Sports | The Journal-News

Wesclin Halts Hillsboro Comeback

The Hillsboro girls basketball team made the trek to Trenton on Monday, Jan. 8, and nearly battled back from a 14-point deficit before the host Wesclin Warriors emerged with a 46-39 victory. The … more

1/11/24

Tornadoes Beat Lancers In Pitcher’s Duel

Pitching took center stage on Monday, April 29, in Buffalo as Tri-City edged Lincolnwood-Morrisonville in MSM Conference play 2-1, with just five hits allowed between the two teams in the game. … more

5/2/24

Hillsboro High School tennis players Ryder Hoover (left) and Aubrey Reincke (right) got a little time on the courts with Alexandria Rayford recently. Rayford, the new weekday morning anchor at WICS-TV in Springfield, played tennis for Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL, and talked to the girls about her experience there.

WICS Anchor Rayford Talks Tennis With Lady Hiltoppers

Four members of the Hillsboro High School girls tennis team had the chance to pick the brain of a former college player and welcome a new face to the Midwest recently. Auburey Reincke, Ryder … more

6/8/23

Cavaliers Nip Lancers As Regionals Approach

In track you can win by a foot, an arm’s length, or even a whisker, but on Monday, Oct. 2, the Carlinville boys soccer team beat Lincolnwood by a toe. After more than 70 minutes of dead even … more

10/5/23

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

DeWerff Knocks Down DeWinner

Grace DeWerff knocked down a three-pointer from the corner with 3.7 seconds left in the game to give Nokomis a 49-46 win over Okaw Valley in a back and forth affair on the Redskins’ home court … more

1/11/24

Bill Walker (right) and I on pit road at the Enjoy Illinois 300 on June 4. He probably wouldn't have sent me this if he knew I was going to put it in the newspaper.

Center and Guard: Halt! Imposter!

It’s been more than 15 years since I first started writing for The Journal-News and I’ve had the opportunity to cover some pretty cool things, from state championships to UFC fights to … more

6/12/23

Hillsboro Volleyball Second At Morrisonville Tourney

The Hillsboro High School volleyball team went 4-1 at the Morrisonville Tournament last week, finishing second to a young, but talented junior varsity squad from Taylorville. The Tornadoes defeated … more

10/5/23

Hillsboro's Jace Stewart (left) and Jackson Tuetken (right) pressure East Alton-Wood River's Tah'juan Smith during the Toppers' 70-67 overtime win over the Oilers on Friday, Dec. 29, at the Carlinville Holiday Tournament. The win gave Hillsboro fifth place at the tournament, with Stewart scoring 21 points in Hillsboro's sixth victory of the season.

Toppers Fifth With OT Win Over Oilers

It was a wowser of a game when Hillsboro’s boys’ team outscored the East Alton Wood River Oiles 6-3 in overtime to capture fifth place in the Carlinville Holiday Classic by winning 70-67. … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 1/2/24

Late Surge Sends North Mac Past Lancers

A strong finish by the North Mac Lady Panthers kept Lincolnwood from picking up their seventh win of the season on Monday, Jan. 8, as the Lancers fell 39-26 to their Macoupin County neighbors. … more

1/11/24

Kyle Busch lights up the rear tires of his #8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camero after winning NASCAR's Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison on June 4.

BUSCHHHHHH!

After leading the most laps last year and sharing a surname with one of the men that made St. Louis famous, it was only appropriate that Kyle Busch made it to victory lane in the second annual … more

6/12/23

Threes Push Mater Dei Past Nokomis Boys

The Nokomis boys basketball team had the opportunity to play on Fred Rakers Court at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Breese on Tuesday, Jan. 9, as the Redskins continue to challenge themselves in … more

1/11/24

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

Five-Run Fourth Lifts Comets Past Litchfield

A five-run fourth inning by Greenville erased a 2-0 Litchfield-Mt. Olive advantage on Tuesday, April 30, as the Lady Comets held on for a 6-3 win in Bond County. Despite playing on the road, the … more

5/2/24

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

Lincolnwood Boys Fall To North Mac

The North Mac Panthers outscored Lincolnwood 14-2 in the fourth quarter to put a nail in their fifth victory of the season on Tuesday, Jan. 9, in Girard, by a 49-29 final score. While the fourth … more

1/11/24

Nokomis' Conner Wilson takes a cut during the Redskins' home game against Carlinville on Thursday, March 21. Wilson was the starting pitcher for Thursday's game and held the Cavies to just one run and four hits in five innings, striking out six as the Redskins emerged with a 6-1 win.

Redskins Roll Past Cavies

The Nokomis Redskins picked up their second straight win on Thursday, March 21, beating Carlinville 6-1 in Nokomis. The two teams traded runs to start the game, with Dom Alepra reaching on a … more

3/25/24

The Lincolnwood and Hillsboro volleyball teams traded in their orange and black for purple on Monday, Oct. 2, for their annual “Grace Game.” The two teams, along with Nokomis and Litchfield, raised more than $7,000 for INAD research from this year’s Montgomery County Invitational Grace Tournament. In front, from the left are Ava Walton, Macie Daugherty, Charley, Kyle and Mary Herschelman, Amya Greenwood and Kennady Clayton. In the second row are Alea Wagahoft, Camryn Poggenpohl, Kinley Morris, Khloe Klinger, Taryn Millburg, Morgan Hampton, Leah Satterlee, Maycie Fuller, Reagan Lentz, Emoree Shepard and Albany Kindernay. In the back are Taryn Love, Zarah Guzman, Audrey Germann, Jazmin Seaton-Hobson, Ella Jenkins, Tori Elvidge, Kierstyn Denney, Morgan Cowdrey, Taryn Clarke, Addison Lowe, Tatum Christian, Hanna Hughes, Ellie Miller, Kearstynn Davis and Tyler Beard.

Grace Game Rematch Goes To Lancers

On Monday, Oct. 2, the Lincolnwood and Hillsboro volleyball teams donated the money they raised for the Montgomery County Invitational, better known as the Grace Tournament, to the family of 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