Western eighth grade volleyball team finishes second at state tournament

The Western eighth grade volleyball team finished second at the IESA Class 8-1A state tournament. | Submitted photo

KANKAKEE, Ill. — The Western eighth grade girls volleyball team pushed the powerhouse Pontiac St. Mary’s squad further than anyone. Still, St. Mary’s continued its reign. Western rallied for a 28-26 victory in the second set of Saturday’s Illinois Elementary School Association Class 8-1A state championship match, but St. Mary’s finished off back-to-back titles with…

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Eighth grade volleyball teams from Western and Unity are heading to IESA state tournaments

The Western eighth grade volleyball team will play in the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 8-1A state tournament this weekend in Kankakee, Ill. | Submitted photo

KINDERHOOK, Ill. — The Western eighth grade girls volleyball team is headed to the Illinois Elementary School Association state tournament. So are the Unity eighth graders. Western won its Class 8-1A sectional championship, beating Concord Triopia 25-12, 25-16 on Tuesday night at Jacksonville Routt High School. Western (19-3) will face Royal Prairieview Odgen (20-3) at…

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Strong second half carries Mustangs to championship of MVIT

Unity's Cody Shaffer, right, fights for a loose ball during the MVIT championship game against Bushnell-Prairie City on Friday night in Mendon, Ill. | Addi Zanger photo

MENDON, Ill. — The halftime adjustments Unity boys basketball coach Keith Carothers made worked perfectly. The Mustangs trailed Bushnell-Prairie City 27-24 at halftime of Friday night’s championship game of the Mississippi Valley Invitational Tournament before taking the lead with a 17-point third quarter and holding the Spartans to a single point in the fourth quarter.…

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Western seventh grade girls basketball team finishes as Class 1A state runner-up

The Western seventh grade girls basketball team finished second in the IESA Class 1A state tournament. | Submitted photo

ASSUMPTION, Ill. — It took the best defensive team in the state to derail the Western seventh-grade girls basketball team’s state championship dreams. Washington St. Patrick, which didn’t allow more than 13 points in any postseason game, clamped down defensively on the Wildcats in a 22-6 victory Thursday night in the IESA Class 1A state…

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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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No dunk, no worries: Sheffield, Raiders create chaos with defense against Wildcats

Quincy Notre Dame guard Jackson Stratton, right, pressures Western's Gage Smith during Thursday night's game at the Pit. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Braden Sheffield set his sights on the rim. Unfortunately, the Quincy Notre Dame junior guard never got the chance to get his hands on it. “Some things aren’t meant to be,” he said with a wry smile. Teaming with the Raiders’ Alex Connoyer and Jackson Stratton to create chaos each time the Western…

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