ALAH Volleyball Team Faces Increased Competition Level

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

When 2019 volleyball practice began, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond coach Emily Crossman knew she had to get everything she could out of the limited hours before the first match.
Unlike former years, Crossman saw this season’s starting positions as “up for grabs” because of the level of competition.
During preseason practice, she focused on coming together as a team.
“Finding the right combination of players,” Crossman said, “we have tried so many different line-ups. We are just seeing who clicks together and who can earn and keep a starting spot.” Read More

Benning Closes Out Coaching Three Daughters at OV

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The Benning family posed in 2016 after winning a regional championship. Left to right: Keeley (class of 2015), Bella (class of 2019), and Camille (class of 2012).

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

After losing a close 2-1 game to Nokomis in the Bethany Regional on May 13, Dave Benning stepped down as Okaw Valley softball coach.
“When I took the softball job, I had a goal in mind that I wanted to stick with it for all three of my daughters’ high school careers,” Benning said. “I achieved that. I got to coach all three girls, and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
In his nine years (2010-19), Benning finished his softball-coaching career at OV with an overall record of 138-134.
His teams won two regional titles (2015, 2016) and won the 2015 Little Okaw Valley Northwest Conference title.
When considering his some of his favorite coaching moments at OV, Benning thought back to the two regional championships.
He also recalled a couple games in his second year of coaching, in the regional quarterfinals.
“We were the home team, and we ended up scoring seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win,” he said. “We had a walk-off grand slam to win that game. At the time, it was one of the most exciting games I’ve been involved in whether it was softball or baseball.”
Benning also noted last year’s game-two of a doubleheader at Arcola. Read More

2019-2020 Area Sports Schedules

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•August 28, 2019•
Game listings are by day, date, opponent, level, location,and time.

 

ALAH High School Football:
Fri 08/23/19 Red and Gold Varsity Home 7:00 pm
Fri 08/30/19 Tri-County Varsity Oakland 7:00 pm
Mon 09/02/19 Tri-County Jr. Varsity Oakland 6:00 pm
Fri 09/06/19 Decatur Lutheran Varsity Arthur 7:00 pm
Mon 09/09/19 St. Teresa Jr. Varsity Decatur 6:00 pm
Fri 09/13/19 Cumberland Varsity Arthur 7:00 pm
Mon 09/16/19 Cumberland Jr. Varsity Arthur 6:00 pm
Fri 09/20/19 Arcola Varsity Arcola 7:00 pm
Mon 09/23/19 Arcola Jr. Varsity Arcola 6:00 pm Read More

ALAH Knights Returning Lettermen Drive Team Forward

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

In his first year as Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond varsity football coach, Ryan Jefferson’s squad finished the season with an overall record of 2-7.
In his second year, Jefferson hopes to utilize his team’s speed, including 12 returning letter winners, to push for a playoff berth.
“Our goals are to be competitive in the conference and to make playoffs,” Jefferson said. “If a conference championship is a realistic possibility later in the season, that’s great. But we want to be consistently competitive, and we’re hopeful that if we are, it will translate to a playoff berth from five or six wins.”
In practice and Friday’s scrimmage, Jefferson has been stressing the importance of the little things, including simple alignment on defense and sharpness with our offensive execution.
“We lacked in both areas last year, and I believe we have already made huge improvements there,” he said. Read More

Blue Dolphin Achieves Amazing Three Weeks of Competition

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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

Sullivan Golfers Place at Course

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•August 28, 2019•
The Sullivan golf team placed ninth with a score of 352 in the John Macek Invitational at the University of Illinois Orange Course Monday.
Hillsboro won the Champaign Centennial hosted tournament with a score of 321.
Layton Ellis recorded the Redskins’ best score at 83 and finished 15th. Read More

A Host of New Coaches in Position for Sullivan Teams

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•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

Windsor Harvest Picnic 5K

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Windsor Harvest Picnic
The Windsor Harvest Picnic was held last weekend with music and entertainment filling the air. In spite of a heavy downpour on Saturday these folks braved the weather for the annual Windsor 5K.

Sullivan Golf Team Returns With Top Performers

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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

Blue Dolphins Swim at Regionals 2019

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Photo courtesy Jamie Crosier
Blue Dolphins Swim at Regionals
Sullivan Blue Dolphins Swim Team attended the Summer Regional Championship meet in Peoria this past weekend. First through eighth place swimmers made the podium. Pictured left to right are: Alivia Melvin: 1st place 100 fly, 200 IM and 200 Free, 2nd place 50 back and 100 IM, 3rd place 50 free and 100 free, 5th place 50 fly. Gabrielle Spain: 2nd place 100 fly and 1650 free (mile), 4th place 200 back, 5th place 200 IM, 6th place 100 back, 7th place 50 free, 8th place 500 free. Matthew Wesselman 2nd place 500 free, 6th place 200 free, 8th place 100 free. Emerson Risley: 7th place 50 back. Johnathan Iacobazzi: 3rd place 100 breast, 4th place 100 back, 7th place 200IM, 8th place 500 free and 50 back. Ryan Schodlatz represented SBD with a 50 free open division. Mackenzie Erixon: 1st place 200 back, 3rd place 100 back, 5th place 200 free, 6th place 100 free. Ethan Schmohe: 1st place 200 free and 100 free, 2nd place 400IM and 200 IM.