Category Archives: Sports

OV Baseball Rolls to Sectional Championship in Extra Innings

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Photo by Jason Brown
High fives all around from OV catcher Garrett Fritz following Sectional Championship win.

•May 30, 2018•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

The Okaw Valley baseball team finished a roller coaster of a week by winning the Class 1A Danville Sectional in extra innings Saturday and losing a heartbreaker in the super-sectional, Monday, May 28.

Super-Sectional

At the super-sectional game against Ottawa Marquette in Bloomington’s Jack Horenberger Field on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan, the Timberwolves were two outs away from advancing to the Final Four for the second time.

“We didn’t make it to state, but we belonged at state,” said OV coach Andrew Hagerman. “You have to earn it, and we didn’t quite earn it. I have coached for 12 years, and I can say that about two teams.”

In heat that reached mid-nineties and following a nearly 90-minute lightning delay, OV let its one-run lead slip away and lost 10-9 on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Timberwolves scored first by taking advantage of a Crusaders’ error for a run, then Camden Coleman singled in a run with two outs to take a 2-0 first inning lead. Read More

SEA Track Meet Gives Back

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Photo collage furnished
SEA Track Meet Gives Back
The annual track meet for Sullivan Elementary School students sponsored by Sullivan Education Association was held May 17.
The first SEA track meet was held during the 1985-1986 school year. The SEA president at the time was Carolyn Boblitt (grade school teacher) who helped create this event as a way to give back to the students. 
The entire SEA came together to make this year’s competition happen, working all the events and cheering on the kids. A photo collage of the meet: Top left: Will Miller, Kent Lehman, Liam Crouch, Liam Cole, Charlie Conlin and Teagan Born; Top Right: Kiely Grooms, Mackenzie Cole and Tenley Campbell: Middle left: Landon Jesse, Colten Wilson, Kaylee Smith, Navaeh Wilson, Kharli Kelly, Shaolin Hunter and Khyli Kelly; Third row of the middle pic: Joshua Cremeens, Katilyn Kirby, Jade McKee, Mason Booker, Devon Richardson and Emerson Risley; fourth row of middle pic: Brighton White, Caleigh Dyer, Linnea Graham and Amya Dyer; Bottom left: Collin Shain; Middle bottom: Colten Wilson and Rikki Ray; Bottom right: Drew Campbell and Rowdy Fayhee.

Okaw Valley Softball Players Recognized

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•May 30, 2018•

The Okaw Valley softball team handed out season awards and recognized All-Little Okaw Valley Northwest players this past week.

Five Timberwolves earned LOVC Northwest All-Conference honors.

Grace Harlin and Natalie Jeffers were unanimous selections for first team infielders.

Infielder Bella Benning earned second team honors, and pitcher Grace Bunfill also was named to the second team. Read More

Area Athletes Compete

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Sullivan’s Jadon Nuzzo (center) is pictured.

•May 30, 2018•

Four area athletes competed in the Class 1A Boys’ State Track and Field meet at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field in Charleston Saturday.

The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond boys’ track and field team placed eighth in state with 26 points, and Sullivan tied for 49th with five points.

ALAH’s Logan Hall, who is to run at the University of Illinois next school year, was state champion in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:22.45, and he was runner-up in the 3,200-meter with a time of 9:25.14.

Freshman Layton Hall placed 18th in the 3,200-meter at 10:13.93.

Senior Knight high jumper Kobe Wells cleared 6 feet 6 inches for second place.

For Sullivan, junior Jadon Nuzzo pole vaulted 14 feet for fifth place and five points.

Sullivan Girls Finish Season

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•May 23, 2018•

The Sullivan girls’ track and field team competed in the IHSA Class 1A State Track and Field Meet at Eastern Illinois University last weekend.

Esther Miller finished in 29th place in the triple jump with a leap of 32 feet 8.5 inches and in 30th place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:03.64. Read More

ALAH Track Girls Jump at State

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•May 23, 2018•

Two athletes, sophomore Kenli Nettles and senior Hannah Wallen, from the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond girls’ track and field team competed in the Class 1A State Track and Field meet at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field in Charleston.  Read More

Okaw Valley Softball Ends Season at Moweaqua

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•May 23, 2018•

by Jason Brown
NP Sports

The Okaw Valley softball team’s season came to a heartbreaking end in the Class 1A Moweaqua Regional last Wednesday.

“Our season was streaky to say the least,” said OV coach Dave Benning. “At one point in the middle of the season, we lost five games in a row after winning four in a row. I believe we were playing our best softball at the time of regionals in that we had won seven of our last 10 games.”

The No. 5 Timberwolves headed into the bottom of the seventh inning up 4-2 against host Central A&M but could not hold on to the lead.

CAM tied the game at four when an OV error led to the winning run, 5-4.

OV opened the scoring in the first inning when Madison Voegel’s sacrifice fly scored a run. Read More

Shelbyville Rams Take Softball Regionals

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•May 23, 2018•

The Sullivan softball team’s season came to an end in a gut-wrenching back-and-forth game against Shelbyville in extra innings in the Class 2A Tuscola Regional last Tuesday.

Sullivan scored three runs in the top of the first inning, but the Rams answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Sullivan plated four runs in the second inning to take a 7-2 lead.

Shelbyville scored three runs in the third, and each team scored a run in the fourth inning for an 8-6 Sullivan lead.

The Rams scored two runs in the fifth inning to tie the game. Read More

Hatchets Face Back to Back Games During Post Season Play

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Photos by Bridgette Cole
WSS Softball celebrating second straight Regional championship.

•May 23, 2018•

by Jason Brown
NP Sports

The Windsor-Stewardson-Strasburg softball team won its second-straight Class 1A Regional championship by shutting out host Nokomis 9-0 Monday evening.

The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but postponed because of rain which means the Hatchets will have to play back-to-back days.

WSS, who is ranked No. 7 in the state, took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning and took control of the championship game by scoring seven runs in the third inning.

Each team recorded six hits, but WSS also induced nine walks.

“Great team win, everyone contributed.” Coach Craig Moffett said.  Read More

Second Round Ends Sullivan Regional Bid

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•May 23, 2018•

After beating Pana in the first round of the Class 2A Riverton Regional, the Sullivan baseball team’s season ended in the second round with a 6-1 loss to Williamsville.

Sullivan got on the board first with a run in the top of the third inning, but Williamsville countered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Read More