Sports Spotlight
QUINCY — A barrage of hits and runs in the first two innings of Monday night’s crossdown showdown between the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame baseball teams ended, and the game became a battle of zeroes until the lights went out with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Sports Editor…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Eric Orne’s knowledge of sports films came in handy Monday evening. The veteran Quincy Notre Dame softball coach matter-of-factly referenced Raiders left fielder Laela Hernandez-Jones to the fictional Willie Mays Hayes in the classic 1989 baseball movie “Major League.” “Laela is our fastest player, just like Willie Mays Hayes,” Orne said. “She got…
Read Full Article WENTZVILLE, Mo. — Quinn Thomas gets the chance to defend his Class 4 individual golf state championship. The field he will have to topple to do so is going to be loaded. The Hannibal sophomore tied for sixth Monday in the Class 4 District 2 tournament at the Golf Club of Wentzville after shooting a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Lucas Loos went out with a bang. Three bangs in fact. The Payson Seymour product blasted three home runs during his final home doubleheader with the John Wood Community College baseball team, jacking two in the nightcap as the Trail Blazers earned a 9-4 victory over Illinois Central College in Mid-West Athletic Conference…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team’s seed for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament wasn’t going to change with the outcome of Sunday’s regular-season finale. Only the vibe the Hawks carry into the postseason could be altered. A 12-11 loss to Missouri S&T at QU Stadium didn’t totally change that thanks to an offense…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team honored its mothers and its seniors during pregame ceremonies before playing Missouri S&T in the regular-season finale Sunday at QU Stadium. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured images that helped sum up the day.
Read Full Article COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Jett Rose showed he’s ready to run with the best. The Quincy High School senior sprinter got a glimpse of what the Class 3A O’Fallon Sectional field will be like during Saturday’s Collinsville Invitational, and he put himself in prime position to be chased. Rose won the 100-meter dash in 10.89 seconds,…
Read Full Article ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Anna Schuering’s reign over the distance races in the Western Big 6 Conference is complete. The Quincy High School senior was named the league’s co-MVP after winning the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs Friday at the WB6 girls track and field championships at Rock Island Stadium. Schuering also won the WB6…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Luke Napleton raised his right hand to ask for time and stepped backward out of the right-handed batter’s box. The home plate umpire didn’t recognize the Quincy University leadoff hitter’s request and called on a strike on a pitch thrown by Missouri S&T’s Elijah Gross. Momentarily surprised by the call, Napleton regrouped, stepped back…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team is primed for the postseason. The Raiders picked up their third straight victory in their regular-season finale Friday at Advance Physical Therapy, using two early goals from Lia Quintero to kickstart a 6-0 victory over Burlington Notre Dame. QND (16-3-3) opens the postseason at 4 p.m.…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Keaton Scott knows his frame doesn’t fit the prototype for a catcher, especially not one planning to play at the NCAA Division II level. Experience has taught him being 5-foot-7 doesn’t matter. “It’s all about how hard you work,” the Hannibal catcher said. His work ethic is unmatched. Scott is one of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — If rain cannot slow the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s offense, what can? Opposing pitchers are asking the same thing. Thursday at the Ferd, the Raiders scored in double digits for the fourth straight game and the 13th time this season while beating West Hancock 11-0. QND has outscored its opponents 49-3 in…
Read Full Article The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Ticket information will be released soon. PHILADELPHIA, Mo. — Izack Hively…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Obviously, the kid is a natural. Actually, Logan Cumby is only a “kid” in a dirt-track racing sense, but the 26-year-old is rapidly opening eyes in his sport mod rookie season at Adams County Speedway. Cumby won his first feature in just his second try at the Broadway Bullring, warding off a deep…
Read Full Article The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Ticket information will be released soon. MONROE CITY, Mo. — Brock…
Read Full Article MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The ability to produce in every spot in the order is what has made the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team a 20-win season. A never-say-die attitude has done the same for Brown County. Monday, glimpses of both were evident. The Raiders sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning,…
Read Full Article ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The momentum a game-tying, seventh-inning run should have produced could have been lost when Rock Island Alleman walked off in the bottom of the inning with a 5-4 victory in the first game on Monday’s Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader. The Quincy High School baseball team refused to let that be…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The comeback track has another fan. Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, a St. Louis native who these days keeps himself busy driving a dirt-track modified, showed up unannounced Sunday night at Adams County Speedway. Wallace knew of the track’s recent troubled past — it had been shuttered since late 2019 — and felt…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Dan Meers, the KC Wolf mascot for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Bruce Douglas, Quincy High School Hall of Famer and University of Illinois basketball great, were the featured speakers Sunday at the Western Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet at Quincy University’s Pepsi Arena. Below are images from the event courtesy of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The scene was all too familiar. The reaction was decidedly different. That enabled the Quincy University baseball team to finish the weekend with a flourish. Saginaw Valley State’s Austin Schweiger belted a three-run home run in the top of the first inning Sunday — the Cardinals’ Hayden Jatczak did the same thing Saturday…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Gary Bass put himself in the crosshairs. His team then took aim at ending the spring the right way. During Saturday afternoon’s build-up to the Quincy University football program’s spring game, the Hawks’ sixth-year coach willingly climbed into a dunk tank and got dumped into the water during a tailgate party a short…
Read Full Article Intimidating. It seems funny to say it, but that is the most apt description for how I viewed Don Crim the first time I walked into the Quincy Herald-Whig newsroom nearly 33 years ago. The sports editor’s desk, complete with stain rings from his coffee cup and an overflowing ashtray of cigarette butts, served as…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The fact the Quincy University baseball team landed fifth in the first NCAA Division II Midwest Region rankings didn’t matter much to the Hawks. If they don’t keep winning, the region rankings won’t matter at all. Another shutdown pitching performance from right-hander Jay Hammel resulted in a 4-1 victory over Saginaw Valley State…
Read Full Article QUINCY — All the distractions that come with the calendar rolling over from April to May — things like prom, graduation and college commitments — are being magnified by the fact the weather is making it difficult for prep baseball and softball teams to find their rhythm. The opportunity to build postseason momentum is dwindling,…
Read Full Article STERLING, Ill. — A pair of shutdown pitching performances kept the Quincy High School baseball team in the thick of the Western Big 6 Conference race. Noah Harbin authored a one-hit shutout as the Blue Devils opened Friday’s WB6 doubleheader with an 11-0 victory over Sterling. Grayson Cook followed with a three-hitter as the Blue…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Mathew Kirby captured images of many of the pivotal moments and remarkable performances that took place Friday at the Mark Twain/Becky Thatcher Relays at Porter Stadium. Check out this collection of his photos:
Read Full Article QUINCY — Spencer Walker never gave Saginaw Valley State a chance. The Quincy University right-hander held the Cardinals hitless through the first six innings Friday, leaned on his defense to turn double plays in each of the final three innings and guided the Hawks to a 10-0 non-conference victory at QU Stadium. It was Quincy’s…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Emma Hoing and her club volleyball team saved the best for last. Playing in their fourth and final national qualifier, the Rockwood Thunder Volleyball Club, based in St. Louis, finished second in the Big South Qualifier in Atlanta two weeks ago to earn a spot in the Girls Junior National Championship. Hoing, a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jimmy Lieurance is the first to admit there were some hiccups. But not many. “I was totally blown away by the community’s response,” said Lieurance, who with his wife, Tammy, are one week into their first year of operating Adams County Speedway, the .29-mile dirt track that had been shut down for two…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Cannen Wolf’s plan didn’t go exactly how either he or Liberty track coach Jared Schmidt envisioned. Luckily, there will be other chances to chase the school record in the 1,600-meter run. Should Wolf chase the record down, it would be the perfect catapult to an NCAA Division I track career. The Eagles senior…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A walk-off and a milestone. Not a bad way for Eryn Cornwell to end her day. The Quincy Notre Dame senior softball standout followed Caitlin Bunte’s leadoff single in the fifth inning Wednesday with a two-run home run to left field at the Backyard, finishing off a 12-1 victory over West Hancock and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Riley Martin’s effort out of the bullpen for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans is getting noticed. It has fans of the Chicago Cubs organization wondering loudly on social media when the former Quincy University All-American left-hander will get called up to either High-A South Bend or Class AA Tennessee. Martin was named the Carolina…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Western Big 6 Conference championship was within reach. The Quincy HIgh School girls soccer team simply had to grab it. A more spirited effort in the second half of Tuesday night’s game against Rock Island Alleman allowed the Blue Devils to do that. A ball that ricocheted into the goal off a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Josh Rabe has watched as college athletic programs at all levels across the nation disbanded wrestling programs due to budgetary constraints. The Quincy University athletic director wanted to be on the flip side of that equation. Rabe and the QU athletic department announced Tuesday they will be adding men’s and women’s wrestling, beginning…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Less than a month exists until Marko Cucuk discovers if his dreams of returning to the Illinois boys state tennis tournament become reality. So now is not the time to relax. “There’s no stopping,” Cucuk said. “You just have to work every single day.” Monday, that meant dealing with conditions that have become…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A pair of Quincy Notre Dame graduates showcased their wares on the baseball diamond last week and came away with Great Lakes Valley Conference Pitcher and Player of the Week honors. Quincy University sophomore left-hander Griffin Kirn threw a complete-game shutout in a 10-0 victory over Truman State on Saturday in Kirksville, Mo.,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jayle Jennings helped the Quincy University softball team turn its final homestand in a victory lap. The Hawks won three of four games last weekend, splitting Friday’s doubleheader with Rockhurst and sweeping Sunday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference twinbill with William Jewell, Jennings earned the victory in two of the three games and earned…
Read Full Article QUINCY — During most of his tenure as athletic director at Quincy Notre Dame, Bill Connell followed a familiar routine. Find opponents for the school’s various athletic programs, determine mutual open dates to schedule games and then hire crews to officiate them. That’s not the case anymore. “You have to find officials first and then…
Read Full Article KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — Brock Boynton and the Quincy University baseball team appear to have regained their stride just in time to make a push for the NCAA Tournament. The sophomore center fielder collected four hits Sunday as the Hawks finished off Truman State with a 9-3 victory in the Great Lakes Valley Conference series finale.…
Read Full Article RUSHVILLE, Ill. — Ezra Thompson’s leaping ability, Jettason Rose’s speed and LaMarrio Rodgers’ strength were the highlights of the 19th Rob Garcia Invitational, which featured 17 prep track and field teams. Central’s Thompson shattered his personal best in the triple jump, winning the event with a leap of 12.45 meters. He also set a new…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Because of scheduling conflicts with their scheduled opponents, the Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy High School baseball teams both were searching for an opponent for Saturday. So they played each other at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action and here’s a gallery of his images:
Read Full Article KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — The losing streak is history. So is the offensive slump. If that continues to be the case, the Quincy University baseball team might be able to fight its way back into NCAA Tournament contention. The Hawks ended a four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference skid Saturday, receiving stellar pitching performances from Jay Hammel…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jimmy Lieurance has his fingers crossed. And so do about 100 racers and a few thousand dirt-track fans. “If we don’t get any more rain, we’ll be able to race Sunday,” said Lieurance, the 62-year-old first-year promoter at Adams County Speedway. Realistically, that might be a big “if.” “There’s a 38-percent chance of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football program brought 151 elementary and junior high students to Advance Physical Therapy Field on Friday night for the Rising Raiders Friday Night Lights camp. Here are some of the images Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured after the sun went down and the lights went on:
Read Full Article QUINCY — Shellshocked, but resilient. Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Longo appreciates the second part of that statement. Not so much the first. The Raiders moseyed through the start of Thursday’s matchup with Decatur St. Teresa at Advance Physical Therapy Field, falling behind 2-0 in the first 14 minutes as the Bulldogs scored…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Two goals, a tournament title and a school record. Bella Falconer had a pretty good Saturday. After beating Southern Boone 3-0 with Falconer scoring twice last Friday night in the opening game of Hannibal girls soccer team’s tournament at Porter Stadium during, the Pirates turned around on Saturday and smoked Sikeston 8-0…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — One swing gave Aidan Obert the memory for a lifetime. The Unity baseball team trailed Southeastern 5-1 going to the sixth inning last Friday when the Mustangs began piecing together a rally. With one out, Cody Shaffer walked, Obert was hit by a pitch and Bryson Muegge reached on an error to…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A trio of minor league pitchers with Quincy ties enjoyed a stellar week as the season is starting to find some rhythm. In the Class A Carolina League, Quincy Notre Dame graduate Johnny Ray made his first start last Saturday night and earned his first victory for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, an affiliate…
Read Full Article BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — A pair of stout pitching performances has the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team back on track. Tyler Dance struck out a career-high 13 batters in a 5-2 victory over Illini West on Saturday in the Beardstown Tiger Showcase at Robin Lewis Field, while Alex Connoyer tossed five shutout innings in an 11-0…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brandon Crisp hoped to find the best of both worlds. The Palmyra School district is affording him that. The Quincy High School baseball coach informed his staff and players Wednesday he is resigning at season’s end to become the head baseball coach and an elementary school physical education teacher at Palmyra. The Palmyra…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Timothy Southers’ interest in watching the Palmyra girls basketball team develop was piqued from the start. “Being on the front line of watching of them this year, watching how they competed this year was very intriguing,” Southers said. “I remember the very first time I saw them play after (Palmyra boys basketball…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The William Woods and Culver-Stockton College men’s golf teams flipped spots on the final day of the Quincy Invitational with the Wildcats finishing four strokes behind the Owls on Tuesday at Quincy Country Club. The Owls were the only team in the field to break 300 both days, shooting a 295 in the…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Quit is not part of the Palmyra baseball team’s vocabulary. If it was, an epic comeback would never have happened. Trailing Clark County 17-4 going to the bottom of the fifth inning of Tuesday’s Clarence Cannon Conference game at Flower City Park, the Panthers rallied for 14 runs in the frame and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Nolan Wosman finally got his groove back. Hit in the helmet by a pitch in the first game of a four-game series against Illinois-Springfield on March 25, the Quincy University junior third baseman didn’t play the remainder of the weekend. He returned the following week and played in three of the four games…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — Kylie Simmons earned the ultimate sign of respect. Pitchers quit pitching to her. A senior on the Payson Seymour softball team, Simmons drew six walks in three victories last week as the Indians knocked off Unity, Griggsville-Perry and Pittsfield. The rest of the damage she did was more impressive. Simmons went 7…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School baseball team got the Western Big 6 Conference portion of its schedule off with a bang. A big bang. Leading Rock Island 2-0 in the first game of last Saturday’s doubleheader, QHS senior third baseman Grayson Cook added the knockout blow by hitting a grand slam to left field…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — The list of football players with ties to Culver-Stockton College who have been selected in an NFL draft begins and ends with Bob Hendren. The offensive lineman, who enrolled in C-SC before transferring to the University of Southern California, was chosen by Washington in the seventh round in 1946, when the league…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy University football coach Gary Bass made it clear to the Hawks’ defense what the matra needed to be throughout spring practice. Play smart. Play hard. Play fast. So far, that’s working. The Hawks showed considerable improvement defensively during Saturday’s controlled scrimmage at QU Stadium, doing more gang tackling than one-on-one tackling as…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Two big swings and two quality pitching performances gave the Quincy High School baseball team a leg up in the first Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader of the spring. The Blue Devils swept Rock Island on Saturday, winning the opener 6-1 behind Grayson Cook’s fifth-inning grand slam and completing the sweep with a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Solid starts in both games of Saturday’s Mid-West Athletic Conference doubleheader put the John Wood Community College baseball team in good position. Poor finishes led to JWCC getting swept. Lewis & Clark rallied late in both games to snare a 9-8 victory in the opener and a 6-4 victory in the nightcap. JWCC…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Annabelle Schaffnit started to be apologetic for her answer. What the Unity senior softball player didn’t realize in the moment was how much her answer resonated. After chatting a little about the Mustangs and their ongoing season, Schaffnit was asked about how much her life revolves around sports. “I’ll be honest,” she…
Read Full Article The Illinois High School Association created a second class for boys basketball for the 1971-72 school year. The 2020-21 season would have been the 50th year of the boys basketball small-school tournament. Muddy River Sports is celebrating 50 years of small-school boys basketball by ranking the 50 best teams in Adams, Brown, Pike and Hancock…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Illinois High School Association created a second class for boys basketball for the 1971-72 school year. The 2020-21 season would have been the 50th year of the boys basketball small-school tournament. Muddy River Sports is celebrating 50 years of small-school boys basketball by ranking the 50 best teams in Adams, Brown, Pike…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The much-anticipated reopening of Adams County Speedway will have to wait. Sunday’s scheduled season opener at 8000 Broadway has been postponed until April 24, according to first-year operator Jimmy Lieurance. The track was originally scheduled to open Sunday and then take off April 17, which is Easter Sunday. The entire 28.5-acre site is…
Read Full Article Blessed and spoiled. There is no more apropos description for the fall of 1982. By then, my passion for baseball and complete love for the game was complete. I was blessed to watch my favorite team and my favorite player fight their way to the National League pennant, and I was spoiled to listen to…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team fought the Law and the Law won. With two outs in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday and Brown County having already scored once in the frame to take the lead, the Raiders chose to intentionally walk Karsyn Moorman after a passed ball allowed both runners…
Read Full Article MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Gabe Blakeley’s success and the 7-0 start for the Brown County baseball team are going hand-in-hand. In his last three games, Blakeley has gone 7 for 10 with five runs scored, four RBIs and three doubles as the Hornets outscored their opponents 38-2 in that stretch. That included a 4-for-4 effort…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Something had to give. Last Friday, when the undefeated Macomb softball team visited the Backyard to face undefeated Quincy Notre Dame, neither starting pitchers had allowed a run this season. That changed when the Raiders tagged Bombers starter Kaitlyn Robinson for three runs in the bottom of the first. QND ace Eryn Cornwell…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Maryville sophomore left-hander Jacob Kroeger, a Palmyra, Mo., native, and Culver-Stockton College outfielder Ronald Applewhite each earned weekly honors from their respective conferences. Kroeger was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week after tossing a seven-inning shutout in a 6-0 victory against Drury last Saturday. Kroeger opened with five hitless…
Read Full Article QUINCY — For the seventh time in the past nine seasons, the John Wood Community College men’s basketball program has produced an All-American. Sophomore forward Jarvis Jennings was named to the NJCAA Division II All-American third team, making him one of 30 players nationwide as selected by the NJCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee. Jennings,…
Read Full Article EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Alex Pribyl is settling nicely into his new role as a starting pitcher, and Sam Stephens appears to have his footing at the backend of the bullpen. That’s exactly what the Quincy University baseball team needs. The Hawks salvaged a split of Saturday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader with Southern Indiana as…
Read Full Article EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Spencer Walker continues to deliver efficient and effective innings, no matter how high the pitch count runs. It’s easier to do when the offense keeps extending the lead. The Quincy University senior right-hander pitched seven or more innings for the fifth time in his last six starts Friday night, throwing a season-high…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — For a University of Illinois graduate who has remained loyal to his alma mater and is a basketball junkie through and through, walking out of the tunnel onto the State Farm Center court was like living out a dream. Seeing his players live out their dream of playing for a state championship…
Read Full Article The success of teams throughout the area on the boys basketball scene led to incredible memories and remarkable performances on both sides of the Mississippi River. Here is the inaugural Muddy River Sports boys basketball all-area team, with the the 10 players listed in alphabetical order:
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Keaton Dickhut harbored ideas of being a multi-sport athlete when he entered high school, but physically, he didn’t exactly fit the part. “I couldn’t even jump up and touch the net if I wanted to,” said Dickhut, now a senior three-sport athlete at Central who said he checked in at 5-foot-7…
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