Crim: Playoff positioning, record-setting efforts add intrigue to final week of regular season

Quincy High School quarterback Bradyn Little continues to climb the Illinois High School Association all-time passing charts and is closing in on No. 2 all-time in passing yardage. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The final week of the high school football regular season has arrived. Quincy High School, Quincy Notre Dame and Camp Point Central have all clinched league championships in Illinois and are on the cusp of securing home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Clarence Cannon Conference title is still…

Read More

Timbrook’s interception gives Cardinals jolt, then offense takes control in CCC victory over Panthers

South Shelby's Pryce Eagan looks to get to the corner while being pursued by the Monroe City defense during Friday night's Clarence Cannon Conference game at Lankford Field in Monroe City, Mo. | Shane Hulsey photo

MONROE CITY, Mo. — South Shelby senior linebacker Daniel Timbrook didn’t score, but his interception turned the tide just the same. With the Cardinals leading Monroe City 12-6 and 6:35 to go in the second quarter of Friday’s Clarence Cannon Conference opener at Lankford Field, Monroe City running back Dylan Ross broke off a 54-yard…

Read More

Panthers control line of scrimmage in running roughshod past Tigers in CCC opener

Palmyra's Wyatt Augspurg looks for running room during Friday night's Clarence Cannon Conference game against Macon in Palmyra, Mo. | Mathew Kirby photo

PALMYRA, Mo. — The work the Palmyra football players have invested into becoming a more physical team is paying significant dividends. Friday night, it paved the way to Clarence Cannon Conference whitewashing of Macon. The Panthers churned out more than 440 yards on the ground with a dominant effort from the 1-2 punch of Landon…

Read More

Palmyra boys put cap on CCC championship, turn sights to postseason success

The Palmyra boys basketball team celebrates its perfect run through the Clarence Cannon Conference, which the Panthers capped Saturday with a 54-30 victory over Highland in Palmyra, Mo. | Photo courtesy Beau Hicks

PALMYRA, Mo. — Now the real fun begins. The Palmyra boys basketball team capped a perfect run through the Clarence Cannon Conference on Saturday afternoon en route to securing its 19th straight victory — a 54-30 vanquishing of Highland. Next on the Panthers’ to-do list is to make a strong run in the Class 3…

Read More

Cardinals deliver early knockout blows, pummel Panthers to move closer to CCC championship

South Shelby's Kendal Hammond looks for running room during Friday night's Clarence Cannon Conference game against Centralia in Shelbina, Mo. | Photo courtesy Mark Requet, Shelby County Herald

SHELBINA, Mo. — It was billed as a heavyweight bout between two undefeated, state-ranked football teams for sole possession of first place in the Clarence Cannon Conference. South Shelby wasted little time in landing the knockout blows. The Cardinals scored three touchdowns during a five-minute stretch in the first quarter and Kendal Hammond continued his…

Read More

Photo gallery: Monroe City, Centralia engage in CCC slugfest at Lankford Field

Monroe City quarterback Trey Smyser looks for running room during Friday night's game against Centralia at Lankford Field in Monroe City, Mo. | Mathew Kirby photo

MONROE CITY, Mo. — Attempting to bounce back from a humbling loss at South Shelby a week ago, the Monroe City football team put forth a spirited comeback in the second half Friday night at Lankford field, but Centralia remained undefeated with a 27-24 victory. Monroe City quarterback Trey Smyser threw a pair of touchdown…

Read More

Fourth-quarter rally enables Panthers to survive Cougars’ upset bid in CCC opener

Monroe CIty linebacker Dylan Ross, right, brings down Highland quarterback Brayden Logsdon during Friday night's Clarence Cannon Conference game at Lankford Field in Monroe City, Mo. | Photo courtesy Paul R. Evans

MONROE CITY, Mo. — The Highland football team was clinging to dreams of pulling off a monumental upset through three quarters. Monroe City dashed them in the fourth. The Panthers scored 22 unanswered points in the final 10 minutes, 10 seconds Friday night to snatch a 30-14 victory from the Cougars in the Clarence Cannon…

Read More

After rallying to win, Palmyra boys search for ways to improve first-half effort

PALMYRA, Mo. — Palmyra boys basketball coach Brian Rea is contemplating a change in the Panthers’ late-season practice regimen. Shortly following Palmyra’s 48-42 come-from-behind victory Tuesday night over Clark County in Clarence Cannon Conference play, Rea was looking for a solution to why his club appeared to sleepwalk through much of the first two quarters.…

Read More

Palmyra girls use lopsided CCC victory to focus on continuing to improve

Palmyra's Sydney Compton scored 16 points in Tuesday's Clarence Cannon Conference victory over Clark County in Palmyra, Mo. | File photo courtesy Mathew Kirby

PALMYRA, Mo. — Sydney Compton insisted the game served a purpose, despite such a lopsided final score. “At times, it was more like a practice out there, but we kept concentrating, kept working on specific things,” the Palmyra sophomore said. Why such a determined attitude in a game that was decided by some point early…

Read More

Ball-control offense, opportunistic defense carry Monroe City to undefeated run through CCC

The Monroe City football players celebrate their 50-0 victory over Clark County on Friday night that capped an undefeated run through the Clarence Cannon Conference. | Submitted photo

MONROE CITY, Mo. — For all of the big-play capabilities Class 1’s top-ranked team possesses, the ability to grind out a drive and control the clock could be what separates the Monroe City football team from the rest of the field. It separated the Panthers from the rest of the Clarence Cannon Conference. Monroe City…

Read More

Flash and crash: Monroe City uses lightning-and-thunder backfield to overrun Macon in CCC battle

Monroe City's Waylon DeGrave, left, and Ceaton Pennewell, right, combined to rush for more than 300 yards in a Clarence Cannon Conference victory over Macon on Friday night in Monroe City, Mo. | Muddy River Sports photo

MONROE CITY, Mo. — Waylon DeGrave and Ceaton Pennewell give the Monroe City football team two entirely different looks in the backfield. DeGrave, a junior, provides the flash, while Pennewell, a senior, counters as the Panthers’ punisher. Both proved to be hard to stop on Friday night at Lankford Field. DeGrave broke off two long…

Read More

CCC football champion Monroe City stockpiles all-conference honors

PALMYRA, Mo. — The Monroe City football team received three unanimous all-conference selections, nine first-team picks and the Defensive Player of the Year after winning its first Clarence Cannon Conference championship since 2017. The Panthers went 6-1, a season highlighted by a smack-you-in-the-face defense. Junior middle linebacker Ceaton Pennewell was named the CCC Defensive Player…

Read More

Panthers bring Clarence Cannon Conference championship home

The Monroe City football team celebrates winning the Clarence Cannon Conference championship following a 54-20 victory over Highland on Friday night. Submitted photo

EWING, Mo. — The Monroe City football team is bringing another title back to titletown. The Panthers raced out to a 32-0 lead and dispatched Highland 54-20 to win the Clarence Cannon Conference championship and lock up a No. 1 district seed. For all the explosive offensive plays on display, it was a defensive stop…

Read More

Saturday Rewind: Cougars’ defense stands stout in shutting out Indians in CCC opener

Highland quarterback Drew Mallett, left, rolls out during Friday's game against Clark County in Kahoka, Mo. Photo courtesy Brenda Mallett

EWING, Mo. — Cameron Bringer’s goal seemed ambitious. Maybe it’s not. The Highland senior defensive back intercepted a pass in Friday night’s 36-0 victory over Clark County, giving him four interceptions in the Cougars’ first three games. It keeps him on pace to meet his goal of an interception in every game this season. “We…

Read More

Countdown to kickoff: Cougars believe speed, improved defense help flip script

Improving the defense and applying consistent pressure to the quarterback should allow the Highland football team to be more competitive. Mathew Kirby photo

EWING, Mo. — Despite the speed, efficiency and explosiveness the Highland football team showcased on offense last season, defense determined the Cougars’ fate. A 52-50 loss to Clark County in the district opener is no better example. “We have to get guys in the right positions to make plays,” Highland coach Dave Degarmo said. “That’s…

Read More