Quincy
QUINCY — Jeremiah Talton hurt. Understandably so. Friday night, in the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s 63-49 victory over Moline in Western Big 6 Conference play at Blue Devil Gym, the Maroons chose to defend the league’s leading scorer by putting a defender chest-to-chest with the 6-foot-6 swingman. Talton got bumped on every cut…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It isn’t supposed to be this easy. Oh, sure, a handful of basketball players have done well during their freshman season at Quincy High School, but only six have scored more than 70 points as a freshman — Bruce Douglas, Jack Kramer, Dennis Douglas, Jeff Klingler, Parker Bland and Jeremiah Talton. But the…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s first West Central Conference game of the season served as a reminder of what the Raiders need to expect as they get deeper into league play. Nothing is going to come easy. Central used its physical, aggressive defense to stun, stall and starve the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — For a nine-minute stretch spanning the end of the second quarter and the start of the third quarter Thursday night, the Moline girls basketball team didn’t score. Quincy High School didn’t chisel away at the deficit either. The Blue Devils trailed 28-14 after the Maroons’ Caroline Hazen scored off a drive down the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jeremiah Talton’s breakaway, one-handed dunk in the third quarter last Friday night against Sterling added the punctuation mark to another blowout by the Quincy High School boys basketball team. Yet, it was his alley-oop dunk in the second quarter that kickstarted the rout. The Blue Devils led 26-17 when the Golden Warriors called…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The edge in experience led to his team’s 60-32 victory Tuesday night at the Pit, but Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne took note of the abundance of young talent Palmyra put on the floor. It’s a reason for trepidation in the years to come. “They’re going to be a load,”…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The schedule is designed to continually test the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team in preparation for a deep February postseason push. Beating another state-ranked opponent Saturday at the Pit showed no challenge is too big so far. Abbey Schreacke scored 35 and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Raiders to a 57-43 victory…
Read Full Article QUINCY — How much has the Quincy High School boys basketball team improved from a season ago? Quincy’s 64-61 victory over Batavia on Saturday night at Blue Devil Gym completed a 3-0 week that also included wins over Sterling and Rock Island Alleman. Three victories, five days. Those three wins match the Blue Devils’ victory…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The boys basketball title chase in the Western Big 6 Conference has a clear favorite and a surprising contender, and the league slate hasn’t reached Christmas yet. Rock Island established itself as the team to beat, going to Moline’s Wharton Field House on Friday night and winning a battle of unbeatens with its…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — A game-opening 17-3 run tends to break a lot of team’s spirit. The Unity girls basketball team refused to be broken, and that nearly led to a comeback for the ages. Then came the realization Abbey Schreacke is wearing a Quincy Notre Dame uniform. Having watched the Mustangs whittle the deficit to…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Take a good look, Quincy Notre Dame fans. The level of play exhibited by the Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin boys basketball team on Friday is likely the standard any Class 2A team in western and central Illinois will need to meet if it hopes to make a deep postseason run. And not just this…
Read Full Article EAST MOLINE, Ill. — With United Township boys basketball coach Ryan Webber absent Friday night, the Panthers struggled to stay disciplined and couldn’t contain Quincy High School’s Jeremiah Talton in suffering a 70-39 loss in the Western Big 6 Conference opener. Webber was out with an undisclosed illness — Abel Zertuche filled in as head…
Read Full Article Here are the Illinois girls prep basketball polls with rank, team, first-place votes, record and total points. Class 4A School W-L Pts 1. Hersey (3) 5-1 48 2. Bolingbrook (2) 3-1 46 3. Edwardsville 3-1 38 4. Loyola 5-0 37 5. Benet 3-0 32 6. Kenwood 3-0 22 7. Homewood-Flossmoor 3-0 18 8. Normal Community…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Each time Jake Hoyt darted to the basket, he knew punishment was coming. “That was pretty much the thought process,” he said. “I knew I had to try to score.” Hoyt completed one old-fashioned three-point play in the fourth quarter, then made two more in overtime and finished with a career-high 24 points…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The second verse was the same as the first. Twenty-four hours after using a 17-point run to close the first quarter and take command in a victory over Belleville Althoff, the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team scored 20 consecutive points to close the first quarter on its way to a 51-25 victory…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Based solely on the youthful aspect of the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s roster, composure isn’t an attribute most fans would associate with the Blue Devils. After this weekend, composure might be one of their strengths. With St. Mary’s of St. Louis constantly subbing players to run fresh bodies at Quincy and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Any worries about Blair Eftink’s broken wrist should be alleviated. The junior guard didn’t make any 3-pointers in the first half of Friday night’s game in the Gully Transportation Shootout at the Pit, but she made three in the second half and finished with 23 points in Quincy Notre Dame’s 72-31 victory over…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With only three upperclassmen on the roster and one senior in the starting lineup, Brad Dance’s Quincy High School girls basketball squad will have some growing pains this season. And that’s OK. The Blue Devils are off to a 1-1 start as they were on both the giving and the receiving end of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The way Keshaun Thomas sees it, there’s no reason to be intimidated by any atmosphere or situation the Quincy High School boys basketball team might find itself facing. “We just have to go out there and play,” Thomas said. “You can’t be scared of competition.” The freshman forward proved Friday night he’s scared…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Kevin Meyer isn’t sure how raucous the Pit will get this weekend. He’s hoping loud enough to be hostile, but since it has been 21 months since the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team last played with a fill-all-the-seats crowd and continuing concerns with the coronavirus pandemic, the Raiders’ head coach isn’t sure…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne says he hopes junior Abbey Schreacke averages fewer points per game this season, he isn’t crazy. Schreacke, who averaged 25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.5 steals and 3.4 blocks per game during a shortened sophomore season, has been contacted by and/or offered a…
Read Full Article EAST MOLINE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy High School girls swimmers won five medals at Saturday’s sectional championships. QND senior Emily Strieker finished third in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing in 5 minutes, 26.39 seconds. Strieker also finished fourth in the 200 freestyle in 2:02.68. The Raiders’ Brooklyn Biggs was fourth in the…
Read Full Article SAVANNAH, Ga. — Luke Guthrie’s final hole Thursday could be the boost necessary to change his weekend trajectory. The Quincy native made a birdie on the par-4 ninth hole at the The Landings Club’s Magnolia Course, allowing him to finish his final nine holes at 1-under 34 and post a 3-over 73 in the opening…
Read Full Article KNOXVILLE, Ill. — This was more like it. After being forced to sweat out three sets in last week’s regional championship game against Illini West, the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team was dominant in Monday’s Class 2A sectional semifinal. The Raiders crushed Port Byron Riverdale 25-13, 25-13 at Knoxville High School. QND (31-4), ranked No.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The sun sparkled Saturday, which made for perfect weather to run the Class 3A boys and girls cross country sectionals at Bob Mays Park. The only problem was there wasn’t enough sun prior to Saturday to dry out the 3-mile course. Muddy conditions seemed to bog down some runners, leading to higher times…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame team needed just one play to wrap up a first-round victory in the Class 4A playoffs over Bethalto Civic Memorial. The Eagles were facing third and 20 from the QND 33-yard line with less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Raiders, however, couldn’t come up…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Swipe. Score. Celebrate. It’s a recipe for success the Quincy Notre Dame football team has discovered works wonders. Having gone 6-3 in the regular season and earned a Class 4A first-round home playoff game, the Raiders understand their defense creates opportunities. In the six victories, QND has scored its first touchdown off a…
Read Full Article No Quincy Notre Dame girls tennis player in program history has medaled at the state tournament. Lia Quintero is inching closer to being the first. The QND junior won a fourth-round consolation match last Friday at the Class 1A girls state tennis tournament at Fremd High School in Palatine, pushing her into the top 16…
Read Full Article CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team gave itself a string of opportunities to erase Mendota’s lead in Saturday’s Class 1A Chillicothe IVC Sectional championship. The Raiders just couldn’t find a way to survive. QND knocked a couple of shots off the crossbar, saw Mendota goalkeeper Manny Trejo stop a penalty kick…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — Fiker Rosen and Anna Schuering led the pack the way they have all season for the Quincy High School boys and girls cross country teams. The Blue Devils are headed to sectionals thanks to that. QHS finished third in the team standings in both the boys and girls races Saturday in the…
Read Full Article ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Quincy High School football team created a glimmer of hope in its pursuit of a playoff berth. It faded with one bad snap. Despite allowing Rock Island to score touchdowns on its first three possessions Friday night at Almquist Field, the Blue Devils were in perfect striking distance down 21-18…
Read Full Article PALATINE, Ill. — Lia Quintero proved she belonged. And it’s a safe bet she’ll be back. The Quincy Notre Dame junior won another match Friday at the Class 1A girls state tennis tournament at Fremd High School, pushing her into the fifth round of the consolation bracket and into the top 16 singles players in…
Read Full Article Friday’s Schedule Quincy High School (4-4) at Rock Island (5-3), 7:30 p.m. • WGEM 1440 AM, 98.9 FM Quincy Notre Dame (5-3) at Alton Marquette (0-8), 7:30 p.m. • WTAD 930 AM Hannibal (8-0) at Columbia Battle (4-3), 7 p.m. • KICK 97.9 FM Central (7-1) at Calhoun (2-6), 7 p.m. • Central Illinois Sports…
Read Full Article ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — Lia Quintero needed composure and conviction as much as she did her powerful forehand to survive the first day of the Class 1A girls state tennis tournament. The Quincy Notre Dame junior showcased it all. Opening the singles draw against ninth-seeded Jocelyn Carmody of Troy Triad, Quintero scored an upset in…
Read Full Article ALTON, Ill. — The same bugaboo that had hampered the Quincy High School boys soccer team during the regular season became the Blue Devils undoing in the postseason. They struggled to finish. The fifth-seeded Blue Devils hit a post with one shot, nicked the crossbar with at least one other and created opportunities in front…
Read Full Article CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — The effort in the two regional victories couldn’t be considered lackluster, but the pin-the-defense-back-with-an-all-out-attack seemed to be absent. Tuesday night, the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team brought it back to life. The Raiders scored three first-half goals, consistently applied pressure on the Somonauk goal and headed home with a 4-0 victory…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The regional reign continues. Sectional success should be a bit more challenging. To ensure the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer players are ready for whatever lies ahead in the Class 1A Chillicothe IVC Sectional, Raiders coach Greg Reis will hold practice on the grass fields to the east of the Boots Bush baseball…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Adon Byquist took care of things in the first half, and two touchdowns in the first minute of the second half sealed a 48-0 victory for the Quincy High School football team over hapless Rock Island Alleman in a Western Big Six game on Friday night at Flinn Stadium. The victory evens the…
Read Full Article STERLING, Ill. — Fiker Rosen made it a clean sweep. Anna Schuering and the rest of the Quincy High School cross country runners did, too. Rosen won his fourth consecutive Western Big 6 Conference individual championship while leading the QHS boys to back-to-back titles during Thursday’s conference meet at Hoover Park. Meanwhile, Schuering won her…
Read Full Article DECATUR, Ill. — Hana Knuffman and Blair Eftink said adios to the pressure and hello to the simple beauty of golf. Tee it up. Drive it. Find the green. Roll it in the cup. Then do it 17 more times without worrying about the score, the leaderboard or the end result. That’s how the two…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Al Davis, the Hall of Fame general manager and owner of the Oakland Raiders, based his philosophy of football on speed. “Speed kills. You can’t teach speed. Everything else in the game can be taught, but speed is a gift from God,” Davis once said. The speed of the Lutheran St. Charles football…
Read Full Article QUINCY — During Rick Little’s tenure as Quincy High School football coach, the Blue Devils have been known as a pretty tough team to beat at Flinn Stadium. This fall, winning at Flinn has been anything but easy for the Blue Devils. On Friday night, the Blue Devils finally found the right combination, mixing heavy…
Read Full Article DECATUR, Ill. — Blair Eftink’s double bogey on the first hole after making the turn Friday put her chances of surviving to play the second round of the Class 1A state golf tournament in limbo. A series of pars changed everything. Eftink rolled in par putts on six of her final eight holes, including four…
Read Full Article MORRIS, Ill. — Quincy High School boys golf coach Randy Mettemeyer understands there are days you tip your cap to the field and appreciate the darts others are throwing. Monday was one of those days. The Blue Devils had three players shoot in the 70s and posted a 311 total at the Class 3A Lockport…
Read Full Article AUBURN, Ill. — There’s a benefit to playing a schedule chock full of talented opponents. The Quincy Notre Dame girls golfers are realizing that. The regular-season setbacks suffered against Quincy High School and Macomb — teams that won regional championships and are sending golfers to their respective state tournaments — prepped the Raiders to be…
Read Full Article 'We played flat out terrible': QND buried by state-ranked Mahomet Seymour in third-quarter avalanche
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team was still in the game. The Raiders trailed 14-0 at halftime, but they forced a three-and-out by Mahomet Seymour on the first series of the third quarter. A poor punt gave QND the ball at the Bulldogs’ 42-yard line. A running play on first down moved the…
Read Full Article STERLING, Ill. — A near-perfect start for the Quincy High School football team offered hope of beating Sterling for the first time as Western Big 6 Conference counterparts. A series of miscues dashed all hope. The Golden Warriors answered the Blue Devils’ game-opening touchdown drive by scoring 44 straight points and securing a 50-18 victory…
Read Full Article PETERSBURG, Ill. — Jason Knuffman has determined the best way to coach his daughter is not to coach her at all. That strategy seems to be working well for both of them. Hana Knuffman shot a 7-over 79 to finish in second place, and the Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team turned in its best…
Read Full Article COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy High School golf team picked a great time to post its best score of the season. The Blue Devils finished with a season-best 305 strokes, one behind champion O’Fallon, in the Class 3A regional tournament at Arlington Greens Golf Course. Cameron Bergman shot a 73 to place second, followed by…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Ross Thompson didn’t let a rocky start to his round bother him. Zane Douglas didn’t let a rocky start to his season bother him. The Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team posted a 323 — its best second score of the year — to finish in third place at the Class 2A…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Unfortunately, the highlight of Quincy High’s homecoming football game came during the break between the third and fourth quarters. That’s when the crowd provided a much-needed lift, accompanying the recording of Neil Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline” that was booming from the sound system. Other than that, however, the highlights were few and far…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The moment after contact, Macomb’s Lily Vardaman called it. “As the shot was in air, she was like, ‘Hole-in-one, baby!’” Quincy High School senior golfer Laci Novosel said. “It sounded good, which is why she said that. And it looked good.” It turned out perfect. Last Saturday, playing in the Macomb Invitational at…
Read Full Article MILAN, Ill. — Quincy High School boys golf coach Randy Mettemeyer knew the Blue Devils could take nothing for granted despite their history of success in the Western Big 6 Conference championships and their status as the defending champions. “We knew it wasn’t just show up and bring the trophy home,” Mettemeyer said. They had…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Jack Cornell bristles at the notion special teams aren’t prioritized in the same way as offense and defense. At Quincy Notre Dame, they are. “One-hundred percent,” said Cornell, the Raiders’ fourth-year head coach. And for good reason. “We’re not your average football team,” Cornell said. “We’re not trying to be your…
Read Full Article Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman talks to long-time local soccer coach Matt Longo about his career, his legendary father and Cardinal baseball.
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ben Kasparie didn’t need long to crush Marceline’s spirit. After intercepting a pass deep in the Quincy Notre Dame football team’s territory and returning it to the Tigers’ 20-yard line in the first quarter of last Friday’s game at Advance Physical Therapy Field, Kasparie scored on a 5-yard run to give the Raiders…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team is developing an offense that can attack opponents in all sorts of ways. Calvin Lavery threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns, Elliott Maas and Ben Kasparie combined for 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns, Jackson Stratton caught five passes and two touchdowns, and six other receivers…
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