Photo gallery: Westview Golf Course plays host to Class 1A Quincy Notre Dame boys regional

Quincy Notre Dame's Michael Venvertloh hits out of the bunker on the 10th hole at Westview Golf Course on Wednesday during the Class 1A QND Regional. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Beau Eftink went low, the Quincy Notre Dame boys golf team took advantage of playing on its home course and three teams that had been in the mix all season advanced to the Class 1A Auburn Sectional at Edgewood Golf Course. It turned out to be a remarkable day at Westview Golf Course.…

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Eyler, Central give Routt seven-inning tussle in Class 1A regional championship game

MENDON, Ill. — Carter Eyler’s high school baseball career is now history, and even though it ended with a loss, there was ample reason for the Central senior to hold his head high. And he did. Eyler, a lanky 6-foot-2 right-hander, held heavily favored and top-seeded Jacksonville Routt at bay for the large majority of…

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Raiders’ reign as Class 1A state champions ends with regional title game loss to Cyclones

Quincy Notre Dame sophomore midfielder Sage Stratton and the Raiders saw their season end with a 4-2 loss to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin on Friday night in the Class 1A regional championship at Ken Leonard Field in Springfield, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mathew Kirby

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The reign is over, undone by the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team’s inability to find a consistent rhythm or flow to its season. Injuries curtailed that. Inconsistency did, too. Unable to create their own lucky bounces or breaks, the Raiders played catch-up too often, just like they did Friday during a…

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Defense, stellar free-throw shooting carry Central to Class 1A regional championship

The Central boys basketball team celebrates after receiving its regional plaque following a 46-35 victory over Bushnell-Prairie City on Friday night in Camp Point, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Jalen Conley found ways to get to the basket and make the Central boys basketball team work to stop him. The Panthers denied everyone else that opportunity. The top-seeded team in the Class 1A Central Regional showed its defensive dominance in the first half Friday night, allowing one only Bushnell-Prairie City…

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Photo gallery: Central wins Class 1A regional championship on home floor

Central coach James Barnett cuts down the net after the Panthers won the Class 1A Central Regional championship Friday night in Camp Point, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central boys basketball team’s nearly flawless effort at the free-throw line allowed it to finish off a 46-35 victory over Bushnell-Prairie City on Friday night and win the championship of the Class 1A Central Regional. Photographer Mike Pritchard captured the action and shared this photo gallery with Muddy River Sports:

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Indians cap improbable run to regional title by beating Trojans in overtime

PAYSON, Ill. — The Brotherhood plays on. The Payson Seymour boys basketball team’s latest unexpected postseason success, a 42-39 overtime victory Friday night in the Class 1A regional finals against Triopia, allows the underdog Indians to keep their unlikely tournament dream alive. “It’s a brotherhood here in Payson, a family,” junior point guard Wyatt Neisen…

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Central rolls on to regional title tilt, while Southeastern is unable to navigate tough second half

Central’s Gavin Blewett loses control of the ball as he goes up in the lane while Unity’s Nick Maynard defends during Wednesday night’s boys basketball game in the Class 1A regional at Central High School in Camp Point.

CAMP POINT, Ill. — A highly anticipated postseason matchup between the state’s preseason No. 1-ranked team in Class 1A and the area’s most consistently successful squad isn’t going to happen. Bushnell-Prairie City and a nagging injury saw to that. After the top-seeded Central boys basketball team pushed its way into Friday’s regional championship with a…

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Ryner, Hoge capture regional championships for Bombers, 12 other wrestlers advance to sectionals

MACOMB, Ill. — A pair of Macomb wrestlers won Class 1A regional titles and led a brigade of area wrestlers who qualified for the Clinton Sectional. Bombers senior Max Ryner improved to 45-2 with his championship at 195 pounds, while Macomb senior Carter Hoge will take a 42-6 record to sectionals after winning the title…

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Mustangs finish with flourish to sweep Hornets and advance to Class 1A sectional

The Unity volleyball team won the Class 1A Unity Regional championship with a 25-11, 25-21 victory over Brown County on Thursday night in Mendon, Ill. | Submitted photo

MENDON, Ill. — Maybe, just maybe, the Unity volleyball team needed a wake-up call. The Mustangs, who won the first set against Brown County with relative ease Thursday night, eventually needed a fast-and-furious finish in round two to deliver a knockout punch. “I think we got a little ahead of ourselves after that first game,”…

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Suns serve up another regional championship, overwhelm Red Storm to reach sectionals

The Southeastern volleyball team beat Monmouth United 25-16, 25-6 in the championship match of the Class 1A Biggsville West Central Regional. | Submitted photo

BIGGSVILLE, Ill. — Tim Kerr willingly accepted the blame. Ahead of Thursday night’s Class 1A Biggsville West Central Regional championship match, the Southeastern volleyball coach searched through some stats and realized senior Abbey McMillen had missed only eight serves all season and was serving at a 98-percent clip. He never should have looked it up…

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Photo gallery: Unity, Brown County advance to regional volleyball championship

The Unity volleyball team swept Western in two sets Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class 1A Unity Regional in Mendon, Ill. | Photo courtesy Max Bennett

MENDON, Ill. — The Unity volleyball team launched its pursuit of a Class 1A state tournament berth with a flurry. Brown County did the same. Now the two must go head-to-head to see who survives. The Mustangs and Hornets won Class 1A Unity Regional semifinals Wednesday night in straight sets, propelling them to the regional…

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Anderson, QND seniors put stamp on home career with six-goal victory in Class 1A regional title tilt

Quincy Notre Dame's Tanner Anderson gets behind the Roanoke-Benson goalkeeper and finishes the goal during the first half of Friday night's Class 1A QND Regional championship at Advance Physical Therapy Field. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Spending the final home game of a bally-hooed prep soccer career watching from the sideline had zero appeal for Tanner Anderson. So he rested, rehabbed and readied his aching hip in order to be available Friday night. The senior striker made sure he was more than just available, too. Anderson scored twice in…

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Photo gallery: QND, Roanoke-Benson advance to Class 1A boys regional championship game

Quincy Notre Dame's Brock Evans, left, plays the ball forward after the Raiders' Cole Henkenmeier, right, knocked it away from an Abingdon-Avon midfielder during Tuesday's Class 1A regional semifinal at Advance Physical Therapy Field. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Leo Cann didn’t give the Abingdon-Avon boys soccer team the chance to get settled. If Quincy Notre Dame can do the same thing to Roanoke-Benson come Friday night, another regional championship should be added the Raiders’ treasure trove of titles. Cann, the junior forward, scored less than three minutes into Tuesday’s regional semifinal…

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Placing three golfers among top four individually powers Illini West to Class 1A regional title

The Illini West boys golf team won the Class 1A West Hancock Regional with a 345 team score. | Submitted photo

HAMILTON, Ill. — The nuances of Deer Run Golf Course made the Class 1A West Hancock Regional quite a challenge Wednesday. Nolan Deitrich and the Illini West boys golf team navigated it the best. Dietrich, a senior, birdied the par-3 18th hole to shoot an 81 and clip Liberty’s Blake Arnold by one stroke for…

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Moorman, Hornets keep magical season moving forward with regional championship

Brown County pitcher Taryn Moorman allowed just six singles in a 10-0 victory over Western on Friday in the Class 1A regional championship in Mount Sterling, Ill. Submitted photo

MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — As usual, Taryn Moorman was in complete control. That should not have come as a surprise, considering what she had already accomplished during her junior season as the ace of the Brown County softball team. “Taryn throws strikes,” Brown County coach David Woodruff said. “She also works quickly and never gets…

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Regional championship gives Henry, Brown County’s seniors perfect sendoff

MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Mason Henry’s last day as a high school senior received the perfect punctuation. Moments after exiting Brown County High School for the last time as a student, the left-hander pitched the Hornets baseball team to a Class 1A regional championship — on his home field, no less. Henry was in complete…

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Lucky 13: Mustangs knock Wolves out in regional semifinals by surviving 13-inning marathon

Unity's Taylor Goudschaal, left, hugs teammate Kylee Barry in the center of the infield after the Mustangs upset second-seeded Pleasant Hill 4-0 in a 13-inning marathon in the Class 1A Central Regional semifinals Wednesday in Camp Point, Ill. Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Don’t worry about Brooklynn Howell being ready to pitch come Saturday. Fortunately, the Unity sophomore right-hander will have a couple of days to recover from what was a marvelous — albeit taxing — effort Wednesday afternoon at Central High School. Howell pitched the seventh-seeded Unity softball team to a 4-0, 13-inning…

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Eagles fend off Panthers’ late-inning rally, earn spot in regional championship game

The Liberty softball team celebrates its 5-4 victory over Central in Wednesday night's semifinals of the Class 1A Central Regional in Camp Point, Ill. Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Jade Blair’s hair was a bit frazzled, and her eyes carried a look that her check-engine light was probably blinking. Still, the Liberty right-hander was able to gather her wits, weather a couple of late-inning storms and pitch the Eagles past Central 5-4 in the Class 1A Central Regional softball semifinals…

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Photo gallery: Pritchard captures softball action from Class 1A Central Regional

The Liberty softball players celebrate their 5-4 victory over Central in Wednesday's semifinals of the Class 1A Central Regional in Camp Point, Ill. Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Photographer Mike Pritchard found himself behind the lens of his camera for two epic softball games Wednesday in the Class 1A Central Regional with seventh-seeded Unity upsetting second-seeded Pleasant Hill 4-0 in a 13-inning marathon and fifth-seeded Liberty outlasting third-seeded Central 5-4. Here is a gallery of images Pritchard captured from…

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Opening salvo carries QND girls soccer team to easy victory in regional opener

Quincy Notre Dame's Avery Keck plays the ball forward during the first half of Tuesday's Class 1A QND Regional semifinal against Springfield Lutheran at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team’s postseason plan is quite simple. Score early. Score often. Score as much as possible. Lia Quintero’s first two goals came just 40 seconds apart Tuesday and gave the top-seeded Raiders a two-goal lead just four minutes into the Class 1A QND Regional semifinal against eighth-seeded Springfield…

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Quick start, suffocating defense carry Hornets into Thursday’s regional championship

Brown County coach Dave Phelps has the Hornets on the verge of a 30-win season and a Class 1A regional championship. Matt Schuckman photo

LEWISTOWN, Ill. — The second-seeded Brown County girls basketball team scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to extend its lead to 20 points and finish off a 63-41 victory over sixth-seeded Lewistown in Monday’s semifinals of the Class 1A Lewistown Regional. Ahead 43-33 entering the fourth quarter after managing just eight points…

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Prairie State Profile: Youthful Panthers look to make state take notice in wrestling regional

Central sophomore wrestler Conner Griffin, left, carries a 37-7 record into the postseason. Matt Schuckman photo

The Prairie State Profile will appear each week to highlight Illinois area student-athletes. CAMP POINT, Ill. — The youth wrestling program designed to promote the sport and serve as a feeder program for Central’s high school team is working. Saturday, the rest of the state will start to see how well it works. The Central…

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With another regional title won, Raiders focus on preparing for sectional field

Quincy Notre Dame forward Tanner Anderson, center, drives into the penalty area during Saturday's Class 1A regional championship game against Monmouth-Roseville at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The regional reign continues. Sectional success should be a bit more challenging. To ensure the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer players are ready for whatever lies ahead in the Class 1A Chillicothe IVC Sectional, Raiders coach Greg Reis will hold practice on the grass fields to the east of the Boots Bush baseball…

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