Sports Spotlight
STERLING, Ill. — Kyle Taylor’s final Western Big 6 Conference start will go down as his best. The senior right-hander tossed a one-hit shutout Monday in leading the Quincy High School baseball team to a 7-0 victory over Sterling and a split of the conference doubleheader. The Golden Warriors won the opener 15-0. Taylor struck…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill — Wesley Robertson’s walk-off single was the exclamation point on the Illini West baseball team’s 6-5 victory over Lewistown-Valley-Cuba on Monday. With the game tied at 5 and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Carter Chapin reached on an error, and Colby Robertson singled to move the winning run to…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Prior to last Tuesday’s Mark Twain/Becky Thatcher Relays at Hannibal’s Porter Stadium, Quincy High School junior Xander Colombo could count on one hand the amount of times he had thrown a javelin. “That was only my third or fourth time throwing this thing,” said Colombo, holding the javelin in his left hand. Still,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — There’s no denying Tyler Erb is one of the premier late model dirt-track drivers in the nation. As far as travel plans go, however, the 27-year-old native of New Waverly, Texas, still needs some work to get to the front of the pack. Erb led flag-to-flag Sunday night to win the Lucas Oil…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Maddie Sidwell won the deciding battle, and the Pleasant Hill softball team won the war. Sidwell’s bases-clearing double with two outs in the top of the eighth inning broke a 2-2 tie and propelled the Wolves to a 5-2 win over Quincy Notre Dame in the QND Softball Slam at The Backyard on…
Read Full Article EAST MOLINE, Ill. — Before leaving Flinn Stadium on Friday night, Quincy High School girls soccer coach Travis Dinkheller told his leg-weary team he needed 80 more quality minutes from them to complete a weekend sweep. “If it takes 100, then we’ll play 100,” Dinkheller said. How prophetic. Saturday’s Western Big 6 Conference championship showdown…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Austin Simpson knew he couldn’t go home empty-handed or he’d never live it down. His roommates — Dustin DuPont and Adam Lewis — both hit home runs Saturday in helping the Quincy University baseball team build an insurmountable lead in the finale of its Great Lakes Valley Conference series with Illinois-Springfield. So when…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Admittedly, Jim Lieurance had his fingers crossed. That’s about all he could do as he monitored the weather in anticipation of the Adams County Speedway season opener, scheduled for Sunday evening at the venerable Broadway Bullring dirt track. The Lucas Oil MLRA Super Late Models tour will headline the opening night schedule. “The…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team had reason to celebrate Saturday afternoon. Not only did the Hawks honor the seniors following the final home game of the regular season, but the 21-7 victory over Illinois-Springfield punctuated a weekend series sweep that earned the Hawks the No. 4 seed for the Great Lakes Valley Conference…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The rain stayed away Saturday, which led to a competitive day of softball at The Backyard as four area teams took part in the Quincy Notre Dame softball slam. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey spent time at The Backyard and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — Just how much the Quincy High School girls soccer players fully embrace the “do hard better” mantra will become obvious by the time their team bus departs East Moline sometime Saturday afternoon. Nothing the Blue Devils have faced this regular season will be as hard as playing two emotionally charged games in the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The frustration showed in their eyes, never in their effort. The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players refused to give up their pursuit of a game-tying goal over the final 40 minutes of Friday night’s crosstown showdown with Quincy High School even when the equalizer never came. “All the girls worked their butts…
Read Full Article QUINCY — For the second year in a row, the Quincy High School girls soccer team has swept the city series, winning 2-1 Friday night at Flinn Stadium behind two goals from senior midfielder Bri Lannerd. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the evening at the venerable facility and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — Maverick Henry couldn’t stop smiling as he rounded the bases following his three-run home run in the second inning of the Brown County baseball team’s 15-0 five-inning victory over Liberty on Friday. As Henry approached third base, Hornets coach Jared Hoots — with a smile on his face as well — told…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The situations were strikingly similar, the circumstances decidedly different and the outcomes remarkably the same. Credit Logan Mueller and Roman Harrison for each having a little Harry Houdini in their act. Mueller, a sophomore right-handed reliever, was summoned from the Quincy University baseball team’s bullpen with the bases loaded and one out in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team is heading toward the postseason with some steam. The Hawks won three games Friday — the resumption of Thursday’s suspended game and both ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader — to secure their spot in the GLVC Tournament. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent time…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Avary Hlubek could not and would not be denied. The sophomore center fielder hit home runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings of the Quincy High School softball team’s 12-4 victory over Illini West on Friday. Her second inning home run came just three batters after Carlee Gilker hit a two-run home…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Ian Bentzinger sees his motivation staring back at him every day. The Illini West senior sprinter currently holds the fifth fastest time in the 100-meter dash in Class 1A across the state with his school-record 10.82 seconds, which he ran at the Lee Calhoun Invitational on April 5 in Macomb. At the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — They waited as long as they could. Finally, the Quincy University baseball players had to leave QU Stadium before the threatening skies dumped rain and hail and ruined a Thursday afternoon at the ballpark. The Hawks and Illinois-Springfield were tied at 2 when lightning strikes within 7 miles of the stadium forced the…
Read Full Article WENTZVILLE, Mo. — Quinn Thomas is bookending his high school golf career with trips to the Class 4 state tournament. Could he begin and end with state titles as well? The Hannibal senior qualified for the state tournament by finishing tied for third Thursday at the Class 4 District 2 tournament at the Golf Club…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The emotion spills out in ways Brock Boynton can’t always contain. Sometimes it’s a bat flip that goes a little too high or a little too far. Other times it’s the barbaric yawp everyone hears as he rounds the bases on a home run trot. And every now and then, it’s the toss…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — Four local golfers are headed to the NJCAA Division II national tournament after helping the Danville Area Community College men’s golf team finish third in the two-day Region 24 tournament played at Illinois State University’s Weibring Golf Club. The Jaguars posted a 54-hole score of 906, four shots clear of Heartland Community…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State University junior golfer Alex McCulla will tee it up in the NCAA West Lafayette Regional, hosted by Purdue University on May 13-15 at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. The Quincy Notre Dame graduate was one of 10 individuals to receive an at-large regional bid. The West Lafayette Regional features 13…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Lauren Bogle openly talked about how coaching the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team enabled her to grow both in her ability to draw up Xs and Os and the organization of a program. So what was the most important thing she learned in two seasons at the helm? “Besides everything?” she…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Abram Wiewel understands the need for a pitch count, but it doesn’t dampen the disappointment of being pulled one out away from a complete game. “I wanted to finish it really bad,” said Wiewel, the Quincy Notre Dame junior right-hander who left Tuesday’s game against the Quincy High School baseball team with a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It all comes down to the rubber match. The Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame baseball teams split their first two meetings this season, with the Raiders evening the series with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night at the QHS field. The third meeting comes next Monday at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield.…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Waiting a couple of extra days to be able to run, jump and throw under sunny skies brought out the best in many of the area’s top track and field athletes. The Mark Twain/Becky Thatcher Relays were moved to Tuesday at Porter Stadium after last Friday’s deluge made it impossible to compete.…
Read Full Article FULTON, Mo. — The Hannibal boys golf team tangled with Tanglewood and won. The Pirates had five golfers finish in the top 10 individually and posted a 322 team score to win the North Central Missouri Conference championship Tuesday at Tanglewood Golf Course. It marks back-to-back NCMC crowns for the Pirates. Senior Quinn Thomas won…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The reaction and retaliation is something Quincy High School girls soccer coach Travis DInkheller appreciates. Rock Island Alleman scored three minutes into the second half of Tuesday’s Western Big 6 Conference clash at Flinn Stadium, cutting the Quincy lead in half. Less than 10 minutes later, the advantage was back to two goals.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team’s overstuffed week isn’t expected to get any easier, not with a couple of rivalry games on tap. It sure can’t get much more difficult than facing Audrey Gilman. The Hardin Calhoun junior right-hander mowed down the Raiders, holding them hitless until the fifth inning and striking out…
Read Full Article Walk it off, walk it off: Allison's two-run single finishes off Galesburg as QHS wins third straight
QUINCY — Aurora Allison didn’t realize what she had done. Her single to center field with one out in the sixth inning drove in a pair of runs as the Quincy High School softball team walked off with a 14-4 victory Monday over Galesburg in Western Big 6 Conference play. Allison, the senior first baseman,…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Kane Wilson’s diving stop in the fifth inning of the Hannibal baseball team’s 3-0 victory over Mexico at the Veterans Sports Complex on Monday did not result in an out, but the Pirates shortstop made arguably the most important play of the game. With a runner on second, no outs and the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — On a night when the Quincy High School softball team celebrated its three seniors, one of them provided the exclamation point on a 14-4 victory over Galesburg in Western Big 6 Conference action at the QHS field. Aurora Allison’s one-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning Monday drove in two runs,…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal baseball team is at the top of the heap once again, having defeated Mexico 3-0 on Monday at the Veterans Sports Complex to win the North Central Missouri Conference title. It is the Pirates’ second NCMC crown in the past three seasons. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey spent Monday…
Read Full Article MT. STERLING, Ill. — A catcher’s interference call on a bunt attempt in the top of the ninth allowed the go-ahead run to score and the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team tacked on another to pull out a 7-5 victory over Brown County on Monday. After each team scored a run in the eighth inning,…
Read Full Article FULTON, Mo. — Alaina Power and Maggie Routh each scored their first career goal as the Hannibal girls soccer team defeated Fulton 8-0 in a North Central Missouri Conference game. This is the Pirates’ sixth straight win and fourth consecutive shutout. Goalkeeper Ava Turner has notched 12 shutouts this season. Ashley Davis netted a hat…
Read Full Article PLEASANT HILL, Ill. — McKinley Lowe, Ava Wombles and the Pleasant Hill softball team are on quite a roll. The Wolves are 14-2 and are outscoring opponents by nearly six runs per game. The pitching staff, which consists of Lowe and Wombles, has recorded six shutouts and given up one run on four other occasions,…
Read Full Article LEBANON, Ill. — Joe Huffman made certain the Quincy University baseball team went into the final week of the regular season with momentum. Jake Vitale helped ensure that, too. Huffman blasted three home runs Sunday and Vitale jacked two, the second of which gave the Hawks the lead for good in an 18-10 slugfest victory…
Read Full Article CAMDENTON, Mo. — Mother Nature won Friday. The Hannibal girls soccer team owned Saturday. The Pirates’ opening game of the Laker Shootout against Warrensburg was washed out by Friday’s barrage of thunderstorms. It didn’t them from winning the title. Hannibal beat Carl Junction 3-0 and Waynesville 4-0 to win both the gold division and the…
Read Full Article Boynton's blast highlights epic rally as Hawks earn split with Bearcats in rain-delayed doubleheader
SAUGET, Ill. — The Quincy University baseball team scored eight runs in the sixth inning of game two to earn a split of Saturday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against McKendree. The Hawks lost the first game 6-3 and rallied in a rain-delayed second game for an 8-6 victory at Grizzlies Ballpark. Weather forced the…
Read Full Article VINCENNES, Ind. — Tyler Dance found his footing. The John Wood Community College freshman right-hander threw six scoreless innings Saturday, striking out eight and walking one as the Trail Blazers opened a four-game Mid-West Athletic Conference series with an 8-0 victory over Vincennes University. JWCC also won the nightcap of the doubleheader 14-4. Dance, a…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — It takes a certain toughness to play catcher. As Camp Point Central freshman infielder Caleb Petersen put it, “There’s no such thing as a good sissy catcher.” His older brother is as tough as they come and has an iron man streak to prove it. Cole Petersen, a senior, has caught…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — Lucas Loos has made moving back to the infield look seamless, even if it was at a position he hadn’t played in college. A month ago, during a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series against Tennessee-Martin, the Eastern Illinois University senior slugger was penciled in to start at shortstop. He has been the…
Read Full Article LEBANON, Ill. — The Quincy University baseball team is doing what a team in contention for a Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament berth should be doing. The Hawks are pummeling the bottom feeders. After scoring 36 runs in a four-game sweep of Southwest Baptist last weekend, Quincy opened a four-game GLVC series with McKendree on…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Kelly McClure capped off a decorated women’s lacrosse career with a major conference award. The Quincy University graduate student was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year after helping the Hawks advance to the four-team conference tournament for the first time in program history. McClure finished second in GLVC-only games…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Hannibal girls soccer coach Eric Hill did not write a script for Thursday’s North Central Missouri Conference game against Mexico, but if he would have, it would have looked something like the Pirates’ 8-0 victory at the Veterans Sports Complex. “We put on a show,” Hill said. It lasted only 51 minutes.…
Read Full Article KAHOKA, Mo. — Cody Shaffer refused to give in, much like the rest of his Mendon Unity baseball teammates. Shaffer fouled off four consecutive pitches with two outs in the sixth inning before hitting a game-tying three-run home run. The Mustangs completed their comeback from a six-run deficit in the seventh when pinch-runner Johnathan Lucie…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — Four individuals and one team comprise the latest class of inductees into the Culver-Stockton College Athletic Hall of Fame. Football coach Vince Okruch, two-sport athletes Diane (Wade) McLeese and Kris Ingram, running back Demetrius Johnson and the 1991 men’s basketball team will be honored during a ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in…
Read Full Article State Farm Center will continue to host boys basketball state tourney, format still under discussion
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The site won’t change. Will the format? Thursday, the Illinois High School Association Board of Directors announced a five-year contract extension to keep the boys basketball state tournament at State Farm Center on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana. The contract runs through the 2028-29 season. The success of the tournament…
Read Full Article Schuck on a Truck: QU safety Joseph Webb discusses spring practice, carrying momentum into offseason
QUINCY — The end of the spring is near for the Quincy University football program, which means the Hawks are a step closer to the debut of Jason Killday as their head coach. QU will open its season August 29 at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. As far the progress made during the 15-practice session…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Alyssa Ley tried not to let any grand illusions cross her mind. Stepping to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning of a one-run game, the Quincy Notre Dame softball team’s junior shortstop roped a double the opposite way to right field to drive in two runs. Lauren Miller followed…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A four-run fifth inning that featured back-to-back run-scoring hits to the opposite field lifted the Quincy Notre Dame softball team to a 6-1 victory over West Hancock in a West Central Conference matchup Wednesday at The Backyard. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent some time at The Backyard and put together this…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The heart of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s lineup got the ball rolling when the Raiders needed to pad their lead. Evan Kenning and Nolan Robb opened the bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday with back-to-back singles, which led to a three-run rally and catapulted the Raiders to a 5-2 victory over…
Read Full Article LANCASTER, Mo. — One day after playing in a hail storm, Trevor Biggerstaff and the Canton boys golf team enjoyed teeing it up under a sun-splashed sky. The Tigers’ play mirrored the weather. Biggerstaff earned individual medalist honors by shooting a 1-under 71 and Canton won the team title with a 328 total Wednesday in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Kris Klingele’s career path and family responsibilities led her away from the field of play. Now, the Quincy High School assistant principal is ready to get back into the fray. Wednesday night, her return to athletics became official. The Quincy School Board approved Superintendent Todd Pettit’s recommendation that Klingele, a former student-athlete and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls soccer team’s motivation never waned no matter how sizable the lead became. “Maybe for a second there we lost it,” senior forward Taylor Routh said. “But that’s it. We stayed pretty focused.” On a victory. On a title. On a legacy. Tuesday night’s 5-1 victory over Geneseo at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Whew. That was the collective reaction from the Quincy Notre Dame soccer team when freshman Sierra Thomas scored in the 58th minute to break a scoreless draw in QND’s 3-1 win over Burlington Notre Dame on Tuesday at Advance Physical Therapy Field. “You could feel the air come out of the balloon a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — There’s a first time for everything. Clark County baseball coach Shaun Parker delivered that message to his team before Tuesday’s game against Quincy Notre Dame. The Indians listened and believed in what Parker said. Clark County scored a 4-0 victory at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield for the program’s first victory against QND.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls soccer team moved a step closer to regaining the Western Big 6 Conference championship, beating defending league champ Geneseo 5-1 Tuesday night at Flinn Stadium behind Taylor Routh’s hat trick. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the evening with the Blue Devils and put together this photo…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Playing side by side on the Quincy Notre Dame campus Tuesday evening, the QND girls soccer and baseball teams came away with mixed results. The soccer team scored three second-half goals in a 3-1 victory over Burlington (Iowa) Notre Dame, while the baseball team left 12 runners on base during a 4-0 loss…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The navigation on Brad Hoyt’s car needs to be reprogrammed. Instead of the daily drive to the John Wood Community College campus, a route he’s taken for the past 13 years as men’s basketball coach and athletic director, Hoyt will be cruising across town to the Quincy University campus to begin his new…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Experience has provided Josh Rabe with perspective. During Rabe’s three years as the Quincy University athletic director, the head coach of three of the most high-profile programs on campus has resigned to pursue another coaching opportunity. None of those programs could be considered in the midst of thriving at the time. So it…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The word Caitlin Bunte sought to describe the manner in which the Quincy Notre Dame softball team is stringing victories together popped in her head in the middle of her answer. “Oh, contagious,” she said. “That’s it.” Winning is contagious. Hitting is contagious. Energy is contagious. “We have so many leaders who like…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys tennis team traveled to the St. Louis metro east area last weekend and rolled him without losing a dual match. That momentum carried over to Monday. The Blue Devils wrapped up a dual victory over Quincy Notre Dame in the crosstown rivalry match at Reservoir Park by the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Off the field, Quincy Notre Dame junior Abram Wiewel is a light-hearted jokester. On the field, he turns into a junkyard dog. “When I’m pitching, I get into a completely different mindset,” Wiewel said. “I want to hunt you down and destroy you.” Monday, Wiewel annihilated the Mendon Unity baseball team’s offense, throwing…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame softball players stayed patient at a pivotal juncture Monday night, drawing four consecutive walks to spark a five-run outburst in the third inning that carried them to a 7-1 victory over Quincy High School at the QHS field. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the evening in center…
Read Full Article PLEASANT HILL, Ill. — Dominant. Unhittable. Perfect. All of these adjectives describe McKinley Lowe’s performance for the Pleasant Hill softball team on Monday. Lowe tossed a perfect game and struck out 19 hitters in the Wolves’ 9-0 victory over Winchester West Central. This is Lowe’s second perfect game in the last two weeks. She also…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The numbers never lie. That’s why Jimmy Lieurance is anxious for the Adams County Speedway racing season to get underway. “We’re pretty sure we’ll have more than 100 cars in the pits most Sunday nights this season,” said Lieurance, who with his wife, Tammy, are close to beginning their third year as co-promoters…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jim Pransky grew up in a secluded, rural area in northwest Pennsylvania near the New York border. The closest town was two miles away and few other kids were around. So, he threw baseballs at a pitch-back, listened to Yankees games on a transistor radio and voraciously read fictional sports series books by…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A rally. A sweep. And a new perspective. That’s what Sunday brought to the Quincy University baseball program. The Hawks erased a six-run deficit, took the lead with four runs in the seventh inning and finished off a 10-7 victory over Southwest Baptist at QU Stadium. With that, Quincy swept the four-game Great…
Read Full Article SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Aneyas Williams’ smile said it all. The Hannibal product’s first touchdown run in front of a crowd in Notre Dame Stadium felt as electric as it looked. “First one feels good,” Williams said in a brief interview on the sideline posted on the University of Notre Dame football team’s social media…
Read Full Article QUINCY — There wasn’t enough time for prom to become a distraction. Quincy Notre Dame softball coach Eric Orne hopes the post-prom letdown won’t be either. The Raiders needed a tidy 1 hour, 10 minutes to dispatch Jacksonville on Saturday morning, rolling to a 12-0 victory in five innings at The Backyard. It allowed enough…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A roller coaster. That was the only way Camp Point Central softball coach Brey Genenbacher could describe the Panthers’ 19-9 victory over Jacksonville on Saturday at The Backyard. “Moments of greatness followed by some troubles,” Genenbacher said. The moments of greatness included 23 hits, six extra-base hits, runs in five consecutive innings to…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Mired in a midseason slump, the Pittsfield baseball team needed a turn-things-around moment. Ending Mendon Unity’s 13-game win streak may be it. Two Saukees combined to limit the Mustangs to two hits, and a five-run fifth inning helped propel Pittsfield to a 9-0 victory Saturday. The Saukees had lost three of their…
Read Full Article EAST MOLINE, Ill. — The Quincy High School baseball team surrendered eight runs in Saturday’s Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader against United Township. Not a single run was earned. The Blue Devils committed five errors total in getting swept 3-0 and 5-3, running their conference losing streak to five straight games. They have committed 11…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Austin Simpson and David Broughton put a charge into the Quincy University baseball team’s pursuit of a conference tournament berth. Simpson, the junior first baseman, jacked a three-run home run in the fifth inning of Saturday’s opener game of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against Southwest Baptist, erasing a two-run deficit and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — On the first pitch Ethan Rose saw, he knew he shouldn’t swing. On the second pitch, he knew he couldn’t pass. He made the right call on both. With one out in the bottom of the second inning Friday and runners on second and third after Gavin Doellman’s double, Rose jumped on a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Griffin Kirn would have been satisfied with a victory for his 22nd birthday. His performance on the mound became the icing on the cake. Kirn allowed just one run over six innings and struck out eight in the Quincy University baseball team’s 13-1 victory Friday over Southwest Baptist to open the four-game Great…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Four pitchers — two each from the Quincy Notre Dame and Illini West baseball teams — combine to strike out 14 batters and allow just five hits during Friday night’s showdown at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. The Raiders won 4-2 on the strength of Ethan Rose’s three-run home run and Evan Kenning’s…
Read Full Article EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys tennis team continues to pile up dual victories. Friday night’s effort against a traditional Western Big 6 Conference powerhouse is a sign of good things to come. The Blue Devils beat Moline 7-2 in a neutral-site dual, winning a pair of tiebreakers and getting solid play from…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — For two years, Malia Stolte watched from the stands as her friends played a game she loved. The entire time she wondered what it would feel like to step on the soccer pitch again. “I just saw everybody playing and having fun, and I was just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I miss that,’”…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — Relief. That was Hunter Miller’s overwhelming emotion as he rounded the bases for the first home run of his baseball career Wednesday. “It’s taken way too long,” Miller said. The sophomore’s two-run fourth-inning home run helped Payson Seymour secure a 9-6 West Central Conference victory over Camp Point Central. “I’ve been waiting…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brian Holzgrafe exited the U.S. Courthouse in Springfield last Thursday to a sight that brought him to tears. “My wife and I drove away seeing an angel in the sky with the sunset and we just praised God that we were heard,” Holzgrafe said. “We were thankful we were heard.” Seven years after…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Hannibal fans who made it to the Veterans Sports Complex on Wednesday afternoon were treated to a two-for-two. Two Pirates teams playing and two victories. The Hannibal girls soccer team continued its dominance of the North Central Missouri Conference, picking up an 8-0 victory over Kirksville. Malia Stolte scored four goals, Ashley…
Read Full Article BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Emma Wombles has been virtually unhittable of late. The Pittsfield softball team’s freshman right-hander tossed a one-hit shutout of Beardstown in Wednesday night’s 13-0 victory, giving her back-to-back one-hitters as part of the Saukees’ three-game win streak. Wombles has allowed only seven hits in her last 20 innings pitched. Against the Tigers,…
Read Full Article BUSHNELL, Ill. — With two runners on base and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Bushnell-Prairie City baseball team was one run away from a 10-run rule victory. The Spartans didn’t get it, and that gave Mendon Unity new life. The Mustangs scored five times in the top of the sixth,…
Read Full Article SHELBINA, Mo — Jaaron Durbin and Noah Wilt took advantage of their home course knowledge and shared medalist honors Wednesday as the South Shelby boys golf team won its own invitational at Lakeside Golf Course. The Cardinals shot a 310, while Palmyra was second at 333 and Canton third at 344. Durbin and Wilt each…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — Sara Reichert sees it as clearly as anyone. Her brother and her cousin share a common trait passed down through generations of the Fessler family. That’s their even-keel disposition. “Our grandparents were sports-loving fans,” said Reichert, the junior varsity softball coach at Liberty, where her first cousin B.J. Fessler is the varsity…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois turkey hunters harvested a preliminary total of 2,006 birds during the 2024 youth season, breaking the previous harvest record of 1,733 set in 2020. The dates for this year’s season were March 30-31 and April 6-7. A total of 6,001 youth turkey permits were issued this year, compared to 5,283 in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The challenge facing the next Quincy University men’s basketball coach is three-fold. One, replenish the roster. Two, put fans in the stands. Three, win games. All three are intertwined. Prior to Steve Hawkins resigning Monday to pursue another coaching opportunity, four QU players had entered the transfer portal, although two of which are…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Some of the legends of karting gathered at the DoubleTree By Hilton on Friday night in Bakersfield, Calif., for the induction ceremony of the inaugural class of the Go Kart Hall of Fame. Forty-two people were enshrined, 16 posthumously. There were drivers, mechanics, promoters and manufacturers. All pre-dated 1993 and were selected for…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal girls soccer team fought a war of attrition this weekend, and coach Eric Hill believes they won that war. After fighting back from down three goals to earn a draw with Parkway Central on Friday night, the Pirates returned to their winning ways on Saturday, defeating Southern Boone 8-0 and…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team pushed its winning streak to five consecutive games after sweeping the weekend at the Lady Pirate Invitational at the Veterans Sports Complex. The Raiders beat St. Charles West 6-1 and Perryville 4-1 on Saturday to improve to 7-4. Hannibal, which played to a 3-3 draw…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — A crisp morning turned into a sun-splashed afternoon and the breeze that came with it made fishing at Spring Lake Park enjoyable. So did catching some big lunkers. The Macomb High School bass fishing team played host to its first tournament Saturday, welcoming 30 two-angler teams to the 244-acre lake. Rushville-Industry topped…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School baseball team dropped both ends of a Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader Saturday against league front-runner Moline at QU Stadium. The Maroons won the opener 5-3 despite getting outhit by the Blue Devils, while the nightcap turned into a rout as Moline won 14-1. In the first game, Quincy…
Read Full Article CONCORD, Ill. — The streak keeps building. A pair of victories Saturday in the Triopia Slam enabled the Mendon Unity baseball team to extend its winning streak to double digits following a 6-1 victory over Payson Seymour and a 12-0 victory over Triopia. The Mustangs have won 11 games in a row and are 12-2…
Read Full Article TOLONO, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s pitching staff gave it a chance to win both games Saturday in the Tolono Unity Slam, but the Raiders’ offense couldn’t find that breakthrough moment. QND fell 1-0 to Tolono Unity and 4-1 to Teutopolis. Raiders junior right-hander Abram Wiewel tossed a two-hitter against Tolono Unity,…
Read Full Article TOLONO, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team tasted adversity for the first time this season Saturday, and the response should bolster the Raiders. After losing 10-5 to Tolono Unity in the first of two games in a multi-team slam — it was the Raiders’ first loss of the season — QND came back…
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