Category Archives: Sports

Lady Redskins Break ALAH Six-game Win Streak

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September 17, 2014

Sullivan forces third set, wins big

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Writer

First year head coach Krista Smith had the Lady Redskins ready to play Monday night taking on cross county rivals Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond. A matchup that saw records thrown out the window, the Lady Redskins came from one set down to pull off an impressive 23-25, 25-22, 25-15 upset.
Coming into action at just 1-8 on the season, the Lady Redskins gave a high flying Knight squad all they could handle and more.
With the match all square at one set a piece and the Lady Redskins leading 11-8 in the third, sophomore Kailyn Boyer went on a nine-point rally from the service line. Apparently, the Lady Redskins had grown tired of close games after the first two sets, deciding instead to finish strong winning by a 10-point margin 25-15.

Photo by RR Best Brittin Boyer dives to save the ball Monday evening. Boyer led her team in kills with 11 as Sullivan defeated ALAH in three sets.

Photo by RR Best
Brittin Boyer dives to save the ball Monday evening. Boyer led her team in kills with 11 as Sullivan defeated ALAH in three sets.

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SOVCC Boys, Girls Take Second at Shelbyville

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September 17, 2014

For the first time since the Shelbyville Trail Invitational began, Sullivan-Okaw Valley boys’ and girls’ teams both earned a trophy, each finishing in second.
Shelbyville girls won the race, but SOV finished in a dominant second beating third place Neoga by an average of 50 seconds per runner.  The girls were led by Laine Cameron and Ashlynd Risley, finishing in 20:54 and 20:56, good for seventh and eighth place.  Other solid races were run by Carlin Nuzzo, Elissa Stewart, Abby Cravatta, Cadisen Nuzzo, and Alyssa Marshall. Read More

Knights Hang Tough, Battle Back for Win Over Oblong

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Photo by Darian Hays Hunter Kamm takes off with the ball after quarterback Tyler Schuring’s pitch. Kamm was more noticeable on defense Friday night, including his interception and fumble recovery in the fourth quarter to help lock-in his team’s 33-13 win over Oblong.

Photo by Darian Hays
Hunter Kamm takes off with the ball after quarterback Tyler Schuring’s pitch. Kamm was more noticeable on defense Friday night, including his interception and fumble recovery in the fourth quarter to help lock-in his team’s 33-13 win over Oblong.

September 17, 2014

Better second half solidifies ALAH win

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Friday night’s 33-13 victory over Oblong may sound like a commanding win for the Arthur-Lovinton/Atwood-Hammond Knights, but things could have been just the opposite given a slew of penalties and a poor second quarter.
In all, ALAH accrued a loss of 90 yards on 12 penalties, most of which dealt with illegal procedure or holding, and four of the the seven that were in the first half took place in a second quarter riddled with ALAH miscues.
After trailing 12-0, Oblong got on the board with just over eight seconds left in the first, which would feed into their second quarter performance, where they took a 13-12 lead. Read More

Unforced Errors Plague Lady T-Wolves in Loss

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Photo by Keith Stewart OV's Nicole Miller eyes the ball before setting it Tuesday night.

Photo by Keith Stewart
OV's Nicole Miller eyes the ball before setting it Tuesday night.

September 10, 2014

A&M consistency keeps OV on their heels

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Okaw Valley’s 25-12, 25-13 loss at the hands of Central A&M Tuesday night was more a result of hits going too deep, serves going too shallow, and at times miscommunication plaguing the defense than it was the Raiders’ own doing.
However, when Central A&M did produce its own scoring, it relied more on well-placed tips into the holes of the OV defense than hard hits, given 5-11 junior middle hitter Megan Dash blocking what few kill attempts the Raiders had. Read More

Finishing Eighth, Lady Red Struggle in Mattoon Tourney

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Photo by Keith Stewart Kailyn Boyer (no. 24) and Emily Neuhauser (right) attempt to block Neoga’s Jaycie Roy during their 5 p.m. game Saturday at the Mattoon Tournament.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Kailyn Boyer (no. 24) and Emily Neuhauser (right) attempt to block Neoga’s Jaycie Roy during their 5 p.m. game Saturday at the Mattoon Tournament.

September 10, 2014

Unable to muster single set win in five game loss Saturday

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

This past Saturday at the Mattoon volleyball tournament, it proved a difficult day for the Lady Redskins as they dropped 10 consecutive sets in five games, finishing last in eighth place.
But contrary to what one may think, the day was far from a wash. In fact, for head coach Krista Smith, the tournament brought to light some unique observations, which she hopes she and her team will be able to use to improve in the regular season.
“This is my first tournament coaching, so it was a good experience to not just get one match in, but several matches in, so we would talk after each match and learn from those mistakes in that game and then move forward to the next game,” said Smith. “I think it’s only going to help us through the season because we saw a lot of different teams running a lot of different offense. We got to where I didn’t even have to tell them what the offense was doing. I can tell they’re starting to read a little bit better. Even though it didn’t turn out the best for us, there were a lot of lessons learned and a lot of things we know we need to work on.” Read More

Taking Care of Business, SOV Shuts Out Mt. Olive 54-0

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Photo by RR Best Jake Eaton rushes 44 yards for the first touchdown Friday night just before the game was postponed to Saturday. Eaton had seven carries for 53 yards and three touchdowns.

Photo by RR Best
Jake Eaton rushes 44 yards for the first touchdown Friday night just before the game was postponed to Saturday. Eaton had seven carries for 53 yards and three touchdowns.

September 10, 2014

Redskins pick up from where they left off Friday in Saturday victory

by Matt Kracht
NP Sports Writer

The SOV Redskins provided fans at Victory Field quite a show this weekend defeating the Mt. Olive Wildcats 54-0. On JFL Appreciation Night, an SOV squad laden with upperclassmen talent had five different players find the end zone. Showcasing a genuine stable of ball carriers SOV is now 2-0 for the first time since 2001.
Junior running back Jake Eaton got SOV on the scoreboard just four minutes into Friday night’s game. On 2-and-10 Eaton picked up some nice blocking, found a seam, and broke free galloping 40 yards to the end zone. Eaton would add two more scores finishing with seven carries for 73 yards and three touchdowns. Erring on the side of caution with lightning in the area early in the first, the game was stopped and re-scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, which brought much more ideal conditions.
And the Redskin defense continued its strong start to the season when play resumed.  Forcing a quick three and out SOV retook possession, and the Mt. Olive’s defenders began what would be a long day for the group. Read More

SOVCC Competes at Charleston

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September 10, 2014

Competing at the Charleston Invitational last Saturday, the SOV girls’ cross country team took eighth, while their male counterparts finished 12th.
“This is a good race to get our first invitational jitters out of the way,” said head coach Ted Walk. “This is the only time we see most of these teams since almost all are multiple times our size. Girls placed eighth and ran extremely well. Our best time last year was Carlin Nuzzo at 23:05 and we finished five girls better than that this year.”
Laine Cameron finished first for SOV with a time of 21:10, followed by Carlin Nuzzo (22:07), Ashlynd Risley (22:24), Abby Cravatta (22:31), and Elissa Stewart (22:53). Cadisen Nuzzo finished sixth for SOV and shaved 10 seconds off her 2013 time, followed by freshman Allie O’Neill. Read More

Lady Knights Get on Track with Back-to-Back Wins

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September 10, 2014

2-0 run at home heading into own tourney

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

After suffering two losses to begin the season, the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond volleyball team rebounded with back-to-back wins at home against Villa Grove last Thursday followed by Monticello Monday.
Compared to the Lady Knights’ first match against Tuscola, which they dropped 25-21, 25-17, Monday’s two-set win saw a more fluid offense with fewer attacking errors and much more solid serving. Freshman Madison Brown tallied three aces, while Abby Foreman and Emily Seegmiller each had one. Seegmiller also led the team in kills with nine, while Brown had 14 assists. Read More

ALAH Soccer Goes 5-0 with Win Over Meridian

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September 10, 2014

The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond soccer team stayed perfect on the season Tuesday with a 5-0 win over Meridian, thanks in part to Jovany Martinez' fourth hat trick of the year.

The Knights recorded 24 shots on goal, with Martinez leading the way with three goals. Bradley Miller and Javi Briseno each added one a piece. Read More

SOV Splits Cornjerkers Wide Open 73-0 for Opening Win

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Photo by Keith Stewart SOV’s Chanley Heykoop returns a punt during Friday’s game against Hoopeston. Heykoop would set up his teammate Jake Eaton for a two yard touchdown run to go up 14-0 in the first quarter.

Photo by Keith Stewart
SOV’s Chanley Heykoop returns a punt during Friday’s game against Hoopeston. Heykoop would set up his teammate Jake Eaton for a two yard touchdown run to go up 14-0 in the first quarter.

September 3, 2014

Redskin bench makes big contributions

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

SOV may have deferred receiving the opening kickoff in Hoopeston Friday night, but it didn’t much matter. The Redskins got the ball back less than two minutes into the quarter. Four yards later, SOV was up 14-0. And these initial plays only foreshadowed the eventual 73-0 opening win.
“It’s important to get that first win under your belt especially when you’re bringing in a new system and everything,” said new SOV head coach Gerald Temples. “I thought our kids played hard.”
As the game grew on, other signs of SOV dominance came in the form of holding the Cornjerkers to a total of negative 13 yards in the first quarter, recovering a non-onside  kickoff return late in the fourth quarter, and blanking Hoopeston despite, at one point, them being on the SOV 11 yard line.
“We have to clean up a few things, so it’s not a ball game where we go back home pounding our chest or anything like that,” said Temples. “It’s a ball game we build on.” Read More