The Journal-News

Litchfield Boys Win On Volentine's Day

February 21, 2012. That was the last time Dale Volentine collected a varsity basketball win as a Purple Panther. That streak has now come to an end. On Tuesday, Dec. 6, the Litchfield alum … more

12/8/22

Third Quarter Lifts Hawks Past Litchfield

Trailing by three points at the end of the first quarter at Riverton, the Litchfield Lady Panthers did exactly what they needed to do in the second period as they placed all five starters in the … more

12/8/22

Legendre Leads Bulldogs Past Panthers

Haris Legendre knocked down three of Staunton’s eight three-point field goals and finished the night with 23 points to lead Staunton to a 57-32 South Central Conference win at Litchfield on … more

12/8/22

Roxana’s Donald Battles tries to escape the grasp of Litchfield’s Tristan Staggs during the dual between the Shells and Panthers on Saturday, Dec. 3, in Litchfield. Staggs held on and eventually scored a 7-5 overtime win over Battles.

Litchfield Battles At Home Duals

It was a busy day at Simmons Gym on Dec. 3, as three mats were filled with wrestlers from six different teams as the Litchfield Panthers hosted their annual super duals. Each of the six teams got … more

12/5/22

Purple Panthers Golden Against Greyhounds

For several years the Lebanon Greyhounds were a staple in Litchfield’s midseason basketball tournament. A few years ago, the Greyhounds departed the Litchfield tournament but on Friday night, … more

12/5/22

Litchfield's Laura Boston watches as two of her game-high 17 points fall through the hoop in the first half of the Panthers' home game against Williamsville on Tuesday, Nov. 29. A strong third quarter by the Bullets helped them overcome Boston's big night as they held on for a 33-31 win.

Bullets Graze Litchfield

Trailing by three points with 39 ticks left in the game, Litchfield senior Emma Walch rebounded a Williamsville miss and dished to sophomore Elise Walch, whose path to the basket drew the Panthers to … more

12/1/22

Area Teams To Tip Off For T. Todt

Several area high school basketball teams will participate in a 16-team shootout to honor the legacy of a beloved area broadcaster. The fourth annual T. Todt Shootout vs. Cancer event will be held … more

by Tom Emery | 12/1/22

Panthers Split To Open Wrestling Season

The Litchfield High School wrestling team opened their season with a split on Tuesday, Nov. 29, as they fell to Shelbyville 41-33, but defeated Toledo Cumberland 45-24. Thirty of … more

12/1/22

Litchfield's Victor McGill (#2) goes up and under the hoop to avoid a trio of Calvary defenders in the fourth quarter of the Panthers' game at the Riverton Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday, Nov. 25. McGill finished with 27 points in a 78-76 win over the Saints, one of three Litchfield had at the tournament as they went on to claim the championship in the four-team round robin.

Purple Panthers Picture Perfect At Riverton

Opening their season in the Riverton Thanksgiving Tournament, the Litchfield Purple Panthers would challenge one of their preseason goals: win every tournament they participated in this … more

11/28/22

Vandals Knock Off Litchfield For 3rd Place

Litchfield’s bid for a third place berth in their 23rd Annual Girls Basketball Thanksgiving Tournament had to go through Vandalia and Coach Michelle McNary’s Lady Vandals rose to the … more

11/28/22

First Win Earns Litchfield Spot In Third Place Game

It was a game of firsts for the Litchfield Lady Panthers and it was also a memorable night as Coach Rob Corso’s varsity squad showed marked improvement and recorded their first win of the … more

11/23/22

It was a night to celebrate Litchfield High School boys basketball on Saturday, Nov. 19, as the Panthers’ annual Purple and White Scrimmage kicked off the start of basketball season. New to the event this year, which was supported by McGraw Family Companies (McDonald’s, Hampton Inn and Nancy’s Pizzeria in Litchfield) and Pizza Man of Litchfield, was the LHS Alumni Game. With 14 cheerleaders and 24 alums, the event was a big success and plans are already underway to bring it back next year. Cheerleaders, in front, from the left, are Britney Murphy, Shamera Robinson, Kayla Blom and Jamaica Sellers. In the second row are Alexis Zeller, Lexi Vega, Kailea Dobrinich, Abby Kuehn, Alisha Heyerdahl, Alyssa Clements, Caitlin Magnuson and Brooke Gorowski. In the third row are Brittany Winans and Trisha Fenton. Players from the left are John Corso, Billy Beckham, Mike McGraw, Logan Treece, Kyle Saxby, Eric Barccum, Jackson Wilson, Nathan Divley, Kyle Bishop, Connor Simmons, Dylan Trecce, Rocky Giannuzzi, Alex Hull, Dale Vollentine, Rick Weatherford, Kevin Young, Greg Hires, John Odle, Tim Reynolds, James Odle, Anthony Robinson, Chase Lauderdale, Corbin Govaia and Jay Verstreater. This year's crop of Purple Panthers started their season on a high note on Tuesday, Nov. 22, with a 64-52 victory over Decatur St. Teresa at the Riverton Thanksgiving Tournament.

Litchfield Wins Opening Game

Litchfield tipped off the tournament on Tuesday night, Nov. 22, against the St. Teresa Bulldogs from Decatur. more

11/23/22

Litchfield's Hailey Rentz skirts Carlyle defender Raelyn Harris to find an open teammate during the Panthers' opening game of the Litchfield Thanksgiving Tournament. Carlyle's tenacious defense held Litchfield to just 15 points as the defending champions won 56-15 over the home team.

Carlyle Too Much For Panthers

A persistent and agitating ball press was the catalyst to a 56-15 Carlyle win over the Litchfield Lady Panthers in opening round play of Litchfield’s six-team tournament. Nokomis beat the … more

11/21/22

Brownstown Spoils Panther Home Opener

It was the home season opener for the Litchfield Lady Panthers on Nov. 17 but Brownstown had little sentimentality for their hosts as the Lady Bombers defeated the purple and white 47-33. After … more

11/21/22

Big Goals On The Horizon For Litchfield

“We were an eight seed,” has been echoed throughout Simmons Gym since Nov. 7. An echo by outsiders but a motto or motivational tool from the insiders. The insiders, the 29 Litchfield … more

11/21/22

Litchfield's Emma Walch tries to track down Hailey Engelman of Nokomis during the county rival game on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Engelman led Nokomis with 17 points in the Redskins' 51-19 win over the Purple Panthers.

Redskins Club Purple Panthers In Debut

It was a rough season opener for the Litchfield Lady Panthers as they traveled to Nokomis Tuesday evening, Nov. 15, and absorbed a 51-19 loss. While neither team established much of a threat on … more

11/17/22

Senior Leadership Drives Lady Panthers To 16 Wins

Although the varsity Lady Panthers volleyball team did not fulfill their pre-season goal of finishing the season as regional champions, there are many reasons to celebrate the success of one of the … more

11/10/22

While Camden Quarton was the only Litchfield runner on the soggy course at Detweiller Park on Saturday, Nov. 6, Quarton’s coaches and teammates braved the wet weather in Peoria to cheer on the junior standout in his second state trip. From the left are Coach Jeremy Palmer, Quarton, Sam Horn, Kenny Traylor and Assistant Coach Vincent Fanelli.

Quarton Makes Return To State Meet

Since 2002, only one Litchfield runner had ever competed in the IHSA Cross Country State Finals in back-to-back years. On Saturday, Nov. 6, Camden Quarton made it two. Quarton joined 2005 grad … more

11/7/22

Alumni, Skills Test Added To LHS Scrimmage

A high school skills competition and an alumni game have been added to the annual Litchfield High School boys basketball scrimmage, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. at Simmons … more

11/7/22

Hillsboro, Litchfield Land Six On All-SCC Volleyball Teams

The Hillsboro and Litchfield high school volleyball teams each landed three players on this year’s South Central Conference All-Conference list after finishing second and third respectively in … more

11/3/22