Photo furnished
Blue Dolphin family with Ethan Schmohe.

•August 28, 2019•
By Jamie Crosier
for The Blue Dolphins

Sullivan Blue Dolphin Ethan Schmohe finished out the summer swim season with three major weekends of swimming.
Head coach Jason Drury said, “Illinois swimming is one of the hardest states. Ethan started his three-week accomplishments at Peoria where he swam at the Regional Time Qualifying Meet. He has been working hard at practice and I knew he had the ability to hit his goals.”
At Regionals, he competed in four events. He had more qualifying events, but his goal was to get a state cut in all four. This is a lofty goal, but he came in focused and achieved the additional State cuts to advance to the State Meet with a full load of events. Schmohe not only got the needed cuts, he dropped time in all four events and took first and second in these four. Read More

•August 28, 2019•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

The Sullivan High School has shuffled a few coaching positions around in preparation for the new school year.
The Redskins will have new coaches in football, baseball, volleyball, softball and cross country.
For fall sports, Sullivan alumnus Nathan Becker has taken over the football team and stepped down as baseball coach, and Christy Molzen has taken over for her third stint as the volleyball coach.
Tabitha Davis was hired as the softball coach, and Jason Badman is taking over for Becker as the baseball coach.
Nathan Becker
Football coach Nathan Becker wants to bring stability to his high school football team. Becker, a 2004 Sullivan graduate, replaces Jeff Myers as football coach. Becker had been an assistant football coach for seven years at Sullivan and had seen himself as a head football coach in the future. Read More

File photo
Sullivan’s golf team was sectional champs last season. Team leader Caden Ellis and Leighton Burcham graduated. Coach Ben Richter has several returning golfers expecting a strong season. From last year from left: Drew Rogers, Logan Westjohn, Aiden Short, Ellis, Burcham, Tim Lawyer, Leyton Ellis and Coach Richter.

•August 21, 2019•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

The Sullivan boys’ golf team returns several top performers from last season but will missing its top player.
Last year, with Cade Ellis leading the way, the Redskins achieved nearly every season accomplishes they had set out.
In the Class 1A state golf meet at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington, Sullivan placed fifth with a score of 337, and Ellis earned all-state honors with a tie for third place with a score of 76.
“We started the season at the practice green at the country club,” said Sullivan coach Ben Richter, “and we said what were our goals. It was, ‘We need to go undefeated.’ It was, ‘We need to win the conference.’ And then it was, ‘Win the regional, win sectional and go to state.’ They achieved all of their goals so I am really proud of them.”
This year he hopes for more of the same. Read More

Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Bryce King (L) and Greg Brandt prepare for a game of table tennis.

•June 26, 2019•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Greg Brandt is forming a table tennis club at the Sullivan Civic Center. The club is open to ages 16 and above and meets on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 in the racquet ball court.
“The goal of the club,” Brandt began, “is to develop leagues at all ages and skill levels, hopefully, with some of the businesses forming teams.”
The league and teams would compete in intercity competitions.
Brandt grew up in West Salem and has been playing table tennis (or ping pong as it is known in the U.S.) since sixth grade.
“I played intramural at Ohio State and in city leagues there. I have always enjoyed playing,” he said of the game.
He pointed out some of the health benefits of playing table tennis:
1. Develops mental acuity. Practiced players are highly skilled in both creating and solving puzzles. Read More