Hillsboro High Sports | The Journal-News

Topper Track Locks Down Five Wins At Cavie Relays

The Hillsboro High School track team was in Carlinville on Tuesday, April 22, for the Cavaliers’ annual relay meet. The Toppers picked up five wins at the meet as they finished fourth in … more

4/24/25

Matoush Strikes Out 18 In Win

Hillsboro’s baseball team Matoushed the visiting Vandalia Vandals in South Central Conference play Friday, April 18, at the Sports Complex in a rare noon game. The senior left … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 4/21/25

Hillsboro senior Reagan Lentz draws a crowd of Comets during the Toppers' game in Greenville on Thursday, April 17. Down 1-0 at halftime, Hillsboro got the equalizer from Lentz ten minutes into the second half on a hard shot that deflected off the Greenville keeper. Unfortunately, the Comets got the go-ahead goal on a penalty kick four minutes later and held on for the 2-1 win.

PK Lifts Comets Over Toppers

Greenville senior Megan Ridens goal with just under 26 minutes left to go in the second half of the Comets’ home game against Hillsboro on Thursday, April 17, proved to be the difference maker … more

4/21/25

Lessman Strikes Out 16 In Win

Lainey Lessman struck out 16 batters for Hillsboro as the Lady Hiltoppers picked up a 5-0 South Central Conference victory over Vandalia on Friday, April 18. The Vandals’ first 12 outs … more

4/21/25

Toppers Tripped Up By Mater Dei

Varsity teams at the high school level who struggle to win in any sport are often younger as a team than the opposition; it’s difficult for freshmen and sophomores to compete against juniors … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 4/21/25

Hillsboro Girls Score Eight Wins At Home

The Hillsboro girls track team picked up eight wins in 11 events and finished second twice more as they hosted Pana and Carlinville on Tuesday, April 15. The Hiltoppers finished third in the … more

4/17/25

Hillsboro’s Mitchell Cunningham returns a shot during the Toppers’ match with Greenville on Tuesday, April 15. The Comets picked up a 9-0 win on their home courts over the Toppers, but Hillsboro will be back at home on Thursday, April 17, when they host Metro-East Lutheran.

Comets Keep Tennis Toppers From SCC Win

After beating Taylorville 9-0 on April 9, the Hillsboro boys tennis team got to feel what it was like to be on the other side of that coin on Tuesday, April 15. Playing on their rivals’ … more

4/17/25

Bulldogs Pick Up Second Win Over Toppers

When Staunton visited Hillsboro for a non-conference baseball game earlier in the season, the young Bulldogs defeated the Toppers 7-1. When Hillsboro returned the visit on Tuesday, April … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 4/17/25

PRs Fall Before Rain Drops Do At Hillsboro

The Hillsboro High School track team welcomed Taylorville and Pawnee to town on Thursday, April 10, for what turned out to be an abbreviated triangular for the three schools thanks to storms rolling … more

4/17/25

Hillsboro Girls Soccer Scores 1-0 Win Over Annies

Two seniors linked up for the only goal of the game as the Hillsboro girls soccer team picked up a 1-0 victory over Centralia on Monday, April 14. Playing at the Hillsboro Sports Complex, the Lady … more

4/17/25

Topper Track Gets Six Wins, Six Seconds At Home Meet

The Hillsboro boys track team picked up six wins and six second place finishes at their home meet on Tuesday, April 15, as they welcomed Carlinville and Pana to Topper Territory. Four of the six … more

4/17/25

Hearts Attack Hillsboro In First Inning

The Hillsboro High School softball team made the hour-long trek to Effingham on Monday, April 14, to play the Flaming Hearts in Hillsboro’s 12th game of the season. The hosts were less than … more

4/17/25

SCC Opener A Gem For Hiltoppers, Piasa Birds

With apologies to the songwriter who once penned “I pity anyone who isn’t me today,” as a baseball fan I can write I pity anyone who didn’t see the Piasa … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 4/14/25

Hillsboro's Sloan Bertolino works to get the ball away from Pleasant Plains sophomore Callie Wagner during the Lady Hiltoppers home game on April 12. The undefeated Cardinals looked to be in mid-season form against Hillsboro as they scored ten times in the first half for a 10-0 victory.

Plain And Simple, Cardinals Are Good

The South Central Conference showdown between Hillsboro and Staunton was cancelled on Thursday, April 10, after storms rolled through Bulldog Country ten minutes after the game began. While they may … more

4/14/25

Toppers Score Shutout In First Match Back

Between wet weather and several players in the operetta, it had been two weeks since the Hillsboro boys tennis team had been on the courts for a match when they hosted Taylorville on April 9. … more

4/14/25

Hillsboro's Briley Kirby hustles down the line to beat the throw to first during the Lady Hiltoppers' game against Southwestern on Friday, April 11. Kirby went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored, but Southwestern took advantage of their opportunities in the fourth and fifth innings to score 17 runs in a 19-4 victory over the Toppers.

Errors Costly To Hiltoppers In Losses

Lapses on defense were costly for the Hillsboro High School softball team in their games against Jerseyville and Southwestern as the Lady Hiltoppers committed 15 errors in a pair of losses to the … more

4/14/25

Sophia Watkins, shown here during Hillsboro's home meet on April 1, set a new school record in the 100 meter dash on April 8, in Gillespie, running a 12.32 to eclipse Kyra Huber's 2017 mark by .04 seconds.

Watkins Sprints To New School Record

In 2017, Hillsboro sophomore Kyra Huber broke a 32-year-old school record by running a 12.32 in the 100 meter dash at the Pana Invite. On Tuesday, April 8, that record’s run came to an end. … more

4/10/25

Hillsboro outfielder Clayton Rufus climbs the left field fence in an effort to snag Jhude Walker’s high fly ball in the second inning of the Toppers’ game against Lincolnwood-Morrisonville on Monday, April 7. Walker also scored one of four Lincolnwood runs in the first as the Lancers came away with a 9-3 victory over the neighboring Hiltoppers.

Early Runs Lift Lancers Over Hillsboro

The Lincolnwood-Morrisonville baseball team built a four-run first inning into a 9-3 victory over visiting Hillsboro Monday afternoon, April 7; the Lancers moved to 3-4, while the Toppers fell to … more

by Ron Deabenderfer and Kyle Herschelman | 4/10/25

Hillsboro Boys On Top At Gillespie Quad

The Hillsboro boys track team picked up 99 points and a team victory on Tuesday, April 8, as they took the top spot in a quad meet in Gillespie. The Toppers finished 12 points ahead of Vandalia and … more

4/10/25

Eight-Run Fourth Lifts Jerseyville Past Hillsboro

Lesson learned for the 2025 Hillsboro baseball team – don’t mess with Panthers, especially those from Jerseyville, because, at least for this season when the Toppers are young and … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 4/10/25