Pressbox
QUINCY — Doubt comes when confidence wanes. Everything Jay Hammel experienced in the first six weeks of the Quincy University baseball team’s season could have created doubt in himself, his ability to contribute on a nationally ranked team, and his decision to return for a final year of eligibility. Never once has he doubted any…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and since he recently wrapped up his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: March 1, 2022 — Quincy 34, Collinsville 32 QUINCY —…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Being insulated by the borders of the Quincy University campus gives the men’s basketball players a sense of security, but it doesn’t offer many opportunities to embrace those who embrace the Hawks’ success. Those are things they long to do. “We’ve wanted to be more involved in the community,” junior guard Zion Richardson…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and since he recently wrapped up his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: February 19, 2021 — Quincy 67, Sterling 35 QUINCY —…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — It has been a bracket-busting tournament. No, we’re not talking about 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson toppling No. 1 Purdue. The Boilermakers, after all, have now lost to a double-digit seed in each of the last three seasons, so the outcome should not have been a complete shock. Rather, this concerns the NCAA Division II…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Through the course of two January days and 13 games played at Blue Devil Gym during the fifth Quincy Shootout, some of the best prep basketball talent regionally and nationally was on display. But as those teams left with more than a month remaining in each of their seasons, a lingering question existed.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — There are two rules of thumb I try to follow when filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket. One, never write the name of the school to the west of Missouri on any sheet. Two, try not to pick with your heart. The first one I always accomplish. The second? I failed miserably this…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — With spring break taking place on the backend of the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s third-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament, the Raiders had to wait an extra week for their fire truck ride and welcome home celebration. The time lapse gave the Raiders time to appreciate all they had…
Read Full Article 
ROCHESTER, Minn. — A case could be made that the Meisters are Rochester’s first family of basketball. Kurt and Angie Meister’s oldest child, Lincoln, is a 6-foot-10 junior forward on the Minnesota-Duluth men’s basketball team. The Bulldogs won 23 games during the regular season and qualified for the NCAA Division II national tournament for the…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and with this being his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: January 27, 2018 — Webster Groves 58, Quincy 55 QUINCY — The…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and with this being his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: November 27, 2014 — Quincy 65, University City 40 QUINCY — Nine…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and with this being his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: March 2, 2007 — Quincy 71, Springfield Southeast 55 QUINCY — The…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The high five was perfectly unscripted and unabashedly enthusiastic. The hug and the fist bump were, too. As the Moline boys basketball team soaked in the moment Monday night — the Maroons had just beaten Oswego East 59-55 to win the Class 4A Normal Super-Sectional and advance to the state final four for…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The NCAA Division II swimming and diving national championships begin Tuesday in Indianapolis. Quincy University freshman Wyatt Walsh, one of the country’s best in both the 200- and 400-yard individual medley, should be competing. But he’s not. You see, Division II swimming and diving teams are required to have a minimum of eight…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and with this being his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: January 23, 2010 — Quincy 81, Hinsdale South 62 QUINCY — Mention…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and with this being his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: December 9, 2017 — Quincy 61, Springfield 39 QUINCY — The countdown…
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — Amber Louderback’s determination cannot be undersold or overstated. She’s passionate, committed and tough. It’s why the Camp Point Central freshman became the first girls wrestler in program history to earn a medal at the state tournament, finishing fourth in the 125-pound class recently during the event held at Grossinger Motors Arena…
Read Full Article 
NORMAL, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne listened intently as senior guard Abbey Schreacke discussed how the Raiders needed to regroup following a gut-punch loss Thursday in the Class 2A state semifinals and play the third-place game two hours later. “We’re going to have to find something deeper inside of us…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and with this being his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: February 19, 2011 — Quincy 68, Neuqua Valley 66 QUINCY — Mason…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Pat Rafferty says he will know when it’s finally time to walk away from basketball and coaching. At 72, after spending nearly a half-century with teams in high school and college gymnasiums, that time has yet to arrive. “He’s in his happy place,” John Wood Community College coach Brad Hoyt said of his…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A casual question on a walk along one of the tree-lined fairways at Westview Golf Course sparked a conversation that had a continual flow no matter where it ended or when it happened to be picked up again. I can’t wait to start that conversation again someday. Six years ago, when Alex McCulla…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman received national recognition in the Associated Press Sports Editors annual writing and photography contest, earning top-10 honors in two writing categories. The APSE announced the top 10 entries in all categories of the nationwide contest on its website this week. Official places will be released at a…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — What transpires over the next three weeks will help define how the 2022-23 prep basketball season in the Gem City is remembered. Already it’s been historic. It could become legendary. The Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball teams open regional play Wednesday, both harboring high hopes while knowing significant hurdles…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — As the Great Lakes Valley Conference enters the final week of the basketball regular season, the only certainty on the men’s side is that nationally-ranked Indianapolis will finish first and be the top seed for the league tournament March 2-5 in St. Charles, Mo. Otherwise, we’re left to decipher the GLVC’s rating system…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A range of emotions washed over the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team in a matter of moments on Thursday night. First was a sense of relief after the Raiders thwarted an upset bid by Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, which got as close as four points in the fourth quarter before the hosts won…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team begins its quest this week for a second consecutive Illinois Class 2A state championship and seventh overall in program history. Only Chicago Marshall with eight has captured more titles since the first girls champion was crowned in 1977. Adding to the potential legacy of another first-place…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and with this being his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: January 17, 2009 — Peoria Central 53, Quincy 46 QUINCY…
Read Full Article 
Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and with this being his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: February 23, 2001 — Quincy 69, United Township 62 QUINCY…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — It started exactly where you would expect. Blue Devil Gym. A quarter of a century ago, I covered my first Quincy High School boys basketball game as the beat writer for the Quincy Herald-Whig — a 68-63 victory over Galesburg featuring J.D. Summers with 20 points and the Blue Devils going 23 of…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Riley Martin admits it’s been a short offseason, but that hasn’t diminished his readiness for spring training. “I feel like I’ve put in some good work this offseason,” he said. “I’m excited to get back and get started.” The former Quincy University left-handed All-American hurler will head to Mesa, Ariz., next week to…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Mike Dade’s passionate plea to the Quincy School board last week asking for equal treatment for the boys and girls basketball programs succeeded in one important regard. It created conversation, opinion and debate. His speech also missed the mark in one very important aspect. He wasn’t a true voice for the players themselves.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Kaci Bailey inherited 14 players on a team coming off a two-win season when she was hired as the Quincy University women’s basketball coach in April 2021. Not the ideal recipe for immediate success. “It was late in the recruiting cycle, and I told the coaches we needed to try to sign a…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY— Quincy University coach Steve Hawkins likes to compare a basketball season to an airplane flight. “There’s always going to be some turbulence,” he explained. His team is trying to navigate its choppiest stretch yet. After surprising preseason prognosticators by winning six of their first seven Great Lakes Valley Conference games to rise to the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The dip in temperatures and rainy weather forced “Schuck on a Truck” to become “Schuck in the Stands” this week, but it’s appropriate since the stands at Blue Devil Gym this weekend should be filled with basketball junkies and passionate fans. The fifth Quincy Shootout brings a nationally respected field to the Gem…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Eric Stratman’s excitement is understandable. For the last 12 months, since the day after the fourth Quincy Shootout ended, Stratman has been tirelessly working to assemble another stellar field. A former Quincy High School athlete and coach with a passion for community events, Stratman’s role as event organizer can be challenging and stressful.…
Read Full Article 
PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Charlie and John Hull were slipping on headsets and helping broadcast sporting events when most kids their age were collecting Pokémon cards. Just 10 and 13 years old, respectively, they would tag along with their dad, Jack Hull, who was working alongside the late Harry Wagy for WBBA-FM in Pittsfield. Jack soon…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Owen Uppinghouse, Bryor Newbold and the Quincy High School wrestlers have spent most of their season flatbacking opponents. Coming off a victory in the 29-team Murdale Invitational last weekend in Carbondale, Ill., the Blue Devils get the chance to showcase their depth and talent in front of a home crowd at the Quincy…
Read Full Article 
MACON, Mo. — My cellphone rang the day after Christmas. I looked at the screen to see it was Tom Sneed, or Tommy Joe as he was called growing up, a moniker some of us in the family still use. He’s a second cousin on my mother’s side. It had been a while since we…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The commitment needed to prepare the Quincy High School wrestlers for a post-Christmas trip to Florida extended far beyond the wrestling room. That made the realization the Blue Devils’ flights on Southwest Airlines on December 26 had been canceled all the more disheartening. “It took the families, not just the parents but the…
Read Full Article Ben Marth now will regularly join Matt Schuckman on Muddy River Breakdown.
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — An announcement drawing national attention. Game-winning shots. Highlights of rivalry games. An inaugural all-star event. Throughout 2022, area student-athletes and teams provided thrills that needed to be captured on video. Here is a look at the top 10 most viewed videos on Muddy River Sports throughout the past year: 1. Aneyas Williams picks…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Stories of heart and soul, of community pride and compassion, of history and hope are what defined 2022. Here is a look at the most read columns at Muddy River Sports throughout the past year: 1. Schuckman: Empathy and respect create viral video moment between QHS, Glenwood football players 2. Schuckman: Homegrown talent…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman drove his pickup truck across the state, chasing stories of success for area athletes and teams. Along the way, “Schuck on a Truck” became a fun way to introduce our readers to the personalities of athletes and coaches and celebrate state titles. Here is a look at…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — This week marks one year since joining Muddy River Sports, and what a year it has been. As we begin 2023 and start the countdown to Matt Schuckman’s 50th birthday celebration, let’s look back at some of my favorite columns of 2022. From Warsaw to West Point to the world, Rothert’s journey is…
Read Full Article 
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Shock. That’s what Dominique Clay’s expression screamed. He wasn’t alone in his jaw-dropping assessment. “I had the same look, too,” Camden Brown said. After the Quincy High School boys basketball team dispatched Collierville (Tenn.) 62-48 in Thursday’s quarterfinals of the Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic, the Blue Devils were headed to the…
Read Full Article 
MACOMB, Ill. — The last time I spent an entire day at the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament was in 1996 when a talented Stephen Decatur squad, led by Tarise Bryson, claimed the title by defeating Warsaw in the title game. That was so long ago that now Stephen Decatur doesn’t even exist. But when Muddy River…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Chris Duesdieker earned the right to sit and smile. As the 16th and final game of the 15th annual Rumble on the River headed to the fourth quarter Wednesday night with a pair of state-ranked teams — Southeastern, No. 1 in Illinois Class 1A, and Bunker, No. 3 in Missouri Class 1 —…
Read Full Article 
NEW SALEM, Ill. — Jim Shields retold the story of a reporter once asking him about the difference between coaching boys and coaching girls in high school basketball. “I said the boys never gave me a state championship,” Shields laughed. It was a vintage answer by a career coach, a straight shooter, a man who…
Read Full Article 
The middle of December brings holiday gift ideas, All-American game goals and memories of a game played more than 30 years ago … Two venerable high school basketball gyms in Illinois and arguably the two most historic within the Western Big 6 Conference are being featured in the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s 2023 Unique Gyms…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The voice. Instantly recognizable, it was a fixture on Quincy airwaves for more than four decades. Commanding yet comfortable, perfect for radio, whether Jeff Dorsey was doing play-by-play of a sporting event or hosting a daily morning show. “There have been a number of great play-by-play guys, with (future baseball Hall of Famer)…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Entering the season, it appeared the Great Lakes Valley Conference did the Quincy University men’s basketball team no favors by scheduling it to open league play against Indianapolis and Lewis, opponents projected to finish first and third, respectively. The one caveat was that both games would be in Pepsi Arena, and the Hawks…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The phrase “rebuilding season” was tossed around before girls basketball season started at Quincy Notre Dame in 1981. Four players had graduated from the 1980-81 team that placed second in Class A, and coach Ivan Brown also was gone. However, a young team quickly gelled, and a late-season injury didn’t stop the Raiders…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A 1968 graduate of Quincy High School, John Groves has been a loyal supporter and contributor for more than 50 years. Groves began helping his father, Jerry Groves, when he started the first formal “Chain Gang” for the QHS football team in 1960. John took over those duties from his father in 1982…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The 2011 boys soccer team stumbled into the postseason, going 2-3-1 in the last six games of the regular season, but they racked off seven straight victories to claim the school’s first state championship in 26 years. The Raiders opened the postseason with a 9-1 victory over Athens, then needed a goal from…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As they worked their way past the long line of Decatur St. Teresa faithful waiting to enter Memorial Stadium, a group of Camp Point Central football fans were abruptly stopped by some curious Bulldogs fans. “Did you get it done?” one asked. The disappointment echoed in the tone of the response. “It…
Read Full Article 
Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2022 Gully Transportation Tip-Off Shootout at The Pit. QUINCY — After playing basketball at Christian Brothers High School and Quincy College, Tom Wisman spent most of his life coaching basketball around the world. Wisman,…
Read Full Article 
Editor’s note: The Quincy Blue Devil Sports Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games in the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. QUINCY — A 1963 graduate of Quincy High School who played baseball and basketball through his sophomore year, Tom Berry chose to have…
Read Full Article 
Editor’s note: The Quincy Blue Devil Sports Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games in the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. QUINCY — One of the most successful girls tennis players in Quincy High School history, Matea Simovic was a four-time state qualifier, three-time…
Read Full Article 
Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2022 Gully Transportation Tip-Off Shootout at The Pit. QUINCY — As the Quincy Notre Dame basketball team racked up all kinds of points during the late 2000s, it seems almost impossible to think that…
Read Full Article 
Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2022 Gully Transportation Tip-Off Shootout at The Pit. QUINCY — John Frankenhoff played a critical role in bringing a sectional championship back to Quincy and end a 14-year postseason drought. Frankenhoff, a 1989 Quincy…
Read Full Article 
Editor’s note: The Quincy Blue Devil Sports Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games in the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. QUINCY — Jared Anders followed in his family’s footsteps — straight to the Hall of Fame. A two-time state medalist as a pole…
Read Full Article 
Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2022 Gully Transportation Tip-Off Shootout at The Pit. QUINCY — Shannon (Foley) Venvertloh played different roles in different sports — goal scorer in soccer, defensive standout in volleyball and playmaker in basketball. She played…
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — Come Friday, the Camp Point Central football team will walk into Memorial Stadium on the University of Illinois campus for the Class 1A state championship game to square off with Lena-Winslow, the reigning state champion who has won five state championships since 2010. Leading the way with be an experienced, stout…
Read Full Article 
One month after sinking to a last-place tie, Iowa is poised to win the Big 10 West. Such is life in college football’s strangest division. The Hawkeyes, written off after being blown out 54-10 by Ohio State on Oct. 22 to fall to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in league play, control their destiny after pulling…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — One final wave to say thank you to an adoring, enthusiastic crowd was the Quincy University women’s volleyball team’s way to say goodbye as well. The season that changed the Hawks’ program forever was over. Yet, the bond created amongst a group of student-athletes — “incredible young women” in the words of Quincy…
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central football players have traded cut-off t-shirts and shorts for stocking caps and sweatshirts. When that takes place, something more significant has, too. In this case, the Panthers have reached the Class 1A state semifinals for the fourth time in program history. Central (12-0) travels for the first time this…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Every version of the national anthem is unique and different. Singers with big, booming voices tend to drag out high notes, especially at the top of their vocal range. Nervous singers hurry through it, praying they don’t forget a word or miss a note and fight just to finish. Steve Hawkins would have…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and his trusty podcast sidekick Don O’Brien tackle the start of prep boys basketball practices in Illinois, the first week for college hoops games and the shift from fall sports to winter sports in this week’s episode of the Muddy River Breakdown.
Read Full Article 
What did we learn last weekend in college football? Defending champion Georgia is clearly the best team after throttling the high-powered Tennessee offense, Alabama is no longer invincible after losing on the road for the second time, and Illinois is not quite ready for prime time after falling at home to a struggling Michigan State…
Read Full Article 
MACOMB, Ill. — Emily Horrell better get used to this if she hasn’t already. A few days before the Macomb football team played host to Murphysboro in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs, the wife of Bombers coach Tanner Horrell happened to be at a local retail store when two retirement-age women began…
Read Full Article 
LIBERTY, Ill. — Liberty junior Arianna Neisen will run at Detweiler Park this weekend. Quincy High School senior Eric McClelland will, too, in what is the ultimate weekend for Illinois prep cross country runners. The state meet takes place Saturday in Peoria with three classes running 3-mile races on both the boys and girls sides.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Cole Wagy saw beyond the jersey, the helmet and the foe and took note of a fellow football player’s heartache. At that moment, the Quincy High School offensive lineman walked over, knelt down and put his right arm around his ailing adversary. “I didn’t even know his name,” Wagy said. Names aren’t necessary…
Read Full Article 
EAST PEORIA, Ill. — Be phenomenal or be forgotten. Such an easy choice. “No one wants to live their life forgotten,” said Jake Hoyt, a senior center back on the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team. “Doesn’t everyone want to be phenomenal?” When Raiders coach Greg Reis posed that challenge to his team on the…
Read Full Article EAST PEORIA, Ill. — They grew curious — possibly more concerned — whether the suspension on Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman’s pickup truck could hold the weight of the entire Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team piled into the truck’s bed. Much like the Raiders throughout the postseason, Schuck’s truck held up just fine.…
Read Full Article 
CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team clamped down on Bloomington Central Catholic’s attack and limited the Saints to one shot in the first half of Wednesday’s 5-1 victory in the Class 1A Chillicothe Super-Sectional. That effort is carrying the Raiders to the final four in East Peoria, where they will play…
Read Full Article 
Around the horn … Former Quincy University men’s basketball coach Ryan Hellenthal has landed a new job as director of basketball development and basketball administration at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, the school announced last week. At SIUE, he is reunited with Cougars coach Brian Barone. Both were assistants on the coaching staff at Garden City (Kan.)…
Read Full Article 
CARTHAGE, Ill. — On a field where history grows with every blade of grass, the Illini West football team was intent on keeping history from happening. For nearly eight minutes, that seemed possible. Then in a blink, it became clear history wouldn’t be denied. Facing undefeated, state-ranked Macomb in the regular-season finale Friday night at…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The outcome matters. It has to, otherwise the sweat equity put into practice and the commitment to be at your best wouldn’t matter so much. Still, there are nights where the final score takes on secondary importance, where winners aren’t determined solely by the numbers on a scoreboard but more by the integrity,…
Read Full Article 
Notes, quotes and great thoughts from a sports weekend that, for the first time in a month, did not include my alma mater turning a winnable college football game into an excruciating loss: OK, so Missouri was on a bye. No game, no angst. Surely the Tigers won’t lose on Saturday to Vanderbilt, the only…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Growing up, the best part of the calendar rolling into October meant hunting season was upon us and I had the opportunity to spend more time with my dad. No matter what we did outdoors, I was right by his side. That hasn’t changed in adulthood. With the archery deer season in full…
Read Full Article 
LIBERTY, Ill. — A decorated high school golf career came to an end last Saturday when Liberty senior Blake Arnold finished tied for 13th at the Class 1A state tournament, and he finished it with a birdie on his final hole. In the process, Arnold became the highest individual state finisher in Liberty golf history.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A boy and a ball. That’s perfect symmetry. Hayden Hoskins’ job and his joy is to run around behind the goal at the northeast end of Flinn Stadium during Quincy High School boys soccer games and act as the ball boy. In reality, the 9-year-old just wants to play the way boys should.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Golf can humble you. Infuriate you. Exasperate you. Baffle you. And if you let it, the game can break your spirit. Ross Thompson wouldn’t allow that to happen. A freshman when he made the six-man lineup in 2019 and was part of the Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team’s second-place state finish, Thompson…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The big reveal takes place on the Muddy River Breakdown with Schuck Daddy and DOB. With Don O’Brien having embraced English Premier League fandom, it became time for Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman to pledge his loyalty to an EPL team. So he turned to Culver-Stockton College women’s soccer coach Tyler Tomlinson…
Read Full Article 
When it became apparent I wasn’t going to make a living pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, even though I had spent most of my childhood emulating the windup and mannerisms of Bob Gibson, it seemed the next best thing would be writing about the team every day. A baseball beat writer. In St. louis.…
Read Full Article 
MENDON, Ill. — When modern technology accents old-school charm, you wind up watching a prep football game in an environment artists pen songs about and screenwriters use as inspiration for movie scripts. Friday night, this Adams County village offered one of those backdrops. From the bonfire in the neighboring yard to a respected, celebrated old…
Read Full Article 
The history of Class A Basketball in Illinois cannot be written without Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike counties. The tradition in West Central Illinois schools with their multiple regional, sectional and state titles stacks up with any other four county region in the state. The writers and editors of Muddy River Sports have spent their careers chronicling…
Read Full Article 
SHOREWOOD, Ill. — Dean Cappel and his wife, Connie, live in an active 55-and-older community west of Joliet. When they’re not traveling or doting on their six grandchildren, they like to spend time playing water volleyball and bocce ball and riding bicycles. “I just came back from the weight room,” Cappel said as we began…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — It goes in the ledger as a loss, but in terms of progress being made — from Week 1 to Week 4 this season and over the course of the last 364 days — Saturday’s outcome needs to be viewed as a small step in the right direction for the Quincy University football…
Read Full Article 
MACOMB, Ill. — If rainfall and lightning strikes can’t put a damper on the enthusiasm surrounding the Macomb football program, what can? Right now, nothing. Friday night’s crowd was asked to leave the stadium complex to wait out a thunderstorm cell that passed over the area just before Friday night’s kickoff against Farmington. It delayed…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Outside of watching Scott Van Pelt host SportsCenter and the game coverage ESPN provides, Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and Don O’Brien discuss how they have veered away from watching the sports network and what other television program pique their interest on this week’s Muddy River Breakdown.
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Saturday felt like a warm, welcoming hug. John Wood Community College opened its arms to the community, and Quincy embraced it. “Yeah, this is neat,” Trail Blazers athletic director Brad Hoyt said as he surveyed the meshing of JWCC athletes and personnel with fans and community members across a large swath of the…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The Nest deserved a little TLC. The Brown County football team hadn’t played at home since its Week 1 victory over Calhoun when it was one of the first teams in the state to take the field, opening on a Thursday night. In the three weeks since, the Hornets’ all-natural grass…
Read Full Article 
MONROE CITY, Mo. — Andre White spent a majority of his summer traveling across the United States with his son, Dez, on the AAU basketball circuit, and the reward of seeing his son achieve the dream of receiving an NCAA Division I scholarship is priceless. The fact Dez White will be playing for a former…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Muddy River Sports correspondent Don O’Brien made the road trip to Moline last Friday to cover the Quincy High School football team and realized Western Big 6 Conference gridiron road games mean late-night arrivals back home. He and Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman talk WB6 road trips, media scrums, basketball shootouts and…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Tyler Tomlinson is doing what every successful coach does. He’s accepting the need to change. The first four games of the Culver-Stockton College women’s soccer team’s season didn’t go as well as hoped, so Tomlinson and his staff began retooling how the Wildcats need to play. It seems to be working. The Wildcats…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — It would have been a trade that changed the course of baseball history. In July 2000, with Eli Marrero on the disabled list and Mike Matheny playing with cracked ribs, St. Louis was in the market for a backup catcher. The Cardinals, who would go on to win 95 games and the Central…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — From celebrity chef tables to prep football to Jirehl Brock’s season-opening performance, Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and KHQA Sports Director Chris Duerr offer insight on a variety of fronts. Check out this week’s podcast:
Read Full Article Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and his sidekick Don O’Brien discuss kickoff times, prep football and the college football scene featuring local products.
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — I laughed. Dennis Guthrie didn’t. My mind immediately began thinking, “What’s wrong?” Seated together on a bench near the 18th green at Quincy Country Club as the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame boys golf teams neared the end of their Ryder Cup match early in the 2007 season, Guthrie and I…
Read Full Article 