News Progress

•August 26, 2020•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports

The Illinois High School Association suspended all sporting events on March 6.
During those four months, athletic directors, coaches and athletes have been speculating when sporting events resume.
Wait no longer.
The Okaw Valley boys’ golf team participating in the first IHSA sanctioned sporting event since the pandemic hit.
At Meridian Earlybird Golf Invite Thursday Aug. 13, the Timberwolves placed second with a score of 364.
In the six-team meet, Okaw Valley’s Miles Harlin placed fourth overall with a score of 88. Read More

•August 26, 2020•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports

The Okaw Valley girls’ golf team won two really close meets this past week. Both wins were within five strokes.
The Timberwolves defeated Villa Grove Thursday, Aug. 20 at Eagle Creek Golf Course and Sullivan Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Eagle Creek.
Thursday, Okaw Valley won a nine-hole match against Villa Grove by the score of 251-256.
The Timberwolves golfers’ scores were all within four strokes.
Bailey Bennett led the way with a score of 61. Read More

•August 12, 2020•
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) struggled to find enough officials for each sporting event.
The large majority of officials are older, and younger officials have not been signing up at the rate needed to fill every IHSA event throughout the season.
Now, the pandemic has made the IHSA’s task even more difficult.
IHSA Assistant Executive Director Sam Knox is responsible for football, wrestling, baseball in the officials department and has been actively recruiting officials via high school and college officiating classes, social media platforms and local official associations with members who have connections with people in their communities. Read More

•July 22, 2020•
By Kevin Cremeens
SBD Publicity Director

The end of February and the early part of March, four athletes of the Sullivan Blue Dolphins learned that they qualified and were going to represent the Sullivan Swimmers at the Speedo Zone Championship and at State.
This was a huge accomplishment. When a swimmer makes it to the State competition it is solely based on performance and not the size of school. At this time everyone is watching the news and keeping in contact with swim officials. March 12th, athletes were on their way to the host city for the Swim Meet that was to begin on Friday, March 13th.
On his way to Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, making it past Champaign, Ethan Schmohe receives the email that the Speedo Zone Championships had been cancelled. The same thing happened to Matthew Wesselman, Isaac Chambers, and Alivia Melvin who were on their way to Elkhart, Indiana for the State Championship Meet. Read More

•June 17, 2020•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors announced guidelines that provide the first step in IHSA student-athletes returning to participation.
Monday, June 15th, Sullivan coaches implemented those guidelines into a new conditioning regiment for Sullivan athletes.
The football, boys basketball, volleyball and girls basketball began conducting voluntary in-person strength and conditioning workouts for the high school students that are interested in participating in those sports.
The football and boys basketball groups will workout on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 7-8 a.m.
The volleyball and girls basketball groups will work out from 10-11 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.
“Groups of no more than nine students and a coach have been set primarily by sport, and those coaches have communicated that with their athletes,” said Sullivan athletic director Ryan Aiken. “The workouts that these groups do will be general in nature and will be conducted outside at various spots throughout our complex such as the football practice field, the high school track, and the grass lot east of the football field so that we can ensure that social distancing guidelines are being maintained.” Read More