Sports | The Journal-News

Lincolnwood's Reagan Penrod sets up a kill for the Lancers during their Gold Bracket semifinal game on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Montgomery County Invitational. The Lancers went 3-2 at the Grace Tournament, finishing fourth overall.

Lincolnwood Takes Fourth At Grace Tournament

For the seventh year in a row, the Lincolnwood-Morrisonville volleyball team entered the final day of the Montgomery County Invitational with a chance at the title. While championship number three in … more

9/17/26

Nokomis' Alivia Sabol goes up for a kill against the Hillsboro block of Lydia Collins and Peyton Chappelear during the Gold Bracket semifinal on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Montgomery County Invitational. The two teams split the first two sets of the showdown, with Hillsboro escaping with a 17-15 win in the third set to move on to the championship game.

Hillsboro/Nokomis Semi An Instant MCI Classic

As satisfying as the championship game of the Montgomery County Invitational was for the Hillsboro High School volleyball team, the game of the tournament may have been the semifinal before that. … more

9/17/26

It was a busy Saturday for Litchfield's Leighton Warchol, shown here during the Panthers' opening game at the Montgomery County Invitational on Friday, Sept. 11. After finishing 12th at the Shelbyville Trail Invite for the Litchfield cross country team, Warchol made her way back to Simmons Gym and helped the Panthers to two wins and a ninth place finish at this year's Grace Tournament.

Panthers Go Out On High Note

The Litchfield High School volleyball team went out on a high note at the Montgomery County Invitational as they won both of their games in the Bronze Bracket to finish the tournament in ninth. The … more

9/17/26

Nokomis Gets Past Lancers To Take Third

Death, taxes and a close game between the Lincolnwood and Nokomis volleyball teams have been the few certainties in life the last few years and the third place game at the Montgomery County … more

9/17/26

The Litchfield High School boys cross country team finished third at the Shelbyville Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 12, with three runners in the top 30. Pictured from the left are Coach Jeremy Palmer, Dean Gibbs, Dawson Hemken, Jake Wilson, Fisher Ellis, Lukas Paine, Augustus Hale, Nolan Engstrom, Connor Engstrom, Alex Farrar, and Atlas DeWitt.

Litchfield Takes Third At Shelbyville

Lukas Paine may only be in his first year of cross country, but the Litchfield High School junior has looked like an old pro in his first two meets of the 2026 season. Paine, who ran at the state … more

9/17/26

The Litchfield Middle School cross country team came home with 13 medals and a second place finish in the girls varsity race at the Shelbyville Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 12. In the front are Ella Engstrom, Rilyn Petroski, Caris Vaughn, Payton Ronco, Lynnox Kessler, Alli Barwick and Natalie Stewart. In the back are Travis Farris, Reid Birkenkamp, Riley Faulk, Elysse Ellinger, Chloe Seaton, Aaliyah Jones, Avery Barcum, Memphis Jones, Sonya Wilson, Landon Krauss, Cooper Favre, Josiah Huges, and Greyson Holliday.

Panther Cubs Score Precious Medals

The Litchfield Middle School cross country team went medal hunting in Shelbyville on Saturday, Sept. 12, and came back with a boat load from the two-mile circuit on General Dacey Trail. The … more

9/17/26

Litchfield Girls Fourth At Shelbyville To Start Season

The Litchfield High School girls cross country team picked up where they left off last year with a solid performance out of the gate on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Shelbyville Invite. The Lady … more

9/17/26

Lincolnwood Takes Top Spot At Edgewood Again

The Lincolnwood/Morrisonville/Pawnee boys golf team were back at Edgewood Golf Course on Monday, Sept. 14, five days after winning the MSM Conference title at the Auburn golf course. The Lancers were … more

9/17/26

Litchfield Spreads The Wealth In 7-0 Victory

After four straight losses following their championship at the Kickoff Classic on Route 66, the Litchfield boys soccer team was in need of a solid performance to get back on track. On Tuesday, … more

9/17/26

Lady Lancers Clip Cavaliers In Three Sets

The Lincolnwood/Morrisonville volleyball team put down a season-best 41 kills on Monday, Sept. 14, as the Lady Lancers came away with a three-set victory over Carlinville at the Woodshed in Raymond. … more

9/17/26

Panthers 1st, Lancers 2nd At Litchfield Country Club

The Litchfield High School girls golf team hosted Lincolnwood/Morrisonville and three fellow members of the South Central Conference on Monday, Sept. 14, and took first at their home course. The Lady … more

9/17/26

Tennis Toppers Remain Perfect In South Central

The Hillsboro girls tennis team bumped their record back to .500 for the season and continued their undefeated streak in the South Central Conference with a 9-0 victory over Bunker Hill/Staunton on … more

9/17/26

Fuller Medalist In Close Home Match With Pana

Hillsboro and Pana squared off at the Hillsboro Country Club on Monday, Sept. 14, with the Panthers winning on a fifth score tiebreaker after the two teams were knotted at 169 from their top four … more

9/17/26

Lady Redskins Make It Back To Gold Bracket

After winning the Montgomery County Invitational for the first time last year, the Nokomis High School volleyball team was looking to add another trophy to their case when the tournament kicked off … more

9/17/26

Hillsboro Goes 3-0 On Day One Of Grace Tourney

Hillsboro’s run to a championship in this year’s Montgomery County Invitational started on Friday, Sept. 11, in the Purple Pool, where they didn’t drop a set in three games. A scrappy Mt. … more

9/17/26

Grace Trophy Goes Home To Hillsboro

After finishing third three times, the Hillsboro High School volleyball team finally brought home the title at the Montgomery County Invitational, also known as the Grace Tournament. The Hiltoppers … more

9/14/26

There wasn't much that Tri-County could do to stop Nokomis' Colby Wilson (#88), Griffin Engelman (#66) and the rest of the Redskin defense on Friday, Sept. 11, as the Titans were held scoreless in three of the four quarters. Nokomis overcame a pair of fumbles in the first half to outscore the Titans 14-0 in the second half, en route to a 20-6 victory that bumped them to 3-1 overall.

Nokomis Bounces Back With Win

After a tough loss to Sullivan in week three, the Nokomis High School football team bounced back with their third win of the season on Friday, Sept. 11, as they defeated Tri-County 20-6 in Oakland. … more

9/14/26

Sawyer Hindle (#5) and the Hillsboro defense made it tough for Drake Graber and the Greenville offense to get much going on Friday, Sept. 11, as they created five turnovers and held the Comets scoreless in the middle two quarters. The defense wasn't the only success of the night as Hillsboro scored 35 unanswered points to come away with a 35-14 win over Greenville to improve to 4-0.

Toppers Move To 4-0

On Friday, Sept. 11, with less than a minute to play in the first quarter, the Hillsboro High School football team found themselves down 7-0 to Greenville, facing fourth down and one to go on the … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 9/14/26

Hillsboro's Lennon Guinn tries to create some space between himself and the Greenville defense in the second half of the Toppers' home game against the Comets on Sept. 10. Guinn had one of Hillsboro's eight goals in Thursday's shutout win, which improved the Toppers to 2-0 in the South Central Conference.

Hillsboro Improves To 2-0 In SCC

Fresh off victories over Southwestern and St. Anthony Tuesday and Wednesday, the Hillsboro High School boys soccer team hosted the Greenville Comets Thursday, Sept. 10, looking to continue an … more

9/14/26

Here’s A Good Sign For LMS, LHS Athletics

If you’re looking for a reason to be enthusiastic about the future of Litchfield athletics, this is your sign. Or signs to be more accurate as road signs recognizing IESA state champions Sam Mazza … more

9/14/26