The Journal-News

Members of the Hillsboro High School girls soccer team who earned spots on the all-conference team were honored by Coach Dave Mattson during an end-of-season awards banquet on Tuesday, May 30, at the Hillsboro Sports Complex. From the left are third team all-conference members Ava Pollard and Allie Kuhns; second team all-conference members Avery Walden, Sierra Compton and Isabella White; and first team all-conference honorees Sally Mattson and Kinley Richardson.

Seven Hillsboro players and three Litchfield players earned all-conference accolades from the girls soccer coaches of the South Central Conference by virtue of their play this past season. … more

6/1/23

Nokomis High School grade Kate (Singler) Malveaux and her husband Chris are in Oklahoma City this week as the University of Tennessee softball team competes in the Women's College World Series. This is the Malveauxs' second year in Knoxville, having coached at the University of Missouri for three years prior to their move east.

Malveauxs Have Front Row Seat For Vols World Series Run

For the first time in eight years the University of Tennessee softball team is playing in the Women’s College World Series and one couple with Montgomery County ties is going along for the … more

6/1/23

HEAT Tumblers Compete At State Meet In April

On April 22-23, 67 athletes from Hilltop Elite Academy of Tumbling and Trampoline, Inc. (HEAT) traveled to Pana, for the Southern Illinois State Competition to compete against other … more

6/1/23

Keenan Powell's third jump of 12.85 meters in Thursday's preliminary round of the IHSA Class 1A State Finals was enough to get him to Saturday's final round, but the Litchfield High School junior had bigger plans for the finale. Powell jumped 13.43 meters (44'0.75") in his first of three jumps on May 27 to break the school record and finish third overall in the triple jump.

Powell, Quarton Add To Newkirk's Legacy

Even after 31 years of making the trek from Litchfield to Charleston, no matter how hard Dan Newkirk tried to think otherwise he knew that this year was different. “My thought was to keep … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/30/23

With the O'Brien Field press box in the background, Hillsboro High School senior Tanner Clayton goes up for one of his attempts at clearing 3.8 meters in the pole vault at the IHSA Class 1A State Finals track meet in Charleston on Thursday, May 25.

Hard Work Pays Off For Toppers With Trip To State

Brayden Fowler, Tanner Clayton and Blaze Helton knew their track season was going to come to an end last week, but the question for the three Hillsboro High School seniors was whether it would be the … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/30/23

College Report: Catching Up With Montgomery County’s Athletes

Every athlete in the world would like to exit the sport they love on top. Tess Saathoff , a Hillsboro graduate and Blackburn College golfer, knows exactly how that feels. Going out a winner? … more

5/30/23

2023 A Test For Hillsboro Baseball Team

When a team in any sport on any level wins only 10% of their games, multiple reasons come together, and all are hard to separate. The physical, statistical reasons are easier to sniff out than the … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 5/30/23

The Litchfield Middle School 4x200 meter relay team ran a 1:55.67 to take the top spot at the IESA State Finals Track Meet on May 20, in East Peoria, by 1.27 seconds over Mercer County. Above, from the left, are Kilee Hoover, Jada Carroll and Emma Weidner, with the fourth member of the relay, Lydia Gruelle pictured on the right during the Mid-State Conference meet. The state title was one of five state medals for the Litchfield girls, with the Litchfield boys bringing home five more.

Litchfield Medal Haul Includes Another Title

For the second year in a row, the Litchfield Middle School girls track team is coming home with a championship from the IESA Class 3A State Finals, but this year, the four young athletes get to … more

5/25/23

After finishing fifth at state last year in the high jump, Hillsboro Junior High eighth grader Jaida Linn cleared 5'1" and beat Beardstown's Jenny Bongo in a jump-off to claim the state championship in the event on Saturday, May 20, at the IESA State Finals in East Peoria.

Linn Reaches New Heights At State Meet

For the fifth time since 1985 and the first time since 2017, Hillsboro Junior High is the home of an IESA track state champion. Hillsboro eighth grader Jaida Linn cleared a 5’1” in … more

5/25/23

It was a trip to remember for the Litchfield Middle School boys track team as the Panther Cubs brought home five medals from state, matching the five earned by their female counterparts. Above, from the left, are Jalen Stewart, Ryker Witt, Andrew Boston and Jaxon Ray, who finished second in the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays, with the 4x400 squad setting a new school record at 4:01.30.

Panthers' Trip To State Not Short On Storylines

Feel free to pick a highlight from the Litchfield Middle School boys’ track team’s trip to the IESA State Finals on May 19-20. You could go with the 4x400 relay, which finished … more

5/25/23

For the fifth time in the program's history, a Litchfield High School female athlete medalled in the 300 meter hurdles at the IHSA State Finals. Kendall Stewart, above, placed second at this year's meet, running a personal-best 45.21.

Stewart Second At State

The goal going into the 2023 track season was simple for Litchfield’s Kendall Stewart. On Saturday, May 20, that goal was accomplished as Stewart finished second in the 300 meter hurdles at the … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/22/23

Nokomis' Irene Vandenbergh earned the school's first medal in track, jumping 10.5 meters to finish eighth in the triple jump on Saturday, May 20, at the IHSA State Finals track meet in Charleston. Vandenbergh made it to the finals thanks to a 10.27 meter jump (above) on her last attempt in preliminarys on Thursday, May 18.

Vandenbergh's Medal A First For Nokomis

“I was hoping to have fun.” That was Irene Vandenbergh’s goal going into the IHSA Class 1A State Finals track meet on May 18 in Charleston. Two days later, Vandenbergh got that … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/22/23

Nokomis' Addison Dangbar prepares to make the throw back into the infield after a double to center field during the Lady Redskins' regional championship game in Carrollton on Saturday, May 20. The regional hosts used a five-run sixth inning to put the game out of reach as Carrollton defeated Nokomis 10-2 to take the title.

Flowers Brings Title To Carrollton In May

Carrollton sophomore Lauren Flowers was impressive in the circle and at the plate on Saturday, May 20, as the Hawks ended Nokomis’ season with a 10-2 win in the regional championship in … more

5/22/23

Lincolnwood-Morrisonville's Lance Weitekamp went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the regional championship game against Pawnee on Saturday, May 20, in Nokomis. The Lancers gave the Indians all they could handle before falling to the regional's top seed 5-4 in nine innings.

Indians Get Past Lancers In Extra Innings

The Pawnee Indians escaped with a 5-4 victory and a regional championship on Saturday, May 20, in Nokomis as Nick Rice singled home the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the … more

5/22/23

Hillsboro's Dylan Lessman (center) sprints toward the finish line in the 200 meter dash at the Gillespie Sectional on Thursday, May 18. Lessman finished 10th in the 200, but also scored points for the Toppers in the 100, where he finished sixth, and 400, where he finished third.

Topper Track Has A Senior Moment At Sectional

There is a lot of young talent on the Hillsboro boys track team, but on Thursday, May 18, at the Gillespie Sectional, the night belonged to the three seniors on the Hiltoppers’ roster. … more

5/22/23 | 1 comment

Litchfield's Kaden Bergman and Auburn's Treshaun Lancaster sprint to the next handoff of the 4x200 relay at the IHSA Class 1A sectional in Gillespie on Thursday, May 18. Bergman and teammates Martavious Jones, Zach Leitschuh and Easton Grammer finished fifth overall in a time of 1:38.49.

Quarton, Powell, Painter Punch Ticket To State

If you were asked to predict three members of the Litchfield High School boys track team to qualify for state, Camden Quarton and Keenan Powell would probably be your first two guesses. And they … more

5/22/23

Nokomis' Max Huston crosses the finish line as the anchor leg of the Redskins' 4x200 meter relay team at the IHSA Class 1A Gillespie Sectional on Thursday, May 18. Huston and teammates Kadynn Petty, Jack Johnson and Noah Blaum ran a 1:46.18 to finish 10th at the sectional.

Redskins Gain Experience At Sectional

The Nokomis boys track team competed in their first IHSA sectional in nearly 40 years on Thursday, May 18, in Gillespie as the Redskins continue to add to their experience in the track … more

5/22/23

Jhude Walker jarred the ball loose as he slid into home for one of Lincolnwood's runs in their seven-run fourth inning on Thursday, May 18, at the Nokomis Regional. The Lancers used the big inning to break a 1-1 tie with Nokomis, en route to a 10-3 regional semifinal win over the Redskins.

Fourth Inning Pushes Lancers Past 'Skins

A seven-run fourth inning broke open a tied game as the Lincolnwood-Morrisonville baseball team defeated Nokomis 10-3 on Thursday, May 18, in the semifinals of the Nokomis Regional. The Redskins … more

5/22/23

College Report: Hanner Wins Five To Wrap Up Senior Year

In the 1970s, Yankee slugger Reggie Jackson earned the nickname “Mr. October”. Hillsboro graduate Kaili Hanner might just follow in the legendary slugger’s footsteps in earning … more

by Dan Chamness | 5/22/23

Pictured above, in front, from the left are Rick Zucker of Chesterfield, MO, Carl Riechers of Wentzville, MO and Jeremy Gibbs of St. Peters, MO. In back are Tony Parker of Rochester, Ryan and Jennifer Van Der Karr of Dwight, Chad Kahl of Bloomington, Brian Flaspohler of Chesterfield, MO, Sean Kolodziej of Joliet, Jim Leefers of Coffeen and Bill Pearce of Elmhurst.

Baseball Researchers Meet At BRS

The Bottomley-Ruffing-Schalk Baseball Museum in Nokomis was recently the venue chosen as the meeting site for a joint venture between two chapters of the Society for American Baseball Research, … more

5/22/23