QND
CHICAGO — Here are the Associated Press state rankings for Illinois high school football as voted on by a statewide panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. First-place votes in parenthesis: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (14) 8-0 140 1 2. Naperville Central 8-0 112 2 3. Lyons 8-0 103 4 4.…
Read Full Article 
EAST PEORIA, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer coach Greg Reis knows once a team goes down 2-0, all they need is one goal to turn the momentum in their direction. “A 2-1 lead in soccer is always a dangerous lead because the team that was up is now being very cautious and the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Danielle White’s suit was fit for the occasion. So was the Raiders’ performance. The Raiders blitzed Quincy High School in the first set and staved off a late Blue Devils rally in the second set to win 25-16, 25-22 on Monday at the QHS gym. White took Pink…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team roared to a double-digit lead in the first set and never let up Monday night, beating Quincy High School 25-16, 25-22 at the QHS gym. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane…
Read Full Article 
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Beau Eftink doesn’t necessarily subscribe to the theory twice is nice, especially when it comes to finishing as the runner-up at the state golf tournament. “I already got second once,” he said. “I didn’t need to get it again.” He most certainly doesn’t want to do it a third time. “I wish…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls tennis team’s top doubles tandem is headed to the Class 1A state tournament after finishing third Saturday in the Jacksonville Sectional. The Raiders’ Morgan Zanger and Kaitlyn Brown beat Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Lucia Hassebrock and Catalina Mosquera 6-2, 6-1 in the third-place match. Zanger and Brown fell…
Read Full Article 
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Brian Hendrian has come to learn one bad day for the Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team rarely if ever devolves into two. That’s why the QND coach believed the Raiders could erase a 12-stroke deficit and play themselves into contention for a top-three finish on the second day of the Class…
Read Full Article 
DECATUR, Ill. — Isabelle Boudreau attacked the Red Tail Run Golf Course on Saturday and ended her season with a flourish. The Quincy Notre Dame junior posted the third lowest score in the 89-player field and vaulted herself into an 11th place finish at the Class 1A state tournament. Boudreau shot a 2-over 74, an…
Read Full Article 
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Beau Eftink’s state title pursuit and the Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team’s trophy dash both will need a charge Saturday. Eftink, the QND junior who finished second individually a year ago, finds himself tied for fifth in the Class 1A state tournament following Friday’s opening round at Prairie Vista Golf Course.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Charsten Williams has discovered the knack of making a big play when it matters most. The Quincy Notre Dame defensive end has done it two weeks in a row. “In the moment, I kind of realize what’s really on the line,” Williams said. Williams’ key second-half sack, and subsequent forced punt, thwarted any…
Read Full Article 
EAST PEORIA, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer coach Greg Reis could sense the frustration building in senior forward Rylan Fischer, whose scoring opportunities during Friday’s Class 1A regional semifinal were consistently stymied. “He kept working and kept working and kept working,” Reis said. “But the goalie was up to the task every time…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team played its final home game of the regular season Friday night with a 54-12 victory over Lincoln at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Muddy River News Editor David Adam captured some of the plays of Friday night’s game.
Read Full Article 
CHICAGO — Here are this week’s Illinois Associated Press state football rankings, as voted on by a statewide panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. First-place votes in parenthesis: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (11) 7-0 110 1 2. Naperville Central 7-0 86 2 3. Oswego 7-0 79 3 4. Lyons 7-0…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The mission was simple for the Quincy Notre Dame football team entering Friday night’s trip to Jacksonville. So simple that Ivan Hun only needed three words to describe the task at hand. “Run the ball,” the senior running back said. Despite being outsized at every spot up front QND (6-1, 5-0 in…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Andrew Brown was so close. Painstakingly close. With three minutes left and the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer teams deadlocked at 3 during Thursday night’s clash at Flinn Stadium, Quincy’s Logan Epping received a through ball on the right wing from Trace Routh. Epping kept his eyes up and…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Redemption tasted pretty sweet. So did healing the wounds from the way last season ended. The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team avenged its loss to Macomb in the 2023 Class 2A regional championship game by sweeping the Bombers 25-21, 25-16 on Wednesday at The Pit. “They wanted this more than anything,” Raiders first-year…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Danielle White and the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team know what lies ahead. That’s why the Raiders coach was as impressed as she was with her team’s 25-19, 25-13 West Central Conference win over Southeastern on Tuesday at The Pit. This win came 24 hours before a clash with undefeated Macomb, a rematch…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Olliver Hendrian never expected his tee shot on the par-3 second hole at Spring Lake Country Club to wind up 15 or so yards behind the green. “Apparently I have too much muscle,” the Quincy Notre Dame sophomore golfer said with a sarcastic sideways grin. “I have to stop going to the gym.”…
Read Full Article 
Splish, splash: Raiders coach takes dip in Lake Springfield to celebrate girls golf team's state bid
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame girls golf coach Jason Knuffman made a promise to his team prior to Monday’s Class 1A Rochester Sectional at Lincoln Greens Golf Course. If the Raiders qualified for the state tournament, he would jump in Lake Springfield. Knuffman stayed true to his word and took a plunge in the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Kaitlyn Brown got the run started. Her teammates finished it off. The Quincy Notre Dame girls tennis team won the bottom four singles matches and two of the three doubles matches to earn a 6-3 victory over Quincy High School on Monday at Reservoir Park. The teams split their pair of regular-season duals.…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads of prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team took advantage of playing at home. The Raiders had four players shoot 77 or better Monday at Spring Lake Country Club, leading to a 296 total and the championship…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team earned its spot in the Class 1A state tournament field, finishing second Monday in the Rochester Sectional at Lincoln Greens Golf Course. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Blue Devil brigade was out in full force at Saturday’s Tom Oakley Invitational. The Quincy High School boys and girls cross country teams blazed a trail through Bob Mays Park to capture the top five positions and team titles in both races. Quincy’s Eli Poe overcame a misstep with a mile left…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photo,click here to visits our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team loaded up its schedule to ensure it will be ready for the postseason. Saturday’s home finale at Advance Physical Therapy Field may have been against the best collection of…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Jack Brenner doesn’t get many chances at picking off the opposing team’s quarterback. In fact, the Quincy Notre Dame senior linebacker entered Friday’s contest without an interception in his high school career. It only took three offensive plays for Brenner to not only snag his first pick but also his second. He returned…
Read Full Article 
HAMILTON, Ill. — The Illini West boys golf team won three consecutive Class 1A regional championships from 2020 to 2022, only to have Quincy Notre Dame throw up a roadblock with a 23-stroke victory last fall. That made winning Wednesday’s Class 1A Hamilton Regional at Deer Run Golf Course extra satisfying. “It’s definitely a big…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. HAMILTON, Ill. — The youthful Illini West boys golf team showed age doesn’t matter as a pair of freshmen finished in the top four individually — senior Nick Bruns was sandwiched in between — in guiding the Chargers…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Here are the latest Associated Press state rankings for the eight classes of Illinois prep football teams as voted on by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. First-place votes are in parentheses: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (14) 5-0 140 1 2. Barrington 5-0 114 2 3. York…
Read Full Article 
'It's good to go out with a bang': QND's Eversman steady on back nine to win Class 1A regional title
HAMILTON, Ill. — Maybe Meredith Eversman found the magic elixir to evening out a topsy-turvy round of golf. Switch your balls. Having posted a 7-over 43 on the front nine Tuesday at Deer Run Golf Course, the Quincy Notre Dame senior pulled a different sleeve of balls from her bag when she went to the…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. HAMILTON, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame and Illini West girls golf teams advanced to the Class 1A Rochester Sectional by finishing in the top three Tuesday at the Class 1A regional at Deer Run Golf Course. QND…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Annie Eaton’s volleyball acumen continues to amaze first-year Quincy Notre Dame coach Danielle White. For a handful of points during Monday’s West Central Conference match against Camp Point Central, Eaton, normally a setter, found herself at outside hitter in a rotation White likes to implement from time to time. “I remember this summer…
Read Full Article 
GALESBURG, Ill. — Beau Eftink is in championship mode. His teammates are too. With the Class 1A boys golf postseason set to begin Tuesday, the Quincy Notre Dame junior carries the momentum of back-to-back tournament championships with him after completing a weekend sweep Saturday in the Galesburg INvitational at Bunker Links Golf Course. Eftink won…
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The situation called for patience, persistence and poise. The Quincy Notre Dame football team showcased it all on one of the most critical drives of the season. Trailing Springfield 9-8 with six minutes remaining in regulation Friday night, the state-ranked Raiders took possession at their own 48-yard line and steadily moved the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Kourtney Keck wasn’t aware how close she was to a career milestone until the public address announcer mentioned it prior to announcing the lineups for Thursday night’s volleyball match at The Pit. “I had no idea,” the Quincy Notre Dame senior libero said. She needed only two digs to reach 500 for her…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame and Illini West volleyball teams, with a combined xx-xx record prior to Thursday night, went head-to-head at The Pit. The Raiders’ energy remained infectious and limitless in a 25-14, 25-15 victory. Muddy…
Read Full Article 
RUSHVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team is primed to start its state championship pursuit. The Raiders have two regular-season tournaments remaining — Friday at the Normal U-High Invitational and Saturday at the Galesburg Invitational — but Wednesday’s performance at the West Central Conference championships at Scripps Park Golf Course was indicative…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Here are the Illinois Associated Press state football rankings as voted on by a panel of sports writers and sportscasters. First-place votes are in parentheses: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (14) 4-0 140 1 2. Barrington 4-0 119 3 3. Oswego 4-0 96 T 5 (tie) York 4-0…
Read Full Article 
HANNIBAL, Mo. — It took longer than the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team is accustomed to, but thee Raiders finished exactly the way they are used to. With a victory. The Raiders crossed the Mississippi River on Tuesday night for a showdown with Hannibal at Korf Gym, and the Pirates made it a five-set affair.…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team conquered the elements Tuesday on its way to a West Central Conference title. The Raiders’ top four golfers posted a 333 on holes 10 through 27 at a damp…
Read Full Article 
COLCHESTER, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team is primed for the postseason. The Raiders posted a 321 team score Saturday in the Macomb Invitational at Gold Hills Golf Course, repeating as the tournament champion and setting the stage to chase the West Central Conference title Tuesday at Westview Golf Course and a…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A lopsided victory against a six-time state champion may open plenty of eyes around the state of Illinois. It came as no surprise to the Quincy Notre Dame football team. “(QND coach Jack Cornell) emphasized to us this whole week that we need to make a statement, and obviously we did,” junior running…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Beau Eftink and Dylan Kies may have found their new good luck charm. The Quincy Notre Dame tandem rocked Snoop Dogg shirts — black button-ups with a No. 93 and ‘Dogg’ written on the back — and Spider-Man hats to go along with their American flag pants as they won both of their…
Read Full Article 
PAYSON, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Danielle White knows the days are ticking away until the postseason begins. “Forty days is not a lot, so we have to start really performing how we are going to want to be performing come that 40-day mark,” White said. That was White’s message to her team…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Here are the latest Illinois Associated Press state football rankings as voted on by a state-wide panel of sports writers and sportscasters. First-place votes are in parentheses: Class 8A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Lincoln-Way East (13) 3-0 130 1 2. Chicago (Marist) 3-0 111 4 3. Barrington 3-0 101 5 4.…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team finished off a dominant effort in the annual Ryder Cup matches with Quincy High School, sweeping Wednesday’s action at Spring Lake Country Club for a 10-2 victory. Muddy River…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A wave of blue rippled through South Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Quincy High School boys and girls cross country teams ran to individual and team titles at the Running Raider Classic. The Blue Devils dominated the boys race with five of the top six individual finishers, led by Eli Poe taking first…
Read Full Article 
HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal, Quincy Notre Dame, Quincy High School and Kirksville girls golf teams played a nine-hole match Tuesday at Norwoods Golf Club. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey hit the links with them and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The American flag pants the Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team wears each year during the Quincy Ryder Cup might not be the most comfortable, but Raiders junior Aiden Tangy would gladly trade a little bit of discomfort to look stylish. “They’re very hot, but they’re really cool,” Tangy said. “I think they…
Read Full Article 
Photo gallery: QHS girls tennis team uses success in doubles as springboard to dual victory over QND
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The competitive nature of the doubles matches meant the crosstown showdown between the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame girls tennis team wasn’t going to be a landslide either way. In fact, the Blue Devils’…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team took a two-point lead after the first leg of the annual Ryder Cup matchup with Quincy HIgh School following Monday’s nine-hole matches at Quincy Country Club. The second leg…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team made its intentions clear from the start. The Raiders were going to own the trenches. After receiving the opening kickoff Friday night at Advance Physical Therapy Field, the state-ranked Raiders’ first four plays were running plays that generated 54 yards with Ivan Hun scoring on a 12-yard…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The games will be played. Officials from both Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame confirmed the football games scheduled to be played in the Gem City on Friday night will go on as scheduled despite the ongoing water issues caused by the break in the main at Quincy’s water treatment plant. QHS…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The resiliency to rebound from a one-goal deficit and draw even by halftime of Thursday night’s rivalry game was welcome, but the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer players understood they needed more. They had to get tougher. “We were playing soft in the midfield,” senior co-captain Brody Jones said. “We weren’t getting into…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — Rylan Fischer scored two second-half goals and the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team rallied from a one-goal deficit to beat Quincy High School 3-1 Thursday night at Advance Physical Therapy Field in this season’s first…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — History occurred Wednesday on the Gem City gridiron. The release of the Associated Press state football rankings resulted in both the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame football teams being ranked in their respective classes at the same time for the first time ever. The Blue Devils (2-0) are ranked ninth in…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — That’s more like it. The Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team had only scored five goals in its first five games, but the Raiders’ performance, especially offensively in the second half, in their 6-1 victory Saturday over Lincoln at Advance Physical Therapy Field is an encouraging sign. “That’s more of what I was…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — In Taylin Scott’s mind, the last seven days changed the Quincy Notre Dame football team. “We’re smarter,” the senior linebacker said. “We’re resilient.” The Raiders have a victory to prove that. One week after a one-point, first-half deficit ballooned into a 28-point loss to Quincy High School, the Raiders rattled off 22 consecutive…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Richmond-Burton football program had won 49 of its previous 52 regular-season football games, spanning better than six seasons. However, there was no adding to that legacy Friday night. Quincy Notre Dame earned a 22-10 victory…
Read Full Article 
Scoreboard for Thursday, Sept. 5: Canton, Mark Twain earn softball victories, Hannibal nets NCMC win
Tigers fly past Eagles in home opener CANTON, Mo. — The Canton softball team made quick work of Knox County on Thursday. The Tigers scored 12 runs in the first inning of a 15-0 three-inning victory. Canton’s first six batters of the game reached base, and the Tigers took advantage of three errors and four…
Read Full Article 
HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team pieced together another solid up-and-down-the-lineup effort Wednesday, finishing second in the eight-team Lady Pirate Invitational at Norwoods Golf Course. The Raiders posted a 351 team total, while St. Dominic, the reigning Class 3 state champion in Missouri, took first with a 324. QND junior Belle…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls tennis team earned a 7-2 victory over Palmyra on Wednesday at Reservoir Park. The Raiders won five of the six singles matches and two doubles matches with Alyssa Ley capturing a…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Hannibal boys soccer players didn’t lack confidence despite the fact it had been more than two decades since the Pirates had beaten Quincy Notre Dame in a cross-river showdown. “The guys thought we should win this game, but to come out and execute and actually do it, that’s a big deal,” Hannibal…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photo,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Hannibal and Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer teams each went 1-1 in their respective events last Saturday, which meant both came into Tuesday’s matchup at Advance Physical Therapy Field trying to build some momentum. The…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site QUINCY — The more comfortable the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team becomes with its faster-paced attack, the more dangerous the Raiders become. That’s not a good sign for those set to challenge the Raiders the remainder of the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Less than 24 hours after the Quincy High School football team routed Quincy Notre Dame by four touchdowns, senior setter Annie Eaton and the QND volleyball team wanted to make amends. “Our football team didn’t have the greatest outcome, so we wanted to come out and show that volleyball’s got it,” Eaton said.…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — It turned into a weekend of crosstown showdowns. One day after the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame football teams squared off at Advance Physical Therapy Field, the volleyball teams navigated their way through pool…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team finally got its breakthrough. Quincy High School is still looking for the same. The Raiders picked up their first victory of the season Saturday, beating Jacksonville 4-0 in thee first of two games on the day in the Quincy Recycle/QND Tournament at Advance Physical Therapy Field.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Quarterback Bradyn Little admits the Quincy High School offense still has a few kinks to iron out. “Too many penalties, too many turnovers,” he said. “But we’ll clean those up. The only way to get experience is by playing games. I’m excited to see us get better.” Pardon future opponents for not sharing…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — As the days passed prior to Friday’s opening night affair with its crosstown rival, there was a clear approach in mind for Quincy Notre Dame football coach Jack Cornell. “Our goal is that on Saturday morning we all wake up and that everybody in Quincy was going to be talking about Ivan Hun,”…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photo,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame football programs showcased some mettle and moxie, but it was the Blue Devils’ athleticism and depth that made the difference in a season-opening 40-12 victory at Advance Physical…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team wants to play at a quicker pace this season. If Wednesday’s season-opening match is any indication of where things are headed, expect them to move at a lightning pace. The…
Read Full Article 
Coverage of the QND football program is brought to you by: QUINCY — Ryan Darnell is quick to point out the competitiveness taking place during the Quincy Notre Dame football team’s practices isn’t limited to the players. “The coaches are getting after each other, too,” the senior lineman said. It explains why the atmosphere is…
Read Full Article 
Coverage of the QND football program brought to you by: QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team isn’t going to be intimidated. History is proof of that. The Raiders are in a conference this season for the first time since 2012, having joined the Central State Eight Conference as a football-only member and will…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Danielle White feels like she is right where she belongs, but sometimes it doesn’t seem real. “I catch myself like, ‘Is this really happening?’” White said. The former Carthage Middle School volleyball coach took the reins of the Quincy Notre Dame program in March, and from the first day she stepped foot on…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — When Greg Reis scans the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer team’s roster, there are quite a few players with a championship pedigree. Some of them, such as senior midfielder Rylan Fischer and junior midfielder Channing Trevino, played valuable minutes during the 2022 team’s run to the Class 1A state title. Some were on…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Cam Appenzeller had been there before. A couple hours earlier in fact. The Chatham Glenwood left-handed golfer pulled his tee shot on the par-4 18th at Westview Golf Course — the first hole in a three-way playoff Saturday for individual medalist of the 75th Quincy Invitational — and ended up just off the…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photo,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — It took breaking 80 on a windy, humid Saturday at Westview Golf Course to crack the top 20 in the 75th Quincy Invitational. It took flirting with breaking par to be at the top. Solid ball…
Read Full Article Chargers take second at Gary Saunders Invitational MACOMB, Ill. — The Illini West boys golf team continues to show it can play with the best Class 1A programs in the state. The Chargers took second Saturday in the 50th Gary Saunders Invitational at Macomb Country Club, posting a 326 team total. Port Byron Riverdale won…
Read Full Article 
To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photo,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — A change to the preseason format from Illinois High School Association member schools allowed football teams to engage in 48-play, controlled scrimmages Friday night for what were being called “Week Zero” games ahead of next Friday’s…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — After more than two decades, Mindee Miller is back in coaching. Miller guided the girls tennis team at Quincy Notre Dame, where she played during her final two seasons of high school, after finishing her career at Quincy University. She returns this fall as the Raiders’ coach, the program’s third in as many…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — If the scores from Thursday’s season-opening D.A. Weibring Invitational are any indication, the area boys golf scene is going to be highly competitive for years to come. Three sophomores and a freshman claimed four of the top five individual spots and a pair of freshmen posted scores that helped Illini West capture the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The flag officially dropped Thursday on the start of the high school sports season. The traditional boys golf lidlifter — the D.A. Weibring Invitational — took place at Westview Golf Course with Illini West winning the team title with a 322 total and Pittsfield sophomore Isaac McGlauchlen taking individual medalist honors with an…
Read Full Article 
HAMILTON, Ill. — The depth of the Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team’s lineup showed in the Raiders’ season-opening event. Senior Meredith Eversman earned individual medalist honors by shooting an 84 as QND rolled to a 357 team score and a 93-stroke victory in the Lady Titan Invitational at Deer Run Golf Course. QND junior…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Jason Knuffman’s confidence in the Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team is at an all-time high. “This is probably the most talented team I’ve coached since I started in 2017,” Knuffman said. “In the last 20 years, this could be as high as we’ve finished.” Those are lofty expectations considering the Raiders have…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Jackson Stratton did exactly what a big brother is expected to do. He looked out for his little sister. As Sage Stratton navigated the recruiting circuit throughout the past year — the Quincy Notre Dame senior received interest from a variety of NCAA Division II women’s basketball programs — she leaned heavily on…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — As the recruiting process began to evolve, Caitlin Bunte realized there was more to think about than softball alone. “I looked past that at the beginning,” the Quincy Notre Dame softball standout said. “I was like, ‘I want to play softball. I want to find somewhere where I can step in and play.’…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A moment Brody Jones referred to as “the coolest thing in soccer I have ever done in my life” still remains a blur in some regards more than a week after it happened. That’s especially true of the celebration. The St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club Missouri U17 squad, with Jones starting at…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The afternoon sun hung high in a cloudless sky above an empty parking lot, making it impossible to escape just how luminous it can be. Ethan Rose didn’t shy away from it, even when brightness is his nemesis. “There’s nothing like having your eyesight,” he said. “It’s something you take for granted. Like…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The windshield time Wyatt Mueller and his parents logged criss-crossing the Midwest as the Quincy Notre Dame senior football player was courted by college recruiters grew increasingly tiresome. “The worst part was driving everywhere,” Mueller said. “ And sitting in the car.” The miles driven and time away from home are going to…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Through all of the chaos playing professional basketball overseas can create, former Quincy University standout Tanner Stuckman has held tight to one mantra. “Nothing is impossible,” said Stuckman, who walked on at QU following his prep career at Quincy Notre Dame and developed into a first-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection by his…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Speed and power. It could be used to describe both the offensive aptitude of the players comprising the all-area softball team and the ability of those in the pitcher’s circle. Of the 15 players selected, 10 hit .400 or better and two hit .500 or better. The pitchers were just as dominant as…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The stability and strength of the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer teams — their spines — received a plethora of postseason accolades. Three Blue Devils and two Raiders were named to the all-sectional team by the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association, to go along with each team picking…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Four players who helped the Pleasant Hill softball team reach a sectional championship game for the first time in school history recently received all-state honors. Senior pitcher McKinley Lowe and junior outfielder and pitcher Ava Wombles each made the Illinois Coaches Association Class 1A all-state first team. Lowe tossed three no-hitters and carried…
Read Full Article 
PALATINE, Ill. — After suffering a loss in the opening round of the Class 1A boys tennis state tournament Thursday morning, the Quincy Notre Dame doubles team of Daniel Dyer and Alex Strong rebounded in a big way. Dyer and Strong won three consecutive matches to remain alive in the back draw heading into Friday’s…
Read Full Article 
RIVERTON, Ill. — The tone of Mark Thomas’ voice almost never changes. This was the case even as the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team fell behind in the first half of Wednesday’s Class 1A Riverton Sectional championship game against Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin. “If we keep this at 2-1 at halftime, we’re fine,” the Raiders…
Read Full Article 
'We were so close': Raiders unable to get final out before Spartans rally to win sectional semifinal
WILLIAMSVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team went from utter delight to bitter disappointment in less than an inning. With it, the Raiders’ season hit its end. Morgan Zanger’s three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth gave QND a two-run lead in the Class 2A Williamsville Sectional semifinal against Stanford Olympia,…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. In 2023, the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team reached the Class 1A Sacred Heart-Griffin Regional championship game, but the host Cyclones upended the Raiders 4-2. This was the final game of Mark Longo’s 34-year career as the Raiders’ head coach. Longo…
Read Full Article 
BUFFALO, Ill. — Even the most seasoned competitor can feel the pressure when a postseason nemesis stares you in the face. So Quincy Notre Dame softball coach Eric Orne reminded junior ace Caitlin Bunte to just breathe as the Raiders headed into Saturday’s Class 2A regional championship game against Buffalo Tri-City. “I was telling Coach…
Read Full Article 
'I just hit it': Patton's OT goal after lightning delay sends Raiders to sectional championship game
RIVERTON, Ill. — Lightning strikes delayed the game, but Makayla Patton’s strike decided it. At the end of a scoreless regulation, lightning near Riverton Middle School forced a 30-minute delay in Friday’s Class 1A Riverton Sectional semifinal between the Quincy Notre Dame and Alton Marquette girls soccer teams. Seven and a half minutes after the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — If the postseason is supposed to feel like a series of final exams — Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Thomas described it as such — then Wednesday night’s Class 1A regional championship must have felt like a multi-choice test. How goals were the second-seeded Raiders going to score against third-seeded Auburn?…
Read Full Article 