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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…
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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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QUINCY — The trend needs to end. The only way to do that is to take losing personal. So the Quincy University men’s basketball team’s coaching staff slapped those words across the dry-erase board in the locker room following last Wednesday’s 80-66 loss at Rockhurst. “It’s been on the board all week,” sophomore point guard…
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QUINCY — For many years, one of the benefits of being a member of Cedar Crest Country Club was the opportunity to sit around the patio either before or after a round of golf listening to Tom Gott tell stories. “Stop me if I’ve told you this before,” he would caution before launching into a…
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QUINCY — The biggest headlines of 2023 happened off the court or field of play rather than on it. Here is a look at most viewed stories on the Muddy River Sports site throughout the last season. The list is a direct result of the analytics that show which stories have been clicked on or…
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QUINCY — As the calendar flips to another year with Muddy River Sports, it’s time to look back to some of my favorite columns from 2023. I must note it does not include the story on Bob Baucom and his 50 seasons as a basketball referee, only because it appeared just days ago. However, the…
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QUINCY — Anywhere Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman drives his pickup, the opportunity exists for an episode of “Schuck on a Truck” to take place. Throughout 2023, the truck ended up parked just beyond end zones, behind center field fences and at state tournament sites across the state. The tailgate became a place for…
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QUINCY — Four years ago, Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman picked up a camera for the first time and attempted to shoot his own photos to accompany his stories. At the time, he prayed for one clean image. Over time, those expectations have changed. Now, Schuckman enjoys sharing photos of area student-athletes nearly as…
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Rick Hummel’s career as a Hall of Fame baseball writer didn’t afford the Quincy native many opportunities to be nothing more than a fan. Christmas always did. That’s when Hummel spent hours upon hours at the Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic, watching some of the Metro East’s top prep basketball talent. More…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Bob Baucom and his officiating crew were preparing to work a game in the Central girls basketball tournament a few years ago when they received a warning from the referees who had worked the previous game as they came off the floor. Keep an eye on the three ladies sitting at…
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QUINCY — Opinions, debate and discussion are part of the sports culture, so here is a look at Muddy River Sports’ 10 most viewed columns in 2023: 1. Schuckman: Brock’s black eye brought on by gambling probe will fade and his true character will show “Brock likely won’t face any further charges, but he has…
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QUINCY — Roots run deep in the Killday family, where the family farm outside of Winchester, Ill., remains the beacon that draws everyone home. Josh Rabe wants Quincy University to have the same magnetism. So for the second time this calendar year, when faced with having to hire a head coach for a high-profile program,…
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QUINCY – Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman received his Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Distinguished Media Service Award Saturday night at Quincy Notre Dame HIgh School. QND had nominated Schuckman for the award for his long-term excellence in covering high school and college sports in West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri. IHSA Assistant Executive…
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QUINCY — Wilson Rigg has lived in Texas long enough his family can hear it in his voice. “I’m starting to get an accent and everything,” he said with a chuckle. He’s also been there long enough to finally live out a dream. An All-Clarence Cannon Conference lineman from Palmyra who was an Academic All-American…
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MACOMB, Ill. — The Western Illinois University women’s basketball team is rolling. The Leathernecks have won seven consecutive games heading into Sunday’s matchup at Missouri-Kansas City. An experienced corps of players who understand their role and the emergence of a high-scoring freshman have been the right combination for success. WIU coach JD Gravina joined Muddy…
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QUINCY — Tyler Sprick is a blue blood in the sense he bleeds Blue Devil blue. Having grown up playing in the Lil’ Devils program and attending games at Blue Devil Gym, the senior guard on the Quincy High School boys basketball program is well versed in the program’s tradition. So he knows how meaningful…
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PALMYRA, Mo. — Trey Watts was a little unsure about his decision when he first began saddle bronc riding as a high school freshman in Muncy, Pa. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” he admitted. “I was bucked off a lot when I first started. There were a lot of ungraceful…
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NORMAL, Ill. — Their legacy is complete, and there’s a state championship trophy to prove it. The seniors on the Camp Point Central football team and head coach Brad Dixon took the program to new heights Friday, beating Lena-Winslow 14-0 in the Class 1A state title game at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium for the…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2023 QND Tip-Off Tourney at The Pit. Below is the biography used by the QND Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — When Tom VanderBor came to Quincy…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2023 QND Tip-Off Tourney at The Pit. Below is the biography used by the QND Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — Rachel (Powers) Stuckman, a 2010 graduate,…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy High School will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 52nd QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. Below is the biography used by the QHS Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — Tony Carnivale is in select…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2023 QND Tip-Off Tourney at The Pit. Below is the biography used by the QND Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — The 2004 Quincy Notre Dame football…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — On roster of more than 40 players who spend plenty of time together on and off the field, personalities and unique traits come to light. With the Camp Point Central football team headed to Normal, Ill., this week to play in the Class 1A state championship game against Lena-Winslow at Illinois…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy High School will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 52nd QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. Below is the biography used by the QHS Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — Speed set Chris Adams apart.…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2023 QND Tip-Off Tourney at The Pit. Below is the biography used by the QND Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — Before Jack Cornell strolled the sidelines…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy High School will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 52nd QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. Below is the biography used by the QHS Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — The last name alone makes…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2023 QND Tip-Off Tourney at The Pit. Below is the biography used by the QND Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — John Sparrow, a 1995 graduate, was…
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QUINCY — Maybe the perception of the Missouri football program is changing. Coming off a 36-7 demolition of Tennessee after going toe-to-toe with top-ranked Georgia between the hedges, the Tigers moved up to ninth in the College Football Playoff rankings. There was talk of a New Year’s Six bowl game. They were double-digit home favorites…
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Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2023 QND Tip-Off Tourney at The Pit. Below is the biography used by the QND Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees. QUINCY — As a sophomore, Jordan Frericks Kvitle…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — The mission to return to the Class 1A state championship game is complete. Only one step remains. In the words of the Camp Point Central football players, that’s payback. Central earned its spot opposite defending state champion Lena-Winslow in the title game by flattening Greenfield-Northwestern 54-20 Saturday inb the semifinals. Afterward,…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — All roads led here. From Mendon and Mount Sterling. From Pike and Calhoun counties. From near. From far. From in between. They came to see the best football teams in the Western Illinois Valley Conference collide. They came out of the deer stands and the fields to be here on time.…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — The crowd’s presence was undeniable. No matter if they were on the field or on the sideline, the Camp Point Central football players could hear its overflowing crowd and feel its energy during last Saturday’s Class 1A state quarterfinal victory over Belleville Althoff. The Panthers expect a more boisterous and potentially…
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QUINCY — They started as a group of freshmen with plenty of potential and now they are seniors coming off a 20-win season and looking to make a statement with postseason success. For Quincy High School’s Leah Chevalier, Leila Dade and Taylor Fohey, the upcoming basketball season is their chance to leave a legacy. The…
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QUINCY — The fans arrived early to tailgate, stayed late to commiserate and created a sea of blue that filled Flinn Stadium. The final score of Saturday’s Class 7A state quarterfinal game against top-ranked Chicago Mount Carmel didn’t change the community-wide support for the Quincy High School football program or deter the overflowing crowd from…
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QUINCY — The offensive juggernaut that is the Bowling Green football team has compiled an array of head-shaking statistics. The Bobcats have scored 50 or more points in all but one game this season — a 44-8 victory over Palmyra in Week 2 — and have topped 60 points five times, with a high of…
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QUINCY — Phil Neally saw the Quincy High School football team when it struggled as much as it ever has. Three decades later, he’s witnessing the greatest season in program history. As a junior offensive lineman during the 1991 season, Neally and the Blue Devils endured a winless season. The next season, Neally started at…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal football team is right where it is expected to be — playing for a district championship on a Friday night in November. The Pirates (10-1) will face Warrenton (11-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Porter Stadium in the Class 4 District 4 title game. Hannibal has won three straight district…
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QUINCY — The best seat in the house doesn’t always provide the best view. Let me explain. Throughout this historic season the Quincy High School football team has engineered, I have sat in the west end zone during every home game. The spot was chosen strategically so the setting sun on Friday nights or the…
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SHELBINA, Mo. — It’s the game high school football fans in Northeast Missouri have been waiting for. Undefeated Bowling Green versus undefeated South Shelby. Two of the state’s most prolific scoring teams will collide Friday night at Charles Rash Memorial Field in the District 7 championship game for the right to advance in the Class…
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QUINCY — Jack Cornell decided to quit shaving when his high school wrestling career was over, and now the beard is part of his signature look. Success is part of that appearance, too. An offensive lineman at the University of Illinois who went on to be a part of the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad during…
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QUINCY — High school playoff potpourri: • Quincy Notre Dame is nothing if not resilient. The Raiders easily could have played out the string after losing back-to-back winnable games against Southern Boone and Columbia (Mo.) Father Tolton to fall to 1-5, seemingly extinguishing their postseason chances. Instead, they won their final three games in convincing…
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QUINCY — The latest episode of “Schuck on a Truck” comes with a twist. Quincy High School football coach Rick Little turned the tables on Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and took over the interview, dubbing it “Schuck held hostage on his truck.” Movie lines, cinderella stories, influential coaches became the topics of conversation.…
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CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — All Cory Hynek could do was laugh. In the days leading up to Wednesday’s Class 1A Chillicothe Sectional championship against defending state champion Quincy Notre Dame, the Peoria Christian boys soccer coach was approached by teachers within the school asking why the players had rocks on their desks. “I knew our guys…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Playoff week is in full swing, which brings a new intensity and vibe to the Camp Point Central football team’s weekly preparations. The Panthers open the Class 1A playoffs at 2 p.m. Saturday at home against Bridgeport Red Hill. Central finished the regular season 9-0 and is the No. 1-seeded team…
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PALMRYA, Mo. — Even as his team was closing out the high school football regular season with a loss to undefeated and state-ranked South Shelby, first-year Palmyra coach Dalton Hill saw things that made him hopeful. “I was proud of our guys in the first quarter, the first quarter and a half, when we held…
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QUINCY — Quincy High School football coach Rick Little’s biggest chore and most constant worry isn’t prepping the Blue Devils for the playoffs. It’s filling a potential open week on the 2024 schedule. Last January, Rock Island Alleman informed Western Big 6 Conference principals and officials it would not field a varsity football team during…
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QUINCY — Jack Mettemeyer found the end zone in his final regular-season game at Flinn Stadium, helping the Quincy High School football team put a stamp on a dominant fourth quarter and a 56-33 victory over Mahomet-Seymour on Friday night. The victory pushed QHS’s record to 9-0, marking just the second undefeated regular season in…
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QUINCY — A 3-0 loss to Collinsville in the Class 3A regional semifinals Tuesday night brought the Quincy High School boys soccer team’s season to an end one game into the postseason. If only Mundelein Carmel could have been so lucky. The Corsairs are watching the postseason unfold instead of playing in it. Had things…
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SHELBINA, Mo. — If one play could summarize the South Shelby football team’s season, it might be Kendal Hammond’s 10-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter of Friday night’s 48-14 dismantling of previously undefeated Centralia. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior took the handoff, veered off right tackle and cut toward the end zone with a…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal girls golf team is making history one event after another. Come Monday, when the Pirates tee it up at Crown Pointe Golf Club in Farmington, Mo., in the Class 3 state tournament, it will be the first time in program history they will play at state as a team. The…
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EWING, Mo. — The Highland softball team heads into the postseason as the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2, riding an 18-game win streak and backed by a record-setting offensive attack. The Cougars’ captains — Emma Harshberger, Olivia Ritterbusch and Haleigh Winter — joined Highland coach Paul Scifres on the tailgate of Muddy River Sports…
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QUINCY — From a movie made before any of the Quincy High School football players were born comes a line that resonates with what the Blue Devils are trying to achieve. They are chasing perfection, the same way the T.C. Williams Titans were. In the closing sequence of “Remember the Titans,” a movie released in…
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QUINCY — It started with the American Association’s longest hitting streak of the season and ended with Rookie of the Year honors. Dayson Croes’ first season as a professional baseball player was an undeniable hit. He capped it with a tournament championship in Mexico. Croes, the former Quincy University All-American infielder, signed with the Winnipeg…
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QUINCY — I had hoped to write a column about the University of Missouri posting a possible program defining victory over LSU to run its record to 6-0 heading into the second half of the college football season. That appeared possible for much of the game Saturday but, as it has been prone to do,…
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QUINCY — The Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer teams engaged in another intense chapter of the city rivalry Thursday night at Advance Physical Therapy Field with the Blue Devils winning 3-2 for their first victory over the Raiders since 2019. Videographer Frank Cann put together this highlight video from the Gem…
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QUINCY — It’s been 2 1/2 years since Muddy River News launched and a little more than two years since Muddy River Sports joined the party, and MRN publisher Bob Gough continues to guide the ever-growing media outlet forward. Heading into a busy weekend, with a new sponsor for “Schuck on a Truck” in tow,…
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QUINCY— The Quincy Notre Dame football team can only think of what might have been. The Raiders were eliminated from playoff consideration Friday night with a 35-28 loss to Columbia (Mo.) Father Tolton at Advance Physical Therapy Field, a game in which they held a 12-point lead five minutes into the second half and seemed…
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PALMYRA, Mo. — Royce Gracie’s engaging personality and genuine love for his students, his family and his craft made for an entertaining 15 minutes sitting on the tailgate of my pickup discussing his mixed martial arts career. If only technology had been as accommodating. Gracie, world renowned for his jiu-jitsu career and a Ultimate Fighting…
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QUINCY — The third time proved to be the charm. With Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer coach Greg Reis sitting on 399 career victories, the Raiders suffered back-to-back losses to quality teams in John Burroughs and Rochester. Saturday, a team that traditionally has given the Raiders fits visited Advance Physical Therapy Field, and it brought…
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QUINCY — It has been 40 years since the Quincy Notre Dame football team engineered one of the biggest one-season turnarounds in school history. The Raiders were coming off back-to-back 2-8 seasons in 1983 and had lost 19 of their previous 23 games, dating to the tail end of the 1980 campaign. It had been…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — The wives of the Camp Point Central football coaches are a staff unto themselves. Each week, prior to Friday night, they game plan how to wrangle kids, pack enough juice boxes and gear to survive a three hours and make arrangements for postgame festivities. It’s done to allow their husbands to…
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The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is proud to announce its ninth class of recipients of the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award. The 2023-24 honorees include a Chicago TV legend, a Northern Illinois radio mainstay, and a pair of longstanding writers who have made their respective marks on opposite sides of the state. Matt Schuckman, sports…
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