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QUINCY — Trevor Neville has officially adopted Quincy as his home away from home. Who can blame him? Neville won his second modified feature of the season at Adams County Speedway, surviving a late-race duel Sunday night with Chance Holland. Neville, who resides in Mackinaw, Ill., used back-to-back slide jobs coming out of turns two…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ethan Arns knows Zach Willing’s game well enough to combat some of the recent Quincy University graduate’s power and court presence. That only lasts so long. Arns won the first set against Willing during Sunday’s men’s open division championship match in the Quincy Tennis Association city singles tournament at Reservoir Park. But the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The future of Quincy women’s tennis is here, and their names are Anika Reddy and Alex Hamby. The two teenagers squared off in the women’s open division title match of the Quincy Tennis Association City Championships at the Greeman Tennis Center in Reservoir Park on Saturday. Reddy grinded out a 7-6, 6-3 victory…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ethan Arns’ next chapter is quickly approaching, but he has one last page to turn before he gets there. Arns, a Quincy native of 30 years, will move to McKinney, Texas, on June 10, but his next order of business is the Quincy Tennis Association city singles championships, which he has participated in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — And then there were eight. After a busy Saturday of tennis at the Quincy Racquet Club and the Greeman Tennis Center in Reservoir Park, four championship matches are set in the Quincy Tennis Association city singles tournament. Familiar foes Zach Willing and Ethan Arns will meet in the men’s open championship. Willing, the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The day started by moving the Quincy Tennis Association’s city singles championships to the Quincy Racquet Club because of stormy skies. Eventually, the city tournament moved back to its usual place of play — the Greeman Tennis Center in Reservoir Park — for some spirited play. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey spent…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — The Hicks twins’ track careers may have come to an end on Friday, but their support for each other remains neverending. As Carson Hicks cleared the bar on a 6-foot, 4-inch jump at Friday’s Illinois/Missouri Senior All-Star Track Meet at Palmyra High School, his twin sister Chloe recorded the jump on her…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — The Illinois/Missouri Senior All-Star Track Meet provided the top track and field athletes from West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri one final opportunity to compete head-to-head and in some cases for the first time together. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey spent Friday evening at Palmyra High School for the event and put…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Illini West’s Ian Bentzinger and Liberty’s Keegan Sunde spent all season as rivals. On Friday, they were teammates, and they made sure to have some fun. During the Illinois/Missouri Senior All-Star Track Meet at Palmyra High School, the state-qualifying sprinters made up the first two legs of the Illinois boys 4×100 meter…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With a little cooperation from the weatherman, Sunday evening will be a record-setting night at Adams County Speedway. For the first time in track history, which dates to 1975, there will be six regular series in action at the track. The Crown Vics’ much-anticipated debut as a member of the weekly lineup will…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The first pitch came at noon from a pitcher I had never seen throw for a team I have never rooted for against a team I had no idea who was on their roster. Yet, I was all-in on the University of Kentucky baseball team. It will be the case when Arizona, UNC…
Read Full Article QUINCY — During nearly two decades of broadcasting games together for local radio stations, Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and Raider Sports Network play-by-play voice Eric Ervin engaged in a variety of conversations and debates on road trips. Music was often one of the topics. Since they share a love of 1980s music, it…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Zach Willing is going for four in a row. A recent Quincy University graduate and a Quincy High School alum, Willing has won three consecutive Quincy men’s city tennis singles championships and will chase his fourth title this weekend during the city tournament at the Greeman Tennis Center at Reservoir Park. Willing took…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — The Illinois/Missouri Senior All-Star Track Meet serves a two-fold purpose. “We want to give local kids one last chance to compete,” organizer Nick Koetters said. “We also do it as a way to raise money for Special Olympics.” The meet, which annually includes some of the top track and field talent from…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — Dan Sparrow first had to address the situation as an athletic director before he could look at it as an interested party. Greg Altmix resigned as the Liberty boys basketball coach in mid-May, forcing the Liberty administration to act with a certain degree of haste in finding his replacement in order to…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Although basketball is the tie that binds the Hull family, pickleball is the game of choice these days, especially when Mason Hull and his dad, Marty, go head-to-head. And there isn’t much room for debate on who is better at pickleball. “Me,” Mason said. Would Marty dispute that at all? “No,” Mason…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A pair of area standouts and a state champion who has signed with John Wood Community College highlight the rosters for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-star games, being held June 8 in Pontiac. Camp Point Central all-state guard Nick Moore will represent the south squad in the boys Class 1A-2A game, while…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Most nights, while sitting in front of my laptop in my home office searching for inspiration in my writing or working out the kinks on a project or a plan, I’ll play music in the background. It ignites my creativity and brings my thoughts into focus in a way a quiet never does.…
Read Full Article GLASFORD, Ill. — Ryan Lowe’s sunglasses hid his tears, but anyone listening could hear the angst in his voice. The Pleasant Hill softball coach couldn’t hold back the emotion as he addressed his team following the Wolves’ 1-0 loss to Illini Bluffs in the Class 1A Glasford Sectional title game on Saturday. “You’ve built something…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame had just seen its baseball season end with a 3-1 loss to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in the Class 2A regional semifinals. As the crowd began to disperse, with some fans celebrating and others consoling, David and Sharon Lunt loaded their lawn chairs and other items into a little wagon and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The fourth annual Chad McCoy Memorial Race at Adams County Speedway have been rescheduled for July 3. Track operators Jim and Tammy Lieurance first were forced to postpone Sunday night’s scheduled running following overnight and early morning rains. Later in the day, a hoped-for Monday rescheduling was also erased due to the overall…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — The schedule for Saturday’s finals of the Class 1A boys state track and field championships didn’t afford Jack Thompson the time to take stock in all he was accomplishing. It wasn’t until hours after he and the rest of the Camp Point Central athletes racked up a handful of medals that he…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — Ian Bentzinger’s legacy will be a spot among the top sprinters in Illini West history. That’s a storied list. The senior captured two state medals Saturday at the Class 1A boys state track and field championships at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium, finishing fourth in the 100-meter dash and fifth in the…
Read Full Article GLASFORD, Ill. — An unbelievable performance in an unbelievable game with an unbelievable ending. And an imperfect ending in the Pleasant Hill softball team’s case. Wolves senior pitcher McKinley Lowe took a perfect game into the seventh inning of Saturday’s Class 1A Glasford Sectional championship game against Illini Bluffs, the top-seeded team in the sectional…
Read Full Article CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — Jack Livengood did what no one else could. The Peoria Notre Dame junior right-hander quieted the Illini West baseball team’s attack. Livengood retired the Chargers in order the first time through the lineup, didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning and authored a three-hit shutout in Saturday’s Class 2A Chillicothe IVC…
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — When things began unraveling for the Quincy High School softball team, there was no chance of reeling it back in. The Blue Devils committed four errors and allowed seven unearned runs in the first two innings Saturday, leading to a 10-0 loss to top-seeded Belleville East in the championship game of the…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Hannibal senior Kameil Crane capped her high school track career with a state medal. Crane finished fourth in the javelin at the Class 4 state track and field championships Saturday at Adkins Stadium with a throw of 40.85 meters (134 feet). Her best attempt came on her second-to-last throw. Carl Junction’s…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Austin Simpson’s ability to get on base was as good as anyone in the nation. The postseason honors he’s accumulating reflect that. The Quincy University redshirt junior first baseman was named a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association first-team All-American this week, becoming the seventh first-team All-American in program history. Simpson, a native of…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Taegen Novel is bringing home a state medal. Four more Hannibal athletes have a chance to do the same Saturday. Novel, a junior, finished fourth in the Class 4 high jump at the Missouri state track and field championships Friday at Adkins Stadium. Novel cleared 1.60 meters or 5 feet, 3…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Those rumors about Jim Lieurance looking for a four-leaf clover, rabbit’s foot or some other good-luck charm have not been exaggerated. The fate of Sunday night’s fourth annual Chad McCoy Memorial modified race at Adams County Speedway will likely depend on not only whether it rains, which is in the forecast, but how…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Registration is underway for the third annual Cardiac Classic golf tournament to benefit the Blessing Heart and Vascular Center and its patients. The event will be held at Spring Lake Country Club in Quincy on Friday, June 21, with sign-in between 8:30 and 9 a.m. The format is a 4-person scramble with a…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Memorial Medical Clinics have multiple dates during this summer for students to receive a sports physical. These sports physicals will be offered at Memorial Medical Clinics in Bowen, Carthage, Colchester, Hamilton (Broadway), LaHarpe and Nauvoo. Walk-in sports physicals are scheduled for: Appointments are not needed. Students will be seen in order of…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — The title pursuits are in full chase. Three area athletes — Illini West’s Ian Bentzinger, Camp Point Central’s Jack Thompson and Liberty’s Tanner Gimm — positioned themselves to be in the mix for Class 1A state track and field championships when Saturday’s finals roll around at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium. Bentzinger…
Read Full Article ALTON, Ill. — The Quincy High School baseball team erased a three-run deficit once. Doing it twice was asking too much, especially when giving away free bases. Trailing Alton 3-0 after two innings in Thursday’s Class 4A Alton Regional semifinal, the Blue Devils rallied to take a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the…
Read Full Article MARION, Ind. — Delaney Straus made a dash for the history books. Starting the second day of the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 16th place in the heptathlon, the Culver-Stockton College sophomore wasn’t able to make a leap despite solid efforts in the first two events Thursday. But she saved her best for…
Read Full Article PALATINE, Ill. — After suffering a loss in the opening round of the Class 1A boys tennis state tournament Thursday morning, the Quincy Notre Dame doubles team of Daniel Dyer and Alex Strong rebounded in a big way. Dyer and Strong won three consecutive matches to remain alive in the back draw heading into Friday’s…
Read Full Article RIVERTON, Ill. — The tone of Mark Thomas’ voice almost never changes. This was the case even as the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team fell behind in the first half of Wednesday’s Class 1A Riverton Sectional championship game against Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin. “If we keep this at 2-1 at halftime, we’re fine,” the Raiders…
Read Full Article 'We were so close': Raiders unable to get final out before Spartans rally to win sectional semifinal
WILLIAMSVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team went from utter delight to bitter disappointment in less than an inning. With it, the Raiders’ season hit its end. Morgan Zanger’s three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth gave QND a two-run lead in the Class 2A Williamsville Sectional semifinal against Stanford Olympia,…
Read Full Article GLASFORD, Ill. — As the runner came down the third-base line and the throw sailed in from right field with both destined to meet at home plate, Pleasant Hill softball coach Ryan Lowe momentarily held his breath. Most everyone else did, too. “Oh, my goodness,” Lowe said. “It was that way the whole game.” Kaitlyn…
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The confidence the Quincy High School softball team carried into the postseason enabled the Blue Devils to do something Wednesday night that hadn’t happened in a dozen years. It also affords them the chance to accomplish something that hasn’t happened since the Illinois High School Association went to the four-class system at…
Read Full Article CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — Sometimes putting the ball in play is enough to get the job done. The Illini West baseball players took that approach to heart. The Chargers continually applied pressure to Rockridge’s defense during Wednesday’s Class 2A Chillicothe IVC Sectional semifinal, using a mix of hard ground balls, solid liners and strategically timed bunts…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A pair of former Quincy University men’s basketball assistant coaches have landed new jobs. Troy Potts has joined the staff at Frank Phillips College, an NJCAA Division I school in Borger, Texas, as an assistant coach. Meanwhile, Pat Richardson is headed to Jackson, Miss., to be an assistant coach on the Jackson State…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Time became Timia Reinberg’s adversary. That’s an unfair fight. Time always wins because you can’t slow it down and can’t you speed it up. It plays at its own pace, which is always the same pace. “It means I had all day to just sit around there and wait,” the Monroe…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — The work isn’t done, but the remarkable season Eastern Illinois University’s Lucas Loos has put together didn’t go unnoticed by the Ohio Valley Conference baseball coaches. Loos, a Payson Seymour graduate and former John Wood Community College third baseman, earned first-team All-OVC honors, the league announced Tuesday. Loos was named as a…
Read Full Article GLASFORD, Ill. — When Payson Seymour coach Joe Fessler addressed his team after their 6-1 loss to Illini Bluffs in the Class 1A Glasford Sectional semifinal on Tuesday, there were some understandably disappointed faces. “Some of them had some tears in their eyes,” Fessler said. “I don’t think it was necessarily tears that we lost.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A pair of Quincy University baseball players and a Palmyra product earned first-team All-Midwest Region honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Hawks left-hander Griffin Kirn and Maryville left-hander Jacob Kroeger were two of the four first-team starting pitchers, while Hawks first baseman/designated hitter Austin Simpson was the first-team utility player. Simpson…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. In 2023, the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team reached the Class 1A Sacred Heart-Griffin Regional championship game, but the host Cyclones upended the Raiders 4-2. This was the final game of Mark Longo’s 34-year career as the Raiders’ head coach. Longo…
Read Full Article MT. STERLING, Ill. — Retirement is coming at the perfect time for both Jeff Bottorff and the Brown County boys basketball program. The vice president of quality and training at DOT Foods since 2006, Bottorff will step away as a full-time employee at the end of May. Although he intends to continue serving as a…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal track and field team will be well represented at the Class 4 state track and field championships this weekend at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City. Nine Pirates qualified for state by finishing fourth or better in their respective events at last Saturday’s Class 4 sectional at Mexico High School. On…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — Until a year ago, Drew Mallett had no intentions of participating in the decathlon. “I didn’t even know if colleges had that stuff or not,” Mallett said. Now, the Culver-Stockton College sophomore and Highland High School graduate is headed to this week’s NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships after winning the Heart…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — Delaney Straus is no stranger to a heavy workload. The past two years, Straus has played guard for the Culver-Stockton College women’s basketball team while also participating in multiple events, including the heptathlon, for the track and field team. She is also double majoring in accounting and business administration. “Sometimes you just…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — The 45th Strawberry Strut, which offers a race for everyone, will be held June 1. The Strawberry Strut includes the classic 5-mile run along Carthage Lake along with a 5K run, a 5K walk and a 1 mile fun run/walk. To register, go to runsignup.com/Race/IL/Carthage/StrawberryStrut or use the link on the Strawberry…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A window of opportunity opened for Adam Pfeiffer when Alex McCulla’s up-and-down didn’t go down as planned. McCulla slammed it shut just as quickly. After uncharacteristic bogey on the par-3 15th hole Sunday at Westview Golf Course, McCulla made back-to-back birdies and then drove the green on the par-4 18th hole to give…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Alex McCulla began his weekend by shooting a 6-under 30 on the front nine at Westview Golf Course and ended it by rolling in birdie putts on two of the final three holes to win the Quincy Men’s City Golf Championship with a 13-under 129 total. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Spencer Havermale is a quick learner. “There are no slouches in this division,” Havermale said following his first two weeks in the crate late model series at Adams County Speedway. And even though Havermale is only in his first season in a crate late, the Quincy driver has already earned the right to…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A four-medal day at the state track and field championships is a harbinger of great things to come. Chevie Sharpe knows it. “Harder than ever,” the Highland sophomore runner said of the motivation to work hard after Saturday’s showing at Adkins Stadium. “I’d love to get up there (at the top…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Twice, Gabe Bowen found himself in an all-or-nothing situation. Twice, his all carried him to the top. The South Shelby junior scratched on his first two attempts in the javelin at Saturday’s Class 2 state track and field championships, but he landed a quality throw on this third attempt to advance…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The reality of what Callie McWilliams accomplished Saturday hadn’t taken hold by the time she and her family returned to Shelbina. “I don’t think it’s kicked in yet,” McWilliams said. “I’m kind of in disbelief.” McWilliams became the first South Shelby girls track and field athlete to win a state championship…
Read Full Article BUFFALO, Ill. — Even the most seasoned competitor can feel the pressure when a postseason nemesis stares you in the face. So Quincy Notre Dame softball coach Eric Orne reminded junior ace Caitlin Bunte to just breathe as the Raiders headed into Saturday’s Class 2A regional championship game against Buffalo Tri-City. “I was telling Coach…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Pleasant Hill softball team received a special delivery on the way to Saturday morning’s Class 1A Camp Point Regional championship game. “The Fourth of July committee in Pleasant Hill was selling donuts at the four-way stop, and I guess they saw the bus getting ready and they said, ‘Stop by…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Ethan Carlisle is only a sophomore, but he had the composure of a veteran on Saturday. Carlisle tossed six shutout innings as the Illini West baseball team defeated Macomb 5-0 to capture the Class 2A Illini West Regional title at Jake Burling Field. Carlisle’s poise was put to the test in the…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — A school record to go along with a state medal isn’t too shabby of a way to end the season. The Camp Point Central girls 4×100-meter relay team accomplished that feat Saturday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium, finishing in fifth place at the Class 1A state track and field championships. The…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Candra King couldn’t quite make it back-to-back sweeps. The Palmyra track and field standout, who successfully defended her Class 3 state championship in the shot put Friday, went into Saturday’s competition looking to repeat as the discus state champion. King took the top spot on her third attempt with a toss…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — A freshman pitcher’s poise and presence is going to allow the seniors on the Winchester West Central baseball team to thoroughly enjoy the road trip that lies ahead. It should enable Grant DeWitt to have a more casual drive, too. Right-hander Anthony Hance wriggled out of a sixth-inning with a five-run lead…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The start was nearly perfect. The ending proved imperfect. After Pittsfield senior first baseman Brennan Tomhave launched a one-out home run to center field in the top of the first inning Saturday, Saukees right-hander Konner Allen retired Sacred Heart-Griffin without trouble in the bottom of the frame. However, the lead didn’t last.…
Read Full Article TREMONT, Ill. — The Illini West softball team’s start against Tremont on Saturday was everything the Chargers could have asked for, but a seven-run fourth inning led to a 9-7 victory for the Turks in the Class 2A Tremont Regional championship game. The Chargers scored five runs in the top of the second. Payton Downs…
Read Full Article QUINCY — We are only two weeks into the Adams County Speedway dirt-track season, yet there are some specific trends already emerging. Let’s see if we can get a glimpse of the horizon by examining the here-and-now, class by class: Stock cars This just might be the most balanced of the current five classes. Don’t…
Read Full Article 'I just hit it': Patton's OT goal after lightning delay sends Raiders to sectional championship game
RIVERTON, Ill. — Lightning strikes delayed the game, but Makayla Patton’s strike decided it. At the end of a scoreless regulation, lightning near Riverton Middle School forced a 30-minute delay in Friday’s Class 1A Riverton Sectional semifinal between the Quincy Notre Dame and Alton Marquette girls soccer teams. Seven and a half minutes after the…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Candra King is looking forward to a good night’s sleep. “I think I’m definitely just going to crash,” the Palmyra track and field standout said after getting back to the hotel following a late team dinner Friday night. The rest isn’t only necessary. It’s well-earned, too. King successfully defended her Class…
Read Full Article BARRY, Ill. — As the ball came off Ava Heming’s bat, Payson Seymour softball coach Joe Fessler figured the tying run was headed for home. “I thought for sure it was hit into the outfield,” he said. Olivia Mock didn’t let that happen. The Indians second baseman and a leaping catch of Heming’s liner between…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A bevy of area athletes will take their shot at finishing as high on the podium as possible Saturday during the Missouri state track and field championships. Highland sophomore Chevie Sharpe will have three cracks at that. Sharpe qualified third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.59 seconds. She…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — The Macomb Fraternal Order of Police will hold the 45th annual Scott Jennings Fishing Contest on Saturday, May 25, at Spring Lake. This free contest is open to children ages 1-15. Younger children can have helpers/parents to assist with bait, hooks, etc. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. Fishing will be from…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy YMCA’s annual “Fore the Kids” golf outing will begin at noon on Friday, June 14, at Westview Golf Course, 2150 S. 36th. The event will utilize a four-person scramble format. Golfers will have a chance to win a free car. Registration is $80 per person or $320 per team. It includes…
Read Full Article QUINCY — From playing baseball at Monmouth College to coaching at Quincy High School and with the Quincy Gems during the Central Illinois Collegiate League days, Randy Mettemeyer has spent enough time on the road to have watched a baseball movie or two. That made him the perfect person to join Muddy River Sports Editor…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Illini West baseball coach Zack Burling told left-handed starter Nick Bruns he was only going to face Eureka’s leadoff hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday before the Chargers went to the bullpen. “I just begged him to let me try to finish this game,” Bruns said. “And he did.…
Read Full Article INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Noah Harbin wasn’t letting the lead slip away twice. The Quincy High School graduate was summoned from the bullpen with one out in the eighth inning Thursday and the Maryville University baseball team clinging to a one-run lead against Grand Valley State in the NCAA Midwest Regional at Greyhound Park. A pair…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is a look at the schedule for regional play in Illinois in baseball, softball and girls soccer, as well as the Missouri district baseball tournaments: Illinois baseball Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional Wednesday, May 22 Game 1 — Winner North Mac Regional vs. Winner Pittsfield Regional, 4:30 p.m. Game 2 — Winner…
Read Full Article RUSHVILLE, Ill. — Jack Thompson shared the results of the events he participated in Wednesday during the Class 1A Rushville-Industry Sectional and the closing line summed it up his effort quite nicely. “Huge Day!!!” he wrote. The Camp Point Central senior jumper and sprinter set a personal record in one event, helped the Panthers break…
Read Full Article FARMINGTON, Ill. — Ian Bentzinger is sprinting his way toward a shot at a state championship, and the Illini West senior will have four chances at that. Bentzinger qualified for the Class 1A state track and field championships in four events during Wednesday’s Farmington Sectional, winning both the 100- and 200-meter dashes and running a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — If the postseason is supposed to feel like a series of final exams — Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Thomas described it as such — then Wednesday night’s Class 1A regional championship must have felt like a multi-choice test. How goals were the second-seeded Raiders going to score against third-seeded Auburn?…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Karly Peters knew exactly what was on the line and exactly what to do. In the bottom of the seventh inning of Wednesday’s Class 1A regional semifinal, Peters stood on second base as Lauren Miller stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, two outs and the Camp Point Central softball…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — It was deja vu for the Pleasant Hill softball team ahead of their Class 1A Camp Point Regional semifinal game against Mendon Unity on Wednesday. The Wolves’ 2022 season ended in a 13-inning loss to Unity in the regional semifinals in Camp Point when Pleasant Hill was the No. 1 seed…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Camp Point Central softball team walked off with a 5-4 victory over Southeastern in Wednesday’s semifinals of the Class 1A Camp Point Regional, while top-seeded Pleasant Hill rolled to a 12-2 victory over Mendon Unity. The Panthers and Wolves will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday for the regional championship. Muddy…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — Patience, persistence and pitching have put the Mendon Unity baseball team on the verge of both a 20-win season and the program’s first regional title in more than 30 years. The second-seeded Mustangs took advantage of 10 free bases, broke through to take the lead in the third inning and finished off…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — One swing changed everything. Quincy Notre Dame right-hander Abram Wiewel held the second-seeded Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin baseball team hitless for a 4 ⅓ innings Wednesday in the semifinals of the Class 2A Pittsfield Regional. Then SHG designated hitter Gage Luttrell blasted a one-ball, one-strike pitch to center field for a solo home…
Read Full Article CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The swing, the contact and the carry were absolutely perfect. “I felt like it was something out of a movie,” Quinn Thomas said. An ending straight out of Hollywood came with it. Heading to the final hole of the Class 4 boys state golf championships at Dalhousie Golf Club on Tuesday…
Read Full Article BUFFALO, Ill. — The late-season schedule Quincy Notre Dame softball coach Eric Orne puts together is done by design. He wants the Raiders to see elite pitching so they’re prepared to face it in the postseason. The strategy paid off Tuesday. Second-seeded QND knocked out Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, collecting nine hits with three doubles in…
Read Full Article JOPLIN, Mo. — Trevor Biggerstaff has created a legacy for future Canton golfers to follow. The senior earned his second state medal Tuesday, finishing third at the Class 1 boys state golf championships at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club. Biggerstaff carded a 156 total, tying with Sacred Heart’s Luke Jenkins. Biggerstaff, who also finished…
Read Full Article SMITHVILLE, Mo. — Jonas Janes and his Palmyra boys golf teammates brought home a state trophy for the fourth time in program history. It just wasn’t the biggest prize out there. Palmyra led the field at the Class 2 state championships by eight strokes following Monday’s opening round at the Paradise Pointe Golf Complex, but…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Greg Altmix plans on finishing his coaching career at Quincy Notre Dame. “I plan on being here until I can’t do it anymore,” Altmix said. At 57 years old, the newest QND boys basketball coach has been roaming the sidelines for more than half his life. Even though he has embraced the salt-and-pepper…
Read Full Article CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Quinn Thomas’ day could have gone sideways from the start. The Hannibal senior golfer began Monday’s first round of the Class 4 state championships at Dalhousie Golf Club on the back nine and promptly took a double bogey on the par-4 10th hole. “I blocked one right into the water,” Thomas…
Read Full Article SMITHVILLE, Mo. — The Palmyra boys golf team has positioned itself to make history. No one wants to jinx that. So after posting a 333 team score Monday in the opening round of the Class 2 state championships at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex that has them in first place by eight strokes, the Panthers had…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Abram Wiewel, Evan Kenning and the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team are trying to rekindle some postseason magic. Monday was a good start. The Raiders used seven RBIs from Wiewel and five solid innings from Kenning to dispatch Beardstown 10-4 at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield and advance to Wednesday’s semifinals of the…
Read Full Article JOPLIN, Mo. — If Trevor Biggerstaff can mimic the way he played on the back nine Monday, the Canton senior will have a legitimate shot at a state championship. Biggerstaff shot a 2-under 34 on the back nine at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club in the opening round of the Class 1 state championships,…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — The top of the Payson Seymour baseball team’s lineup set the tone for a 10-5 victory over Southeastern in Monday’s opening round matchup in the Class 1A Liberty Regional. It made history possible, too. Indians leadoff hitter Nolan Sparks went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while No.…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — Ashton Ertz and Josh Cook share more than just a record. Ertz, a senior center fielder for the Payson Seymour baseball team, has 86 career hits. This mark puts him in a tie with Cook, a 1993 Payson Seymour graduate who spent time in the Houston Astros and New York Mets farm…
Read Full Article MARION, Ill. — Hope lasted about six hours. Following Sunday’s 11-1 loss to Maryville in the championship game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, the Quincy University baseball players had time before and after a four-plus-hour bus ride home from Mtn. Dew Park to believe they might still get in the NCAA Division II…
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