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Sam Schwab recorded his first hole in one during a practice round at Bardstown Country Club in Bardstown, KY, on Tuesday, July 15, as he aced the par-3, 145-yard 12th hole.

Schwab Earns First Ace In Kentucky Practice Round

Litchfield’s Sam Schwab teed off for the first of two rounds at the Kentucky Regional Final of the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championships on Wednesday, July 16, and if … more

7/17/25

Epplin’s New Book Available For Pre-Order

The rousing story of two trailblazing superstars—Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Moses Malone—whose improbable alliance and unsung legacies shaped the wildest and most innovative … more

7/14/25

Jaimann Ellis lifted 425 pounds in the deadlift at the Raise The Bar For Cancer powerlifting meet in April, giving him a total of 1,005 pounds for the day (335 each in the squat and bench). Raise The Bar and McCormick Strength Training will host another meet in Hillsboro during the Old Settlers Celebration, on Aug. 3, at 11 a.m. at the Hillsboro Creamery.

Old Settlers Powerlifting Meet Has New Location, Same Power

The second annual Old Settlers Powerlifting Meet is quickly approaching and this year, the event has a sweet new spot. Hillsboro’s Raise The Bar is partnering with Virden-based McCormick … more

7/14/25

Standing next to youth baseball photo of Reid Detmers at Angeles Stadium in Anaheim, CA, Connor Billington got the chance to see the Nokomis native on the mound a little bit later as Detmers pitched a scoreless seventh inning in the Angels’ 10-5 win over Arizona on July 12.

Reid All About It

Reid Detmers’ streak of appearances without yielding an earned run ended on July 9, but it didn’t take the Nokomis native too long to bounce back. Detmers had gone 22 innings without … more

7/14/25

Sandlot Kids Win Jacksonville Tourney

The Sandlot Kids 9U baseball team took the championship at the Play the Turf Tournament in Jacksonville on June 27-28. In front, from the left, are Beau Arkebauer, Jaxynn Cox, Harlo Stokes, Ellis … more

7/14/25

Sabol An Academic All-American

Nokomis' Carter Sabol was selected to the 2025 Baseball Academic All-America First Team as chosen by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) after a successful season with the from Missouri Baptist … more

7/10/25

While his uncles have been running in the modified and pro modified classes in Macon, five-year-old Stryker Lynch is getting his first taste of being on the track, racing quarter midgets in Granite City, where he’s finished third twice, and Taylorville.

Lynch Makes Podium In Quarter Midget Debut

While the current generation has been hitting the track in the full-sized cars, the next generation of Lynch Motorsports did the same, on a smaller scale. Stryker Lynch, the five-year-old son of … more

7/10/25

It’s been a roller coaster season for Litchfield racer Bodee Everett, who scored a pair of top three finishes at Wayne County Speedway at the end of May, before rolling his winged micro sprint car at Coles County Speedway on June 21.

Rollover Not How Everett Wanted To Finish On Top

Litchfield racer Bodee Everett had his season heading in the right direction with a pair of top three finishes in late May, but bad luck has taken its toll on the 14-year-old in his last two races. … more

7/10/25

Leach Races NASCAR Vets At Lincoln Speedway

Harvel’s Bryan Leach has raced twice since his season opener in Jacksonville on June 27, where he finished tenth in the modified class. Leach was one of nine cars to take a DNF (did not … more

7/10/25

Pictured above are the winning duos from the Pickleball Smash in Raymond on June 28. From the left are second place Lennox Cole and Luke Pope, first place Desi Pitchford and Jaylee Krager and third place Brady Schmedeke and Aiden Edge.

Raymond Pickleball Tourney A Smash

Pickleballers from the Panhandle and beyond made their way to Raymond Park on Saturday, June 28, for the Pickleball Smash tournament, hosted by the Raymond Town Celebration. Concessions were served … more

7/10/25

Hearns Make Trip To Finals At WWT

The Hearn brothers brought home some hardware from World Wide Technologies (WWT) Raceway on July 5, as they both made it to the finals on the day. Timothy Hearn raced in the Sportsman class and was … more

7/10/25

After winning the shot put, coming in second in the javelin and placing sixth and seventh in the discus and hammer throw, Hillsboro grad Magnus Wells was named the Field Athlete of the Meet at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin track championships.

Former Topper All-Everything At Augie

Magnus Wells’ junior season with the Augustana College track team was a special one to say the least. The son of Mike and Haley Wells of Coffeen, Wells set five new personal records, added … more

7/7/25

Hillsboro's Chase Saathoff took second at the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday, June 28, the first of two straight runner-up finishes in the American Flat Track Singles Series. Saathoff also finished second at the DuQuoin Mile on Saturday, July 5, crossing the line just two hundredths of a second after points leader Tom Drane.

Saathoff Runner-Up At DuQuoin Mile

Just two hundredths of a second separated Tom Drane and Hillsboro’s Chase Saathoff at the finish line of the DuQuoin Mile on Saturday, July 5, with the Australian-born points leader edging the … more

7/7/25

Center & Guard: Draft Prospect Sparks Trip Down Memory Lane

Twenty years ago, I quit my job as a housekeeping supervisor at the Hyatt in St. Louis to pursue a vague dream of “working in baseball.” It’s what I convinced myself I wanted to do … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 7/7/25

Litchfield Squatches Take Second In Tourney

The 12U Litchfield Squatches finished their summer baseball season with an impressive 12U South SWIBL tournament run in the last weekend in June. The squad got off to a hot start, winning their round … more

7/3/25

Hillsboro Softball Finishes Perfect Season

It was a banner summer season for the Hillsboro 14U softball girls squad, who capped off an undefeated season with an end-of-season tournament title on Friday evening, June 27. The girls final record … more

7/3/25

Work continues this summer on the new gym facilities at Lincolnwood High School in Raymond. The 5,000 square foot addition to the current facilities will be the home of a new weight and cheer room for students, pairing well with the gymnasium renovation which will feature revamped locker rooms, new bleachers and a new court floor. S. M. Wilson is serving as the general contractor for this project, with Graham and Hyde Architects serving as the architect. Concrete is being supplied by Poggenpohl Redi-Mix in Raymond.

Panhandle Board Hears Construction Updates

Several personnel matters were taken care of during the Panhandle School Board meeting on Wednesday, June 25, after the meeting was pushed back two days from its original date. Four of the six … more

6/30/25

Kinsley Trader holds her first place trophy in Sub-Advanced Trampoline at the USTA Nationals in Rapid City, SD.

Kinsley Trader Wins Big At USTA Nationals

Kinsley Trader, upcoming senior at HHS, competed at the USTA Nationals in Rapid City, SD, on Monday, June 16, through Wednesday, June 18. She also attended the practice for Advanced and Elite … more

6/30/25

Litchfield junior drag racers Wesson Eichelberger (left) and Greyson Hopley (right) both made the trip to I-57 Dragstrip in Benton on May 31, to grab some experience and a few win lights.

Hopley, Eichelberger Hit The Dragstrip

The stable of drag racers from Litchfield continues to grow as Wesson Eichelberger made his junior dragster debut at Midstate Dragway in Havana on May 24. Eichelberger, who turned seven in June, … more

6/30/25

Wood Wins Shootout At Coles County

Litchfield racer Corey Wood picked up the shootout win at the Rosalee Noble Memorial Race at the Coles County Dragway in Charleston on Friday, May 30. Holding the check in front, with their dog … more

6/30/25