Category Archives: Sports Feature

ALAH Football Dominates Oblong

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Photo by Darian Hays
The Knights defense balanced a strong ALAH offense in Friday’s win over Oblong. Above Knight Lance Mercer enlists help in downing Panther running back at Wilson Field.

•September 13, 2017•

The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond football team improved its record to 2-1 on the season with a dominant 48-15 win at home over Oblong Friday.

“I thought we played very well, especially defensively,” said ALAH coach Dale Schuring. “We took care of the ball and cut down on our penalties from weeks one and two.”

The Knights scored 13 in the first quarter and 21 in the second to take a 34-8 lead.

The difference in the game was the Knights’ offensive and defensive lines.

“We controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the night,” Schuring said. “We did have quite a bit of success running the ball, but I think we set that up with our passing game early.”

Offensively, ALAH rushed for 253 yards on 30 carries and passed for 78 yards passing on 10 attempts.

The Knights had several players reach at least 100 yards in total offense. Read More

Sullivan Grad’s Transition to Big Blue Football

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Millikin Wide Receiver Bryce Farris.

A Growing Experience

•September 6, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

The transition from high school to college is often a difficult one, especially before the reward of playing the first game of the year.

Freshman Millikin wide receiver and Sullivan graduate Bryce Farris has found this out first hand, but with help, he has been able to overcome the full-time schedule to start in the first game against Greenville College Thursday night.

The Big Blue won by a score of 76-3.

Farris caught four passes for 35 yards and scored a touchdown at the end of the first quarter. Read More

OV’s Paige Robinson Commits to Drury University

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Pictured is OV standout guard Paige Robinson.

•August 9, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

Okaw Valley standout guard Paige Robinson verbally committed to play basketball Friday for Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.

Robinson will play for coach Molly Miller who enters her fourth season as Drury University’s head women’s basketball coach.

The verbal decision should put aside any distractions in Robinson’s senior year.

In her junior year, Robinson won the female basketball player of the year award at the 9th Annual ESPN Decatur ESPY Awards in Decatur.

In 29 games, she averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.4 steals and 2.9 blocks. Read More

OVHS Seniors Play for Sky Ice Elite

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Photo furnished
Pictured is OVHS senior Jared Bunfill.

•August 2, 2017•

Austin Hill and Jared Bunfill, Okaw Valley seniors, have had outstanding summers playing for the Sky Ice Elite.

The Sky Ice Elite 17U basketball team experienced one of the more successful seasons in the program’s short history. The team is comprised of players from Okaw Valley, Decatur, Champaign, Bloomington, Mt. Zion and Springfield.  The program, spearheaded by Eisenhower boys’ basketball coach Rodney Walker and MacArthur girls’ basketball coach Michael Williams, has provided an AAU experience for kids in grades 3-11.

This year’s 11th grade team was coached by Roy Gilmore who completed his third year with Sky Ice.

The team had two first place finishes in the 7-State Border War in Indianapolis and the Sky Ice Elite Belguim Showcase and a second place finish in the Shaun Livingston Classic in Peoria to open the season. In between, they have won at least two games in each of the tournaments played – finishing the year with 24 wins. Other tournament locations included Bolingbrook, Hammond, Ind., Macomb  and Pleasant Prairie, Wis.  They were usually placed in the toughest draw in each tournament so the boys played extremely well even if the number of wins didn’t reflect that.   Read More

OV Baseball Stand Out Commits to MacMurray College

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Photo submitted
Pictured is Taylor Coleman.

•July 26, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

Recent Okaw Valley graduate Taylor Coleman committed last week to play baseball at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill.

Coleman had not thought about being a Highlander, until the MacMurray coach Justin Fuhler contacted him.

They started talking about Coleman attending and playing baseball in Jacksonville, and Coleman decided he wanted to become a part of something good at MacMurray.

“I chose MacMurray because when I first met coach Fuhler, he seemed like a coach who knew what he wanted and that he knows what’s going on,” said Coleman. “During my visit, I liked the campus, how everything works there, and it felt like it would be a good fit. The people on campus made me feel like it was a place where everyone knows everyone, and you’re supported.” Read More

McClain Strives to Achieve More in Track and Field Competition

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At the Indoor MVC Meet, Amanda McClain holds the team’s second place trophy.

•July 19, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

In the last two years at Illinois State University, Amanda McClain has collected several accolades and was seen competing at the highest level of Division I track and field on ESPN and other national sports channels.

That has not stopped her from setting higher goals for next track and field season.

McClain already has her sights set on making it to the indoor nationals and winning both conference titles as a team.

For now, though, she is enjoying the summer at home with friends and working out.

When the school year begins, she will no doubt be back to adding to her accomplishments. Read More

All Conference Honors for OV and ALAH Players

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•June 7, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

The Little Okaw Valley Conference NW announced all-LOVC honors last week.

Several Timberwolves and Knights earned honors.

For Okaw Valley, junior Austin Harshman earned first team as a pitcher.

“Austin was a God-send to our roster this year,” said OV coach Andrew Hagerman. “He played exceptionally well in the outfield and hit pretty well for his first varsity season of hitting. Pitching-wise, without him our season would have not gone as well.”

OV had a key injury to the staff, and Harshman ended up leading the team in innings pitched, wins and saves.

“He is extremely accurate, controls three pitches well and really just understands the game and what he wanted to do with certain hitters,” said Hagerman. Read More

ALAH Softball Achieved Season Goals

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Photo by RR Best
WSS Wins Sectional
The Windsor Stew-Strasburg softball team took first place over ALAH in the Sectional Tournament Championship held Saturday, May 27.

•May 31, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond softball team achieved all three goals the players and coaches set for this season.

The Knights won the non-conference part of the schedule, the Little Okaw Valley Conference championship and a Class 1A regional title.

In the Okaw Valley sectional in Bethany, ALAH defeated Cumberland in the semifinals, but the Knights could not carry that momentum into the championship game against Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg.

“To win a game in the sectionals and get to the sectional championship was icing on the cake,” said ALAH coach Jerry Lane. “The excitement the team generated at the end of the season for the communities and the school was tremendous, and everyone should be very proud of their accomplishments.” Read More

SOV Pole Vaulter Qualifies for State Track and Field Meet

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Photo by Jason Brown
Redskin Jadon Nuzzo pole vaults during the IHSA Class 2A Mahomet-Seymour Sectional at Moose Handlin Track Thursday.

•May 24, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

Redskin Jadon Nuzzo pole vaulted 13 feet 7 inches for second place in the IHSA Class 2A Mahomet-Seymour Sectional at Moose Handlin Track May 18.

His finish qualified him for the State Track and Field meet at O’Brien Field on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston Saturday.

The Sullivan-Okaw Valley track and field team did not qualify any other athletes for state but placed six athletes and all four relays in the top 15 spots.

Josh Ernst threw the discus 118 feet 9 inches for 10th place.

Luke Bowman ran the 100-meter dash in 11.82 for 12th place and the 200-meter dash in 24.78 for 19th place.

Leighton Burcham long jumped 19 feet for 11th place and triple jumped 36 feet 11.5 inches for 15th place. Read More

ALAH Knight Baseball Advances in Regional Play

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•May 17, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond baseball team improved its record to 6-10 with wins over Mt. Pulaski, Cerro Gordo/Bement and Sullivan this week.

Monday night, the Knights defeated Mt. Pulaski 13-6 to advance to the second round of the IHSA Class 1A Baseball Regional at Central A&M.

Will Cohan had five RBIs, which included a grand slam in the sixth inning.

ALAH scored eight in the first inning to set the tone.

Mt. Pulaski scored six late runs, but it was not enough.

The first inning rally started with a single by Kirk Herschberger, followed with a single by Waylon Schlabach, an error; single by Derek Rhodes, single by Eric Herschberger, a groundout by Shandon Herschberger, and a double by Marcus Vanausdoll. Read More