. Enos Slaughter got one mention, and Whitey Herzog had a couple of mentions, too. The most…
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QUINCY — Experience has provided Josh Rabe with perspective. During Rabe’s three years as the Quincy University athletic director, the head coach of three of the most high-profile programs on campus has resigned to pursue another coaching opportunity. None of those programs could be considered in the midst of thriving at the time. So it…
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QUINCY — Jim Pransky grew up in a secluded, rural area in northwest Pennsylvania near the New York border. The closest town was two miles away and few other kids were around. So, he threw baseballs at a pitch-back, listened to Yankees games on a transistor radio and voraciously read fictional sports series books by…
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QUINCY — For those who grew up during the Whiteyball era, names like Ozzie and Willie had a special in their hearts. Those who lived through the 1960s and watched the St. Louis Cardinals win a pair of World Series titles will forever root for Gibby and Sweet Lou. If you experienced World War II…
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QUINCY — The sideways glances. The whispers. The feeling of being judged. The general uneasiness of being in public and knowing your character is in question. Brian Holzgrafe felt it all. For too long. Far too often. For no fault of his own. That’s what a false accusation does to a person. It tears them…
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QUINCY — Seated at a table just a few feet from the dais, Whitey Herzog looked across the room at legendary St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Rick Hummel and pointed out the Quincy native was more than likely the smartest person in the room. The Hall of Fame manager then leaned forward and said, “But…
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QUINCY — The challenge facing the next Quincy University men’s basketball coach is three-fold. One, replenish the roster. Two, put fans in the stands. Three, win games. All three are intertwined. Prior to Steve Hawkins resigning Monday to pursue another coaching opportunity, four QU players had entered the transfer portal, although two of which are…
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QUINCY — Some of the legends of karting gathered at the DoubleTree By Hilton on Friday night in Bakersfield, Calif., for the induction ceremony of the inaugural class of the Go Kart Hall of Fame. Forty-two people were enshrined, 16 posthumously. There were drivers, mechanics, promoters and manufacturers. All pre-dated 1993 and were selected for…
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QUINCY — The changes are subtle, probably unnoticeable to many. For those who see them, follow them, abide by them and trust them, the payoff should be substantial, at least that’s what the Quincy University football players need to be thinking. The transition to a new head coach with new standards and ideals to go…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When you think of winning a championship and hoisting the trophy, a few images come immediately to mind. The Stanley Cup. The Lombardi Trophy. The NCAA championship trophy. But do you consider the Green Jacket given to the Masters champion a trophy? What the sash of roses placed over the winning horse at…
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QUINCY — As Quincy Notre Dame athletic director Bill Connell begins the search for the school’s next boys basketball coach, he first must look in the mirror. That’s where he will see the direction he needs to go. In the fall of 1992, with one season as a collegiate assistant coach under his belt and…
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QUINCY — It somehow seems appropriate that my dad’s birthday in early April coincides with the start of the Major League Baseball season and mine in late September signals its end. Perfect symmetry, like the game itself. My dad, Charlie Crim, turned 91 on Sunday. While he celebrated by sharing homemade dessert and ice cream…
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QUINCY — Random thoughts on another rainy day … • The greatest stretch on the sports calendar is nearly here. Over an eight-day span, three champions will be crowned, baseball gives us a glimpse of which teams are trending upward and the final playoff push in the NHL takes place. It begins this Sunday with…
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QUINCY — All of the miles traveled and nights spent in hotels gave former Quincy University first baseman Lance Logsdon and his teammates the opportunity to watch plenty of movies, which made him the right person to join Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman to rank their favorite baseball movies for this episode of “The…
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QUINCY — Spring break is giving Abbey Schreacke the opportunity to spend some time with family and go fishing, as much as the weather permits. It doesn’t mean trips to the gym have been put on hiatus. The Quincy Notre Dame graduate has worked out at The Pit in order to be ready to help…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Welcome to the newest podcast on the Muddy River Sports platform. Each week, Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and a guest will tackle a top-10 list on a topic related to the sports realm. This week, with the University of Illinois men’s basketball team in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament,…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Mathew Kirby’s caring, compassionate and friendly disposition can only be rivaled by his passion for his hometown and his hobby. Yet, to call his photography a hobby might be a disservice. The time, effort and detail he puts into capturing the moments that highlight Hannibal High School athletics and community events is…
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QUINCY — The first time I told my co-workers I was going home to cuddle up to something warm and fuzzy, they flashed that “you did not just say that” look at me and assumed I was making some sort of sarcastic reference to my wife. They soon learned who I meant every time I…
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QUINCY — The end of the prep basketball season turns into awards season the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association announcing their all-state honors and local media outlets all-area teams. Or in the case of KHQA Sports Director Chris Duerr, he unveils his All-Do or Die teams. Duerr joined Muddy River…
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QUINCY — The leading scorer in the history of the Quincy University women’s basketball program is headed to the NCAA Tournament as an assistant coach, and following Nebraska’s effort against Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, anything is possible for the Huskers. Jessica Keller is in her second season on the Nebraska coaching…
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QUINCY — Tears were expected Friday afternoon, but the smiles elicited by the memories of Tucker Tollerton and the embrace his family received balanced everything out. That was as much of a tribute to Tollerton as seeing his jersey number retired. Anyone who accompanied the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team on last season’s record-setting journey…
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QUINCY — Follow the bouncing ball as the high school basketball season enters its final week … • The shot clock is coming to Illinois and the Illinois High School Association appears to have a target date for implementing it into the state tournament series. Kurt Gibson, the IHSA associate executive director who oversees basketball,…
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Crim: With more than five decades of coaching experience to share, Fray still willing to answer call
QUINCY — Mike Fray and Pat Rafferty lunch together every Thursday morning at Sprout’s Inn, arriving when the restaurant opens at 10:30. A corner window booth is set aside if it’s just the two of them, a table if they call ahead to say there will be guests. Tracy, their waitress, has their drinks already…
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Schuckman: Eftink's return to court gives JWCC women's basketball team perfect boost at perfect time
QUINCY — Blair Eftink’s roommate may have hinted at or suggested a time or two the former Quincy Notre Dame sharpshooting guard not give up on her basketball career. “Or maybe a lot,” Katey Flynn said with a smile and a chuckle. And for good reason. The John Wood Community College women’s basketball team needed…
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QUINCY — First-year Quincy University women’s basketball coach Courtney Boyd sat in the conference room down the hall from her office in the Health & Fitness Center and pulled out her cellphone. On the screen was a staff breakdown of the point rating system the Great Lakes Valley Conference uses to determine its eight postseason…
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QUINCY — Adversity doesn’t build character. It reveals it. That adage, originally coined by 19th century American novelist James Lane Allen, and variations of it have been used endlessly. But as I sat here mulling over what already has transpired this basketball postseason, that adage kept coming to mind. The toughest moments have shown us…
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QUINCY — For the third consecutive year, Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman earned top-10 honors in multiple writing categories in the Associated Press Sports Editors writing and photography contest. The APSE recognizes the best in sports journalism nationwide through its annual contest with more than 2,000 entries this year. The organization announced the top…
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QUINCY — Andy Martinez has gone from a cub reporter as a student at Quincy University to a Cubs reporter producing digital content for the Marquee Sports Network. The Chicago native is a 2015 graduate of QU who returned to the Windy City after a stint working at the Quincy Herald-Whig. He landed a job…
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QUINCY — Over the past 20 years, the Quincy High School athletic department has been led by four different directors who each previously had been a coach at some level within the school district. Will the next athletic director have a similar background? Wednesday night, the Quincy School Board approved Superintendent Todd Pettit’s recommendation that…
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QUINCY — Questions and observations as the march toward high school state basketball tournaments continues in both Illinois and Missouri, with some college teams harboring postseason aspirations in the waning days of February: First-year Illini West boys coach Blaize Kimmel stood outside his team’s locker room giving fist-bumps and hugs while offering words of encouragement…
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QUINCY — Is the Illinois High School Association postseason basketball series flawed? You be the judge. While scouring brackets and planning our coverage of this week’s boys basketball regionals, I ran across a number of scenarios that made me question the equitable nature of the setup. Because the Quincy schools are at the heart of…
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QUINCY — The one thing Tom Lepper promised ahead of his acceptance speech after being inducted into the Quincy University Sports Hall of Fame was that it would be brief. “I’m not a guy that tries to draw attention to himself, you know,” said the man who never openly sought the spotlight but couldn’t escape…
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QUINCY — After 43 years of officiating football and 31 years of umpiring baseball, Fred Steinway hasn’t lost his enthusiasm for sports. “I’m basically out here for the kids and the love of the game,” he said. “I still feel as if I can do a good job, and all the friendships I’ve developed are…
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QUINCY – John Wood Community College guard Katey Flynn admits it’s strange not playing alongside her twin sister, Klare, on the basketball court this season. The Flynn twins had been teammates in whatever sport was in season growing up in Mount Sterling. The only previous separation came during their freshman year in high school when…
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QUINCY — Over the span of 32 hours and 13 games, the players, teams and coaches who participated in the sixth Quincy Shootout put on quite a show in Blue Devil Gym. Here are some of the best things I witnessed: Best player: Wasatch Academy point guard John Mobley Jr. has signed with Ohio State…
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QUINCY — Aaron Britton fell in love with basketball growing up on a dairy farm in southern Illinois. He remembers watching tape-delayed television broadcasts of University of Kentucky games in the 1990s when Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith were guiding the Wildcats to national championships. He was a member of the Mounds Meridian High School…
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QUINCY — The rumble, roar and electricity created by a Blue Devil Gym crowd is something easily felt in heightened moments of most Western Big 6 Conference boys basketball games. The intensity grows when you’re actually on the court. “It’s really like no other,” Quincy High School senior guard Seth Rupert said. “I don’t think…
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QUINCY — Sitting on the tailgate of Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman’s pickup didn’t make much sense with snow blowing and temperatures dipping, so the latest episode of “Schuck on a Truck” became an inside edition as he and Quincy High School boys basketball coach Andy Douglas hung out in the Blue Devils’ locker…
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QUINCY — Random thoughts on a bitterly cold day while waiting for friends to post more Facebook pictures of themselves either playing golf or frolicking in a heated pool in Florida: Would the NFL have considered postponing the Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game because of “dangerously cold” weather conditions featuring a “significant risk of frostbite” had it…
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QUINCY — Someday, right? That’s what I keep telling myself. Following Michigan’s victory in Monday night’s national championship game, several colleagues and friends who are devout Wolverines fans took to social media to celebrate. It had been 27 years since Michigan, the winningest program in college football history, had captured a crown. So jump, shout,…
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