A Missed Opportunity as Lady T-Wolves Fall in Championship

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Photo by Keith Stewart Kayla Wheeler watches as a wild throw goes past her during Friday’s regional championship game against Central A&M in Ramsey.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Kayla Wheeler watches as a wild throw goes past her during Friday’s regional championship game against Central A&M in Ramsey.

Can’t defeat A&M a third time

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Despite defeating Central A&M two previous times this year, the Okaw Valley softball team couldn’t make it a third in the regional championship Friday, instead falling 3-9.

While the offense didn’t have its strongest outing, tallying seven hits total, it was the defense, or at times, lack thereof, that made Friday’s battle all the more difficult.

After Amanda McClain led her team from the mound for the first two innings of stalemate play, Abigail Weybright took over in the third, with McClain trying to avoid any potential injury with her state track bid on Saturday. Read More

Program History Once Again as SOV Girls Take Third Place Team Trophy

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Photo by Keith Stewart Serious Hardware Sullivan-Okaw Valley’s girls’ track team hoists up their third place team trophy at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium Saturday afternoon after placing in six events, including first in the 400m and 4x200 relay. For the full story see page 12.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan-Okaw Valley’s girls’ track team hoists up their third place team trophy at
Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium Saturday afternoon after placing in six events, including first in the 400m and 4x200 relay. 

4x2, 400m championships lead banner day for SOV

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

For Sullivan-Okaw Valley’s girls’ track team, Saturday’s third place team trophy at the state track meet has its roots in a ticket stub.

“On the back of our shirts, it says get on the bus,” explained head coach Kali Taylor. “I had read a book over the winter called the ‘Energy Bus’, and it was all about positive energy and changing mindsets. So at the beginning of the season I gave them tickets and invited them on the bus. Then we put our goals up, and I told them from the get go that our goal was to walk away from every meet in the top three, and there were a couple times we didn’t. But now we’re walking away with a third place trophy.”

The group first got started on Thursday, sending five girls in seven events, tied with three other teams with the most qualifiers. All but one would then qualify for Saturday’s finals, setting up the historic team finish. Read More

Fairfield Homers Twice to Oust Sullivan from Sectionals

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Photo by Keith Stewart Kailyn Boyer chases down a ball during Tuesday's sectional semifinal against Fairfield.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Kailyn Boyer chases down a ball during Tuesday's sectional semifinal against Fairfield.

Two-run homer in sixth inning deals lasting blow

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

The first three-run homer that Fairfield hit, Sullivan weathered. But the second two run blast in the sixth inning dealt a demoralizing blow from which the Lady Red never recovered, instead falling 7-2 in the sectional semifinal Tuesday. Read More

Wolves Avoid Upset in 8-6 Win Thursday

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Photo by Keith Stewart Peyton Hagerman goes to make the throwout at first Thursday.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Peyton Hagerman goes to make the throwout at first Thursday.

Will play St. T in championship Saturday

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

It wasn’t pretty, but Okaw Valley’s baseball team pulled out an 8-6 regional semifinal win over Decatur LSA Thursday evening to advance to the championship Saturday morning against host St. Teresa.

“it was an ugly win, but anytime you have an ugly win to go play for a regional championship, you’ll take it,” said OV head coach Andrew Hagerman.

The wolves struggled on offense early and only when LSA errors crept up, did OV manage their first few runs. In fact, OV led LSA 2-0 after three innings, but had no hits.

It wasn’t until the fourth inning did OV get its first hits of the game, which in turn also led to their biggest inning with five runs, though still aided by LSA errors. Read More

Knights Can’t Muster Offense in Regional Loss to Sabers

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Photo by Keith Stewart Tyler Schuring goes to make the tag out at home Monday on St. Thomas More’s Sean Sullivan. The ball would come loose, however, with Sullivan scoring, just one of five unearned runs on the day.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Tyler Schuring goes to make the tag out at home Monday on St. Thomas More’s Sean Sullivan. The ball would come loose, however, with Sullivan scoring, just one of five unearned runs on the day.

St. Thomas More scores five unearned runs in 7-0 win

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond had just two hits Monday evening, one in the first inning on Shandon Herschberger’s single to right field and the last in the top of the seventh off of Noah Yantis’ hard shot to pitcher Storm Joop in at closer.

But that was about all the no. 6 seed Knights’ offense could muster as the no. 3 host St. Thomas More remained relentless from the mound while taking advantage of several wild pitches and passed balls to score five unearned runs in their 7-0 win, which also marked the Sabers’ head coach Steve Rear’s 200th career win.

“It was a special occasion for me and the team, but throughout the years we’ve been very fortunate here to have good baseball teams,” said Rear. “It’s the players that win the games.” Read More

Lady Red Repeat Last Week with 6-1 Win Over Lancers

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Photo by Keith Stewart Sullivan’s Brittin Boyer (left), and Taylor Gottfriedt (left center) celebrate after turning a double play in the ...inning.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan’s Brittin Boyer (left), and Taylor Gottfriedt (left center) celebrate after turning a double play in the fourth inning.

This time, ALAH’ season comes to an end

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Just about every ball that Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond put into play Tuesday evening, the Sullivan defense either grabbed and made the putout or outright caught. Whats more, they had no errors, and behind seven innings of solid pitching by Heidi Clements, the Lady Red held ALAH to one run and five hits, while their own offense chipped away inning by inning to win 6-1 and earning a trip to the regional championship Saturday back in Shelbyville against the host. Read More

Surprise, Surprise, SOV Girls Will Take a Ride

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Submitted Pictured are those SOV athletes that competed at the Pana sectional last Thursday. Front row, Emily Neuhauser; second row, from left to right, Cadisen Nuzzo, Alyssa Marshall, Carlin Nuzzo, Amanda McClain, Mollie Bowman, Karley Hamm, and Jasmine Miller; third row: Rachel Stutzman, Ashlynd Risley, Mackenzie Mosier, coach Kali Taylor, Caity Ohm, Megan Dash, and Brooke Mitchell.

Submitted
Pictured are those SOV athletes that competed at the Pana sectional last Thursday. Front row, Emily Neuhauser; second row, from left to right, Cadisen Nuzzo, Alyssa Marshall, Carlin Nuzzo, Amanda McClain, Mollie Bowman, Karley Hamm, and Jasmine Miller; third row: Rachel Stutzman, Ashlynd Risley, Mackenzie Mosier, coach Kali Taylor, Caity Ohm, Megan Dash, and Brooke Mitchell.

Charleston the destination Thursday and hopefully Saturday

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

No one should be guilty of disbelief here. Many if not most felt from the beginning of this year’s girls’ track season that Sullivan-Okay Valley would be sending, once again, a solid share to Charleston this coming weekend for the state track meet.

They didn’t disappoint.

Competing at the Pana sectional last Thursday, SOV took third place behind Decatur St. Teresa and Central A&M, marking it the third straight year of the top three finish.

And with it is the stamped ticket for five girls in seven events to Eastern Illinois University later this week. Read More

Redskins Ousted From Regional by Broncos

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Sullivan unable to make key hits

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Slow and steady wins the race, and Cerro Gordo was Monday’s victor as they defeated Sullivan 10-3 in the quarterfinals of the Monticello regional.

True, the Broncos did get out to a 3-0 lead in the first, but the game never got put away until the bottom of the sixth when up 6-2, Cerro Gordo scored four runs. Read More

Braves Nearly No-hit Sullivan in Tourney Saturday

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Photo by Keith Stewart The Sullivan softball team celebrated their seniors Saturday morning before their game against Okaw Valley. Pictured, from left to right, are seniors: Elizabeth Inman, Christina Brown, Taylor Gottfriedt, and Maggie Plank.

Photo by Keith Stewart
The Sullivan softball team celebrated their seniors Saturday morning before their game against Okaw Valley. Pictured, from left to right, are seniors: Elizabeth Inman, Christina Brown, Taylor Gottfriedt, and Maggie Plank.

OV takes third with win over A&M

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

After breaking a stalemate with Okaw Valley in the sixth inning of game one to win 8-2, Sullivan’s lackluster performance in the championship of Saturday’s tournament at Wyman led to an 0-13 loss at the hands of Mt. Zion. OV meanwhile rebounded with an 11-7 win over Central A&M to take third. Read More

Sullivan Ignores Schuring’s Two-Run Homer in Comeback Win

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Photo by RR Best Pictured are Sullivan’s three seniors who were recognized at Tuesday’s game against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond. From left to right: Shane Atchison, Griffin Sullivan, and Travis Hanson.

Photo by RR Best
Pictured are Sullivan’s three seniors who were recognized at Tuesday’s game against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond. From left to right: Shane Atchison, Griffin Sullivan, and Travis Hanson.

Senior night not upset with 12-2 victory

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond’s Tyler Schuring blistered the ball over the fence early in the game Tuesday evening, scoring the Knights’ only two runs. Sullivan not only responded in their half of the first with four runs, but went on to add at least one run in the next five to win 12-2 on senior night.

After two walks began the bottom of the first, Nick Frerichs flew out to center field scoring Alec Ballinger. Dakota Clayton’s single to left field then sent Shane Atchison home to tie the game. Read More