Litchfield High Sports | The Journal-News

Litchfield's Katie Bates put herself in the right place at the right time with two minutes to go in regulation as she sent a shot into the back of the net to tie Southwestern at 5-5 at the end of regulation of the Panthers' regional semifinal game on May 9. After both teams scored in overtime, Litchfield beat the Piasa Birds 3-2 in the penalty kick shootout to advance to the regional championship game in Greenville on Friday, May 12, at 4:30 p.m.

The semifinal of the Greenville Regional between the Litchfield and Southwestern girls soccer teams on May 9, was the perfect example of why you don’t leave a game early. If you would have … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/11/23

Litchfield Picks Up Third Win Over Toppers

Litchfield High’s baseball team faced Hillsboro three times in the 2023 baseball season – once in the county tournament, once in conference play and Tuesday, May 9, in Litchfield as the … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 5/11/23

Hillsboro Ties Up Softball Series With Panthers

After falling to the Panthers 5-2 on April 28 in the South Central Conference match-up between the Hillsboro and Litchfield softball teams, the Hiltoppers were looking for a little revenge going into … more

5/11/23

The Litchfield Wrestling Foundation will be hosting its third annual cornhole tournament on Saturday, Sept. 2, with the proceeds benefitting former Panther wrestler Aaron Roach and his recovery from a motorcycle accident in June.

Cornhole Tournament To Benefit Roach’s Recovery

The proceeds from the third annual Litchfield Wrestling Foundation Cornhole Tournament will be going to benefit one of their own this year as the event is set for Saturday, Sept. 2. Litchfield … more

8/3/23

Litchfield's Vincent Moore, left, finished fourth at 113 pounds at the Princeton Invitational Tournament on Jan. 5-6. Moore was one of two Panther wrestlers to make the podium, with Braxton Kieffer finishing seventh at 144 pounds. Pictured with Moore are champion Hunter Robbins of Illini Bluffs, runner-up Cooper Morris of Coal City, third place finisher Ivan Munoz of Ottawa Township and fifth place finisher Carter Knobloch of Olympia.

Moore, Kieffer Medal At Princeton

Two Litchfield wrestlers medalled in the 60th Annual Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament on Jan. 5-6, which brings some of the best wrestlers in the state to the town of 7,800, 170 miles … more

1/11/24

McGraw Invite Tips Off Saturday In Litchfield

The 2024 edition of the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational tips off this Saturday, Jan. 13, at 2:30 p.m. with top seeded Triad facing ninth seeded Father McGivney in the opener at Simmons Gym in … more

1/11/24

Panthers Win Three In Springfield

It was a busy and competitive last few days of 2023 for the Litchfield High School wrestling team as they went. In their opening match, the Panthers scored a 48-33 win over West Frankfort, picking up … more

1/2/24

Litchfield Boys Bounce Back Against Oilers

Two weeks ago East Alton-Wood River and Litchfield squared off on a neutral court, with the Purple Panthers walking away with a 34-point win. On Tuesday, Jan. 9, the Oilers and Purple Panthers met … more

1/11/24

Litchfield Volleyball Snaps Two-Game Skid

After dropping back-to-back games for just the second time this year, the Litchfield High School volleyball team rebounded with a pair of victories to boost themselves back over the .500 mark for the … more

10/5/23

Sangamon Valley's Ainsley Campbell makes contact with Emma Diveley as the Litchfield senior drives to the hoop during the 11th place game at the Riverton Christmas Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 28. Diveley had 18 points for the Lady Panthers, who beat Sangamon Valley 45-10 for their third win of the season.

Lady Panthers End 2023 On A Win

The Litchfield girls basketball team snapped a six-game losing streak on Thursday, Dec. 28, with a 45-10 victory over Sangamon Valley/Tri-City (SV/TC) in the 11th place game at the Riverton Christmas … more

1/2/24

Keenan Powell scored 19 points in the first half of Litchfield's 70-52 win over Gillespie on Thursday, Dec. 28, at the Carlinville Holiday Tournament. Powell needed 15 points to reach 1,000 for his career as he became the 16th Litchfield boys basketball player to reach the milestone.

Litchfield Boys Finish Second At Carlinville

After strolling through the pool play portion of the Carlinville Holiday Tournament, the Purple Panthers ran into a road block in the championship contest on Friday evening. Litchfield finished pool … more

1/2/24

Auburn second baseman Jed Ferguson watches as Litchfield-Mt. Olive's Matthew Bywater starts his slide during the game in Litchfield on Friday, March 22. Bywater was 1-for-1 with two walks and two runs scored as Litchfield came from behind to score a 5-3 victory over the Trojans and improve their record to 7-0 on the season.

Unbeaten Panthers Survive Tough Tests

After strolling through their first five games of the season, the Litchfield-Mt. Olive baseball club accepted their first challenge of the season, a road trip to New Berlin on March 21. In a … more

3/25/24

The Litchfield boys golf team won the program's first sectional title on Monday, Oct. 2, defeating defending state champion Effingham St. Anthony by one stroke to win the Waterloo Gibault Sectional at the Acorns Links in Waterloo. From the left are Coach Dan Stewart, Tug Schwab, Brawly Jacobs, Sam Schwab, Ian Otto, Tucker Maguire, A.J. Odle and Head Coach Justin Ripley.

Litchfield Headed Back To State

Litchfield knew what St. Anthony brought to the table. The Effingham-based Catholic school wasn’t just the defending state champions, they were one of the few teams that had beaten the … more

10/5/23

Powell First At Illinois Top Times

Litchfield senior Keenan Powell proved once again that he’s one of the top triple jumpers in Class 1A on Friday, March 22, as he won the event at the Illinois Top Times Indoor Classic at the … more

3/25/24

Panthers Claim SCC Soccer Title

While their 3-1 victory over Greenville clinched at least a share of the South Central Conference title, the Litchfield-Gillespie boys soccer team still had one more thing to do before they could … more

10/5/23

Litchfield Puts It All Together Against Vandals

If the Litchfield boys basketball team didn’t have a win to hang their hat on going into their meeting with Vandalia on Jan. 5, at Simmons Gym, they had one after it. The Purple Panthers may … more

1/8/24

Litchfield-Mt. Olive's Lili Readenour elevates to snag the throw from the outfield as Marquette's Jayla Dickson closes in on second base with a double. Dickson was 4-for-4 with four runs scored for the Explorers and Readenour went 3-for-3 with three runs scored for the Panthers as Litchfield won a slugfest on Thursday, March 21, by a 16-9 final score.

Litchfield Softball Collects First Win

The Litchfield-Mt. Olive softball team scored seven runs in the first inning of their game with Marquette on Thursday, March 21, then held on for a wild and wind-swept 16-9 victory over the … more

3/25/24

The Litchfield High School boys cross country finished third at the Carlinville Invitational on Oct. 3. From the left are Camden Quarton, Mitchell Floyd, Lucien Quarton, Coach Jeremy Palmer, Kenny Traylor, Alec Roach and Chris McGee. Not pictured is Braxton Kieffer

Panthers, Panther Cubs 1st At Carlinville

The Litchfield boys cross country team snagged the top individual spot and a third place finish in the team ranks at the Carlinville Invitational on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Loveless Park. Paced by … more

10/5/23

After six meets in their inaugural year, the Litchfield Middle School cross country team is ready for sectionals this Saturday, Oct. 7, at Dacey Trail in Shelbyville. Team members, from the left are Coach Jenny Schwab, Camryn Cruthis, Tinley Birkenkamp, Libbey Gibbs, Savannah Roach, Maggie Schwab, Jake Wilson, Madi Betz, Nolan Engstrom, Brylan Marten, Connor Engstrom, Colin Roach, Jaylen Komer, Tessa Floyd, Damian Hancock, Coach Robyn Engstrom. Not pictured is Parish Younker.

Litchfield Girls Off And Running In Carlinville

The Litchfield girls cross country team wasn’t at full strength for the Carlinville Invitational on Tuesday, Oct. 3, but the Lady Panthers still made their presence felt at Loveless Park. … more

10/5/23

Pleasant Plains Powers Past Purple Panthers

After playing one of their best games of the year, the Litchfield boys basketball team took a small step back on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 6, at the Taylorville Shootout. The Cardinals from Pleasant … more

1/8/24