Hillsboro High Sports | The Journal-News

The Lincolnwood-Morrisonville volleyball team celebrates as senior Taryn Millburg receives the championship trophy for the Montgomery County Invitational Grace Tournament from Charley Herschelman, the sister of the tournament's namesake, the late Grace Herschelman. The Lancers won the tournament for the second year in a row, defeating Hillsboro 25-19, 23-25, 25-19 to improve to 10-0 on the season.

What has been a banner year for Montgomery County volleyball got even better over the weekend as Lincolnwood, Hillsboro and Nokomis took the top three spots at the Montgomery County Invitational … more

9/11/23

Hillsboro’s Zander Wells tries to turn Cooper Miller of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley during their preliminary match at the IHSA Class 1A State Wrestling Tournament in Champaign on Feb. 15. Wells was down 9-3 to Miller going into the third period when he took down the Falcons’ 165-pounder and earned the pin at the 4:17 mark of the match.

Wells’ Senior Season Comes To End At State

Of the 116 wrestlers who started the Class 1A postseason in the 165-pound weight class, only 16 were able to make it to state. Of those 16, half lost, with half of that number losing for a second … more

By Kyle Herschelman | 2/20/24

Hillsboro's Kearstynn Davis (left) and Litchfield's Chloe Law (right) go up for a 50/50 ball during the third place game at the Panther Classic in Litchfield on Saturday, March 30. After losing to Hillsboro twice last year, the Lady Panthers scored a 2-1 victory over the Toppers, with Law scoring the go-ahead goal in the second half.

Panthers Top Hillsboro For Third

Last year, the Hillsboro and Litchfield girls soccer teams were slated to play for the championship of the 2023 Panther Classic, before Mother Nature put the kibosh on those plans. This Saturday, … more

4/1/24

Hillsboro’s Cheyenne Harston (#30) and Kamryn Langston look for the steal against Gillespie’s Erika Gill during the regional championship game in Virden on Feb. 16. The Miners jumped out to a seven-point first quarter lead en route to a 59-45 victory over the Lady Hiltoppers for their first regional title since 2012.

Season Ends In Regional Championship

A strong start in both the first and second halves helped Gillespie score their first regional championship since 2012 on Friday, Feb. 16, as the Miners defeated Hillsboro 59-45 in the title game at … more

2/20/24

It was senior night for the Hillsboro girls basketball team as the Lady Hiltoppers took time to honor Sophia Blankenship and Aubrey Evans, on Thursday, Feb. 8. Pictured above, from the left, are Blankenship, with parents Cody Hodges and Gabe Blankenship, and Evans, with parents Katie McDonald and Reginald Evans.

Comets Battle Back To Beat Toppers

The regular season finale between Hillsboro and Greenville on Thursday, Feb. 8, is a pretty good example of what the South Central Conference has been in girls basketball any year. With four teams … more

2/12/24

Toppers End March With Busy Stretch

Hillsboro’s baseball team played a pitching-staff-testing five games in four days as Easter approached ( a sixth game was played on Monday, March 25; it was a win over Staunton reported in … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 4/1/24

Cavies Spoil Diveley's Big Game On Senior Night

Litchfield may not have won on senior night, Thursday, Feb. 8, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort or the performance of their lone senior. Emma Diveley, daughter of Charles and Shannon … more

2/12/24

Comets Get Hillsboro 44-33 In Season Finale

Prior to the start of the Hillsboro at Greenville end-of-the-regular-season basketball game, the odds seemed stacked in the Comets’ favor. They had defeated the Toppers 51-39 in the Kaskaskian … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 2/20/24

Rochester Holds Off Lady Toppers

The Hillsboro girls basketball team nearly picked up their first win of the season on Saturday morning, Nov. 18, in the Toppers’ second game of the Taylorville Thanksgiving Tournament. … more

11/20/23

Panthers' Greff Delivers Victory Over Hiltoppers

If one likes a close athletic contest, the place to be on Friday night, Feb. 9, was in the North Mac Junior High gym (the Girard High School gym before Virden and Girard merged to form the … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 2/12/24

Litchfield senior Anthony Bader earned first team all-conference honors this past year, his second straight selection after being a second team pick last year as a junior.

Panthers, Toppers Get Seven Each On All-SCC

A round of penalty kicks was the only difference between the Litchfield and Hillsboro boys soccer teams in conference play so it was fitting that the two teams tied for the most players on this … more

11/2/23

Soccer Toppers Continue To Grind

The Hillsboro High School boys soccer team kicked off their seemingly endless week of soccer Monday, Aug. 28, at Highland for a non-conference regular season tilt against the Bulldogs, before … more

8/31/23

The Hillsboro boys golf team of, from the left, Austin Loskot, Colton Weiss, Tycen Thacker and Carson Walker shot a 168 on Tuesday, Aug. 29, to pick up their first two wins of the season. Weiss and Thacker both shot 39s at Oak Terrace Resort in Pana to take medalist honors for the match.

Hillsboro Boys Get Opening Win

The Hillsboro boys golf team picked up a pair of wins in their first dual meet of the season as they knocked off Altamont and Pana at Oak Terrace Resort in Pana. The Toppers shot a 168 on the day to … more

8/31/23

In front, from the left, are Emoree Shepard, Hanna Hughes, Reagan Lentz, Kennady Clayton, Maycie Fuller, Leah Satterlee and Amya Greenwood. In the back are Tyler Beard, Tatum Christian, Addison Lowe, Kearstynn Davis, Ellie Miller, Sophia Blankenship and Coach Emily Zimmerman.

Lady Hiltoppers Third At Vandalia Tourney

After losing a three-set heartbreaker at home to Carlinville on Thursday, the Hillsboro High School volleyball team was looking to rebound with a strong performance at the Vandalia Tournament on … more

9/18/23

Hillsboro's Aubrey Evans (right) goes up for two of her eight points in the Toppers' regional semifinal against Auburn on Tuesday, Feb. 13, in Virden. Hillsboro won 45-38 to beat Auburn for the third time this year and advance to Friday's regional championship at North Mac against Gillespie.

Hiltoppers Stop Auburn In Regional Again

The Auburn girls basketball program has had a fair amount of success in the past, including three 20-win seasons in the last seven years with an average of 18-wins per season (not including the COVID … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 2/15/24

Litchfield's A.J. Odle shot a 2-over-par 37 to help the Panthers to a 151 on their home course and a win over Vandalia, Lincolnwood, Gillespie and Taylorville on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Panthers Go Low At Home

After having a pair of matches canceled last week due to the heat, the Litchfield boys golf team hit the links on their home course on Tuesday, Aug. 29, with Vandalia, Gillespie, Taylorville and … more

8/31/23

Soccer Toppers Get Big Win At North Mac

After a hard fought tilt against the Greenville Comets on Tuesday that took just about all of the allotted 80 minutes to decide, the Hillsboro High School boys soccer team traveled to North Mac … more

9/18/23

Hillsboro's Mitchell Lowe brings the ball down the floor during the Toppers' game on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Lowe joined fellow seniors Jace Stewart, Adrian Harston and Elliott Lentz in senior night festivities before the game, then celebrated with his teammates after the game as the Toppers defeated the Piasa Birds 49-43.

Hillsboro Boys Knock Off Piasa Birds

It hadn’t happened before this season, so Feb. 13 was a red letter day for a Hillsboro’s boys’ basketball program as the young men swept a triple header from the visiting Piasa … more

2/15/24

Zander Wells, one of Hillsboro’s dynamic duo Friday night, compiled 238 rushing yards on 10 carries against Gillespie. One of his backfield partners, Dylan Lessman, gained 234 yards on 10 carries as the Toppers scored 62 points, 45 more than the Miners in the win on Sept. 15.

Dynamic Duo Major Problem For Miners

Defensive coordinators on all levels of football know its imperative to have two cornerbacks who can “set the edge,” keep the opposing players from breaking down … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 9/18/23

County Tournament Set For This Saturday

All eight Montgomery County baseball and softball teams will be in the same locale on Saturday, April 13, as the Hillsboro Sports Complex hosts the Montgomery County Baseball and Softball … more

4/11/24