Photo by RR Best
SOV quarterback Luke Harlin hands off to junior Dillon Wallace for 25 yards.

•September 5, 2018•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

Before the season started, Sullivan-Okaw Valley football coach Jeff Myers said, “Without question, the biggest weakness we have is depth. Staying healthy will be a key to our success.”
This was put to the test early on against Newton Friday night at Victory Field.
“Offensively it was hard to recover when our quarterback (Luke Harlin) went down with a shoulder injury on the second series,” said Myers. “Later in the half we lost our starting running back (Cameron Kesterson) to a concussion.”
Harlin and Kesterson accounted for 100 percent of the Redskins’ offense in week one.
Despite two long passes for touchdowns, Sullivan’s defense played well and kept them in most of the game.
“Defensively, we did some good things, led by some solid defensive line play in Leman Jones and senior Cullen Dyer, but we gave up some big plays through the air, and that’s an area we have to improve,” said Myers.
Sullivan scored its first touchdown of the game with just under 11 minutes left in the second quarter. Read More

Twitter team photo
ALAH Volleyball team at Lady Warrior Classic.

•September 5, 2018•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond volleyball team defeated Villa Grove and Chrisman before finishing fourth in the Casey Westfield Lady Warrior Volleyball Classic.
Saturday, the Knights beat host Casey Westfield but lost to Salt Fork and Unity.
Against Casey Westfield, ALAH lost the first set 25-22 but battled back to take the next two sets, 25-10, 15-12.
Taylor Powell recorded 12 kills, two blocks and six digs, and Marissa Herschberger added four kills, seven digs and 22 assists.
Maria Garza had 14 digs, and Kara Yoder tallied four kills and six digs.
Makenzie Brown had five kills, and Michaela Powell added four aces and three digs. Read More

•August 29, 2018•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports

In her second year as Okaw Valley volleyball head coach, Sarah McDowell is looking to build on last year’s successes with every starter but one returning to this year’s squad.
OV returned nine varsity players and six seniors to a club that had a 15-14 overall record and a 4-3 Little Okaw Valley Conference record.
Leading up to the team’s first match, OV has been able to spend less time on skill development and incorporate more drills that focus on running multiple hitting routes and tailoring the defense to fit the player’s strengths.
“I believe our greatest strength is our number of players with varsity experience,” said McDowell. “We only lost one senior (Natalie Jeffers) last year, which has given us the opportunity to build upon what we accomplished last season.”
The team has also been working to improve block coverage by incorporating drills that put the girls in game-like situations and teach them to balance the court at all times. Read More

•August 29, 2018•

The Sullivan cross country teams hosted Arthur-Lovington/Atwood Hammond, Bement, Tuscola, and Teutopolis at Tabor Park Thursday, Aug. 23.
The Sullivan girls’ team finished in second place with 43 points, and the boys’ team finished in fifth place with 95 points. Read More

•August 29, 2018•

The Sullivan boys’ golf team won two meets and placed third in the 15-team John Macek Invitational this past week.
Thursday (Aug. 23), the Redskins defeated Arcola, Shelbyville and Meridian with a low score of 149.
Caden Ellis was medalist with a score of 33 (3 under).
Leighton Burcham followed with a 36, and Drew Rogers, Tim Lawyer and Logan Westjohn each shot a 40.
Leyton Ellis rounded out the Redksins’ scoring with a 41. Read More