Photo by Keith Stewart
ALAH shot putter Karly Goodman prepares to release Saturday morning at EIU’s Field House. Goodman’s throw of 39-1 1/4 bested her entire junior year and earned her first place.

ALAH’s Goodman takes first in shot

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

What better way to set the tone for the track season than with beginning it in an indoor meet just a building over from where it could all culminate come May’s outdoor state meet in Charleston?

That is where both Sullivan-Okaw Valley and Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond’s girls’ track teams officially began the season Saturday, just two of 33 teams to compete in the Field House at Eastern Illinois University. Read More

With unfortunate irony, the Sullivan baseball team began the season Tuesday much like they ended last year’s–with a one-run loss to Pana.

Despite taking a 4-0 lead in the first, Sullivan couldn’t get out of the second inning as the Panthers took advantage of walks and two-out hits to post seven runs.

“Nick (Frerichs) was one out away from getting out of the inning giving up just the one run, but we couldn’t get that third out, and they made us pay,” said head coach Troy Rogers.

The Redskins didn’t go down without a fight though, as they held Pana scoreless through the next two innings and eventually tied the game in the fourth.

But the Panthers added two more runs in the fifth, and despite Sullivan’s last ditch effort in the seventh with one run, they came up short once again against Pana.

“The effort was there. We played pretty well defensively and hit the ball very well at times. There is still a lot of work to do to get where we want to be,” said Rogers. “We will turn the page and get ready for Mattoon Friday. You learn from it and move on.”

Center Grove takes grand championship

by Kirk Whitaker
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter

Eighteen competing groups, encompassing three states, flooded to Sullivan Saturday for the 28th Annual Sullivan Show Choir Invitational.

But this year’s competition looked different from years past. First there was the fact that there would be no finals portion of the competition. And second, was the fact that neither Decatur area school with a prominent show choir—Mt. Zion nor Eisenhower—came to Sullivan, rather both groups respectively competed in Wheaton where last year’s Sullivan Invitational Grand Champions Waubonsie Valley took Grand Champions to boot.  Read More

Photo by Susan Shadley
The Knights’ Jeremy Plank goes up for a layup Tuesday night.

AL unable to stop Sabers’ drive

by Kirk Whitaker
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter

With 1:02 to go in the fourth quarter, Tyler Schuring drained a triple to tie the game at 48 against St. Thomas More.

After a rare stop by the Knights, Arthur ran the clock down for one final shot and took a timeout with 15.5 seconds to go. It was only fitting Schuring took the shot—the junior led the Knights scoring 26 of his team’s 52 points—but the trey from the left wing went long and everyone in the stands got an extra session of Sectional basketball.

“We were trying to get Tyler a look on a set play of ours,” Knights head coach Dale Schuring explained. “We didn’t execute it great, I’m sure they knew Tyler would take the shot considering how he had shot to that point in the game. He got a decent look, and it was just a little long. We weren’t going to let them get another shot to score.” Read More