Top Stories
HAMILTON, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame’s Hana Knuffman shot a 40 on the back nine Thursday at Deer Run Golf Course and posted an 83 to take medalist honors in the Lady Titan Invitational hosted by West Hancock. The QND girls golf team won the season-opening event with a 363. Macomb was second at 389…
Read Full Article QUINCY — While watching his older brothers enjoy stellar high school soccer careers, Carter Venvertloh dreamed of the moment he’d be front and center in Quincy High School’s attack. That time is now. A four-year varsity player who was an Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association all-sectional selection as a junior, Venvertloh has watched the…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Long before practices began this week, Palmyra football coach Kevin Miles preached trust needed to be the Panthers’ battle cry. Trust the process. Trust each other. Trust the work will lead to the right outcome. Add trust in overcoming adversity to the list of mantras. Before Wednesday morning’s practice, Miles informed his…
Read Full Article ALTON, Ill. — The beauty and cruelty of baseball can happen simultaneously, much the way they did Tuesday night. Although a once six-run lead had been chiseled to three heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, the Quincy Gems were two outs away from advancing to the Prospect League’s best-of-3 championship series. One swing…
Read Full Article BARING, Mo. — Jason Killday views the Truman State University football team’s start of preseason workouts the way he wants each of the Bulldogs to see things. It’s a brand new day. A year ago, when the Bulldogs went 9-3 and won the America’s Crossroads Bowl, Truman State established a single-season school record for yards…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Above all else, Logan Cumby was able to remain patient. Cumby sat tantalizingly close to the lead in the sport mod feature Sunday night at Adams County Speedway, but instead of trying to be proactive he chose to be reactive. That was a wise decision. He sensed there would be trouble between race…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brad Gyorkos called it. With the Quincy Gems’ Logan Voth on third base and Hayden Moore on second with one out in the sixth inning Sunday night, the Normal CornBelters summoned left-hander Ryan Weaver from the bullpen before Andrew Fay came to the plate. While Weaver warmed up, Voth turned to Gyorkos, the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Adams County Speedway returns to action Sunday night following last week’s scheduled break before the home stretch of points racing begins. There are just four Sunday nights remaining prior to track champs being crowned August 28. Here’s all you need to know, numerically speaking, when the cars return to the dirt, starting at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Reunited and it feels so good. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and the newest addition to the Muddy River Sports team, Don O’Brien, spent 13 years working side-by-side in the sports department of the Quincy Herald-Whig and sharing the studio for shows such as “The Sports Writers Journal” and “WGEM SportsCenter.” A…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — Upon arriving on the Culver-Stockton College campus, Jase Orndorff heard the stories of the bleak days of the football team. He doesn’t want the Wildcats to ever experience that again. “Now it’s my job as the quarterback and one of the captains to keep us playing at a high level,” said Orndorff,…
Read Full Article ROXANA, Del. — A glimmer of hope is all that was needed. When the Illinois District 17 softball team headed to the Central Regional in Michigan, advancing to the Senior League Softball World Series was still a pipedream, even if a spot in the 10-team field was only four victories away. “I think there were…
Read Full Article ROXANA, Del. — Emma Henry couldn’t let her twin sister have all the fun. One day after Grace Henry jacked a grand slam as part of a nine-run inning that propelled the Illinois District 17 team to a victory in its opening game of the Senior League Softball World Series, Emma Henry followed suit with…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Noah Harbin didn’t bother with a rebuttal. He just shook his head. Sitting across the table from his older brother, Alex, while listening to him talk about their relationship in baseball terms, Noah rocked back in his chair and nodded in agreement as Alex explained the advice he was imparting in order to…
Read Full Article FRANKFORD, Del. — The Illinois District 17 softball team packed the lumber for the long road trip. In the opening game of pool play at the Senior League Softball World Series at Bruce Layton Field, the Land of Lincolners scored 12 runs in the first two innings and pounded out 18 hits in a 17-13…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — The signs taped to the front doors of Liberty High School saying “Gym Closed” were a clear indication the administration didn’t want anyone coming around. Even if such warnings were ignored, no one was getting in the gym anyhow. Chains and padlocks on the doors ensured that. There was work to be…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jeff Remington’s 6-year-old son, Noah, noticed the gun case leaning against the cabinet near the garage door and became instantaneously curious. “Is it time to go hunting?” he asked. Not yet, but it was time to get prepped, which is why the Ruger .22 rifle was in the hard travel case. Remington made…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Glenn Sanders has been synonymous with the outdoors and the opportunities afforded to youth anglers and hunters his entire life. A retired sergeant with the Illinois Conservation Police, Sanders currently is the president of the Mississippi Valley Hunters and Fishermen’s Association and arguably West-Central Illinois’ strongest advocate for wildlife resources. Sanders and Muddy…
Read Full Article CENTER, Mo. — Austin Leake understood the opportunity to chase his dream of coaching football at the college level came at a rather inopportune time. He wasn’t going to pursue it if anyone within his family, the Mark Twain coaching staff or the Mark Twain administration had serious reservations. The gentle nudge from their overriding…
Read Full Article DETROIT — Chasing the cutline as headed to the second nine Friday in the second round of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, Luke Guthrie seemed poised to make a run. He stuck his approach on the par-4 second hole within two feet of the cup and made the birdie putt. He followed by hitting…
Read Full Article QUINCY — There will be no racing Sunday night at Adams County Speedway — hey, we all deserve a week off now and then — so it’s a good time to examine the five weekly series as they head toward the final four weeks of points racing. The track champs will be crowned Aug. 28,…
Read Full Article DETROIT — The end of Luke Guthrie’s opening round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic didn’t mirror his stellar start. That leaves the Quincy native with some work to do Friday in order to play the weekend in his second PGA Tour event of the season. Guthrie opened his round with three birdies in the first…
Read Full Article QUINCY — John Wood Community College athletic director Brad Hoyt’s short list of candidates to consider for the women’s basketball coaching position didn’t change because of the relatively short timeframe in which he had to conduct his search. Lauren Bogle’s name was always there. “Her energy and her commitment while she was here has resonated…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Although it’s a birthday generally celebrated without much hullabaloo — Nos. 18 and 21 bear more significance — Lucas Loos made certain No. 20 would be unforgettable. There’s a memento to serve as his reminder of it, too. After the Quincy Gems third baseman watched a series of birthday wishes from family and…
Read Full Article WASHINGTON, Mich. — A birdie-filled 18 holes earned Quincy native Luke Guthrie the opportunity to tee it up on the PGA Tour this week. Guthrie rolled in seven birdies during his round of 6-under 66 at The Orchards Golf Club in the Monday qualifier for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, tying for first place and earning…
Read Full Article QUINCY — This may have been Austen Becerra’s signature victory at Adams County Speedway. The 28-year-old driver from Carthage, who already has two track titles to his credit in the old sport compact class and appears headed toward a third in this year’s loaded modified division, literally brought most of the Sunday night crowd to…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Those who survived Saturday’s sweltering temperatures and conditions in order to reach the finals of the doubles portion of the Quincy Open City Championships were rewarded with near perfect weather on championship Sunday. The threat of rain contributed to that. Cloudy conditions looming over the Greeman Tennis Center in Reservoir Park dropped temperatures…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is a look at the action from Sunday’s finals in the doubles portion of the Quincy Open Tennis Championships at the Greeman Tennis Center in Reservoir Park through the lens of Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman’s camera.
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Gems’ uniforms are among the best in the Prospect League. It’s a clean look, with the team nickname in nice, big letters across the front of the home jerseys and blue piping down the chest, around the neck and around the sleeves. The large “Q” makes the white hats simple and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Seth Anderson stepped in as a freshman with the Saint Louis University men’s soccer program last fall and made an immediate impact as the Billikens went 16-1-4 and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The former Quincy Notre Dame all-state striker sat down with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman to discuss…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It’s never too early to start planning for 2023 if you are Blake Dotson, the director of racing at Adams County Speedway. Since the weatherman was unkind last weekend when some heavier-than-expected overnight showers washed out Sunday’s program, Dotson had some extra time to look down the road with an eye toward not…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Tim Schrage marvels at his 3-year-old daughter’s ever-present smile. “She’s the happiest kid I’ve ever seen,” he said. Schrage doesn’t want to squander the chance to see that smile as often as possible. That explains why he resigned Monday as the Culver-Stockton College men’s golf coach after 11 seasons at the helm. “I…
Read Full Article FRISCO, Texas — D.A. Weibring was keeping an eye on the Open Championship, wondering whether rain would cancel an afternoon trip to the driving range with a grandson and anticipating the arrival the following day of four grandkids ages 6 and under for a sleepover. “You want to know what the old guy is up…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — It started with a selfie and ended with a shower. Everything happening in between helped ensure Saturday night’s eighth installment of the Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game — the first since 2019 — became a full-tilt celebration of high school baseball. From bunts to bad hops, knee-bending curveballs to wild throws, and…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent Saturday night at Clemens Field as the eighth Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star baseball game unfolded. Here is a gallery of the images he collected both on the field and in the stands:
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Like nearly every other big event during the summer of 2020, the Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star baseball game fell victim to a global pandemic. But Kevin and Aaron Peters, the Monroe City father-son duo who are the braintrust and the legs behind this event, never lost faith the game could return in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — We’re a little past the midway point of the dirt-track racing season at Adams County Speedway, and it’s safe to say there is one name that stands out when it comes to breakout drivers of 2022. Reed Wolfmeyer has emerged as a legitimate threat in an already-loaded sport mod series. At times, Wolfmeyer,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Has wiffle ball become the forgotten game? Quiet fields and empty side streets suggest so. Temperatures pushed toward 90 degrees Wednesday afternoon when three kids and two adults cast their lines into the ponds near R.J. Peters Drive running through South Park. Although they hadn’t caught any fish, they had been there for…
Read Full Article QUINCY — If there is a universal truth Norm Rodriguez can take from his nearly three decades coaching women’s basketball at John Wood Community College, it might be this. Even the best laid plans go awry. Rodriguez intended to coach one more season and then join his wife, Anita, at their new home in Tennessee,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — B.J. Wilson understood Quincy University football coach Gary Bass had a vision. That doesn’t mean Wilson shared it. “I did not think I was going to like O-line,” said the 6-foot-6, 320-pound offensive tackle. Bass felt Wilson’s mixture of size and athleticism — he was a 240-pound tight end from St. Louis University…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The porch door casually swung open, the way it does five or six times per day or as many times as Buster gets the inkling to go outside. Only this time, our 12-year-old cheagle didn’t follow the swinging of the door by bounding down the three steps leading to the sidewalk. He froze.…
Read Full Article KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Chandler Hayden has always defied stereotypes. “Doing things out of the norm builds confidence,” she explained. The 2019 graduate of Pittsfield High School is anything but typical. And perhaps her boldest move yet came last month when Hayden, a University of Tennessee track and field thrower, was one of 15 college athletes…
Read Full Article ALTON, Ill. — Zach Willing took down his dad, then he slayed a champion. He wasn’t finished collecting crowns either. The Quincy native and Quincy University junior tennis player defeated his father, Todd, in the semifinals of the Alton Open on Saturday and followed it up by outlasting multi-time champion Devan Faulkenberg of Troy, Ill.,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — So long, frustration. See ya later, winless streak. Hello, checkered flag! Adam Birck bid adieu to two months of sport mod exasperation Sunday night when he won his first feature since May 8 and did so in exclamation-point fashion. Birck spent the first 17 circuits of the 20-lap main event in pursuit of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Three former Quincy men’s city golf champions are in position to add a senior city championship to their title haul. Scott Gilliland leads the field in the 50-and-over event at Westview Golf Course after shooting a 1-under 70 in Saturday’s first round. Gilliland won city championships in 1991 and 2021 along with the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Gems won 13 games in a 16-game span in the first half of the Prospect League season, propelling them to first place in the Great River Division and guaranteeing them a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Gems manager Brad Gyorkos joined Muddy River Sports Editor Matt…
Read Full Article EWING, Mo. — About an hour before Bryce Cooper left his office on a Thursday afternoon, several of his co-workers became disinterested in their daily tasks and started chatting about their weekend plans. It didn’t take long before Cooper found himself sucked into the casual banter. While most of the conversation hinged on bar hopping…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jimmy Lieurance says Sunday night’s starting time at Adams County Speedway is a matter of “splitting the difference.” The first-year promoter will be trying for a starting time around 6:30 p.m. That decision follows last week’s scheduled 7:30 p.m. start, which combined with a delay caused by a power outage midway through the…
Read Full Article TIMEWELL, Ill. — Elise Bethel jumped out of her dad’s truck and rushed toward the lake, bouncing past some wildflowers and chasing after a butterfly she’d never catch. Jack Bethel smiled. “It couldn’t have been a more perfect moment,” he said. While his daughter dashed after the yellow butterfly, Bethel and his 12-year-old son, Ethan,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ideally, Quincy University men’s basketball coach Steve Hawkins wouldn’t want to launch his second stint with the Hawks by playing four of the first five games on the road. “I wish there was a way to start our tenure here at home,” the veteran skipper said. This schedule doesn’t accommodate such a wish.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The sport mods arguably have been the most competitive class this season at Adams County Speedway. Sunday night — and early Monday morning — helped cement that claim. Tanner Klingele and Dakota Girard collected sport mod feature victories before an appreciative July 4 weekend gathering that saw six classes and a whopping 103…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The 43rd annual Mississippi Mud Volleyball Tournament, held by the Hannibal Y Mens Club in conjunction with the 67th annual National Tom Sawyer Days, wrapped up Sunday with Muddy World winning the championship. Photographer Mathew Kirby captured all the action from an eventful final day in the mud. Check out his gallery…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When Andrew Smith realized he’d made his first hole-in-one, nearly every golfer scattered across the Spring Lake Country Club layout knew it. “I just jumped out of the golf cart while it was going 15 miles per hour,” Smith said. When he made his second ace 10 days later, the reaction was a…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The challenge of the Hannibal Cannibal, the 27th annual 5/10/15 K run and 5K walk held in conjunction with the National Tom Sawyer Days, was met head on by all ages Saturday. Photographer Mathew Kirby catalogued the action. Here’s a look at his images taken during the races:
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Golf is taking Quinn Thomas places most 16-year-olds can’t fathom. Recently, it had him walking fairways once crossed by legends. Thomas, who will be a junior at Hannibal High School in the fall, played in the 115th Missouri Amateur Championship, which meant teeing it up on the iconic Bellerive Country Club layout…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The action picked up Friday on the second day of the Hannibal Y Mens Club 43rd annual Mississippi Mud Volleyball Tournament, which takes place in conjunction with the 67th annual National Tom Sawyer Days. Mathew Kirby, an award-winning photographer from America’s hometown, captured images of all the mud and the muck. Here…
Read Full Article QUINCY — So far, so good. That more or less sums up the first half of the dirt-track season at Adams County Speedway. “I think we’ve probably already exceeded all expectations in the first year back,” race director Blake Dotson said. The track set vacant and overgrown for two years before promoter Jim Lieurance and…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Mathew Kirby, an award-winning photographer from America’s hometown, spent time Thursday capturing images of the opening day of the Hannibal Y Mens Club 43rd annual Mississippi Mud Volleyball Tournament, which takes place in conjunction with the 67th annual National Tom Sawyer Days. Here is a photo gallery of Kirby’s pictures:
Read Full Article CINCINNATI — Evan McGaughey’s passport reveals quite a story. In the five years since his graduation from Quincy University, the Carthage native’s 4.5 x 3.5 inch booklet has been stamped enough times to allow him entrance into 15 countries on two different continents as he pursued a professional basketball career. “I got to see a…
Read Full Article ST. LOUIS — Cole Hayes isn’t harboring any grand illusions. A summer spent playing in a semi-professional developmental soccer league won’t change that. “I’m not pigeon-holing myself into it’s do or die,” Hayes said of the possibility of a professional playing career. “If that opportunity does present itself, it’s something I can pursue after the…
Read Full Article BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Blake Arnold seemed to take it all in stride. “It felt like just another tournament,” he said. However, not every tournament ends in a three-hole playoff. The Liberty golfer saw his lead in the boys 16-17 division of the State Farm Youth Classic dwindle to a single stroke on the back nine…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Youth baseball had a different look when Darin Dodd was a player. “Traveling” for competition then meant driving from the family home in the Hickory Grove subdivision on the eastern edge of Quincy to play Little League games at Maranatha Park on Einhaus Lane, just west of North 12th Street. Fast forward to…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Kenny Wallace has long had a love affair with Quincy in general and Adams County Speedway in particular. That relationship was never more evident than Sunday night. Not long after he had outdueled four-time modified track champion Dave Wietholder for a hard-earned checkered flag in an 18-lap midseason championship feature, Wallace wanted the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Zach Willing finally got to finish what he started. A year ago, in the championship match of the men’s open division of the Quincy City Tennis Tournament, Willing took the first set from Ryan Schnack and led 1-0 in the second set when Schnack, a three-time city champ, was forced to retire with…
Read Full Article ST. LOUIS — Three former Quincy men’s city golf champions reached the match play portion of the 115th Missouri Amateur Championship. The last one in was the last one standing. Alex McCulla, the Illinois State University sophomore and 2019 city champion, turned his victory in the last-chance qualifier into a spot in the third round…
Read Full Article The 37th annual UMP Summer Nationals Hell Tour landed in Quincy on Wednesday night. Photographer Lisa Wigoda caught the action at Adams County Speedway.
Read Full Article QUINCY — Austin Becerra continues to set the bar higher. Much higher, in fact. Becerra won his second straight modified feature Sunday night at Adams County Speedway. This triumph, however, was not so much how he accomplished the feat (like he did June 5), but rather who he did it against. Becerra led the final…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The boxscore shows Max Richardson playing only a few seconds for the Illinois boys basketball team in the inaugural Muddy River Showcase, more than he expected, yet long enough to create a memory that will last a lifetime. The 6-foot-4 power forward from Illini West who has since signed to play for Eureka…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Delaney Straus felt insulted. As the Missouri girls were milling around John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center ahead of Saturday’s Muddy River Showcase, the Marion County standout overheard a conversation in which a tongue-in-cheek prediction about the boys game was made. However, she thought the prediction of a 24-point Illinois victory was…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The spirited battles Jeremiah and Joshua Talton have engaged in either on the family basketball court or during open gyms at John Wood Community College moved to a much more public and brighter stage Saturday. That didn’t mitigate Jeremiah’s height advantage. “Let me get to be about 6-foot-7 and then it would be…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A family showdown. A preview of things to come for the John Wood Community College men’s basketball program. A last hurrah for two storied senior classes. The start of a new summer basketball tradition. The Muddy River Showcase boys basketball all-star game had it all. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — By the time she finally had a chance to sit and relax for a moment, Caydee Kirkham felt the aftereffects of spending 39 of the 40 minutes in the inaugural Muddy River Showcase girls basketball game on the floor. “My legs are cramping a lot,” she said. “But it was fun, so that’s…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The inaugural Muddy River Showcase got off to a rousing start as the Illinois girls all-stars overcome diminished depth to outrun Missouri and post a 67-55 victory Saturday at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the intensity, camaraderie and enjoyment of the players and coaches…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Greg Altmix floated the idea. The Muddy River Showcase organizing committee became enamored with it. And Brock Edris signed off on it. Right then, another level of intrigue was added to the Illinois vs. Missouri all-star basketball event. Quincy High School all-stater Jeremiah Talton originally declined his invitation to play in the boys…
Read Full Article