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QUINCY — A clutch shot and a search for energy. That’s the most poignant way to describe opposite ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader for the Quincy University men’s and women’s basketball teams. Zion Richardson banked in a shot with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation to life the QU men to a 71-69…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Entering the season, it appeared the Great Lakes Valley Conference did the Quincy University men’s basketball team no favors by scheduling it to open league play against Indianapolis and Lewis, opponents projected to finish first and third, respectively. The one caveat was that both games would be in Pepsi Arena, and the Hawks…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Night in and night out, the Quincy University women’s basketball team is putting itself in position to challenge for the lead at the end of regulation. Figuring out how to win nip-and-tuck games is the next step. Saturday, the Hawks had a chance to tie Indianapolis in the final 10 seconds of regulation…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Something the Quincy High School boys basketball coaching staff noticed watching game film revealed itself even further during Saturday morning’s shootaround. The Blue Devils’ primary post players — sophomore Keshaun Thomas and senior Sam Mulherin — weren’t controlling the block. “We watched them post straight up,” QHS coach Andy Douglas said. “They were…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With a never-in-doubt 58-39 victory over Springfield Lanphier on Saturday night at Blue Devil Gym, the Quincy High School boys basketball team captured the championship of the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament. It is the Blue Devils’ 36th tournament title. Check out this photo gallery of images from freelance photographer Mathew Kirby and Muddy…
Read Full Article ADRIAN, Mo. — Even in the wake of a hurts-down-to-your-soul kind of loss, Monroe City football coach David Kirby needed the Panthers to remember one valuable thing. “I said this all year long,” Kirby said. “We are not victims. We are victors. You make sure you hold your head high through anything.” After losing 32-16…
Read Full Article QUINCY — After not enjoying a winning record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference since the 2016-17 season, the Quincy University men’s basketball team started conference play in stunning fashion Saturday with a 62-57 victory over preseason conference favorite Indianapolis at Pepsi Arena. So how long will Quincy coach Steve Hawkins enjoy giving the No.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Granted, Quincy Notre Dame’s 58-33 boys basketball victory over St. Louis Gateway STEM was not a thing of beauty. But not every performance in a long high school basketball season can come across as a Rembrandt. Every so often, there’s going to be a MAD Magazine cover show up, too. Such was the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — By the midpoint of the first quarter there was only one real question surrounding the Quincy Notre Dame-Warrenton girls basketball matchup that was playing out at The Pit. Would Warrenton wind up with more points or turnovers by game’s end? If your choice had been “points” you would have been correct, but only…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The phrase “rebuilding season” was tossed around before girls basketball season started at Quincy Notre Dame in 1981. Four players had graduated from the 1980-81 team that placed second in Class A, and coach Ivan Brown also was gone. However, a young team quickly gelled, and a late-season injury didn’t stop the Raiders…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A 1968 graduate of Quincy High School, John Groves has been a loyal supporter and contributor for more than 50 years. Groves began helping his father, Jerry Groves, when he started the first formal “Chain Gang” for the QHS football team in 1960. John took over those duties from his father in 1982…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The 2011 boys soccer team stumbled into the postseason, going 2-3-1 in the last six games of the regular season, but they racked off seven straight victories to claim the school’s first state championship in 26 years. The Raiders opened the postseason with a 9-1 victory over Athens, then needed a goal from…
Read Full Article CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Every comeback starts at a tipping point, the moment where momentum and mojo shift dramatically. Everything lined up for a Lena-Winslow punt to be just that. Having forced the defending Class 1A state champion to punt from its own 23-yard line with 7 minutes, 53 seconds remaining in the third quarter Friday…
Read Full Article CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As they worked their way past the long line of Decatur St. Teresa faithful waiting to enter Memorial Stadium, a group of Camp Point Central football fans were abruptly stopped by some curious Bulldogs fans. “Did you get it done?” one asked. The disappointment echoed in the tone of the response. “It…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Butler College Prep girls basketball coach Xaver Walton got exactly what he wanted. The Lynx returned seven players from last year’s team that lost by three points to Minonk Fieldcrest in the Class 2A super-sectional. When Walton learned defending Class 2A state champion Quincy Notre Dame was looking for a team to play…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Sam Mulherin’s soft bank shot in the waning seconds of overtime was neither a fluke nor an accident. Mulherin’s basket, a wide-open jumper just a few feet to the left of the hoop, wound up providing the margin of victory in the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s hard-earned 57-56 victory Friday night…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The first 3 ½ minutes of Quincy Notre Dame’s season opener against McCluer on Friday night was … almost unwatchable. The Raiders missed their first six shots, turned the ball over twice and missed three out of four free throws to trail 6-1. “It was really bad. Really bad,” senior Jackson Stratton said.…
Read Full Article CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Central football team’s magical postseason run ended Friday with a 30-8 loss to top-ranked Lena-Winslow in the Class 1A state championship game at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium. Central finished its season with a 13-1 record and the single-season program record for victories. Here is a gallery of images from…
Read Full Article Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2022 Gully Transportation Tip-Off Shootout at The Pit. QUINCY — After playing basketball at Christian Brothers High School and Quincy College, Tom Wisman spent most of his life coaching basketball around the world. Wisman,…
Read Full Article Editor’s note: The Quincy Blue Devil Sports Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games in the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. QUINCY — A 1963 graduate of Quincy High School who played baseball and basketball through his sophomore year, Tom Berry chose to have…
Read Full Article Editor’s note: The Quincy Blue Devil Sports Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games in the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. QUINCY — One of the most successful girls tennis players in Quincy High School history, Matea Simovic was a four-time state qualifier, three-time…
Read Full Article Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2022 Gully Transportation Tip-Off Shootout at The Pit. QUINCY — As the Quincy Notre Dame basketball team racked up all kinds of points during the late 2000s, it seems almost impossible to think that…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The lights go down, the flames go up and everyone in Blue Devil Gym awaiting the Devil’s arrival feels the chills. The players aren’t immune to that, no matter how focused on the game they might be. “I would think any abnormal person would say no they don’t feel anything,” said Tyler Sprick,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — What do the Three Musketeers, DJ Khaled and the Navy SEALs have in common? They each could be the inspiration for the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team this season. Start with the Three Musketeers. In the legendary novel by Alexandre Dumas, the Musketeers stick together with the motto “Tous pour un, un…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The exuberant kid who tagged along every opportunity he had when Chris Harmann went to Blue Devil Gym during a decade spent as a Quincy High School boys basketball assistant coach has matured That wasn’t a good thing for Harmann’s Dixon club. Tyler Sprick, a QHS junior guard and Harmann’s cousin, turned Thursday’s…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The opening night of the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament had everything Quincy High School boys basketball fans want — a down-to-the-wire affair, an intriguing storyline and a victory by the Blue Devils. Quincy opened with a 65-29 victory over Dixon after Springfield Lanphier outlasted Miller Career Academy 57-54. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt…
Read Full Article Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2022 Gully Transportation Tip-Off Shootout at The Pit. QUINCY — John Frankenhoff played a critical role in bringing a sectional championship back to Quincy and end a 14-year postseason drought. Frankenhoff, a 1989 Quincy…
Read Full Article QUINCY — As the Quincy High School boys basketball team trudged through another preseason practice, those responsible for the sound system in Blue Devil Gym tested the acoustics, the decibel levels and the clarity for pregame introductions. “They started playing everything and I got chills,” senior guard Reid O’Brien said. The Blue Devils also were…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Hannibal Parks and Recreation will offer indoor archery beginning Wednesday, Dec. 7 at the Admiral Coontz Armory. The program will continue on Wednesday evenings through Feb. 22, 2023. Anyone may use the facility to practice their archery skills. A variety of 3D archery targets such as deer, turkey, bears, badgers, rabbits, dinosaurs,…
Read Full Article Editor’s note: The Quincy Blue Devil Sports Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games in the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament at Blue Devil Gym. QUINCY — Jared Anders followed in his family’s footsteps — straight to the Hall of Fame. A two-time state medalist as a pole…
Read Full Article QUINCY — To the victor go the spoils. What exactly the spoils are Quincy High School boys basketball coach Andy Douglas isn’t divulging. Thursday night, in the opening game of the QHS Thanksgiving Tournament, the Blue Devils will square off against Dixon at 7 p.m. at Blue Devil Gym. It also pits two close friends…
Read Full Article Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2022 Gully Transportation Tip-Off Shootout at The Pit. QUINCY — Shannon (Foley) Venvertloh played different roles in different sports — goal scorer in soccer, defensive standout in volleyball and playmaker in basketball. She played…
Read Full Article Coletta Miller of Quincy recently took part in a celebration at the University of Notre Dame in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Miller, a 1974 graduate of Notre Dame, is married to Al Knepler of Quincy. She and more than 250 former female athletes were recognized by…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Come Friday, the Camp Point Central football team will walk into Memorial Stadium on the University of Illinois campus for the Class 1A state championship game to square off with Lena-Winslow, the reigning state champion who has won five state championships since 2010. Leading the way with be an experienced, stout…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football program needed a home. The Central State 8 Conference needed another member to balance its scheduling paradigm. As it turns out, they needed each other at just the right time. Notre Dame and the CS8 collaboratively announced Wednesday morning the Raiders will join the league in 2024 for…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The second-half rally and fight to the finish the Quincy High School girls basketball team engaged in Tuesday night had two components. “We totally changed our mindset,” Blue Devils senior guard Leah Chevalier said. “And a few people hit shots.” It was nearly enough to topple the reigning Western Big 6 Conference champion.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Kicking off Thanksgiving week with a flurry of activity as the Illinois boys basketball season got underway Monday night and the Missouri teams joined in the fun. Oh, college basketball season is in full swing, too. Here are some of Monday’s highlights … • The Hannibal girls basketball team won Shawn Gaines’ debut…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s basketball team is oh-so-close to being oh-so-successful. For the second time in four games, the Hawks went to overtime, getting a pair of clutch Beth Matas Martin baskets in the final 20 seconds of regulation to tie Sunday’s championship game of the Hansen-Spear Quincy Classic against Winona State at…
Read Full Article One month after sinking to a last-place tie, Iowa is poised to win the Big 10 West. Such is life in college football’s strangest division. The Hawkeyes, written off after being blown out 54-10 by Ohio State on Oct. 22 to fall to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in league play, control their destiny after pulling…
Read Full Article COLFAX, Ill. — Ross Riley’s explanation for the Camp Point Central football team’s Class 1A semifinal win over Ridgeview-Lexington was a simple one. That was fitting because the Panthers’ 44-8 victory was simple domination. “We were just going, and I was just running. I don’t know what else to say,” exclaimed a jubilant Riley. “It’s…
Read Full Article MONROE CITY, Mo. — The bottom line? “Now we’ve got the chance to play 48 more minutes,” said Monroe City running back Ceaton Pennewell, only moments after his club had survived a grueling Class 1 quarterfinal test Saturday afternoon against Lincoln. Monroe City’s 26-12 victory at Lankford Field did not come easy. If nothing else,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When the final play produces the perfect outcome, it had to be run exactly the way it was designed in the huddle, right? “Something like that,” Quincy University women’s basketball coach Kaci Bailey said with a wry smile. When Rogers State disrupted Quincy planned off a sideline inbounds play with 6.9 seconds remaining…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The scheduled had to be adjusted and delayed, but Saturday afternoon at Pepsi Arena, four NCAA Division II women’s basketball teams converged for the Hansen-Spear Quincy Classic and delivered a pair of hard-fought affairs. Winona State defeated McKendree 64-50 in the opener, and Quincy University knocked off Rogers State 58-56 as Beth Matas…
Read Full Article DES MOINES, Iowa — John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt schedules games in events such as the DMACC Classic to see if the Trail Blazers can handle the physical and mental challenges. The answer is quite clear. This group is on the right path to success. After beating 20th-ranked Iowa Western by…
Read Full Article PITTSBURG, Kan. — The inconsistency the Quincy University men’s basketball team is showing takes time and toughness to fix. Now, there isn’t much time left before Great Lakes Valley Conference play begins. The Hawks struggled offensively at the start of Saturday’s game against Missouri Southern in the Pitt State Thanksgiving Classic, hit a lull defensively…
Read Full Article QUINCY — One final wave to say thank you to an adoring, enthusiastic crowd was the Quincy University women’s volleyball team’s way to say goodbye as well. The season that changed the Hawks’ program forever was over. Yet, the bond created amongst a group of student-athletes — “incredible young women” in the words of Quincy…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The lead, the energy and an enthusiastic crowd. The Quincy University women’s volleyball team had everything it seemed to want and need to dispatch Missouri-St. Louis midway through the third set of Friday night’s NCAA Division II Midwest Regional semifinal. Yet, it turned out that wasn’t enough. The Hawks lacked the finishing touch…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy community and the Quincy University student body once again showed the QU women’s volleyball team its appreciation for an historic season, creating a loud and raucous atmosphere in Pepsi Arena for the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional semifinals. The Hawks used the energy to give Missouri-St. Louis a tussle before suffering…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The knockout punch came quickly. Quincy Notre Dame scored early and often Friday night, opening its girls basketball season with a relatively easy 68-39 victory over Hardin Calhoun at The Pit. “I felt we played with a lot of confidence,” QND senior Blair Eftink said. “We were excited to play.” The game was…
Read Full Article PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Quincy University men’s basketball team’s offense is going to give the defense time to find its way. In the second half Friday night, that seemed to happen. An 11-point halftime lead ballooned to as many as 29 points as the Hawks put the clamps on Pittsburg State, limiting the Gorillas to…
Read Full Article WEST PLAINS, Mo. — Two shifts in momentum completely changed the context of Friday night’s Class 4 state quarterfinal rematch. The first gave the Hannibal football team a boost. The second spelled doom for the Pirates. After Hannibal scored on the final play of the first half to take a seven-point lead to the locker…
Read Full Article Here is the Muddy River Sports area girls basketball preview section, delving into teams from Illinois and Missouri as the 2022-23 season gets underway. Click the link below to download the section.
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central football players have traded cut-off t-shirts and shorts for stocking caps and sweatshirts. When that takes place, something more significant has, too. In this case, the Panthers have reached the Class 1A state semifinals for the fourth time in program history. Central (12-0) travels for the first time this…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With the third set tied at 17 and the Northern Michigan women’s volleyball team validly entertaining the idea it could extend the match, an air of optimism arose. Moments later, that hope floated away. Top-seeded Quincy University won eight of the final nine points of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional quarterfinal, moving…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Makayla Knoblauch remembers the days where the echoes were as loud as any other sound in Pepsi Arena and the Quincy University women’s volleyball players knew practically every fan in the stands. “Four years ago, it was just our parents, the other team’s parents and a couple of our QU friends,” the senior…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The adjustments being made to combat the Quincy University women’s volleyball team’s full-throttle attack come as no surprise to outside hitter Mattison Norris. “People are going to scout us,” she said. “People know how to shut us down.” That leaves it to the Hawks to adapt. It didn’t happen in a three-set loss…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Northern Michigan women’s volleyball coach Mike Lozier used his opening statement in the post-match press conference to adequately sum up what his team dealt with during Thursday night’s NCAA Division II Midwest Regional quarterfinal. “Quincy’s really good at volleyball,” he said. “That was kind of the takeaway.” The top-seeded Hawks showed a glimpse…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It shouldn’t be this easy in the NCAA Tournament. The Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team, the No. 5 seed, hit at a .400 clip and had little trouble dispatching Rockhurst 25-15, 25-18, 25-18 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional at Pepsi Arena on the campus of Quincy University.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Malik Hardmon has listened to the Quincy University men’s basketball coaching staff harp on being detail oriented so often the words and phrases being uttered have slipped into his subconscious. “I wake up and in my dream I’ve heard, ‘Details, details, details,’” the senior forward said with a grin. He and the Hawks…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The 4 a.m. alarms sounding the start of another long, tiring day were necessary, even if they weren’t always welcome. “There were days for sure where we did not want to be in the weight room,” said Makalya Knoblauch, the senior setter on the Quincy University women’s volleyball team. “What’s special about our…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Every version of the national anthem is unique and different. Singers with big, booming voices tend to drag out high notes, especially at the top of their vocal range. Nervous singers hurry through it, praying they don’t forget a word or miss a note and fight just to finish. Steve Hawkins would have…
Read Full Article QUINCY — No buses. No hotel rooms. No scheduling deliveries from Jimmy Johns or Papa Johns or any other ready-to-eat restaurant that would allow the Quincy University women’s volleyball team to get back on the road as quickly as possible. This week has been a study in immersion. The Hawks are immersed in volleyball and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Three area football players have been named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association all-state teams, while seven others picked up honorable mention all-state plaudits. Central senior running back/linebacker Isaac Genenbacher, Brown County senior fullback/linebacker Colby Wort and Macomb junior wide receiver JT Jeter were first-team all-state selections. Genenbacher has been a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When Jeremiah Talton was deciding where the best college fit would be, the former Quincy High School all-state basketball player wanted to find a program with an offense tailor-made for his game. “I’m a shooter,” Talton said at the time. Opponents of the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team are figuring out…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy High School girls basketball Brad Dance talked throughout the preseason about how he felt his squad was going to shoot the ball better and score at a much higher rate. When the curtain opened on a new season Tuesday night, the Blue Devils backed that up. Four players finished in double figures…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Knowing it was only a matter of time before she’d see the Quincy University volleyball team’s name appear on the national tournament bracket, Mattison Norris watched with a little wide-eyed wonder as teams in other regions got their name called. “I was thinking, ‘That’s going to be insane. That’s going to be us.…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Central quarterback Nick Moore’s post-game assessment was rather poignant. And precise. “The first half was kind of rough,” Moore said in matter-of-fact fashion. Yep, pretty much much nailed it, Nick. Fortunately, there are two halves in a high school football game. The margin of Central’s 24-12 Class 1A quarterfinal playoff victory…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Shut out in the first half and trailing by two scores, the Central football team showed why it has been one of the area’s most successful programs for the past decade. The Panthers simply refuse to lose. They rallied for a 24-12 victory over Greenfield-Northwestern in the Class 1A state quarterfinals…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The transition to winter sports is gradually happening. Here’s a look at some of the action that took place Saturday: • The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team stumbled out of the gate and never fully recovered, losing 98-83 to 14th-ranked Kirkwood in the final game of the Town and Country Inn…
Read Full Article CEDARVILLE, Ohio — A number of the things the Quincy University men’s basketball players have done during the first 35 minutes of back-to-back season-opening games will make this group successful in the long run. What took place down the stretch needs to change. Friday night, the Hawks squandered an 11-point lead with nine minutes to…
Read Full Article Turnovers prove costly as QU football team falters in season finale, finishes last in GLVC standings
QUINCY — Gary Bass didn’t waste time lamenting a season-ending loss. He had other plans in mind. “I’m going to roll up my sleeves and get to work,” the Quincy University football coach said. Recruiting. Fund-raising. Facility improvements. All have to be addressed immediately if the Hawks want to rebound from Saturday’s 17-7 Great Lakes…
Read Full Article HILLSDALE, Mich. — The Quincy University women’s basketball team put itself in position to rubber stamp dramatic 365-day turnaround. All the Hawks lacked was a finishing touch. Sarah Nelson’s layin with 2 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in regulation gave Quincy a six-point lead over Ursuline College in the first game of the Midwest Regional Crossover…
Read Full Article EAST PEORIA, Ill. — The Quincy University women’s volleyball team’s fate rests in the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee now. The Hawks were eliminated from the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament on Friday, losing 25-21, 25-18, 25-21 to fourth-seeded Lewis in the semifinals at EastSide Centre and leaving them waiting until Sunday night…
Read Full Article CEDARVILLE, Ohio — The combination of high-level 3-point shooting and solid perimeter defense put the Quincy University men’s basketball team in position to win Steve Hawkins’ second debut as the head coach. Then the defense rested a little too much. Findlay went on a 25-9 run over a 7-minute, 34-second span late in the second…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal football team outscored Jefferson City — and the thermometer — on a frosty Friday night at E.A. Porter Stadium. The Pirates’ potent run-first-and-foremost offense eventually wore down the Jays on an evening when the temperature never broke 30 degrees and ended with a 42-21 Class 4 District 5 championship victory.…
Read Full Article MONROE CITY, Mo. — Monroe City senior Ceaton Pennewell channeled his inner Luke Kuechly on Friday night. With temperatures in the high 20s and a wind chill in the teens, Pennewell wasn’t about to let South Shelby think he was cold. While some of his teammates were a little more dressed for the conditions, Pennewell,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Space equals pace. If the John Wood Community College men’s basketball players execute such a notion more consistently, the offense Trail Blazers coach Brad Hoyt has designed for this group will run more efficiently. The first seven minutes of the second half Friday night against Rock Valley College proved that point. Leading by…
Read Full Article EAST PEORIA, Ill. — No matter the size of the challenge, the Quincy University women’s volleyball players have the utmost faith in each other to overcome it. So when Maryville dug in Thursday afternoon and won the third set of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup, the Hawks didn’t fret. They hammered back.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman and his trusty podcast sidekick Don O’Brien tackle the start of prep boys basketball practices in Illinois, the first week for college hoops games and the shift from fall sports to winter sports in this week’s episode of the Muddy River Breakdown.
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Kevin Miles’ voice cracked as he fought back tears while discussing the reasons why he submitted his resignation as the Palmyra football coach to the Palmyra School Board during Tuesday night’s meeting. The board accepted his resignation, according to a press release from Palmyra Superintendent Jason Harper sent Wednesday morning. “It’s something…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s volleyball squad is reaping the rewards of its success. Freshman middle blocker Alice Pavan was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and was one of four Hawks named to the All-GLVC first team, the league announced Wednesday night. Quincy finished tied for the regular-season league…
Read Full Article QUINCY — All-state soccer honors are family traditions in the Anderson and Venvertloh households. The youngest brothers made sure tradition didn’t falter. Quincy Notre Dame senior forward Tanner Anderson and Quincy High School senior midfielder Carter Venvertloh recently were named to the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association all-state team, becoming the second and third…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — Down, but never out. That’s a mantra that could carry the Western Illinois University men’s basketball team a long way. It lifted the Leathernecks to a season-opening victory Monday night. Trailing by as many as 13 points early in the second half, WIU went on a 16-2 run to get back in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A national ranking, a spot atop the regional rankings and the No. 1 seed for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. Yeah, life is pretty good these days for the Quincy University women’s volleyball team. It could get infinitely better with success this weekend in the GLVC Tournament at the EastSide Centre in…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — A self-reported violation has led to the Palmyra football team officially forfeiting the final six games of its regular season, which included the Panthers’ lone victory against Highland in Week 8. Palmyra athletic director Brian Wosman confirmed the school submitted information to the Missouri State High School Activities Association showing a handful…
Read Full Article What did we learn last weekend in college football? Defending champion Georgia is clearly the best team after throttling the high-powered Tennessee offense, Alabama is no longer invincible after losing on the road for the second time, and Illinois is not quite ready for prime time after falling at home to a struggling Michigan State…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Saturday’s official season opener for the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team was more like a dress rehearsal. The main act starts Tuesday. The Trail Blazers kickstarted everything with a 90-42 victory over the Culver-Stockton College JV at the Student Activity Center in which three local products scored in double figures and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Coming out of the halftime locker room, Quincy High School football coach Rick Little and his counterpart at Lemont, Bret Kooi, had to play a bit of a chess game. Kooi’s squad led 17-10. Little had first choice and elected to receive the second half kickoff. Kooi was left to decide whether he…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Don’t kid yourself, that well-grounded approach to offense employed by Central’s football team is by no means an accident or simple happenstance. Yep, there’s a specific method to the successful madness on those wind-swept plains just outside of Camp Point. “We’ve always been a running team here,” junior two-way lineman Reese…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Emily Horrell better get used to this if she hasn’t already. A few days before the Macomb football team played host to Murphysboro in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs, the wife of Bombers coach Tanner Horrell happened to be at a local retail store when two retirement-age women began…
Read Full Article PRINCETON, Ill. — The vibes created by a crisp, energetic and efficient practice Thursday afternoon failed to linger as long as anyone associated with the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball program wanted or expected. “I guess we let it all out yesterday and couldn’t save it for today,” senior middle hitter Abbey Schreacke said. At least…
Read Full Article PRINCETON, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team rallied after losing the first set of Friday night’s Class 2A Princeton Super-Sectional to Genoa-Kingston, but the Raiders couldn’t sustain the momentum in the third set of a 25-19, 22-25, 25-17 loss. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action from start to finish. Check…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Not even in his wildest dreams could Aaron Daughtery have ever envisioned what would unfold Friday night. Never, ever, ever. Daughtery, a sophomore defensive back making his first start in the Hannibal secondary, intercepted three passes — returning one for a touchdown — to help the Pirates overwhelm Warrenton 62-7 in the…
Read Full Article LANARK, Ill. — After falling into a deep hole to start Friday night’s Class 1A Eastland Super-Sectional, the Southeastern volleyball team looked like it had recovered and regained control of the match. But the Suns couldn’t fend off a Sterling Newman Central Catholic rally in the second set, and the Class 1A runners-up from a…
Read Full Article MONROE CITY, Mo. — The Monroe City football team can outrun almost anything or anyone. That includes the weather. With the start of the Class 1 District 6 semifinal against fourth-seeded Westran moved up 90 minutes in order to avoid impending storms, the top-seeded Panthers ran roughshod before the first raindrops fell, churning out 434…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — Liberty junior Arianna Neisen will run at Detweiler Park this weekend. Quincy High School senior Eric McClelland will, too, in what is the ultimate weekend for Illinois prep cross country runners. The state meet takes place Saturday in Peoria with three classes running 3-mile races on both the boys and girls sides.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Cole Wagy saw beyond the jersey, the helmet and the foe and took note of a fellow football player’s heartache. At that moment, the Quincy High School offensive lineman walked over, knelt down and put his right arm around his ailing adversary. “I didn’t even know his name,” Wagy said. Names aren’t necessary…
Read Full Article QUINCY — They didn’t want to be relegated to a forgotten footnote in the history of Quincy University athletics. Thanks to Steve Looten, they won’t. Looten, an acclaimed former sports director for WGEM-TV, has written a book on the QU women’s field hockey program. Although the 127 women who played for QU, then known as…
Read Full Article FARMINGTON, Ill. — Five points. No more. Certainly no less. Forced to a decisive third set in Wednesday night’s Class 2A Farmington Sectional championship after Macomb staved off four match points, Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Courtney Kvitle convinced the Raiders to concentrate on winning five points at a time. “We knew we had to…
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