Category Archives: Sports

Game Winning Knights Long Shot Downs Sages

News Progress Posted on by

•November 23, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

The 10 point lead with 4:39 to go was long forgotten.

Monticello closed the gap on their home court Nov. 18 with 43 seconds to go. They took the first Sage lead of the game 41-40.

Things looked even more dire after Mychaela Miller missed an open layup attempt with five seconds to go.

The Knights fouled, and Monticello made the back end of the two offerings. Then the magic the Knights enjoyed in volleyball rolled over to basketball.

Kim Davis inbounded the ball to Hannah Wallen with 3.9 seconds to go.

Wallen got past half-court and heaved up a prayer from the volleyball line which banked in to give the Knights the 43-42 win. Read More

Wooden Shoes Drop Redskins to Open Season

News Progress Posted on by

•November 16, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

After last season’s 91-15 dismantling at the hands of Teutopolis, the Redskins’ season opening victory over the Shoes just the season before felt like an eternity ago.

This season, the result was the same, only not near as much of a beating.

The Wooden Shoes took a 10-1 lead out of the gate, a 25-5 advantage after a quarter, and ultimately take the season opener 78-35.

Sullivan still had several bright spots while taking on the defending second place team in the state tournament from a season ago who is returning three of its starters.

Esther Miller was responsible for all five of the Redskins’ first quarter points and would finish with nine on the night, sinking a free throw, and two layups--one off a steal going coast-to-coast and the other off an inbounds play--but it was Addison Darush who took the rest of the night.  Read More

Knights Get Slammed Out of Sectionals

News Progress Posted on by

•November 9, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

There were no magical three-set triumphs this time around.

In a sectional also comprised of powerhouses St. Thomas More and St. Joseph-Ogden, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond drew Tri-Valley, a team with two losses on the season, one of which came at the hands of SJO.

The Vikings sported arguably the most menacing hitter of the whole sectional in 6’2” junior Hannah Clayton, along with a couple other players taller than anyone on the Knights’ roster, but the Knights made things interesting.

It looked as if beating would have been a more descriptive word in the beginning.

Clayton gave the Vikings their first point after Abby Foreman downed a kill, and the match was even up until the five point mark.

After that, things got a little carried away.  Read More

Knights Volleyball Rides to Regional Crown

News Progress Posted on by

•November 2, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond’s first regional as a school--and five years to the day of their last volleyball regional crown--came by the skin of their teeth.

Both Tuesday and Thursday the Knights went up against teams with tall, powerful hitters, needing sets with more than 25 points to decide them, but behind the strength of familiar faces, the Knights  topped both Oakwood Fithian (25-14, 27-25, 31-29) and Tri-County(19-25, 26-24, 25-23)--in the fifth meeting of the year between the schools--move on to the Argenta Sectional to take on top-ranked Tri-Valley, who beat Maroa-Forsyth in the Decatur St. Teresa Regional.

The Knights’ first set drubbing of Oakwood (25-14) Tuesday was more than their other three margins of victory combined (11 compared to six).

The last two sets in both games were hectic in an electric home atmosphere to say the least.  Read More

Tuscola Tears Apart SOV to end Season

News Progress Posted on by

Photo by Mike Brothers Redskins running back Luke Bowman turns the corner and gains a few yards in SOV’s season ending game with Tuscola Oct. 21.

Photo by Mike Brothers
Redskins running back Luke Bowman turns the corner and gains a few yards in SOV’s season ending game with Tuscola Oct. 21.

•October 26, 2016•

By Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

Tuscola entered Friday night’s game as the second ranked team in Class 1A and showed it well against SOV.

The Warriors scored the first 28 points in 8:55 thanks to two interceptions that bounced off the hands of Luke Bowman and Keith Bone respectively, leading to a 52-7 drubbing.

“You can’t spot a lead like that to a good team and expect to win,” head coach Gerald Temples said. “After the first quarter, we played better, but we just couldn’t come back from that deficit.”

Tuscola took the lead with short touchdown runs after the two interceptions and a 34 yard score, but the Redskins’ defense held the rest of the quarter to prevent further damage.

The Warriors started out the second quarter with a 40 yard field goal followed by a 14 yard touchdown run from quarterback Kaleb Williams before the Redskins scored their lone touchdown of the night. Read More

OV Falls to Cerro Gordo in Regionals

News Progress Posted on by

•October 26, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

Last Thursday, Okaw Valley fell to Cerro Gordo on the Broncos’ senior night 25-21 each set.

Both sets saw the Timberwolves mount comebacks and tie the set late--at 19 in the first and 21 in the second--but it was to no avail, as hitting errors did them in both nights.

Fast forward to the Oct. 24 Regional contest in Bethany, and it was more of the same.

The ‘Wolves tied the first late and were as close as two but couldn’t finish the job, falling 25-22. Read More

Coop High School Swimmers Take First

News Progress Posted on by

•October 26, 2016•

The Okaw Valley/Sullivan/Shelbyville high school girls’ swim team kicked off their season at Olympia High School in Stanford recently.

Brynna Sentel led the team with five first place finishes in the 200 IM, 100 backstroke, 500 freestyle, 200 backstroke and 100 breaststroke to earn her the overall first finish.

Sophomores held off the remaining swimmers to have overall top finishes behind Sentel. Read More

Girls on the Run of East Central Illinois Host 5K Event

News Progress Posted on by

Photo furnished GOTR 5k It’s time for girls to let their spirit shine by joining the Girls on the Run 5k! The Riddle Rockstars won the spirit wear trophy last spring.

Photo furnished
GOTR 5k It’s time for girls to let their spirit shine by joining the Girls on the Run 5k! The Riddle Rockstars won the spirit wear trophy last spring.

•October 26, 2016•

Girls on the Run East Central Illinois will host its 5k event at 9 a.m. Saturday, November 12 at the Mattoon Area Family YMCA. Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program that uses fun running games and dynamic discussions to teach life skills to girls in third to eighth grade. During the 10-week program, girls participate in lessons that foster confidence, build peer connections and encourage community service while they prepare for an end-of-season celebratory 5k event.

“Participating in the Girls on the Run 5k gives the girls a tangible understanding of the confidence that comes through accomplishment. Crossing the finish line is a defining moment when the girls realize that even that seemingly impossible is possible,” says Sarah Dowell, council director for Girls on the Run of East Central Illinois. “We have sites across seven counties this fall and are grateful for the opportunity to have served over 2,100 girls in our 11 seasons!” Read More

ALAH Hits Wake-Up Call at St. Thomas More VB Tourney

News Progress Posted on by

Okaw Valley Hits Home Stretch of Season

•October 19, 2016•

By Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

After sweeping two conference games this week against Cerro Gordo (25-15, 25-17) and Okaw Valley (25-13, 25-11), Kristy Buford had seven kills, three aces, and five digs to lead the Lady Timberwolves, who are now 7-14 on the season, the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights went to Champaign for the highly competitive, 16-team Buerkett tourney.

Hosted by Champaign St. Thomas More at Parkland College, the Knights got a look at the competition they will see in the postseason.  Read More

Windsor Student Named Tournament MVP

News Progress Posted on by

karlie-bean-softball-mvp•October 19, 2016•

Karlie Bean, seventh grader at Windsor Jr. High School, participated in the first Jr. High All-Star Showcase in Jacksonville October 8-9.

Bean was joined by Grace Bunfill of Okaw Valley and more than 100 additional girls in Illinois to participate in the event. Players from Mattoon, Charleston, and Martinsville joined Bean and Bunfill to form the East Central team.

The 11 member team was coached by Blain Mayhill of Charleston.

The East Central team earned the championship title, finishing the weekend with four wins and one tie.

Bean earned a position on the 2016 All-Tournament Team while also taking home the MVP award.