Category Archives: Sports Section

Area Athletes Earn All Area Honors

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•June 27, 2018•

The News-Gazette announced its All-Area track and field teams last week.
Several area athletes earned honors.
For Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond boys’ team, senior distance runner Logan Hall earned all-area first team honors.
Senior high jumper Kobe Wells earned all-area second team honors.
Freshman distance runner Layton Hall and junior middle-distance runner Austin Romine were named to the honorable mention team.
For the ALAH girls’ team, sophomore hurdler and jumper Kenli Nettles earned first-team honors. Read More

Summer of Preparation Ahead for New SOV Football Coach

News Progress Posted on by

•June 20, 2018•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

Jeff Myers has some catching up to do.
Myers, who was hired as the Sullivan-Okaw Valley football coach a few weeks ago, has a short window to become familiar with his players, hold camps and start practice before the first game on Aug. 24.
“Right now we are primarily working in the weight room on strength and agility,” said Myers. “When we do get outside and use some of our contact days, we are concentrating on fundamentals. Once we come back after the Fourth of July, we will ramp up the football portion of our summer.”
This may sound like an overwhelming task for a first-time coach in his first year, but Myers has been around for more than two decades.
He served as an assistant coach at Central A&M (1992, 1998-2003), South Walton High School (2004-2015; 2017), and St. Teresa High School (2016).
He has been an offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, running backs coach, defensive line coach, defensive backs coach, and strength and conditioning coach. Read More

Softball Conference Players Announced

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•June 20, 2018•

The Little Okaw Valley Conference Northwest Division announced its softball all-conference teams last week.
Several area players earned honors.
For Okaw Valley seniors Grace Harlin and Natalie Jeffers were unanimously first team selections as position players. Read More

Local Golfer Competes in Optimist Golf Championship

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Photo furnished
Midwest Qualifiers from left are: Second place - Zach Williams, Caden Ellis of Sullivan winner and third place Kolten Bauer.

•June 20, 2018•

Caden Ellis, Sullivan High School golfer, won the Midwest Qualifier for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship to be held July 29 through August 1 at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The Midwest Qualifier has been held in Decatur for more than 30 years, This year’s tournament was two days at Red Tail Golf Course, and Ellis shot a record - 3 (68, 73 - 141 total).
The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships continues to be one of the most recognizable junior tournaments in the world with more than 6,000 golfers attempting to qualify.
Annually more than 660 of the best junior golfers, representing more than 30 nations, 45 states and six Canadian provinces, converge for a week of unsurpassed competition and fellowship.
Since 1978, Optimist-sponsored golf tournaments have served as a springboard for many of golf’s greatest players.[/s2If]

SHS Softball Banquet

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Photo furnished
SHS Softball Banquet
The SHS girls’ softball team had their sports banquet. Captains were Jordan Bassett, Addison Darush, Irie Dulin and Madison Wall. Wall was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player. Offensive Player Award was presented to Darush. Defensive Player was Alexis Britton. Montana Roberts was selected for the Redskin Award, Dulin was chosen for the Leadership Award and the Most Improved Award went to Erin Wallace. Gwen Diepholz made second team all conference and Dulin and Wall were selected as honorable mention.

Area Players Earn All State Honors

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•June 13, 2018•

The Illinois High School Softball and Baseball Coaches Association announced its 2018 Class 1A All-State Teams this past week.

Four area players earned honors.

For the boys, Okaw Valley senior catcher (and pitcher) Garrett Fritz earned the first team honors. Read More

Coach Dale Schuring’s Career Guided Hundreds of Athletes

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Furnished photo
ALAH Basketball season with youngest son Tyler Schuring and Coach Dale Schuring (2014-2015 season).

•June 13, 2018•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

This summer not only marks the end of the school year but also the end of a long and prestigious coaching career at Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond High School.

In March the ALAH school board did not renew Dale Schuring’s coaching positions in football or basketball.

For more than three decades, Schuring has been a staple in the area and leaves behind a long history of coaching that spans several sports.

Currently, he has been taking things slowly and trying to adjust to the newfound downtime.

“I am taking things slowly to see what is out there and figure out where I want to go with my life since I am close to retirement, three years,” said Schuring, who is a math teacher. “I am struggling mightily with all the downtime I now have available because I am accustomed to going 100 miles per hour all year round.”

This transition is understandable after years of conditioning.

Schuring first coached for Arthur as a volunteer as an assistant football coach in the fall of 1988.

He took his first paid coaching job at Arthur as an assistant baseball coach in the winter of 1988-89. Read More

Blue Dolphins at Summer Steam

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Photo by Kim Drury
Johnathan Iacobazzi is pictured.

•June 13, 2018•

Sullivan Blue Dolphins competed in the Summer Steam meet in Terre Haute Indiana June 1-3. Thirty-two swimmers represented the Dolphins. Johnathan Iacobazzi brought home the second place 9-10 High Point award. Iacobazzi also made two Age Group Championship meet cuts in the 50 backstroke and 100 backstroke.

SBD next competes in Quincy at the Firecracker meet. To date 14 Dolphins have qualified for the Regional Championship Meet including Isaac Chambers, Calista Clark, Emily Crosier, Natalie Drury, Mackenzie Erixon, Brodie Goss, Johnathan Iacobazzi, Miles Kersten, McKenna Kull, Sofia Nuzzo, Allison Oligschlaeger, Ethan Schmohe, Gabrielle Spain and Anna Wooters.  Submitted by J.D. Graham