Photo gallery: QND girls soccer team vs. Richmond-Burton in Class 1A state championship game

The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players celebrate their Class 1A state championship after beating Richmond-Burton 1-0 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill. | Photo courtesy Randy Dickerman

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team won the sixth state championship in program history Saturday night, beating Richmond-Burton 1-0 on Avery Keck’s goal with 2 minutes, 8 seconds remaining in regulation of the Class 1A state title game at North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. Photographer Randy Dickerman captured the action and…

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Remaining resolute: QND girls soccer team’s determination leads to spot in state title game

The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players celebrate Sophie Gramke's goal in the first half of Friday's Class 1A state semifinal against Normal U-High at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill. Photo courtesy Randy Dickerman

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The resolve of the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team continues to be put to the test. The biggest challenge awaits. The Raiders will play for a state championship without their leading scorer and all-state candidate. “We try to come in with a good mindset and try to control the emotions,” sophomore…

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Gramke plays with confidence, comes through with clutch goal in QND’s title pursuit

Quincy Notre Dame's Sophie Gramke, left, makes a move against a Normal U-High defender during Friday's Class 1A state semifinal at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill. Photo courtesy Randy Dickerman

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Sophie Gramke never figured out why. So she concentrated on the how. How does she get better? How does she regain her knack for scoring? How does she find the spark that seemed to be missing? The rest of the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players showed her how Friday night. “Coming…

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Photo gallery: QND girls soccer team vs. Normal U-High in Class 1A state semifinals

The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players react during the introduction of the starting lineups prior to Friday's Class 1A state semifinal against Normal U-High in Naperville, Ill. | Photo courtesy Randy Dickerman

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team advanced to the Class 1A state championship game with a 1-0 victory over Normal U-High in Friday’s semifinals at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium on the North Central College campus. Photographer Randy Dickerman captured images throughout the contest. Check out his work in this photo gallery:

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‘She’s been an unsung hero’: Keck’s return from knee injury solidifies QND’s pursuit of state title

Quincy Notre Dame junior midfielder Anna Keck controls the ball while pushing forward on the attack during the sectional semifinal against Piasa Southwestern in the Class 1A sectional semifinals at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Lying on the turf with athletic trainer Kyle Leapley tending to her right knee, Anna Keck could have had the “oh, no, not again” scenario running through her head. Instead, she focused on “get me back out there” thoughts. “I didn’t want to let my team down,” said Keck, a junior defensive midfielder…

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Business trip: While excited and loose, Raiders head to state tournament focused on task at hand

The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team is taking a fun-loving approach to its trip to the Class 1A state tournament, but the Raiders realize they need to be all business to win a state championship. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The newness of the state tournament experience wore off when the youthful Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team didn’t get the opportunity to play in the title game a year ago. “Disappointing,” junior forward Lia Quintero said. “I’d say it was disappointing.” So this time, it’s all business. The Raiders head back to…

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Success on pitch, baseball diamond leads to All-WB6 honors for Blue Devils

The Quincy High School girls soccer team won the Western Big 6 Conference championship with a 7-0 record and placed 10 players on the All-WB6 teams. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — To the winner go the spoils. So it’s only fitting the Quincy High School girls soccer team landed the most players of any program on the All-Western Big 6 Conference teams. The Blue Devils placed three on the first team, two on the second team and five on honorable mention after they went…

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Return engagement: QND girls soccer team upends defending state champ to return to final four in Naperville

Quincy Notre Dame's Lauryn Peters begins to celebrate as Lia Quintero's header bounces into the goal past the arms of Belleville Althoff keeper Anna Brewer with seven minutes remaining in the second overtime of Tuesday's Class 1A Columbia Super-Sectional in Columbia, Ill. Matt Schuckman photo

COLUMBIA, Ill. — The Illinois girls state soccer championships are returning to North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville this weekend for the first time in three years. It’s only fitting Quincy Notre Dame returns, too. As QND coach Mark Longo put it, it is the Raiders’ “home away from home.” Figuring out how to…

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True believers: Raiders keep faith until final PK caroms off crossbar, outlast Cyclones to win sectional championship

Several of the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players sprint to celebrate together after beating Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 3-2 in a penalty-kick shootout to win the Class 1A QND Sectional championship Friday at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Aly Young couldn’t stop smiling or shaking her head. Her excitement matched her disbelief. “It’s still just really crazy,” said Young, a sophomore goalkeeper on the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team. “I keep saying, ‘What the heck just happened?’” In one sense, the improbable happened. In another, destiny did. Either way, the…

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Defense helps carry Raiders to brink of another state tournament appearance

Quincy Notre Dame junior sweeper Eva Dickerman shields the ball away from a Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin attacker during Friday's Class 1A QND Sectional championship game at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Longo readily admitted Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin controlled the bulk of play Friday. “It was probably 60/40 in their favor,” he said. “It may have been 62/38 or something like that.” Even so, Longo never fully fretted. His stout defense is why. Raiders sophomore goalkeeper Aly Young…

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Scoreboard for Tuesday, May 17

Girls soccer At Advance Physical Therapy Field, Quincy Class 1A QND Sectional Quincy Notre Dame 6, Piasa Southwestern 0. Click here for the story. At Kahok Stadium, Collinsville, Ill. Class 3A Collinsville Regional Edwardsville 1, Quincy High School 0. Click here for the story. At St. Peters, Mo. Class 3 District 4 Duchesne 3, Hannibal…

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‘We eventually got there’: Raiders use goal late in first half to propel them to blowout of Birds

Quincy Notre Dame freshman forward Makayla Patton drives a header that ends up skipping wide of the right post during the second half of Tuesday's Class 1A QND Sectional semifinal against Piasa Southwestern at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — This time, it wasn’t so easy, even if it seemed so in the end. After scoring in the first 10 minutes of both regional matches and outscoring those two opponents 13-0, the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team discovered scoring on Piasa Southwestern in Tuesday’s Class 1A QND Sectional semifinal wasn’t going to…

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Second-half goal pushes Edwardsville past Quincy in Class 3A regional semifinals

Quincy High School junior Anna Morrison, right, pushes the ball forward against Edwardsville during Tuesday's Class 3A Collinsville Regional semifinal at Kahok Stadium. Photo courtesy Matt Kamp

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — As the scoring chances continued to pile up despite no change in the scoreboard, Edwardsville freshman Mea Hook said the team wasn’t panicking. “It wasn’t frustrating. We weren’t mad about it. It was more aggravating,” Hook said. The aggravation turned to celebration when Hook scored the game’s lone goal in the 53rd…

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Raiders quickly dash Tigers’ chance of upset, capture another regional championship

Quincy Notre Dame's Lia Quintero, right, cuts back away from a Beardstown defender during Friday's Class 1A QND Regional championship at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Hope floats, right? Not if you’re a regional opponent of the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team. Friday afternoon, the Raiders snared the lead 10 minutes into the Class 1A QND Regional championship game and Beardstown and never allowed the Tigers to mount any sort of counterattack, ultimately posting a 5-0 victory at…

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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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Scoreboard for Saturday, May 7

Girls soccer At Jefferson City, Mo. Quincy High School 5, Jefferson City Helias 0: Sophomore forward Taylor Routh and freshman midfielder Sydney Welsh each scored two goals as the Blue Devils closed the regular season with a victory. Mariah Crist also scored a goal for QHS, which is 12-6-1 overall heading into the Class 3A…

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QND girls soccer team heads into postseason following another overwhelming effort

Quincy Notre Dame's Lia Quintero chases down a ball during the second half of Friday's 6-0 victory over Burlington Notre Dame at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

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.…

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Scoreboard for Tuesday, May 3

Girls soccer At Rock Island, Ill. Quincy High School 4, Rock Island 1:  The Blue Devils snared the lead on Rian Moore’s goal with 11 minutes remaining in the first half and built a four-goal advantage in the second half to finish the Western Big 6 Conference season with a 7-0 record. Taylor Routh, who…

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Scoreboard for Monday, May 2

Girls soccer At Springfield, Ill. Quincy Notre Dame 1, Springfield 0: The Raiders rebounded from a pair of losses in a tournament in Burlington, Iowa, last Saturday with a stingy defensive effort against the Senators. QND grabbed the lead with less than eight minutes remaining in the first half as freshman Makalya Patton ran onto…

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Scoreboard for Thursday, April 28

Girls soccer At Burlington, Iowa Quincy High School 1, Olathe (Kan.) North 1: Blue Devils goalkeeper Taylor Fohey saved a penalty kick in the first half to help QHS forge a tie in the first of three games in the tournament. Bri Lannerd scored off a Rian Moore assist for the Blue Devils’ goal. Quincy…

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QND girls soccer team finding rhythm and confidence at right time

Quincy Notre Dame's Avery Keck, right, battles Burlington's Kevynn Siefken for possession during Tuesday's game at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Avery Keck senses it. So do her Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer teammates. Confidence is rising as the Raiders’ cohesiveness grows. “We’re just really working as a team together and we’re all working hard,” said Keck, the junior midfielder who scored two goals in Tuesday’s 8-1 whitewashing of previously undefeated Burlington (Iowa). “We’re…

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Prep scoreboard for Saturday, April 23

Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 7, Quincy High School 0. Click here for the story. At Dozer Park, Peoria, Ill. Brown County 3, Streator Woodland 1: Sam Carr allowed one unearned run and two hits as the Hornets made an early lead last. Will Groesch had an RBI…

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Scoreboard for Thursday, April 21

Girls soccer At Jacksonville, Ill. Chatham Glenwood 3, Quincy High School 0: The Titans scored three second-half goals to win the non-conference game at Illinois College. A ball bouncing off the far post ricocheted directly to Glenwood attacker, leading to the first goal with 25 minutes remaining. The Titans scored all three goals in a…

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Smacked between eyes by Decatur St. Teresa, QND responds with six-goal outburst

Quincy Notre Dame's Grayson Pritts sends a ball into the box during the second half of Thursday's game against Decatur St. Teresa at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

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…

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Prep scoreboard for Tuesday, April 19

Girls soccer At Flinn Stadium, Quincy Quincy High School 2, Geneseo 1. Click here for the story and photo gallery. At Canton, Mo. Canton 5, Keokuk 3: Macie Fisher and Emilee Gorrell each scored twice and Kielyn Ott added the other goal for the Tigers. Prep baseball At Concord, Ill. Brown County 14, Triopia 4:…

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Scoreboard for Monday, April 18

Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 1, Pittsfield 0. Click here for the story. At Dozer Park, Peoria, Ill. Southeastern 7, Central 2: The Suns scored twice in the first inning, then plated two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to snare the victory. Owen Rigg scored…

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Area Distributors Area Player of the Week: Hannibal soccer forward Bella Falconer

Hannibal's Bella Falconer, left, became the program's all-time leader in goals scored during last weekend's Hannibal Tournament. Photo courtesy Mathew Kirby

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…

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Prep roundup for Saturday, April 16

Prep baseball At East Moline, Ill. United Township 2, Quincy High School 1: A one-out single and a hit batter gave the Panthers the opportunity to score in the bottom of the seventh, and a ground ball the Blue Devils couldn’t turn into a double play saddled them with the loss in the opener of…

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Scoreboard for Tuesday, April 12

Girls soccer At Sterling, Ill. Quincy High School 10, Sterling 0: The Blue Devils stayed undefeated in the Western Big 6 Conference with the whitewashing of the Golden Warriors. Bri Lannerd scored two goals and added three assists for the Blue Devils, while Taylor Routh had two goals and Rian Moore added three assists. Freshman…

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Scoreboard for Friday, April 8

Hannibal senior Braysen Douglas singles during the Pirates’ North Central Missouri Conference game against Fulton on Friday at Clemens Field in Hannibal, Mo. Photo courtesy Mathew Kirby

Girls soccer At St. Charles, Mo. Orchard Farms 2, Quincy Notre Dame 0: The Raiders suffered their first loss of the season and were shut out for the third time. The Eagles, who have won four straight games since a season-opening loss, grabbed the lead with a goal in the 29th minute. They doubled their…

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Scoreboard for Monday, April 4

Girls soccer At Flinn Stadium, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 1, Quincy High School 0. Click here for the story and photo gallery. At Mexico, Mo. Hannibal 8, Mexico 0: Katie Greening and Bella Falconer each had two goals and an assist as the Pirates earned a North Central Missouri Conference victory. Hannibal is 6-2 overall…

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No longer fit to be tied, Raiders sweep season series from Blue Devils with Quintero’s late goal

The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players celebrate Lia Quintero's goal with 6:06 remaining in regulation that pushed the Raiders to a 1-0 victory over Quincy High School on Monday night at Flinn Stadium. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The thought of playing to another draw became increasingly aggravating. “We just knew we couldn’t tie again, not after tying in each of our past three games,” said Grace Bertram, a junior defender on the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team. “We just couldn’t.” Yet, through 73 minutes of Monday night’s crosstown showdown…

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Scoreboard for Friday, April 1

Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 14, Highland 0: The Raiders erupted for 11 runs in the first inning and cruised to their seventh straight victory. Dalton Miller jacked a three-run home run to right field and Tucker Tollerton had a three-run, inside-the-park home run to highlight the opening…

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Scoreboard for Tuesday, March 29

Girls soccer At the Panther Pitch, East Moline, Ill. Quincy High School 5, United Township 0: Bri Lannerd scored three goals and assists on the other two as the Blue Devils picked up their second consecutive Western Big 6 Conference road victory. Rian Moore had two goals and two assists, while Emma Obert added an…

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Scoreboard for Saturday, March 26

Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy QHS, Springfield split doubleheader. Click here for the story and photos. At Darrell Davis Field, Fulton, Mo. QND takes two at Fulton Slam. Click here for the story. At Pittsfield, Ill. Pittsfield 15, Southeastern 4: The Saukees scored in each of the first four innings and…

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Blue Devils seize scoring opportunities, finish Kickoff Classic with pair of victories

The Quincy High School girls soccer team celebrates its 2-0 victory over Ladue Horton Watkins on Saturday afternoon at Flinn Stadium. Photo courtesy Travis Dinkheller

QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls soccer team capitalized when it had the opportunities. Quincy Notre Dame and Hannibal did not. Thus, the Blue Devils exited the weekend with a pair of shutout victories, having taken a couple of significant steps in their journey to be a postseason contender. In the final game of…

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Lannerd drives free kick over Pirates’ defense, carries Blue Devils to victory at Flinn Stadium

Quincy High School's Bri Lannerd gets hugged by teammate Rian Moore after scoring on a free kick with 21:30 remaining in the second half of Friday night's game against Hannibal. Quincy's Anna Morrison, right, joins in the celebration. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Quincy High School girls soccer coach Travis Dinkheller’s preachings in practice rattled around in Bri Lannerd’s head as she stood over a 30-yard free kick. “I knew if I put it on frame it had a chance,” Lannerd said. “I tried to just give it a chance.” She might have to do that…

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Scoreboard for Tuesday, March 22

Girls soccer At Moline, Ill. Quincy High School 3, Moline 0: The Blue Devils opened Western Big 6 Conference play with the shutout. Breighlyn Thomas scored two goals and Taylor Routh addad a goal. Rian Moore dishes out two assists, with Bri Lannerd setting up the other goal. Taylor Fohey earned the shutout in the…

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Scoreboard for Saturday, March 19

The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team scored three goals in the second half of a 3-0 victory over Jefferson City Helias on Saturday. Matt Schuckman photo

Girls soccer At Advance Physical Therapy Field, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 3, Jefferson City Helias 0: Scoreless at halftime after the Raiders were whistled for being offsides eight times, they adjusted the attack and picked up their third straight victory. A little less than 10 minutes into the second half, the Raiders’ Sophie Gramke got…

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Scoreboard for Thursday, March 17

Girls soccer At Advance Physical Therapy Field, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 8, Williamsville 0: The Raiders scored six goals in the first half and invoked the mercy rule in the second half. Freshman forward Annie Eaton recorded her first career hat trick, scoring the first three QND goals. Junior forward Lia Quintero scored the next…

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Scoreboard for Wednesday, March 16

Girls soccer At Advance Physical Therapy Field Quincy Notre Dame 3, Quincy High School 2. Click here for the story and photo gallery. Prep baseball At GCS Ballpark, Sauget, Ill. Collinsville 5, Quincy High School 0. Quincy High School 10, Belleville West 9.  Click here for the story from both games and photos against Belleville…

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Raiders shift into another gear in second half, rally to beat Blue Devils in season opener

Quincy High School's Mariah Crist gets challenged by Quincy Notre Dame's Makayla Patton as Lia Quintero, left, provides help during Wednesday's season opener at Advance Physical Therapy Field. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The suggestion that having her long blonde hair pulled into a bulb atop her head was reminiscent of the Flintstones’ character Pebbles gave Lia Quintero the opening to explain what the hairstyle actually is. “It’s the gearshift,” she said. Varying levels of power come with it. “It’s good for speed, too,” said Quintero,…

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