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
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
Martinez averaging hat trick per game
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
What is more impressive than the Knights 3-0 start to their season is the fact that Jovany Martinez has had a hat trick in each game. In fact, so far, the junior has scored 10 goals and is averaging just over three per match.
The fireworks first began in the Knights’ opener at Georgetown-Ridge Farm, whom ALAH defeated 4-2. In addition to Martinez’ three goals, Javi Briseno added a goal.
The Knights then took it to Mt. Pulaski on Saturday, winning 7-1. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
Freshman Madison Brown looks up in preparation to set the ball against Tuscola last Thursday. Brown led the team in both aces and assists with 3 and 14 respectively.
September 3, 2014
Warriors middle hitting, blocking too much for ALAH
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
After Thursday night’s 25-21, 25-17 defeat at the hands of Tuscola, it’s clear that given the Knights’ volleyball success in the last three years in particular, area teams are anxious for a win.
“In the locker room before we came out, the girls said that’s something they’d never done before,” said Tuscola head coach Lydia Benson. “So this is one of those things in our season that we’re always going to look back on and focus on if we start going down hill or need a refocusing point.”
The first set was a much closer contest than the second, and while the latter may have shown more of the Knights’ resiliency, both sets came down to Lady Warrior runs that ALAH could not avenge.
A quick Tuscola error and freshman Madison Brown ace, ALAH went up 2-0 to start the first, but the set would be tied four times before Tuscola began to slowly pull away. Three unanswered points had ALAH down 9-6 before an Emily Seegmiller kill brought the side out. But Tuscola’s Madie Allen responded with her own big hit from the middle, one of several on the night. Read More
Photo by the Tintype
Pictured is the newly formed ALAH marching band.
September 3, 2014
After five years without, new ALAH marching band forms
by Ariana Cherry
Arthur/Lovington Reporter
Not only have different schools joined together to form a new district, ALAH (Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond), but students are learning to march together to the same tune-literally.
After almost five years without a formal marching band due to a lack of participating students, the district now has one.
For the 2014-2015 school year, the increased number of students joining the marching band has been music to both the district and the community’s ears. Band director Richard Moma notes that the community has been extremely supportive of the students too. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
SOV’s Carlin Nuzzo races down the final stretch of her race last Thursday. Nuzzo took fourth overall and second for the Lady Red.
September 3, 2014
Knights take fourth as a team
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Considering that the SOV boys’ cross country team opened the season Thursday without their top four returning runners and yet still took second has head coach Ted Walk not only pleased with his team’s performance, but also hopeful that it is a promising sign for things to come.
“We just raced this without our top four from last year in Ethan Lehman, Alex Harvey, Clayton Waldhoff, and J.T. Bland,” said Walk. “All four, not here. We still beat Tuscola. We still beat Arthur. Tough to argue with that.”
While both Harvey and Bland were absent due to vacations and Lehman having moved out of the school district, it was Waldhoff’s unexpected early exit from the race Thursday that put SOV’s boys in the unique situation. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
Okaw Valley libero Savannah Birch looks to receive a Tri-County serve Tuesday night.
August 27, 2014
OV can’t muster front line attack in defeat
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Going into the regular season, OV head coach Jody McCormick wanted to take advantage of her team’s heightened, well, height, in the form of a formidable front line attack. Tuesday evening was the first test of such hope, but Tri-County had its own killer offense to beat back any impending OV attack, leading to a two set 25-14, 25-16 loss for the Lady Timberwolves.
“I didn’t get my wall like I was hoping,” said McCormick, who is in her second season as the head coach at Okaw Valley. “But we’re going to work on that, really hard.”
In the first set, the Lady Titans got out to a quick lead and ran away with the game. The only flicker of life from OV came via junior Megan Dash whose hard hitting serve accounted for three aces and five points to pull her team within four points of the Titans at 13-9. Read More
Martinez scores hat trick in victory
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Despite an hour-and-a-half-delay to Tuesday's season opener at Georgetown-Ridge Farm due to thunderstorms, the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond soccer team came out on top 4-2. Read More
Lady Red starting with clean slate
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
After having three different coaches in three years, Sullivan volleyball looks poised for some consistency.
Earlier this year Krista Smith was hired as a guidance counselor for the high school and was also asked about the possibility of coaching volleyball, a prospect the 2007 Edwards County graduate thought too good to be true.
“When they talked about the coaching position during the interview I was elated because it’s volleyball, it’s the sport that I love,” said Smith. “I am geared up for this year, and I can tell especially when we start doing some six-on-six play, I get that feeling again, almost like I’m a player. I want to jump in there almost more than coaching, so the spirit of the game flows through me. I’ll contain myself, but I’m excited.”
Photo by Keith Stewart
Pictured, front row, left to right, are: Tiffany Wallis, Sara Griffin, Abby Elzy, and Alyssa Marshall. Second row: Elaina Crawford, Jazmyn Jayne, Lily Bales, Seleste Smith, and Becca Pratt. Back row: Assistant coach Jennifer Young, Taylor Booker, Brittin Boyer, Kailyn Boyer, Emily Neuhauser, and head coach Krista Smith.
Another strong year expected
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Despite going 15-3 last year, the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond/Arcola golf team bowed out early in the postseason after being bumped up to double A regional play in Mahomet. There they faced schools such as Mattoon, Champaign Centennial, and Monticello. And this year could see a similar grouping, but head coach Tyler Renshaw believes his team will be better equipped to make a run for sectionals.
“We had a great season last year,” said Renshaw. “We got a tough draw with double A. I think we probably would have gotten out as a team in single A and definitely two or three individuals. We could have even gotten out of double A, but it took mid to upper 70s to get out, and though we had the guys that could do it, they just didn’t do it on that day. It was a tough break that day.”
Photo by Keith Stewart
Pictured back row, left to right: Jimmy Lopez, Clayton Miller, Chris Davis, Jack McLane, Dylan Bugos, Lucas Hutton, and Samir Patel. Front row: Bailey Conner, Blake Lindenmeyer, Parker Ingram, Mason Gentry, Mitchell, Bernius, Kyle Schmitt. Not pictured is Shandon Herschberger.