Sports Spotlight
QUINCY — Spencer Walker delivered. So did Jacob Kroeger. Once the two starting pitchers exited, it was up to their respective bullpens to determine which team won the opening game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference series. Give the edge to the Maryville baseball team. The Saints rallied for four runs in the top of…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Mark Longo is confident the best is yet to come for Quincy Notre Dame’s girls soccer team. “We’re still a long way from where we need to be, but we’ll be OK,” said Longo, now in his 33rd season as Raiders coach. Longo had just watched QND down Hannibal 5-2, erupting for…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s 4-3 victory over Hannibal on Wednesday at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield proved neither is going to be an easy out in the postseason, not when solid pitching and opportunistic play offensively are at the core. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action from Wednesday’s…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A seven-run outburst in the sixth inning allowed the Quincy High School baseball team to survive a tumultuous seventh inning and earn an 11-8 victory over Granite CIty on Wednesday at the QHS field. The Blue Devils (4-3) have won three of their last four games to climb above the .500 mark. Quincy…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The physical play of the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team and the second-half intensity of the attack brought about by senior forward Lia Quintero and sophomore forward Makalya Patton led to a 5-2 victory over Hannibal on Wednesday at Veterans Field. Photographer Mathew Kirby put together this photo gallery from the…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Expressing regret over what has transpired within the Palmyra football program and school district within the last six months, former Panthers coach Kevin Miles made his first public comments following his resignation as a teacher last week. Miles spoke with Dave Roberts of the Salem (Mo.) News and said “All I can…
Read Full Article GALESBURG, Ill. — The path of Tuesday’s severe storms that led to funnel clouds being spotted in McDonough and Fulton Counties not only forced the Quincy High School girls soccer off the field, but it kept the Blue Devils grounded in place. “The storm was south of us and they weren’t going to make us…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Perched at first base, Addi Zanger gets a daily bird’s-eye view of Caitlin Bunte in the pitcher’s circle. Most games, it can be a little monotonous, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “I don’t really do anything,” Zanger said with a chuckle. “She rolls us a lot of ground balls which is…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — After two seasons at the helm of the Hannibal-LaGrange University women’s volleyball program, Maliah Blakemore is leaving to join the coaching staff at Kansas Wesleyan University. Blakemore, a Quincy High School graduate, was a graduate assistant at HLGU during the 2020 season before taking over as the interim head coach two weeks…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Jay Hammel delivered his best when the Quincy University baseball team needed it most. Having lost the first game of Sunday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader with Illinois-Springfield, the Hawks needed a victory in the nightcap to split the day and the four-game series between two nationally ranked teams. Hammel made certain…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Photographer Samantha Carmean spent time Saturday at the Quincy High School track and field invitational at Flinn Stadium and created this photo gallery:
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Chase Gockel’s job Saturday was to keep the Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader from teetering to the point of no return. Three scoreless innings did the trick. After the Illinois-Springfield baseball team won the first game of the twinbill 9-3 by scoring three times in both the sixth and seventh inning, the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Blustery conditions at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield didn’t alter the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players’ approach at the bat. The Raiders simply keep on swinging. QND collected 17 hits, including five for extra bases, in a 19-0 whitewashing of Jacksonville on Saturday. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action for…
Read Full Article QUINCY — From Darrell Henze’s perspective, the glass remains half full. Sure, the Quincy High softball coach watched his club drop a 15-6 Western Big 6 Conference game on a breezy Thursday afternoon to undefeated Sterling, but Henze was far from despondent. The Blue Devils, now 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference, are working…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School baseball team finally got the chance to play at home Thursday, while the QHS softball team dove into Western Big 6 Conference play in its own backyard. The baseball team improved to 2-2 with a 15-0 victory over Palmyra featuring Evan Sohn and Joe Schroeder setting the stage at…
Read Full Article HAMDEN, Conn. — Former Hannibal multi-sport standout Dezi Jones was arrested by the Hamden Police Department on Tuesday night and charged with misdemeanor strangulation/suffocation and disorderly conduct, according to police reports. The arrest was first reported by NBC Connecticut. Jones, a 5-foot-10 guard who spent the previous two seasons on the Quinnipiac University men’s basketball…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Adams County Speedway season will start a bit later than scheduled. Track officials have postponed Sunday night’s scheduled opening until April 16. The track was scheduled to be off April 9 in honor of the Easter holiday. “The track is extremely soft, and with more bad weather likely this week we felt…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Taking the mound one night after four pitchers combined to walk seven batters and uncork five wild pitches in the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s first loss of the season, Evan Kenning knew what he was up against. “The pressure was kind of on to throw strikes,” he said. “I knew I had…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Humbled by Monday’s loss to Hersey, the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team responded with Evan Kenning striking out 10 batters over five innings and Brady Kindhart and Alex Connoyer each hitting a home run in Tuesday’s 10-2 victory over Palmyra at The Ferd. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman put together this photo…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Does having survived playing five games in five days without a loss earn the Quincy High School girls soccer team a day of rest come Wednesday? “Oh, hell yes,” Blue Devils coach Travis Dinkheller said. Quincy finished its physically taxing stretch Tuesday night with a 1-0 victory over United Township in Western Big…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Opportunistic or powerful describes the Quincy Notre Dame softball team’s offense depending on the situation. In the first inning of Tuesday’s West Central Conference game against Unity, the Raiders seized the moment as Brooke Boden followed an error that put runners at the corners by stroking a two-run double to right field.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — For the first time in a quarter century, the Quincy High School girls soccer team will have the chance to sweep its crosstown rival, beating Quincy Notre Dame 4-1 in Monday night’s matchup at Flinn Stadium. The teams square off again next Monday at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Doubt comes when confidence wanes. Everything Jay Hammel experienced in the first six weeks of the Quincy University baseball team’s season could have created doubt in himself, his ability to contribute on a nationally ranked team, and his decision to return for a final year of eligibility. Never once has he doubted any…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team bookended its weekend sweep of Truman State with offensive outbursts, complementing Friday’s 14-run effort with Sunday’s 20-7 victory at Stadium. The Hawks hit seven home runs with Nolan Wosman going 5 for 5 with two home runs and four runs scored. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Strong pitching, clutch hitting and solid defense. Put those three together and you end up with the results the Quincy Notre Dame softball team enjoyed Saturday during its season-opening games at The Backyard. The Raiders saw Carly Gilker and Caitlin Bunte combine to throw a one-hitter in a 5-0 victory over Calhoun and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ahead of the first crosstown showdown of the season coming Monday at Flinn Stadium, the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer teams wrapped up play in the QHS Tournament on Saturday with both battling to a tie in their final games. QHS and Ladue Horton Watkins held each other scoreless…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team put together strong pitching performances and opportunistic at-bats to beat Calhoun 5-0 and Illini West 13-2 on Saturday in its season-opening games at The Backyard. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured some of the action for this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls soccer team finished off the first night of its two-day tournament with a 2-1 victory over Hannibal at Flinn Stadium. Ladue Horton Watkins beat Quincy Notre Dame 3-0 and Cape Girardeau Notre Dame beat Springfield 2-0 in the other games. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It’s a simple philosophy with proven results. Win the inning. “I don’t know if you can hear me in the dugout, but I’m always saying ‘win the inning,’” Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel said. “Whether we give up four or give up two or give up none, go win the inning. If…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Spencer Walker paused as he searched for the most apropos way to describe his mindset when he took the mound Friday afternoon. “I can’t find the word,” he frustratedly said. He needed more than one. “I went out there with a little more of a chip on my shoulder,” Walker said. He pitched…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Everyone got into the act. The Quincy University baseball team scored 12 runs over the final three innings Friday to post a 14-4, seven-inning victory over Truman State at QU Stadium. All nine of the Hawks in the lineup reached base, seven had hits and eight scored at least one run. Muddy River…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Longo decided to give his players an opportunity to recharge Thursday, holding a meeting instead of a light practice after playing back-to-back days. “Even at that meeting, I could tell they were tired,” he said. Friday, little changed. The Raiders were outhustled and outplayed in a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Being insulated by the borders of the Quincy University campus gives the men’s basketball players a sense of security, but it doesn’t offer many opportunities to embrace those who embrace the Hawks’ success. Those are things they long to do. “We’ve wanted to be more involved in the community,” junior guard Zion Richardson…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy High School softball coach Darrell Henze says his approach to the game has changed as the years have passed. “I’ve tried to mellow out and adapt to each team, dealing with the different personalities and what motivates each of the players,” he said. That kind of outlook may come in especially handy…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — After playing 90 scoreless minutes, the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team needed just 30 seconds to end the drought. Lia Quintero scored off a rebound a half-minute into the second overtime Wednesday, lifting the Raiders to a 1-0 victory over Jefferson City Helias at the Crusader Athletic Complex. It is…
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy High School baseball team made strides. One week after suffering a 9-0 loss to Belleville West, the Blue Devils squared off with the Maroons again Wednesday afternoon and suffered a 5-2 loss after allowing four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Quincy led 2-1 going to the bottom…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A seven-run outburst in the bottom of the first inning, three-plus innings of relief from a sophomore right-hander making his varsity debut and the first victory for new Quincy Notre Dame baseball coach Rich Polak made Tuesday’s game against Illini West complete. The Raiders won 8-3 at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy High School girls soccer coach Travis Dinkheller expected his team to be able to control possession and pace of play based on everything he’d seen throughout the preseason. Still, he remained curious how it would look against Western Big 6 Conference opponent. Ten minutes into Tuesday night’s season opener against Moline at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Makayla Patton believes passing, persistence and patience are going to lead to scoring opportunities for the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team. “It’s what we’re doing really well so far this season,” the sophomore forward said. Tuesday, in the home opener at Advance Physical Therapy Field, the Raiders also added precision to mix.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Local dirt-track race fans will soon get their first glimpse of the rapidly approaching season at the annual Adams County Speedway preseason show. About 40 cars and drivers will be on hand Saturday and Sunday at the Quincy Town Center, formerly the Quincy Mall. Fans will have the opportunity to get up close…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Eric Orne says the Quincy Notre Dame softball team is more interested in the long haul, rather than immediate dividends. “We hope to be playing our best ball in May,” said Orne, beginning his 26th campaign as QND’s head coach. “We’ve got a strong schedule designed to help us get ready for the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s lacrosse team scored seven goals in the third quarter Monday, erasing a one-goal halftime deficit and propelling itself to a 13-8 victory over Colorado State-Pueblo at QU Stadium. Quincy scored three times in the first 90 seconds of the third quarter. Neal Dardis tied the game at 5 off…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A pair of former Prospect League hurlers are making strong pitches to land on major league rosters when spring training breaks. Left-hander Dylan Dodd, who played for the Hannibal Hoots in 2018, is in the conversation to be the Atlanta Braves’ fifth starter. Meanwhile, right-hander Cam Sanders, who played for the Quincy Gems…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When the Quincy University baseball team starts rattling the bats, there’s no slowing down the offense. The Hawks tagged nine Missouri S&T pitchers for a combined 30 runs in sweeping Sunday’s doubleheader at QU Stadium, winning 11-2 and 19-11 to take three of the four games in their first Great Lakes Valley Conference…
Read Full Article QUINCY — What’s the best way to respond to a pummeling? Come back and deliver the final blow. The Quincy University baseball team is pretty good at finishing with a punch. After allowing the most runs in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game in at least two decades in a 20-10 loss, the Hawks salvaged…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The 26th annual American CueSports Illinois State Billiards Championship taking place in the Oakley-Lindsay Center this week has attracted people from far and wide, but a strong contingent of Quincy players is feeling right at home, too. Becoming members of the American CueSports made that possible. “I didn’t even know that ACS was…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The ending wasn’t the ceremonial sendoff Danny Stephens had earned, but the postseason accolades the Southeastern senior is receiving are a stirring reminder of all he has accomplished. Stephens, the 6-foot-7 forward, completed a trifecta of first-team all-state basketball honors, earning Class 1A plaudits from the Associated Press, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association…
Read Full Article RIVERTON, Ill. — Welcome back, Gearshift. Lia Quintero, the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team’s senior forward who has said her gameday hairstyle resembles a gearshift, is showing no signs of being slowed by the knee injury she suffered in the final minutes of last season’s Class 1A state semifinal victory. After scoring twice in…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — A state-ranked showdown to open the prep softball season came down to the final at-bat just like everyone hoped it would. Macomb’s Kaitlyn Robinson scored the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning and then worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to preserve a 4-3 victory over Brown County. The Bombers…
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Struggles defensively put the Quincy High School baseball team in a precarious position Wednesday. The Blue Devils committed eight errors, leading to nine unearned runs, as they dropped their season opener 9-0 to Belleville West. The Maroons managed just five hits, but three came in the pivotal fourth inning when two errors…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With spring break taking place on the backend of the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s third-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament, the Raiders had to wait an extra week for their fire truck ride and welcome home celebration. The time lapse gave the Raiders time to appreciate all they had…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With spring break scheduled immediately after the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team won the third-place trophy at the Class 2A state tournament at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena, the welcome home celebration had to be put on hold. Tuesday, the Raiders finally were able to enjoy their fire truck ride and the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Fox Sports 2 broadcast team handling the play-by-play of Monday’s World Baseball Classic matchup between Colombia and Great Britain pointed out multiple times the number of professional scouts in attendance. If any are looking for a right-handed reliever, Graham Spraker may have piqued their interest. The former Quincy University ace came out…
Read Full Article QUINCY — For the fifth straight season and the eighth time in the past 10 seasons, the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team has produced the Region 24 Player of the Year. This year, for just the second time in that stretch, the Trail Blazers swept three major postseason awards. Credit Jeremiah Talton for…
Read Full Article HILLSBORO, Ill. — The title defense began somewhat slow. In 32-degree weather, what else would you expect? The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team, the reigning Class 1A state champion, led 1-0 at halftime of Monday’s season opener with sophomore Lilly Schuette scoring her first goal with the Raiders six minutes before the break. In…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Junior High School wrestling team’s trip last weekend to the Illinois Elementary School Association state tournament proved incredibly fruitful. The Comets crowned one state champion, one state runner-up and finished eighth out of 72 teams overall in Class AA at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill. At 126…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Luke Napleton’s first at-bat set the tone for quite a weekend that earned him Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week when all was said and done. The Quincy University baseball team’s junior catcher roped a line drive over Augustana center fielder Trevor Winterstein that turned into a triple thanks to his…
Read Full Article ROCHESTER, Minn. — A case could be made that the Meisters are Rochester’s first family of basketball. Kurt and Angie Meister’s oldest child, Lincoln, is a 6-foot-10 junior forward on the Minnesota-Duluth men’s basketball team. The Bulldogs won 23 games during the regular season and qualified for the NCAA Division II national tournament for the…
Read Full Article CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A coach once labeled as “just a Class A coach” showed his true wares on the state’s biggest stage against the state’s biggest competition. A team that faced one of the toughest schedules of any Class 4A squad this season proved it could handle any challenge with poise and precision. And a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Seven combined shutout innings from four pitchers and a four-RBI effort from the No. 9 hitter propelled the Quincy University baseball team to a 10-0 victory over Augustana on Saturday at QU Stadium and a three-game sweep of the Vikings. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman hung out at the windy, cold stadium…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Luke Napleton wasn’t stopping for anyone or anything. In the bottom of the first inning in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader, the Quincy University baseball team’s junior catcher rifled a ball over the head of Augustana center fielder Trevor Winterstein that reached the warning track. Although third base coach Chandler Purcell threw…
Read Full Article CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Moline boys basketball coach Sean Taylor delivered one final message to his team in the locker room Friday night before the Maroons left State Farm Center and headed back to their hotel. “We didn’t come here to get second,” he said. The Maroons earned the chance to make that reality. A sizzling…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The nationally ranked Quincy University baseball team hit six home runs and got scoreless outings from its starting pitchers in sweeping a doubleheader from Augustana (S.D.) on Friday at QU Stadium, winning both games 7-2. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the afternoon at QU Stadium and created this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — An injury kept Danny Stephens from playing in the postseason. It isn’t keeping him from racking up postseason honors. The 6-foot-7 senior forward from Southeastern was named as the repeat recipient of the Red O’Flaherty Player of the Year Award as well as a Class 1A first-team all-stater by the Associated Press for…
Read Full Article CANTON, Ill. — The dark ride home gave John Wood Community College men’s basketball Brad Hoyt to accept there will be no tomorrow, at least not for this year’s team. “The reality has sunk in,” Hoyt said. “You get spoiled.” For the first time in six years, the Trail Blazers won’t play for the Region…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The high five was perfectly unscripted and unabashedly enthusiastic. The hug and the fist bump were, too. As the Moline boys basketball team soaked in the moment Monday night — the Maroons had just beaten Oswego East 59-55 to win the Class 4A Normal Super-Sectional and advance to the state final four for…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Dezi Jones’ junior season proved to be one that made the men’s basketball coaches around the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference take note. The Hannibal native received second-team All-MAAC honors this week after guiding Quinnipiac to a third-place finish in the regular-season standings. The 5-foot-10 guard led the Bobcats in scoring at 12.4…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The NCAA Division II swimming and diving national championships begin Tuesday in Indianapolis. Quincy University freshman Wyatt Walsh, one of the country’s best in both the 200- and 400-yard individual medley, should be competing. But he’s not. You see, Division II swimming and diving teams are required to have a minimum of eight…
Read Full Article BUSHNELL, Ill. — The bid to become the first team in program history to win a sectional championship fell just short. The Central boys basketball team struggled to combat Illini Bluffs’ size and lost 54-46 to end its season with a 27-5 record. Photographer Mike Pritchard shared this photo gallery from the game:
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne listened intently as senior guard Abbey Schreacke discussed how the Raiders needed to regroup following a gut-punch loss Thursday in the Class 2A state semifinals and play the third-place game two hours later. “We’re going to have to find something deeper inside of us…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team found a way to push their tears and frustration aside following a loss in the semifinals of the Class 2A state tournament and rebounded for a 66-57 victory over Chicago Butler College Prep late Thursday evening at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena. Muddy River Sports…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — An outsized and physically overmatched Quincy University men’s basketball team did everything it could on Thursday afternoon, but it couldn’t change the outcome — a gritty 79-77 double-overtime loss to top-seeded Indianapolis in the first round in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. What the Hawks did change this season, however,…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — It wasn’t quite the U.S. national hockey team over the Russians in 1980, but for NCAA Division II women’s basketball, it was darned close. Nobody could even fathom the Quincy University women’s basketball team staying remotely close to Drury, ranked No. 2 nationally, in the first round of the Great Lakes…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — The coaching adage “you can’t teach size” needs to come with a addendum. It would read, “You can’t always combat it either.” The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team discovered how true that can be Thursday. Forced to contend with Breese Mater Dei’s Alyssa Koerkenmeier — a 6-foot-5 sophomore forward — and…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — The chance to defend its Class 2A state championship eluded the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team after the Raiders fell 61-54 to Breese Mater Dei in Thursday’s semifinals of the state tournament at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman put together this gallery of images he…
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