Category Archives: Sports Feature

Opportunistic Redskins Defeat Hoopeston 56-3

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Photo by RR Best

Photo by RR Best

•September 2, 2015•

By Matt Kracht
NP sports reporter

In their season opener Sullivan Okaw-Valley rushed out to a 42-0 halftime lead thanks in part to a strong defensive effort.

Ty Molzen was sharp in limited action hitting on four of seven passing for three touchdowns and 110 yards in the first half. Head coach Gerald Temples thought overall it was a good start to the season. “We got some details we need to work on, but our defense played hard. We did not tackle exceptionally well so we got to get that corrected, but for the first ball game they did a nice job.”

After forcing a quick three and out on Hoopeston’s opening possession, the Redskins offense took over on the Cornjerker 34 yard line. On the first play Molzen plowed around the right end for an 18 yard gain. The Redskins then flipped it outside to Alec Ballinger who found space taking it 18 yards for the score with 10:16 remaining in the first quarter. Ballinger, who has game changing speed, received a pancake block from Blake Stewart to open his alley. The score was the first of three touchdown catches by Ballinger who finished with 105 yards receiving on the night. Coach Temples was pleased with the quick strike aspect of the offense. “Alex Ballinger is a pretty talented young man. When he gets in some space, he can make things happen. He did a nice job; our kids did a nice job getting it there.” Read More

New Athletic Director Takes Over with Some Help From Friends

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Photo by Mike Brothers New Athletic and Activities Director for Sullivan Schools Ryan Aikman is on the job.

Photo by Mike Brothers
New Athletic and Activities Director for Sullivan Schools Ryan Aikman is on the job.

•August 26, 2015•

By Mike Brothers

Ryan Aikman is Sullivan Schools athletic and activities director and is getting into the new job with a little help from some friends.

“One my best resources has been Charlie Brown” Aikman said of former Sullivan athletic director , now A&M principal.

Another advisor is Mt. Zion athletic director Mike Mose. “When your head is spinning like a tornado, seasoned veterans such as Mose and Brown are a big help,” he reflected.

As athletic and activities director Aikman schedules all sports for junior high and high school teams in addition to other extra curricular activities, including show choir.

“Strengthening all activities through good communication,’”Aikman said is his goal. “ I would like to build camaraderie among the coaching staff.”
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Post 429 Splits Two Games to Open District Tourney

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Advanced to Tuesday’s must-win game

•July 22, 2015•

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

Moultrie Douglas Legion ball took a disappointing 14-2 loss versus Shelby County Saturday in the first game of the district tournament. However, the team rebounded thanks to a double elimination format, beating Macon County 9-4 Sunday advancing to Tuesday night’s matchup versus the loser of Mattoon and tournament host Rantoul.
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Mo-Do Baseball Takes Two in District Preview

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Now prepare for district tournament

•July 15, 2015•

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

Moultrie-Douglas County American Legion baseball swept a double header against rival Shelby County winning 9-4 and 9-5 in a Sunday matinée hosted by Windsor.
The stifling heat was shrugged off by both squads with Legion Post 479 racking up 18 total runs in back to back come from behind wins.
Mo-Do jr. legion head coach Duff Hoel knew that his team was facing a tough opponent going into the contest.
“We told the kids before the game that we were facing a good pitcher who is from Windsor originally and is pitching in college right now. So he is going to try and get ahead of you early so look for the fastball and shoot it the other way because he is going to have some velocity. Dylan Hart started us off with a big home run. That was nice since we were down two to nothing before Dylan hit a ball into the trees in right field. That got us going and the other guys picked it up behind him.” Read More

Still Playing

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OV baseballer to continue sport at Lake Land

Photo by Keith Stewart Recent Okaw Valley graduate Devon still signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Lake Land College during a May 19 ceremony. Pictured, left to right, back row are: Lake Land head baseball coach Bill Jackson and OV head baseball coach Andrew Hagerman. Front row: father Jeff Still, Devon Still, and mother Rachel Still.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Recent Okaw Valley graduate Devon still signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Lake Land College during a May 19 ceremony. Pictured, left to right, back row are: Lake Land head baseball coach Bill Jackson and OV head baseball coach Andrew Hagerman. Front row: father Jeff Still, Devon Still, and mother Rachel Still.

June 17, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

It’s true that Devon Still has played golf and basketball throughout his high school career and excelled in both. But neither compares to his love for baseball. The sport is less a game to him than more a necessity.
And for the recent Okaw Valley graduate, not to mention member of the school’s fourth place state finishing team, that necessity has been extended two more years.
“I’ve always loved baseball. It was a couple years ago that I figured out if I worked hard enough I would be able to keep playing baseball, which is exactly what I wanted to do,” said Still. “I wanted to play in college, whether it was just playing or for a scholarship. I just wanted to play. So it was really nice getting an offer from Lake Land.”
That offer came relatively late into Still’s career, however. A fact that surprised his high school head coach Andrew Hagerman. Read More

Not the Best, but Close to It

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Photo by RR Best Okaw Valley’s baseball team took home a fourth place state trophy from this past weekend’s tournament in Peoria. Pictured, left to right, are Peyton Hagerman, Joe Jeffers, and Devon Still.

Photo by RR Best
Okaw Valley’s baseball team took home a fourth place state trophy from this past weekend’s tournament in Peoria. Pictured, left to right, are Peyton Hagerman, Joe Jeffers, and Devon Still.

Timberwolves bring home fourth place hardware after historic run

June 10, 2015

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

Out of 169 class 1A baseball teams just four made it to this past weekend’s ISHA state tourney in Peoria. The Timberwolves fell in two competitive contests, first against state runner up Okawville 5-3 Friday, and then against Fulton 11-7 Saturday. After all was said and done the Timberwolves took home a gigantic fourth place trophy along with some memories that will last a lifetime. The 26-9 record to end the season secured the deepest postseason run of any area squad in more than a decade.

Trying to Hold On

Peyton Hagerman took the ball in the Timberwolves first matchup on Friday afternoon. Dozer Park, the Cardinals single A minor league affiliate, had the radar gun working and both teams’ eyes were locked on the scoreboard early on. Hagerman showed no signs of fatigue despite a long season of work, popping the mitt at 86mph to start the game. His opposite from Okawville respectably registered 81 miles per hour, but had an impressive command of the strike zone. Both pitchers dominated through the first three innings, and with the game tied 0-0 heading to the top of the fourth inning it would be Okawville who would draw first blood. Read More

ALL Business

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Photo by Keith Stewart Okaw Valley senior Devon Still hoists the team’s super-sectional plaque into the air for the home crowd to see Tuesday night in Champaign after he and the Timberwolves defeated Princeville 6-5.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Okaw Valley senior Devon Still hoists the team’s super-sectional plaque into the air for the home crowd to see Tuesday night in Champaign after he and the Timberwolves defeated Princeville 6-5.

Still going, OV baseball wins super-sectional Tuesday 6-5 to advance to state

June 3, 2015

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

Lefty Devon Still had a game to remember Tuesday night in Champaign, pitching all seven innings to tally 14 punch-outs and earning his 11th victory on the season. Still also drove home the game winning run in walk-off fashion sending Okaw Valley to the team’s first final four state qualifier.
“Now having kids will be the second happiest day of my life,” said Still. “I can’t believe it. It’s something I dreamed of as a kid, but I never really pictured me in that position, but now we’re here.”
Leading by one run, 5-4, heading in to the top of the seventh inning Okaw Valley was three outs from advancing, but Princeville had other ideas.
The Princes got the lead-off runner on due to a throwing error and brought him around to score on a swinging bunt with two outs to tie the game and put the pressure back on Okaw Valley.
“It was more motivating actually,” said Peyton Hagerman. “There were a few people with their heads down. Fritz and I were ripping their heads back up. Garrett walked up to me and said, ‘You’re getting on, and I’m hitting you in.’ And I said, ‘Deal.’ Then I got on, Taylor got on, Garrett got on, and then Devon, he had himself a day.” Read More

Lady Red Repeat with McClain’s Incredible Feat

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Photo by Keith Stewart Pictured, from left to right, are members of the SOV girls’ track and field team with their third place team trophy at the IHSA state track meet Saturday in Charleston: Head coach Kali Taylor, Ashlynd Risley, Amanda McClain, Emily Neuhauser, Carlin Nuzzo, Bailey Turnbaugh, and Abby Cravatta.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Pictured, from left to right, are members of the SOV girls’ track and field team with their third place team trophy at the IHSA state track meet Saturday in Charleston: Head coach Kali Taylor, Ashlynd Risley, Amanda McClain, Emily Neuhauser, Carlin Nuzzo, Bailey Turnbaugh, and Abby Cravatta.

Three individual crowns propel SOV to third place team trophy

May 27, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Sure. The 400m dash and the long jump are both events in which SOV senior Amanda McClain was at the top of her class. But the 200m dash too?
Saturday’s answer was “apparently so,” as she exploded down the big blue track at O’Brien Stadium in Charleston taking first in the 200m event and thus marking her third individual championship on the day. That coupled with Emily Neuhauser’s fourth place finish and an earlier sixth place in the 4x200 earned SOV a third place team trophy for the second straight year.
“To bring that trophy back to the communities of Sullivan, Findlay, and Bethany, it’s just a phenomenal feeling as the SOV coach to be a part of that,” said head coach Kali Taylor. “It’s something these girls are going to remember for the rest of their lives.” Read More

Sullivan Softball Staves Off Shelbyville to Advance to Championship

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Photo by Keith Stewart Sullivan's Heidi Clements came up big for the Redskins Tuesday, not only with a game-ending double play, but also the tying RBI in the fourth inning.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan's Heidi Clements came up big for the Redskins Tuesday, not only with a game-ending double play, but also the tying RBI in the fourth inning.

Redskins to play Tuscola Saturday for regional title

May 20, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Tuesday evening’s regional semi-final between no. 2 seed and host Sullivan and no. 3 seed Shelbyville saw plenty of back-and-forth momentum that finally ended with a double play in the top of the seventh, earning the Lady Redskins their second straight regional championship appearance.
After taking an early 1-0 lead, Sullivan found themselves down 5-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
There, the Lady Red strung together six hits for four runs, including a double to deep left field by Heidi Clements to tie the game at 5-5 before Makenzie Ruppert tripled to deep left field to put Sullivan on top 6-5–a lead they would not give up. Seleste Smith then followed with a single RBI up the middle to put Sullivan ahead 7-5. Read More

Redskins Clinch Conference with Win Over Clinton

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Photo by RR Best Pictured is the Sullivan varsity baseball team with their Central Illinois Conference title plaque, which they won following a 6-2 win over Clinton last Thursday. Pictured, front row, left to right: Brody Elder, Dylan Hart, Jacob Piper, Matthew Sparrow, Blake Stewart, and Nick Frerichs. Back row: head coach Troy Rogers, Zach Hrvol, Levi Nadler, Drew Harris, Dylan Liddiard, Dakota Clayton, and Alec Ballinger.

Photo by RR Best
Pictured is the Sullivan varsity baseball team with their Central Illinois Conference title plaque, which they won following a 6-2 win over Clinton last Thursday. Pictured, front row, left to right: Brody Elder, Dylan Hart, Jacob Piper, Matthew Sparrow, Blake Stewart, and Nick Frerichs. Back row: head coach Troy Rogers, Zach Hrvol, Levi Nadler, Drew Harris, Dylan Liddiard, Dakota Clayton, and Alec Ballinger.

Will begin regional play next week

May 13, 2015

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

The Sullivan Redskins secured the CIC(Central Illinois Conference) inaugural championship Thursday at Leon Lane Memorial Field thanks to a strong pitching performance by Jacob Piper, who went five innings of shutout baseball, ultimately allowing just two runs on two hits over the complete game. Sullivan ran its way to a lead early and held off a sixth inning rally to claim the program’s first conference title in more than 15 years.
Celebrating with his team after the win, head coach Troy Rogers gave all the credit to his players. “These are a great group of kids who played a lot of baseball over the years, and I couldn’t be more proud of them. They deserve it.”
Rogers also complimented Piper who was starting just his second game on the season.
“He had just had some relief appearances, and he is 2-0 now after starting last weekend versus Okaw Valley. I know he is going to throw strikes, keep them off balance, and let his defense work. We have been playing solid defense behind him. We had one hiccup where we gave Clinton a couple extra outs, but Jacob did a good job getting out of it, keeping that four run cushion.” Read More