Sports | The Journal-News

Lincolnwood Ups Record To 34-6

The Lincolnwood/Morrisonville/Pawnee boys golf team swept a pair of matches to end the week as they upped their record to 34-6 on the season. The Lancers were in Petersburg on Thursday, Sept. … more

9/29/25

Just 53 games into his high school career, Litchfield junior Landon Wernsing passed the 100 goal mark on Thursday, Sept. 25, scoring three times in Litchfield's 3-1 win over Southwestern. Pictured above, from the left are Paul Leefers, Carter Wernsing, Michelle Wernsing, Doug Wernsing, Landon Wernsing, Jim Leefers, Tina Leefers and Holly Leefers.

Wernsing Gets 100th Goal In Win

The Litchfield boys soccer team picked up a key South Central Conference win on Thursday, Sept. 25, with an individual milestone putting the icing on the cake for the Purple Panthers. Junior … more

9/29/25

Soccer Toppers Make It 10 Without A Loss

After getting postponed on Tuesday just minutes before they were set to face off against the Litchfield Purple Panthers, the Hillsboro High School boys soccer team traveled to Virden Thursday … more

9/29/25

Hillsboro's Liberty Helton rises up for one of her team-high nine kills against Vandalia on Thursday, Sept. 25, in Hillsboro. After surviving a 28-26 first set, the Toppers made short work of the visiting Vandals in the second set, beating them 25-12 to improve to 12-5 overall and 2-1 in the South Central Conference.

Lady Hiltoppers Get Past Vandals Again

Vandalia has been pretty kind to the Hillsboro volleyball team the last week or so, as the Toppers beat the Vandals on Thursday, Sept. 25, for their fifth win in a row. While Thursday’s … more

9/29/25

Litchfield Girls Win At Pana

A wet afternoon and a tough course didn’t keep the Litchfield Lady Panthers from two more wins on Wednesday, Sept. 24, as they defeated Shelbyville and Pana at Oak Terrace Golf Club. Led … more

9/29/25

Lancers Beat Bunker Hill

The Lincolnwood/Morrisonville volleyball team snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday, Sept. 24, with a three-set win over Bunker Hill on the Minutemaids’ home court. Lincolnwood … more

9/29/25

Lancers Fall To Lions, Hawks

The Lincolnwood soccer team has faced some growing pains lately, but the Lancers are hoping that the tough competition will help them when regionals roll around in a few weeks. Playing on the … more

9/29/25

Win Over Lutheran Puts Nokomis A Win From 20

The Nokomis High School volleyball team pushed their win streak to 19 games and moved their head coach within one win of a milestone on Tuesday, Sept. 23, as they soundly defeated Springfield … more

9/25/25

After 18 holes at Indian Springs Golf Course, the top 11 finishers at the South Central Conference Tournament earned all-conference honors on Monday, Sept. 22. In front, from the left, are Vandalia's Dakira Brown (5th), Litchfield's Faith Ellinger (4th), North Mac's Jacqueline Enrietta (3rd), North Mac's Jersey West (2nd) and Staunton's Kaliana Buehler (1st). In the back are Pana's Brianna Mathis (11th), Hillsboro's Lorelai Carlock (6th), Litchfield's Emma Weidner (6th), Pana's Kaylee Kuhn (6th), Staunton's Izzabell Janus (10th) and Gillespie's Madison Durston (9th).

Lady Panthers 2nd, Lady Hiltoppers 3rd At SCC Tourney

Since 1997, the Staunton High School girls golf team had finished second in the South Central Golf Tournament seven times, but had never won the overall team title. On Monday, Sept. 22, that streak … more

9/25/25

Litchfield Snaps Skid With Win Over Vandals

On Monday, the Litchfield High School volleyball team got as close as they could get to their third win of the season. On Tuesday, the Lady Panthers sealed the deal. Playing on their home court, the … more

9/25/25

Lady Lancers Go Three Against Gillespie

For the seventh time in 17 games this season, the Lincolnwood/Morrisonville volleyball team treated fans to bonus ball as they took Gillespie to three games on Monday, Sept. 22. Playing at their … more

9/25/25

The top 11 finishers at the South Central Conference Boys Golf Tournament earned all-conference honors after the 18-hole showdown at Indian Springs Golf Course on Monday, Sept. 22. In front, from the left, are Staunton's Owen Rizzi (5th), Hillsboro's Owen Fuller (4th), Litchfield's Sam Schwab (2nd), Staunton's Bryce Coalson (2nd) and Carlinville's Cade Vinyard (1st). In the back row are Greenville's Christian Swalley (11th), Pana's Dallas Hubbartt (10th), Carlinville's Carter Zilm (8th), Staunton's Matthew Overby (8th), Hillsboro's Colton Weiss (5th) and Carlinville's Tate Duckels (5th).

Litchfield Boys 3rd, Hillsboro 5th At Indian Springs

The race for the team title going into the South Central Conference Golf Tournament on Monday, Sept. 22, was wide open as several of the teams had traded victories between them during the regular … more

9/25/25

Hillsboro soccer captain Mark Mattson receives the Grace Cup traveling trophy from Charley Herschelman, sister of the Grace Cup’s namesake, and Renna Burke, daughter of Hillsboro Head Coach Jason Burke, after the Toppers’ 5-1 win over Lincolnwood on Monday, Sept. 22.

Grace Cup Stays In Hillsboro

For the second year in a row, the Grace Cup resides in Hillsboro as the Hiltoppers defeated Lincolnwood 5-1 on Monday, Sept. 22, in the annual rivalry game between the two teams. The traveling … more

9/25/25

Hiltoppers Ready To Host Staunton For Homecoming

When Hillsboro hosts the Staunton Bulldogs in an important South Central Conference football game tomorrow evening, Sept. 26, a few questions will be answered-perhaps. Number One - has the young … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 9/25/25

Proceeds from the Austin Krager Memorial Golf Open benefit the special education programs in the Panhandle School District and the trade programs at the Capital Area Career Center in Springfield. Pictured below are tournament organizer Matt Jones, Lincolnwood Principal Ken Schuster, Capital Area Career Center Principal Wes Aymer, and the family of Austin Krager, his parents Mark and Jill Krager, and sisters Skylar Thomas, Madison Krager and Cassie Krager.

Fair Weather And Fairways Greet Krager Golf Open

It was almost as if the tournament’s namesake picked out the weather specifically for his family and friends when the seventh annual Austin Krager Memorial Golf Open teed off on Sept. 7, at … more

9/25/25

Lancers Near Par-fect This Week

It was a productive start to the week for the Lincolnwood/Morrisonville/Pawnee boys golf team as they picked up six wins in two days to improve to 31-6 on the season. On Monday, Sept. 22, it was … more

9/25/25

Lincolnwood Girls Take Top Four Spots

The Lincolnwood/Morrisonville girls golf team turned in one of their best rounds of the season on Monday, Sept. 22, as the Lady Lancers picked up three more wins and had the top four finishers at … more

9/25/25

The Hillsboro High School volleyball team went 4-0 at the Vandalia Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 20, beating Salem in the championship game 25-19, 25-23 to win this year’s title. In front, from the left are Kaelin Cress, Amya Greenwood, Peyton Christian, Briley Kirby, Bailey Chappelear, Teagan Keiffer and Kailey Weiss. In the back row are Liberty Helton, Kaya Connor, Peyton Chappelear, Kearstynn Davis, Jossalyn Kimbro, Lydia Collins and Coach Emily Zimmerman.

Hillsboro Tops At Vandalia

The Hillsboro High School volleyball team bounced back from a tough loss to Staunton on Thursday, Sept. 18, to go 4-0 two days later and capture the championship of the Vandalia Tournament. The … more

9/22/25

Greenville threw everything they could at Hillsboro running back Tytin Wells, who ran for 100 yards against the Comets on Friday, Sept. 19. The Toppers outgained Greenville on the ground 375 yards to 210, but the Comets won where it mattered, on the scoreboard with a 48-28 victory.

Oliver All Over In Comets Win

As the Hillsboro varsity football team battled the Greenville Comets on their field Friday evening, an all too familiar pattern developed. The Toppers’ rushing game kept them close on the … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 9/22/25

From the left, Nokomis defensive linemen Nicholas Huston (#7), Kalasandra Cook (56), Griffin Engelman (#66) and Dominic Hammond square off against the Villa Grove offense during the waning moments of the Redskins' 54-7 victory over the Blue Devils. The win was Nokomis' third this season and second in a row by 47 points or more.

Redskins Roll To Third Win

For the second week in a row, almost everything went right for the Nokomis High School football team as they defeated Villa Grove 54-7 to improve to 3-1 on the … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 9/22/25