Sports Spotlight
HOLLISTER, Mo. — Alex McCulla is taking aim at a major amateur championship. The Quincy native and Illinois State University junior golfer advanced to the second round of match play at the Missouri Amateur Championship with a dominant effort Thursday at Payne’s Valley Golf Course. McCulla, who was seeded second among the 64 golfers to…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Each hug said goodbye. For now, not forever. Each “thank you” was earned. Not just now, but over the course of forever. Each story came with a smile. Nan Ryan tried to relish them now, but she’ll hold onto them forever. The 50th annual Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships wasn’t just a tournament.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The way Braden Hayes read his putt, it could break either way. “From the downside, I saw it was going to go a little right,” he said. “From the top side, it was going to go left. So I was like, ‘What’s this going to do?’” Beau Eftink showed him. With a putt…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Nolan Murphy didn’t worry about being on the leaderboard, even if it created a twinge of pressure going into the final round of the Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships. “A little bit I guess,” Murphy said. “But I really didn’t have anything to lose because I’d never been there. Last year, I was…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The second day of competitive play at the 50th annual Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships brought about back-nine duels, new champions crowned and the end of another successful tournament. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured some of the on-course action in this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — A beautiful, sunny, 80-degree morning provided the perfect backdrop for the start of the 50th annual Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships at the Knights of Columbus Par-3 Course. For Brian Kroeger, it lso provided a sense of deja vu. Kroeger, a 32-year-old Quincy native, first played in the LPGC in the mid-1990s when…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The 50th annual Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships officially teed off at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday with 203 total golfers competing across 14 age divisions — seven each for boys and girls. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent time Tuesday at Westview Golf Course and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — A handful of area golfers positioned themselves to chase top-five finishes — possibly even championships — after the first day of the Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships at Westview Golf Course. Carthage’s Nolan Murphy is the closest to the top of the leaderboard, shooting a 4-over 75 on Tuesday to sit tied for…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Austen Becerra is a busy guy, but he has no complaints. Along with working full time, the reigning modified track champ at Adams County Speedway races three nights per week and works on his ride for three hours or so on each of the remaining four evenings. Oh, he’s married, too. “You only…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It became obvious to the Illinois all-stars during their preparation for the Muddy River Showcase that Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne was taking this as seriously as anyone.. “Coach Orne made it really intense,” Unity’s Ashlynn Arnsman said. “It felt like a real regular-season game.” The Missouri all-stars realized how…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Do you believe in Magic? The Illinois girls all-stars certainly do. Q-City Magic, that is. Six of the 10 players on the Illinois roster for the Saturday’s Muddy River Showcase began playing together in sixth grade as part of the Q-City Magic program coached by the late Gayland Blakemore. It allowed the Showcase…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Illinois boys all-star team put on a shooting display you’d expect in a marquee event, making 19 3-pointers in a 118-80 victory over Missouri in the second Muddy River Showcase on Saturday night at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside and captured these…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Illinois girls had length and athleticism. The Missouri girls had guard play and quickness. It made for an entertaining chess match in the second Muddy River Showcase, played Saturday at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. A 30-10 spurt in the third quarter enabled the Illinois squad to pull away for…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The depth of talent that will be on display Saturday during the second Muddy River Showcase is quite impressive. Consider these stats: • Among the 40 players comprising the four rosters, 14 scored 1,000 or more points in their high school careers; • There are 14 planning on playing basketball in college; •…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jackson Stratton and Isaac Genenbacher had the same initial thought when they received invitations to play in the Muddy River Showcase. How can I make this work? The Quincy Notre Dame and Camp Point Central multi-sport athletes had committed to play in the Illinois Shrine Bowl, an all-star event for prep football players…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The lack of qualified officials has forced the cancellation of what would have been the 29th Titan Firecracker Classic, which was scheduled for June 23-25 at Sheridan Swim Club. Thomas Gerek, head coach of the Sheridan Swim Team, said the head official the meet has used in recent years informed the team earlier…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Each week throughout the summer, Muddy River Sports photographer Samantha Carmean is going to showcase area residents at play with a photo gallery. This week, Carmean spent a day at the Hannibal Aquatic Center. Check out her photos:
Read Full Article QUINCY — We’re now deep enough into the dirt-track racing season to start making some assessments concerning the five weekly series at Adams County Speedway. That will be this week’s approach to our familiar Dirty Thirty Thoughts about the modifieds, sport mods, crate late models, stock cars and 4-Cylinders. Modifieds Championship favorite: Austin Becerra is…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. QUINCY — Jake Hoyt…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. MENDON, Ill. — Ashlynn…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Kane Wilson’s record-setting season didn’t go unnoticed by prep baseball coaches around the state. The Hannibal junior shortstop was named as an honorable mention infielder on the Missouri Baseball Coaches Association Class 5 all-state team. Wilson established new single-season program records for hits with 45 and and RBIs with 44 while also…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The number of former Quincy University baseball players pursuing professional playing careers more than doubled in the last month. One of the Hawks chasing their big-league dream moved a step closer to that reality Tuesday. Left-handed reliever Riley Martin was promoted to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs after a sterling first two months coming…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A record-setting season on the field should end with a worthwhile honor off it. The John Wood Community College baseball program received that Monday. Freshman outfielder Payton Mansfield was named an NJCAA Division II first-team All-American, becoming the first JWCC product to earn All-American honors since 2015 and just the fourth first-team selection…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. SHELBYVILLE, Mo. — Ava…
Read Full Article QUINCY — There is one thing each of the players participating in the second Muddy River Showcase have in common. They can call themselves alumni. The top senior basketball players from West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri have all officially graduated from their respective high schools, but they will team up to represent their communities and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Sam Halstead has been racing at Adams County Speedway for more than 25 years, and has long carried the nickname “Superman” for his driving abilities. That nickname was truly befitting on a rather windy and unseasonably chilly Sunday night at 8000 Broadway. Halstead emerged from a four-car scrum on the final lap to…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. CAMP POINT, Ill. —…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. SHELBINA, Mo. — Culver-Stockton…
Read Full Article QUINCY — As hard as it is to believe, the local dirt-track racing season is already one-third of the way toward completion. That’s what all of those early rainouts can do. All of that wet weather aside, the five Sunday nights of racing we have seen have provided some early insights. If the season ended…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Missouri S&T pitching coach Shane Herschelman made Quincy Notre Dame right-hander Jake Schisler a recruiting priority last year, liking the way Schisler attacked hitters and how his pitches had natural movement. After the spring Schisler had, Miners head coach Todd DeGraffenreid might have to consider using Schisler as a two-way talent. Schisler was…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. HANNIBAL, Mo. — Nora…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. QUINCY — When it…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame sophomore Caitlin Bunte led a trio of area softball players who earned first-team all-state honors from the Illinois Coaches Association. Eight others received second- or third-team honors. Bunte, a left-handed pitcher and outfielder, was named to the Class 2A first team, while Pleasant Hill junior pitcher McKinley Lowe and Brown…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Capping a record-setting season with a first-in-school-history honor is quite special. Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel earned that. Hawks catcher Luke Napleton earned his All-American honor, too. Schissel, the second-year skipper who led the Hawks to a 47-11 record while winning both the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships, was…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. WARSAW, Ill. — Alec…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. SHELBINA, Mo. — Miranda…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Mark McDowell did what he needed to do in order to get the job done. He adjusted. To kick off the pep rally welcoming home the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team following its third-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament, the QND principal planned to begin his opening remarks by playing the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Now THAT was close. Veteran driver Dave Wietholder reached victory lane for the first time this season when he edged Rick Stevenson to win Sunday night’s 18-lap modified feature at Adams County Speedway. And the term “edged” hardly does that final verdict justice. Wietholder’s margin of victory was just 0.01 of a second.…
Read Full Article PEORIA, Ill. — Tyler Dance didn’t like it, but he didn’t fret over it. He simply worked through it. That’s what an ace does. Staked to a one-run lead following the top of the first inning of Saturday’s Class 2A third-place game at Dozer Park, the Quincy Notre Dame senior right-hander saw the DePaul College…
Read Full Article PEORIA, Ill. — This historic season had a fitting ending. The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team played and won on the final day of the season and came home with a trophy. The Raiders beat DePaul College Prep 7-2 on Saturday to take third place at the Class 2A state tournament at Dozer Park. The…
Read Full Article PEORIA, Ill. — For one inning, T.J. Schlageter was immaculate. Five other innings, he was unhittable. That’s a scenario the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team hadn’t faced this season. Schlageter, the Joliet Catholic left-hander who has signed with the University of Louisville, handcuffed the Raiders for seven innings Friday night, allowing just three hits in…
Read Full Article PEORIA, Ill. — Playing in the Class 2A state final four for the first time since 2004, the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team enjoyed the support of a large, vocal crowd Friday night at Dozer Park. It sparked a fifth-inning rally that pulled the Raiders within two runs of defending state champion Joliet Catholic. However,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Two starters from the record-setting Quincy University baseball team are among four Hawks who are entering the NCAA transfer portal. Junior catcher Luke Napleton and junior shortstop Gino D’Alessio are exploring opportunities to move to the NCAA Division I level, while senior infielder Logan Voth is seeking the chance for more at-bats and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Welcome to this week’s Dirty Thirty and a trip through each of Adams County Speedway’s five weekly classes, plus some miscellaneous observations. Five classes. Five notes, quotes and anecdotes. Five at-large thoughts. The math all adds up to 30, as in Dirty Thirty. Modifieds • The top modified qualifying time so far this season…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — A Wildcat is coming home, and he has experience coaching on The Hill. Former Culver-Stockton College men’s soccer player Tyler Hamilton, who enjoyed success the last six seasons coaching at the high school level, is returning to his alma mater to become C-SC’s next head men’s soccer coach. Wildcats athletic director Pat…
Read Full Article BURLINGTON, Iowa — The Quincy Gems had the tying runs on base with one out in the top of the ninth inning, but a strikeout and a flyout ended the game as the Burlington Bees won the Prospect League season opener for both teams in a 10-8 decision. The Gems gave up five runs in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Gems open play Wednesday night in the Prospect League with a road game at Burlington. After a road game Thursday at Springfield, the Gems open the home season with games on Friday and Saturday against Clinton and Sunday against Burlington. The Gems return eight players from last year’s team, which finished…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. CAMP POINT, Ill. —…
Read Full Article DECATUR, Ill. — The cardiac queens were at it agaIn. Facing a four-run deficit heading to the bottom of the fifth inning — the second time the Quincy Notre Dame softball team had trailed this deep in a game this postseason and the third straight game in which late-inning runs were needed to advance —…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — In the moments after the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players decided they’d play Monday’s Class 2A super-sectional as planned, senior designated hitter Alex Connoyer stood in front of Tyler Dance, leaned in so they were nearly nose-to-nose and delivered a strong message. “Use all the emotion,” Connoyer told his teammate. “Let it…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball players decided Sunday morning to play Monday’s Class 2A Springfield Super-Sectional against Bloomington Central Catholic because Tucker Tollerton would have wanted them to play. Tollerton, the senior starting center fielder and No. 2 hole hitter, was killed in a single-vehicle accident Saturday night just outside of Hannibal,…
Read Full Article DECATUR, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team once again refused to go down without a fight. Trailing by three or more runs twice during Monday’s Class 2A Decatur Super-Sectional against Effingham St. Anthony, the Raiders rallied. They erased a three-run deficit in the first inning and nearly squashed a four-run deficit before the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Tucker Tollerton’s final hit wasn’t squared up on the barrel of the bat. It wasn’t laced into one of the outfield gaps where he’d have the chance to run like a gazelle. It wasn’t driven over the fence to display his increasing bat speed and power. He simply tucked it into a spot…
Read Full Article QUINCY — That’s just baseball. Those three words were the only way the Quincy University baseball team could make sense of an unlikely finish to an incredible season. The Hawks were ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball. However, they saw their…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Jack Linenfelser planted his right foot hard deep in the hole at shortstop and whistled a throw across the diamond, gunning down Gillespie’s Bryan Jubelt for the second out in the third inning of Saturday’s Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional championship. Had the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s senior shortstop paused to…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team moved another step closer to reaching the state final four for just the third time in program history, beating previously undefeated Gillespie 5-0 to win the Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional championship. The Raiders will face Bloomington Central Catholic at 5 p.m. Monday at Lincoln Land…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The weather hasn’t always been ideal, but Saturdays at QU Stadium throughout the spring have been perfect nonetheless. One more flawless Saturday is needed. The Quincy University baseball team finds itself in a win-twice-or-it’s-over scenario following Friday’s 4-3 loss to Indianapolis in the opening game of the NCAA Division II Midwest Super Regional,…
Read Full Article Palmyra's King reigns supreme over discus field at Class 3 girls state track and field championships
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Candra King could see the 40-meter marker and knew her second attempt in the discus finals at the Class 3 girls state track and field championships was close to hitting that distance. It turns out she was just a whisper away. “I was hoping it was going to be a 40,”…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Spencer Walker never saw exactly where Luke Napleton caught the fastball or where it crossed the plate. He didn’t think he needed to look. With runners on second and third and two outs in the top of the eighth inning Friday at QU Stadium, the Quincy University senior right-hander felt he’d painted the…
Read Full Article Chargers' Deitrich in high jump finals at Illinois boys state track, Eagles' Gimm to throw in discus
CHARLESTON, Ill. — Three Quincy High School runners were unable to advance to the finals in the Class 3A boys state track and field championships during Friday’s preliminaries at O’Brien Stadium on the Eastern Illinois University campus. Boen Brockmiller placed 27th in the 200-meter dash, finishing in 22.90 seconds, while Eric McClelland was 34th in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The opening game of the NCAA Division II Midwest Super Regional turned into a pitchers’ duel, one the seventh-seeded University of Indianapolis baseball team won with a 4-3 victory over top-seeded Quincy University on Friday at QU Stadium. The Hawks (47-10) must win twice Saturday to advance to the D-II World Series in…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. QUINCY — The bookends…
Read Full Article EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — The Edwardsville baseball team started this postseason how it ended last season. Winning in comeback fashion. The defending Class 4A state champion faced a 3-0 deficit to Quincy High School before coming from behind for a 6-4 victory in the Class 4A Edwardsville Regional semifinals on Wednesday at Tom Pile Field. “Everyone’s…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team won its 30th consecutive game Wednesday, beating Shelbyville 2-0 in the semifinals of the Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional at Lincoln Land Community College’s Claude Kracik Field. The Raiders (33-1) will face Gillespie (32-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday in the sectional title game. Muddy River Sports…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Dirty Thirty is back, bay-bee. We took some time off last week to take a closer look at the upcoming MARS late model special — and what a special it was, right?! — but now we’re back into the regular-season grind tied to the late models, modifieds, sport mods, street stocks and…
Read Full Article HAVANA, Ill. — One pitch, one swing, one sudden ending. Illini Bluffs catcher Lexi Brinkman jumped on the first pitch from Pleasant Hill’s McKinley Lowe in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday and smacked a walk-off home run to center field for a 4-3 victory in the semifinals of the Class 1A Havana softball…
Read Full Article The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. PALMYRA, Mo. — Tyler…
Read Full Article QUINCY — One scored early and often, the other rallied late. Now, they’ll go head-to-head for a sectional championship. The Auburn softball team scored 11 runs in the first inning and beat Macomb 16-0 in the first semifinal Tuesday in the Class 2A QND Sectional at The Backyard. Quincy Notre Dame followed by scoring four…
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