Intelligencer Fall Sports Guide 2016

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August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

Defense will look to lead way for Edwardsville

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com A first-round exit in the Class 8A postseason meant the end to a 2015 season for the Edwardsville Tigers that started with high expectations.

Edwardsville, which went 9-1 and won the Southwestern Conference title, still has those high expectations a season later.

“It’s the same (as every year),” coach Matt Martin said of the expectations. “We would like to win a conference championship and would like to put ourselves in position to compete for a state title.”

At quick glance 2015 record: 9-1 Conference record: 7-0, 1st Postseason: Class 8A 1st round, lost to Waubounsie Valley in overtime Offensive starters returning: 7 Defensive starters returning: 4 Coach: Matt Martin Intelligencer MVPs: Kendell Davis, AJ Epenesa Edwardsville has won three straight conference championships and hasn’t lost a league game since Sept. 8, 2012, to East St. Louis. It’s a 27-game win streak.

The program’s first-ever state championship has been much more elusive.

“I’m sure people have different opinions on where we are at, but I think we’re pretty close in a lot of areas. Sometimes it’s just a play here or there,” said Martin, whose team has made five straight postseason appearances. “We didn’t’ have our starting quarterback (Riley Jones) last year and we go into overtime against a team (Aurora Waubonsie Valley) that made it all the way to the semifinals.”

The year before, the Tigers lost 42-35 in the second round to HomewoodFlossmoor. The Vikings went on to take second place in Class 8A. Edwardsville enters the new season with an experienced defensive line and set of linebackers. Last year, the group helped the defense allow a league-low 8.2 points per game with two shutouts.

Senior AJ Epenesa (6-5, 260), an Iowa recruit, returns at defensive end.

He is a preseason All-American after coming away with 39 tackles, seven sacks and three fumble recoveries as a junior.

“AJ is going to have to be more of a vocal leader, and I’ve seen that out of him. That’s a positive,” Martin said.

The other defensive end position will be held down by senior Nathan Kolesa (6-2, 202), who replaces Northern Iowa freshman Desmond Chapple. Chapple had three sacks last year.

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Pictured are the Edwardsville football seniors. Front row from left to right are: Jake Sill, Chris McCartney, Daval Torres, Travis Anderson, Luis Anthony, Justin White, Connor Mikulait and coach Matt Martin. Middle row from left to right are: Tyrese Brown, Cyress Ahart, Kyle White, Garrett Burns, Dayleon Harris, Jason Queen, James Fulton and Mitchell Williams. Back row from left to right are: Andrew Holderer, Tate Rujawitz, Nathan Kolesa, AJ Epenesa, Lucas Davis, Brenden Dickmann, Tyler Schmitt, Bruce Wachowski and Christian Fawbush.

“Desmond was a very special player, and I am very proud of him with how he grew up and how he’s doing now at Northern Iowa,” Martin said.

“Nathan will do a good for us. His cousin, Jarrod Kolesa, played here and he was a great player for us. I think Nathan will be a very good player for us as well.”

Senior Tate Rujawitz (6-3, 288), an All-Southwestern Conference performer on the offensive line, makes the move to nose tackle to fill out the defensive line.

“The coaches make fun of me. They always say I take the best athletes and move them to defensive line,” said Martin. who played at Western Illinois. “We think it’s important to have a strong d-line, especially when you have a lot of newcomers (in the secondary). We have to have something to hang our hat on.”

Juniors Nick Thomas (6-1, 203) and Drew Johnson (5-11, 190) and sophomore Josh Anderson (6-2, 230) will add depth to the defensive line.

Gone from the secondary are Grant Bradley, Jourdyn Jones and Chrys Colley. They had a combined 11 interceptions.

Seniors Jason Queen (5-10, 150)

and Justin White (5-7, 155) and junior Rodney Smith (5-7, 155) will likely see time at corner, while senior Travis Anderson (6-0, 191), a state champion in the 110-meter hurdles, could be “a difference maker” at safety.

Sophomores Kendall AbdurRahman (6-0, 180) and Norman Harris (5-6, 148) will also compete for time at safety.

Standing in the middle of the defense will be senior Cyress Ahart (5-9, 175) at weak side outside linebacker. He had a team-high 45 tackles and two sack last year.

“He’s a third-year starter and should take more control of the defense,” Martin said.

Senior Tyrese Brown (6-0, 204) and junior Sam Tilden (5-8, 163) will also see action at outside linebacker.

Juniors Ryan Connelly (5-10, 170) and Collin Cox (5-11, 185) and seniors Andrew Holderer (5-11, 215) and Mitch Williams will battle for the inside roles. Connelly started last year and finished with 37 tackles and Holderer had 28, while Williams battled injuries.

For as good as the defense was last season, the Tigers will still look to the offense to dictate the tempo of the

game.

The offense, which averaged a league-high 30.6 points, returns quarterback Brenden Dickmann (6-4, 190).

He completed 25 of 47 passes for 312 yards and five touchdowns with one interception last year after replacing an injured Riley Jones midway through the season.

“He’s come a long way, and I expect him to keep improving. He’s a worker.

He’s one of those kids that grew up in this community and wanted to be an Edwardsville Tiger,” Martin said.

Lining up behind Dickmann could be Epenesa, a former tight end. Last season, Epenesa caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t have a rushing attempt and hasn’t played running back since middle school.

Martin figures defenses will have a much tougher time controlling Epenesa as a running back.

“AJ, to be honest with you, might not play as much tight end this year.

He may play running back,” Martin said. “The problem with putting him in at tight end and wide receiver -there are good things -- is defenses can do some things to mess up a quarterback’s read. If you give him the ball,

there’s not much you can do.”

The addition of junior RJ Wilson (5-11, 186) and the return of Kolesa at tight end has allowed Martin to experiment with Epenesa going to running back.

“RJ is a huge part of our system.

He’s going to be a solid player for us,” Martin said.

Senior Chris McCartney (5-10, 175), sophomore Dionte Rodgers (5-6, 150) and Ahart will also see carries in the backfield.

McCartney will be a first-year starter, and Martin said Rodgers could be a hybrid player out of the backfield.

At wide receiver, senior Daval Torres (5-8, 165) returns as one of Dickmann’s top targets. He had seven catches for 63 yards. Seniors D.J. Harris (5-10, 180), James Fulton (5-10, 165) and Anderson and junior Joe King (5-6, 140) will also line up outside.

The offensive line must replace a couple spots. Returning are junior center Cale Warrer (5-10, 230), senior Lucas Davis (6-4, 279) at guard and seniors Garrett Burns (6-2, 210) and Tyler Schmitt (6-2, 260). Juniors Jacob Sellhorn (6-3, 255) and Jake Sill (5-11, 224) will look fill the vacated roles.

The Tigers racked up 1,606 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns behind the offensive line last year.

Jackson Morrissey, who had 529 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Kendell Davis, who had 406 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, are both gone.

“You have to adjust to your personnel. We are not going to make changes on offense and defense, but we are going to adjust based on who we trust and who our best players are,” Martin said.

Riley Patterson (5-11, 165), the fourth-ranked kicker in the nation and a Memphis recruit, returns for his senior season. He had seven field goals last season, including a 55-yard boot against Belleville West.

The Tigers opened at Quincy on Friday.

The home opener is against Rock Island at 7 p.m. on Sept. 2.

Whether the Tigers will be playing deep into the postseason two-plus months from now, that’s up to them according to Martin.

“I think this group has that potential to be a good group,” Martin said. “They have to get better everyday and hopefully have some good luck.”

Tigers return experience from last year's squad

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net The Edwardsville girls’ tennis team will have a new No. 1 singles player this season, but a strong group of returning players should give the Tigers a chance for another top-10 finish in the state tournament.

Last year, EHS capped its season by placing seventh at state for the second straight year while again tying for the highest finish in school history. It marked the third time since 2012 that the Tigers have cracked the top 10 and it was the fourth season in a row the girls have finished in the top 11.

Along the way, the team earned a program-record 31 dual-match wins, including a 7-0 mark in the Southwestern Conference.

At quick glance 2015 Record: 31-5 Conference record: 7-0 (first) Postseason: 7th at State Head coach: Dave Lipe Intelligencer MVP: Callaghan Adams EHS returns five of the six players from the state tournament lineup, including seniors Morgan Colbert, Mackenzie Cadagin and Maria Mezo, junior Grace Desse and sophomore Natalie Karibian.

The only graduation loss from that group is Callaghan Adams, the program’s only four-time sectional singles champion and the all-time career leader in wins with 166.

Adams, who was the Southwestern Conference Player of the Year for the past two years, is attending SIUE on a tennis scholarship.

“Last year’s season was remarkable, but it’s over and I’m totally focused on this season and I know the girls are too,” Edwardsville coach Dave Lipe said. “It was great

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Seniors on the Edwardsville girls’ tennis team are, left to right, Morgan Colbert, Mackenzie Cadagin, Grace Trimpe, Maria Mezo, Emily Greer and Noni Updyke. having four days to train before school starts, which is a luxury.

Some years we start on the first day of school and it’s hard to figure out a lineup when you’re only practicing three hours a day.”

The loss of Adams creates a three-way battle for the No. 1 singles spot among Colbert, Desse and Karibian. Colbert had 42 wins overall last year, including

the SWC title in the No. 2 singles flight. Karibian took first place in the fourth flight while Desse was a runner-up at No. 3.

“All three girls are skilled enough to play at the top of the lineup,” Lipe said. “I think Natalie feels more comfortable than last year and she’s one of the most improved players in the area.”

The other seniors are Grace

Trimpe, Natalie Greer and Noni Updyke.

“The improvement among all six girls since their freshman year has been really impressive,” Lipe said.

“We started out with eight in that class, but this group has stuck with it. It’s been a professional and personal thrill to watch them develop personally and athletically. I’ve been working with all of them for

at least four years, but in some cases I’ve known them for most of their lives.”

Beyond the top three, the rest of the singles lineup is starting to take shape, with Cadagin at No. 4, Mezo at No. 5 and sophomore Abby Cimarolli at No. 6.

Sophomore Annie McGinnis is at No. 7 with Updyke at No. 8. Trimpe and Greer are currently tied for the

ninth spot.

The doubles lineup is a little less certain beyond Colbert and Desse at No. 1 and Cadagin and Mezo at No. 2. Last year, Colbert and Desse won five matches at the state tournament, scoring eight points for the Tigers while finishing seventh.

Cadagin and Mezo, meanwhile, won three matches at state.

Karibian and Cimarolli have played well together during the offseason, with the other two doubles teams coming from some combination of McGinnis, Updyke, Trimpe and Greer.

EHS opened the season Friday in the New Trier Invitational. The schedule is mostly the same as last season, with matches against Lyons Township and Hinsdale Central replacing the Loyola Academy Invitational on Sept. 17.

“It will still be a trip to Chicago, but I feel our whole schedule prepares us for the postseason,” Lipe said. “It’s mindful of development and it’s going to challenge these girls.”

The first conference match for the Tigers is Sept. 6 at home against Alton. Edwardsville has won four straight outright titles in the SWC. This will be the first year that the IHSA has employed a two-class system for tennis.

“I expect it to have a major effect on everybody,” Lipe said. “It will either be more difficult or easier depending on whether you’re in the large-school or small-school group. We expect the sectional to be more of a challenge with more conference schools, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Lipe has a new varsity assistant and junior varsity coach in Emily Cimarolli, a former volunteer assistant.

“She’s been working with the program for about five years, but her role has changed and she’s ready for it,” Lipe said. “She could easily be a head coach.”

August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

Page 3

Fall Sports

Tigers have sights set on state tournament

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com The preseason attitude of the Edwardsville soccer team isn’t that of a squad that failed to win a Southwestern Conference championship and was ousted in the third game of the postseason the prior year.

The Tigers are thinking big things for 2016 and that includes reclaiming the SWC championship and advancing to the state tournament for the first time since winning it in 2013.

“Right now, the attitude is pretty sky high in their belief system of themselves. It’s based on what they’ve done during summer scrimmages and what they can see it looks like for the program. It’s a valid illustration of where things are at,” said Edwardsville coach Mark Heiderscheid, who is 256-82-35 overall and 58-15 with two state championships in the postseason.

At quick glance 2015 record: 12-7-1 Conference record: 2-3-1, 4th Postseason: Lost to Quincy in sectional semifinal Starters returning: 6 Head coach: Mark Heiderscheid Intelligencer MVP: Max Kieffer But, as Heiderscheid warned, soccer can be a humbling sport.

It was last year for the Tigers, who went 12-7-4. The 12 victories were the fewest for the program since going 7-9-4 in 2006, and that’s despite allowing only 19 goals in 23 games.

Scoring was the problem last year, The Tigers scored just 31 goals as a team last season and were shut out six times and limited to one goal five times.

Heiderscheid doesn’t see that as an issue moving forward.

“Last year, two of our strong slashing players were Mohammad (Hamad) and Bayne (Noll). They were a junior and sophomore, respectively. They are so much stronger and physical. There’s also Michael Glisson, who is such a specimen this year. All three of them can and have been finishing goals,” Heiderscheid said.

Noll and junior Alec Mills are the

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Pictured are senior members of the EHS soccer team. In the front row from left to right are: Michael Glisson, Michael Picchiotti, John Wasmuth, Alec Curran, Andrew Joseph and Sean Swanson. In the back row are: Daniel Picchiotti, David Diak, Cameron Kelahan, August Windau, Blake Conway, Daniel Petty, Matt Busse, Riley Patterson, Mohammad Hamad and Ian Tegert. team’s returning top scorers. They each had four goals last season.

Hamad finished with two goals.

Senior Michael Picchiotti “has been tearing things up all summer long in terms of finishing,” according to Heiderscheid.

Juniors Kyle Wright and Jacob Mulvihill return to midfield. Both saw extended time and scored one goal last season coming off the bench.

“Both of them are absolute schemers. They did well as little sophomores, but now are more seasoned.

Kyle has gotten so much stronger and athletic. He can score goals and put people in. Jacob is a great con-

nector,” Heiderscheid said.

Another scoring threat could be senior Riley Patterson, who will also kick for the football team. Patterson had two goals in the Orange and Black Scrimmage.

Senior John Wasmuth likely sees time as a defensive holding midfielder. He played primarily at the junior varsity level last season, but did get some time with varsity.

Heiderscheid said Wasmuth had the biggest jump in ability of returning players.

“He is such a strong kid that has improved himself two-folds from last year to this year. That’s enor-

mous,” Heiderscheid said.

Wasmuth will be positioned in front of a seasoned defense that’s led by center backs Matt Busse and Daniel Hentz.

Busse, a senior, missed time last season with a concussion, while Hentz, a junior, became a starter when Intelligencer MVP Max Kieffer moved to forward.

Junior Zach Timmerman returns to his starter’s spot on the wing for the third straight season. Sophomore Tyler Tepen fills the other spot.

“This year, for the most part, we are just reloading our back line,” Heiderscheid said. “We are going to

be young, but we will be reloaded.

We will also have several seniors that will be our role players in the back.”

Seniors Blake Conway, Cameron Kelehan, Sean Swanson and David Diak provide depth to the backfield.

It will be senior Daniel Picchiotti in goal for the Tigers. He went 2-0 and played 265 minutes last season behind starter Trey Riley.

“In order to get far in the postseason, you always need a pretty good goalkeeper,” Heiderscheid said. “Picchiotti is arguably one of the best athletes we’ve had as a keep.

I’m so excited to have him this year.”

Michael Holting is the likely backup keeper.

Gelling the roster to gel together will be important as Edwardsville will look to reclaim its top spot in the conference. The Tigers, who have won five SWC titles in the last seven years, finished fourth in league play with a 2-3-1 record.

Edwardsville opened the season at Chaminade and Granite City. It is currently playing in the Alton Round Robin Tournament.

The home opener is against Belleville East at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday before traveling to O’Fallon on Thursday.

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August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

Fall Sports

Edwardsville is primed for a big 2016 season

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com The Edwardsville Tigers are growing up, and that’s not a good thing for the Southwestern Conference.

The Tigers, who went 25-11 and finished in a three-way tie for the SWC championship last season, return four two-year starters.

Those four -- Rachel Pranger, Kate Martin, Megan Woll and Rachel Verdun -- are just juniors.

At quick glance 2015 record: 25-11 Conference record: 6-1, 1st Postseason: Lost in regional final to O'Fallon Starters returning: 3 Coach: Jami Parker Intelligencer MVP: Rachel Pranger Add that with the return of seniors Shelbey Saye and Nicki Meyer and sophomore Corrine Timmerman, and Edwardsville is in prime position to return to the 30-win plateau it hasn’t reached since 2012. It’s hit that mark five times in 13 seasons under coach Jami Parker, who is 323-131-1.

“We lost three half-court starters, but we return a large core of girls who have been starting now for a year or two years. We will be largely upperclassmen this year, which is the first time we’ve done that in a while, so we will be an older squad. It should be really exciting,” Parker said.

Not only will Edwardsville be able to rely on its experience, but also its physical strength.

The Tigers should be able to contend physically with the top teams in the conference and state now that they’ve grown up over the last couple seasons.

“They have increased strength dramatically in the last year, and we have commented on that to some of them with how much stronger and faster they are,” Parker said. “They’ve also matured more. Watching them over the summer, not much rattled them. They contended with

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Senior members of the Edwardsville girls' volleyball team are Shelbey Saye, right, and Nicki Meyer. a lot of good teams -- teams that finished top three in their state -and they won based on maturity and court experience.”

Over the summer, Edwardsville participated in camps at Carlinville, University of Missouri and SIUE. The Tigers came away with the team title at Mizzou.

It was a strong summer, especially with Edwardsville not at full strength for it.

“I don’t know if at anytime we were fully staffed. We had a lot of girls in different roles all summer.

We were able to see some familiar faces and new faces. The kids worked well together,” Parker said.

Now, Edwardsville enters the regular season with everybody present.

“I’m excited to see us fully staffed. It will be fun to put a

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Another 6-footer is Martin, who excels at middle blocker. She had 160 kills and 52 blocks.

Also back is Timmerman. She had 80 kills last season as a freshman.

“We have Rachel, Kate and Corrine returning. We also have a lot of new faces that could be coming as well. It just hasn’t been determined yet,” Parker said. “We definitely have some newcomers

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group of girls out there to see how they work together. It will be nice to get a little bit of rhythm and consistency,” Parker said.

There’s plenty of depth this season, and that starts with the front line.

The 6-foot Pranger, the Intelligencer ’s MVP last year, can play all six positions and finished with a team-high 244 kills, 237 digs, 39 blocks and 14 aces.

to watch, and it definitely should be fun to see how they develop.”

Parker didn’t name any names, but one that could be is incoming freshman Meara Smith, the younger sister of basketball senior Mark Smith. She starred for the Liberty team that went 21-3 and advanced to the state tournament.

The front row will have to find a way to offset the losses of 6-2 middle blocker Annie Ellis and outside hitter Sydney Wright. Ellis, now at SIUE, finished with 218 kills and a teamhigh 97 blocks, while Wright, now at Central Arkansas, had 111 kills and 37 blocks.

The back row must also replace graduated seniors, including Allison Blume.

The Tigers do return the libero Woll and defensive specialists Meyer, Mikaela Suess and Delaney Allen.

“They played phenomenal defense over the summer. We were in matches or winning matches because of the strength of our defense. It was exciting to watch them play,” Parker said.

Last season, not only did Woll lead in digs with 496 but also aces with 35. Meyer had 198 digs.

Also back are two experienced setters in Saye and Verdun.

“That doesn’t happen very often,” Parker said of bringing back two setters.

Verdun was the primary setter last season, finishing with 740 assists and 323 digs.

With the depth Edwardsville has this season, Parker said the team could try different formations and line-ups.

“It’s going to be fun,” Parker said.

Edwardsville opened the season Friday against Springfield Southeast.

EHS is not back in action until hosting the Tiger Classic on Sept.

2-3 at Lucco-Jackson Gymnasium.

The Tigers haven't won their own tournament since 2007.

Last year, Edwardsville finished in fourth place, losing to O'Fallon in the third-place match.

Eureka (Mo.) won the tournament with a victory over Breese Mater Dei in the championship match.

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Page 5

Fall Sports

Tigers are counting on returning trio to lead

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net The Edwardsville boys’ golf team opened the 2016 season minus the defending state champion and its longtime head coach, but there are still plenty of pluses for the Tigers.

EHS finished last season with a fourth-place showing in the Class 3A state tournament at the Den at Fox Creek Golf Course in Bloomington, finishing only seven strokes out of first place. It was the best finish for the Tigers since they placed third in 2008.

Individually, Justin Hemings capped his prep career by winning the state title with a two-day, 1-overpar score of 145. Hemings, now playing at Northern Illinois University, became the first state champion golfer from Edwardsville.

In late May, the program underwent another change when Dene Schickedanz resigned after 11 years as head coach. Former assistants Adam Tyler and Doug Wright, respectively now in their seventh and 10th years with the team, were named as co-head coaches.

At quick glance 2015 record: 10-0 Conference record: 7-0, 1st Postseason: Justin Hemings won state, team took 4th Starters returning: 3 Coaches: Adam Tyler, Doug Wright Intelligencer MVP: Justin Hemings

With all those changes, though, EHS still has a strong trio of golfers to build around as senior Luke Babington and juniors Ben Tyrrell and Tanner White return from the state tournament lineup. Tyrrell had the next-best finish at state for the Tigers, tying for 13th place with a score of 156 while Babington tied for 26th place at 158. White, meanwhile, shot 71 to win the Alton Sectional at Spencer T. Olin.

“We bring a lot of experience back and that makes our job a little easier as first-year head coaches,” said Tyler, who will spend of his time working with the varsity.

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Members of the Edwardsville boys’ golf team are, front row from left to right, Tanner White, Lucas Verdun, Ben Basarich, Seth Lipe and Isaac Garrett. In the back row from left to right are Ben Tyrrell, Luke Babington, Kyle Hylla, Spencer Patterson and Jon Ratterman.

“They’ve played in these tournaments before and they’ve played these courses before. That gives us something to build around.”

Babington, Tyrrell and White entered the season battling for the No 1 position.

“As of right now, those guys are all 1A, 1B and 1C, but it’s golf,” Tyler said. “Tanner might be shooting really well this week, next week it could be Luke shooting really well and the week after

that Ben may be shooting really well.

“They’re good friends and they get along really well. Even though there is somewhat of a competition among the three of them at times, it’s friendly competition.

It’s something they use to help each other get better. Having them work with some of the younger guys is a good learning and teaching tool as well.”

Rounding out the top five for

EHS are junior Jon Ratterman and senior Spencer Patterson. Both were part-time varsity players last season.

“They’ve really improved over the past year and Spencer is playing some good golf right now and Jon is as well,” Tyler said.

“They played a lot over the summer, including a lot of Gateway Junior PGA events and some other events around the state of Illinois.

Their dedication is starting to pay

off.”

The sixth member of the state contingent was Zach Trimpe, who is now a sophomore. Trimpe, who finished in a three-way tie for 77th place with a two-day total of 170, is not playing golf this fall in order to concentrate on tennis.

Other players in the mix for varsity action include seniors Kyle Hylla and Isaac Garrett, junior Jack Marinko and sophomore Ben Basarich. All four played mostly

on the junior varsity level last season.

“Kyle and Isaac have played in the program for three years now and they’re a couple more guys that worked hard over the summer,” Tyler said. “Jack and Ben also had some good scores over the first three days of tryouts, so we think they’re ready to contribute as well. Seth Lipe is another sophomore who has had some good tryout scores.”

Edwardsville aims to build on last season's success

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com A new era begins for the Edwardsville girls’ golf team.

The Tigers, for the first time since the fall of 2005, will have a new head coach after the retirement of Tresa LaBoube.

It will be a familiar face in Abby Comerford, who was an assistant last season and has been the head coach of the girls’ soccer team for the last seven years.

“It’s been a pretty easy transition,” Comerford said. “By helping out last year, I was able to get to know the girls on varsity and junior varsity.

The girls that have come up from junior varsity to varsity have blended well. It’s been a really smooth transition.”

The transition will include keeping a winning tradition going for the program.

At quick glance 2015 record: 14-0 Conference record: 6-0, 1st Postseason: 4th at sectional Starters returning: 3 Coach: Abby Comerford Intelligencer MVP: Kayla Weinacht In 11 seasons as head coach at Edwardsville, LaBoube had 197 wins and eight Southwestern Conference championships. The Tigers won four regional titles, two sectional titles, made six state tournament appearances and had a third-place finish at state in 2006.

“Any sport in Edwardsville, we all have high expectations. That’s nothing new to me. It’s just a matter of getting the girls prepared to meet those expectations,” Comerford said.

The last of the eight conference championships came last season.

After going 14-0 in the regular season, including a perfect 6-0 in the conference, and winning the Class AA O’Fallon Regional by 17 strokes, the Tigers appeared ready to make their fourth appearance at the state tournament in five years.

Instead, a tough front nine at Weibring Golf Club for the Normal Community Sectional was too much to overcome for Edwardsville. The Tigers took fourth place, two strokes shy of the third and final state tournament berth.

The team has been shut out of

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Pictured is the Edwardsville girls' varsity golf team. From left to right are: Jessica Benson, Addy Zeller, Carlie Van Patten, Paige Hamel, Kayla Weinacht, Sydney Sahuri and Meara Schaefer. the state tournament the last couple seasons. They return three players in senior Kayla Weinacht and juniors Addy Zeller and Paige Hamel that have the ability to carry EHS back to state.

“They’ve all been playing all summer and are all ready for this season,” Comerford said. “You never know which of three may lead you.

Between those three, it will be good competition between them.”

Weinacht returns for her senior season. She won medalist at the Madison County Tournament and

SWC Tournament and took second in the regional. She led the team in scoring average at 40.7.

At last season’s conference tournament, Weinacht’s win came over Zeller. The junior is expecting an even bigger season after a hectic summer. She played in seven Junior Tour PGA Gateway tournaments and had five top-four finishes.

Two of those five were victories.

She won the Tour Tune Up at Oak Brook Golf Club, a firing an 8-over 79, and the two-day tournament at The Quarry at Crystal Springs, with

a total of 26-over 166.

Zeller fired a career low for an 18-hole round with a 4-over 76 at Annbriar Golf Course on July 22.

She placed second in the two-day tournament.

Last season as a sophomore, Zeller, who shot a nine-hole career low 35 against Belleville East, was third on the team in scoring at 41.5.

Hamel was fourth on the team in scoring at 43.4 last season. She had 10 birdies.

With Hamel, Zeller and Weinacht back, the Tigers will have a head

start on trying to win a third straight conference title and 11th in 13th years.

They will receive some help from varsity newcomers junior Carlie Van Patten, sophomores Meara Schaefer and Sydney Sahuri and freshman Jessica Benson.

“They should definitely all help with rounding out the roster,” Comerford said.

The Tigers, who were rained out at the Madison County Tournament, will play in four tournaments this season, not including the conference

tournament.

Edwardsville is in the Alton Marquette Blast-Off today at Spencer T. Olin Golf Course. It will also play in the Alton Invitational at the Woodlands on Sept. 10, the IllinoisMissouri Challenge at the Orchards Golf Course on Sept. 17 and the Gary Bair Invitational at Oak Brook Golf Club on Sept. 29.

The Tigers will play nine times at Oak Brook, their home course. The regional is also at Oak Brook with the sectional at Illini Country Club in Springfield.

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August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

Tigers aiming for more victories this season

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com The Edwardsville Tigers fell short a year ago of repeating one of their best seasons in program history, but they are ready to see what 2016 has in store for them.

The Tigers are coming off a 13-10 season, which included a Public School Tournament title and a second consecutive Suburban Division I title. After opening the season 5-8, Edwardsville won eight of its final 10 games. Only two of last season’s losses came against public school teams -- both to Kirkwood.

Now, the Tigers are hoping to carry that momentum forward.

“The girls know our program expectations, and they are coming out here and working hard everyday. This is a growing program at every level,” third-year coach Julia Tyler said. “We’ve been very successful in the past. We have set a standard that the girls want to continue to improve upon every year.”

At quick glance 2015 Record: 13-10 Postseason: Lost in Midwest Tournament quarterfinals Starters returning: 5 Head coach: Julia Tyler Intelligencer MVP: Ryley Miller After going 18-6-2 to set a program record in wins in Tyler ’s first season, Edwardsville couldn’t find the same success against a challenging schedule last year. The Tigers averaged just 2.35 goals per game after averaging 3.54 the prior season.

Making things tougher will be the loss of Ryley Miller, now a freshman at Iowa. She finished with six goals and a team-high 17 assists.

“The last few years we’ve lost some great seniors that were starters. Ryley, along with the other seniors, was a key contributor in our play,” Tyler said. “We’ve seen girls already start stepping up to fill those roles.”

Senior Annie Mulford, a Louisville recruit, has been stepping up for the Tigers since her freshman season. She had 14 goals

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Seniors on the Edwardsville field hockey team are, front row left to right, Jade Weber, Olivia Fink, Annie Mulford and Veronica Carrow. In the back row from left to right are Kaitlyn Smith, Katrina Springman, Kristina Johnson and Rylie Murray. and 15 assists last year.

“She has been very successful in her play and has been a great role model for the other players,” Tyler said of Mulford, who has 55 career goals.

“Opponents definitely know who Annie Mulford is. They will man-mark her and sometimes even double or triple team her to make sure she doesn’t get loose.”

Edwardsville has a number of scoring options to help out

Mulford.

Junior Natalie Nava was second in scoring with 10 goals and three assists, while junior Ansley Dorsey had eight goals and senior Veronica Carrow finished with eight goals and seven assists. There’s also senior Olivia Fink, who had three goals.

“The rest of the team has been able to step in and play that crucial role of helping when Annie is marked and get to something,” Tyler said. “We are expecting

Ansley, Natalie, Annie, Veronica and Olivia to be very strong in our offensive attack.”

The Edwardsville defense must fill the vacant spots left by Miller, Maddie Rasche and Brooke Thomilson, but Tyler has a solid core back.

Junior Sophia Swalley and seniors Kristina Johnson and Katrina Springman are returning for the defense, and junior Allie Hosto steps into Miller’s old posi-

tion at defensive midfield. Swalley and Johnson started last season.

“Between the four of those players, we have a really strong defense,” Tyler said.

Then there’s the luxury of returning two goalies: junior Sarah Blume and sophomore Anna Farrar.

Blume had nine shutouts and a 1.64 goals against average in the starter’s role.

“They both have done a good job out here. They’ve been work-

ing hard and are great goalies that we should see a lot of great things from this year,” Tyler said.

Edwardsville opened the year with three straight home games, including playing host to Visitation at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The Gateway Classic follows that weekend with scheduled games against Whitfield at 4 p.m. on Sept.

2 and Pembroke Hill at 2:45 p.m. and Lake Forest Academy at 5 p.m. on Sept. 3.

EHS girls' swimming enters with high expectations

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net After a 2015 season that ended with a 13th-place finish at the state meet, the Edwardsville girls’ swim team enters this season with a few familiar names and some new faces in key positions.

EHS, which won a second straight sectional championship in Springfield, sent eight swimmers to the state meet, held at Winnetka New Trier High School.

That included seven individual entries and all three relay teams.

At quick glance 2015 record: 7-0 Postseason: 13th at state Head coach: Christian Rhoten Intelligencer MVP: Bailey Grinter In the finals, the Tigers had only two swimmers in three events, but junior Bailey Grinter placed third in the 50-yard freestyle and fourth in the 100-yard backstroke. Senior Kate May capped her prep career with a fifth-place finish in the 100yard butterfly.

“We had a really strong season and a great sectional meet where the girls were performing on all cylinders and we went up to state with a big group, which is always good to do,” EHS coach Christian Rhoten said. “We had all three relays and some strong individual qualifiers, but our goal was to get a little higher than 13th place. It’s something to keep striving for.”

Graduation losses included state qualifiers May, Elizabeth McPherson, Caroline Caton and Jane Russo. May and McPherson are now swimming at Purdue and Illinois State University, respectively. Among the seniors, the only returning varsity swimmers are Grinter and Victoria Brady, a sectional champion in the 200-yard freestyle.

“We’re coming into this year with a lot more young swimmers who are going to have to fill in some of those spots,” Rhoten said.

“It’s exciting to see where it goes

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Seniors on the Edwardsville girls’ swim team are, left to right, Julia Tsertsvadze, Nicole Anainga, Bailey Grinter, Victoria Brady and Callista Poiter. Not pictured is Madi Young. for us and we have a lot of talent.

It’s interesting how some of the girls who were underclassmen the last two years have started stepping up into more of a leadership role.”

Edwardsville has a national-caliber swimmer in Grinter, who competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer in Omaha after qualifying last July. She competed in the 100-meter backstroke and the 50-meter freestyle.

“Bailey has always been a very driven athlete and she’s very self-motivated, which has con-

tributed to some of her success,” Rhoten said. “She’s gotten faster in both of those races, so we’re starting to get into the mindset that a state championship could be in play. It’s something that’s definitely on her mind, but we’re not going to count our eggs before they’re hatched. If she’s primed on all cylinders and has a great state meet, it could very well happen.”

Grinter has already arranged official recruiting visits to Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama and is looking to add a fifth visit.

“Hopefully she’ll make a decision before November and that way she can concentrate on the rest of her season and have a good time,” Rhoten said.

Brady, who missed the sectional in 2014 with an injury, won the 200 freestyle at last year ’s sectional with a time of 1:56.46.

“She had a great sectional meet, probably one of the better meets she’s ever had. As long as she can stay healthy, I think she’s going to have a great season,” Rhoten said.

“She’s a racer at heart and she’s very motivated by competition.

She’ll be an integral part of relays and she’s really stepped up into a leadership position.”

Other swimmers with varsity experience include junior Emily Webb and sophomore Sierra Brannan.

“Emily will fill in some of the backstroke spots left open by Elizabeth McPherson,” Rhoten said. “Sierra will be in the butterfly, so she’s got big shoes to fill with Kate graduating. She has the talent to become an elite swimmer.”

New varsity swimmers include

freshman Josie Bushell, who will compete in the butterfly and the 200 and 500 freestyle, and junior Hope Roderick, who will swim in several events.

Senior Callista Poiter, a firstyear varsity swimmer, will fill a key role in the breaststroke.

“We don’t have any other breaststrokers but her, so she’s got a little more pressure on her than some of the other girls,” Rhoten said.

Junior Taylor Seilheimer is the top returning diver for the Tigers and was a state qualifier last season.

“She told me last year at state that her goal for this year is to make it to the semifinal round, which is the top 12,” Rhoten said.

“She dove all summer for the Granite City Paddlers and she’s a full-time diver, so she’s not swimming at all. That’s two hours of diving a day (in practice), which will be great for her.”

The No. 2 diver for EHS is sophomore Taylor Jennings, who was a swimmer last year.

Edwardsville opens the season Sept. 7 in the O’Fallon Time Trial Relays at O’Fallon Memorial Pool.

“It’s at their outdoor pool and it’s also got a couple teams coming from up north (Peoria Notre Dame and Springfield Southeast), so it should be fun to get outside and swim,” Rhoten said. “We’ll also be doing a dual meet there on Sept. 13.”

With so many new varsity swimmers, Rhoten isn’t sure what to expect from his team, especially early in the season. But he feels the Tigers should again be one of the top squads in southern Illinois.

“Our goal this year, along with training and being good at swimming, is to build a team atmosphere that will keep going through seasons to come,” Rhoten said. “We have a steady flow of girls who are coming up through the (YMCA) Breakers swim club and the team is going to grow.

Now is the time when we can start traditions.

“Other than that, we would like to win some dual meets. We’d like to go up to the sectional and compete and hopefully win.”

August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

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State meet experience is key for Edwardsville

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net While the Edwardsville girls’ cross country team was able to cap its 2015 season with a trip to the Class 3A state meet in Peoria, it wasn’t quite satisfying for coach George Patrylak or his runners.

In what Patrylak described as a bittersweet performance, the Tigers placed 25th among 26 teams at Detweiller Park, and the primary goal for this season is to get back to state and improve on that showing.

At quick glance 2015 conference finish: 1st Postseason: 25th at state Coach: George Patrylak Intelligencer MVP: Maddie Miller “The expectations are higher this year and I think the girls probably feel the same way that I did about last year,” Patrylak said. “I felt that the (Southwestern) conference and the regional (a pair of first-place finishes) were probably our two best races. At the sectional (where EHS claimed the fifth and final qualifying spot), we did enough, but we didn’t get better.

“I’m not sure if part of it was training or some negative thoughts entering the sectional, but it wasn’t the finish that we were looking for. But this group of girls has worked hard and this is probably the best summer of training that we’ve had in several years. I think they know what they need to do to accomplish their goals.”

Graduation losses for EHS included Rachel Schoenecker and Colleen Corkery, who finished second and third, respectively for the team, at the state meet. Returning state run-

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Top runners for the Edwardsville girls’ cross country team are, front row left to right, Julianna Determan, Victoria Vegher, Payton Flowers, Kiara Delgado, Abby Kork and Caitlyn Scheibal. In the back row, left to right, are Honor Dimick, Haley Allard, Madelyn Miller, Melissa Spencer, Kennison Adams, Abby Schrobilgen and Savannah Brannan. ners include sophomores Maddie Miller and Kiara Delgado, junior Melissa Spencer and seniors Julianna Determan and Victoria Vegher. As a freshman, Miller was the top finisher for the Tigers, placing 98th overall with a personal-best time of 18:10 at state.

“Last year Rachel was our first girl to be able to run in four consecutive

state meets and this year Julianna is on pace to do the same thing,” Patrylak said. “It’s going to start with our senior leadership, especially with Victoria and Julianna. I know what running means to them and what they want to accomplish.

Caitlyn Scheibal and Savannah Brannan also have state meet experience.”

The top two runners are Miller and freshman Abby Korak, who finished 22nd at the IESA state meet for Lincoln last year.

“Abby has plenty of state experience from running in middle school at Lincoln,” Patrylak said. “We’re going to get contributions from all grade levels. I look at Maddie and Abby and we have the potential for

the fastest one-two punch that we’ve had. If they stay healthy, I think they can both break our record for Detweiller, which is 17:53 by Allie Sweatt (in 2012).”

Beyond Miller and Korak, the competition for the remaining varsity spots is wide open.

“I think it’s going to be interchangeable depending on the

course,” Patrylak said. “Melissa Spencer is going to do incredibly well for us on our home course at SIUE, which will be a key component with us hosting the sectional.

We’re going to have to look at different people stepping up on the speed courses.

“I’m not sure who is going to be in our top seven by the end of the year because we have so many runners with potential. We also have some girls who had injuries last year like (sophomore) Payton Flowers.

(Junior) Honor Dimick was on the varsity for the majority of last year before some hiccups at the end.”

The team’s most improved runner may be sophomore Abby Schrobilgen, who was also the most improved freshman after last season.

“We were worried because she didn’t do track, but she’s come back in amazing shape,” Patrylak said.

Other potential varsity runners are juniors Haley Allard and Kennison Adams.

Unlike last season, when it had two regular-season meets at Detweiller Park, the girls have only one meet there this year, the First to the Finish Invitational on Sept. 10.

EHS will host four meets during the regular season at SIUE, including the Tiger Fall Classic on Sept. 7, the Edwardsville Invitational on Sept.

17, the Madison County Meet on Oct. 4 and the Tiger Finale on Oct. 17. The Tigers will also host the sectional on Oct. 29.

“With our depth, we’ll sometimes be able to rest people and keep our workouts hard,” Patrylak said. “The bottom line is to see who is running the best at a given time. Our goals include winning the county meet, the conference and the regional, and with us hosting the sectional, we want to have at least a top-three finish.”

EHS returns experienced runners to varsity lineup

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net The 2015 season for the Edwardsville boys’ cross country team ended on a cold, rainy day in Normal, but it still left the Tigers with plenty of hope for 2016.

EHS finished eighth at the Class 3A Normal Community Sectional and didn’t have any individual qualifiers for the state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria. While it wasn’t one of the better races for the Tigers, overall they showed considerable improvement after starting the season without a single returning runner from a squad that placed 20th at state in 2014.

And with most of the runners back from last year, coach George Patrylak expects his team to return to state.

At quick glance 2015 conference finish: 2nd Postseason: 8th at sectional Coach: George Patrylak Intelligencer MVP: Franky Romano

“Last year was a pleasant surprise for us because we didn’t know what to expect from the boys,” Patrylak said. “None of the seven that ran at state the year before returned, so it was a fresh start. As the season progressed, we were looking at some of the juniors who are our leaders now as seniors, like Jacob Schoenthal, Luke Raffaelle and Sam McCormick.”

The team’s top returning runner is junior Franky Romano, who exceeded expectations by earning the No. 1 spot in his

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Top runners for the Edwardsville boys’ cross country team are, front row left to right, Dan Powell, Max Hartman, Tyler Farrar, Sam McCormick, Zach Walters and Cameron Johnson. Back row, left to right, are Austin Turner, Jacob Schoenthal, Jack Vuagniaux, Franky Romano, Jack Pifer, Grant Thiede and Luke Raffaelle. first year on the team. Sophomores Roland Prenzler, Max Hartman and Dan Powell were frequently in the top five as freshmen.

“That was probably the best freshman

group we’ve ever had and this year’s freshmen are as good if not better,” Patrylak said. “The seniors are going to have to work extremely hard to maintain varsity position

throughout the year.”

The freshman class includes Jack Pifer, Zach Walters and Xander Valdez.

“All three of those guys by the end of

the year are going to be fighting for varsity positions,” Patrylak said. “Jack will probably be in the top seven right off the bat and Zach has the ability to be there. There’s a chance that this will again be a very young squad, so the big thing is just to get experience.”

Patrylak expects the sophomores to be improved as well.

“Last year Max Hartman went 10:07 in the two-mile in track and he was our fifth man in cross country,” Patrylak said.

Even after a summer of workouts, Patrylak still isn’t sure what the top of the order will look like.

“My gut feeling is that Roland Prenzler will be our No. 1 to start, but Franky Romano is going to be there, as will Jack Pifer,” Patrylak said. “I’m curious to see where Max Hartman winds up because he’s the one who has made the biggest jump. Dan Powell will probably be up there in the top five as well.”

Patrylak hopes the boys will be a little more aggressive this season in aiming for the top spot, and he thinks that will come with a year of experience.

“Last year Franky kind of established himself as the No. 1 and the boys gaged everything off what Franky did,” said Patrylak, whose team will host four regular-season meets at SIUE before hosting the sectional on Oct. 29. “Unfortunately we had a bad race at the sectional, but a lot of that was because people were didn’t know how to run their best races yet. To me, that’s a great thing about the track season because we have all these runners who now know what they can do and that they belong at the top of races.”

Key races during the regular season include the Locktoberfest Oct. 1 at Lockport High School and the Southwestern Conference Meet Oct. 14 at Gordon Moore Park in Alton.

New era set to begin for Illinois football From the Sports Editor With more teams to cover, we were especially busy preparing this year's edition of the Intelligencer's fall sports preview.

Father McGivney is fielding three varsity sports, boys' soccer, volleyball and cross country, so we added those teams to the mix. Thanks to athletic director Henry Johnson.

Edwardsville High School has 10 varsity fall sports, five for boys and five for girls. Metro-East Lutheran, meanwhile, has six fall sports this year, four for boys and two for girls.

Sports reporter Scott Marion put in countless hours preparing previews for all three schools.

As always, thanks to managing editor Bill Tucker for his support and words of advice.

Thanks to Jennifer Dyer for her help with layout and design of this section. I'd also like to thank the Intelligencer advertising sales staff for their great work in making the fall sports preview a success.

Finally, thank you to all the coaches and athletes at both schools for taking the time to work with us, and good luck during the 2016 fall season.

Matthew Kamp

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — When Illinois players talk about the differences between this summer and last, they talk about excitement and calm.

They use both words to describe changes that have begun under their first-year leader, longtime NFL coach Lovie Smith. And both words illustrate the sharp contrast between this summer and last, when their coach was fired just a week before the opening game.

"I think that's a great feeling. It's a feeling we haven't felt in a while, just as players," senior quarterback Wes Lunt said.

Part of Smith's job has been trying to repair both the reputation of Illini football and the team's morale, both damaged when Tim Beckman was fired last summer amid allegations that he mistreated players and interfered in medical decisions.

Of course, Smith is at Illinois to do more than polish a tarnished brand. Under Beckman and replacement Bill Cubit, wins were scarce. Cubit was thrust into the interim role when Beckman was fired and the team finished 5-7 (2-6 Big Ten). Illinois never won more than six games in Beckman's three seasons.

"We were a five-win team last year, I understand that," Smith said. "I know we're going to be a better team."

A few things to keep an eye out for as Illinois prepares to open the season: A LOAD OFF LUNT

Lunt's history of injuries and a lack of proven pass-catchers — another anterior cruciate ligament tear is expected to sideline Mike Dudek for a second straight season — mean Illinois will need to be able to run the ball. That means sophomore Ke'Shawn Vaughn, the only experienced back on the roster, will see a lot of carries.

"In order for us to have success at the running game Keshawn Vaughn has to have a good year.

He realizes it," Smith said.

Vaughn carried the ball 157 times for 723 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman.

DEFENSE FIRST Smith pointed out before preseason workouts that defense should be Illinois' strength. But the Illini lost a half-dozen starters from a defense that was ranked eighth in the Big Ten in points given up at 23.3 per game and ninth in yards allowed at 350.8. The emergence of Dawuane Smoot at defensive end gives Illinois a strong pass rusher.

He led the team with eight sacks and 15 tackles for losses in 2015. Transfer Hardy Nickerson's arrival from Cal — his father, also Hardy Nickerson, is the defensive coordinator — should strengthen a thin group of linebackers.

TIGHT ENDS AND FULLBACKS Tight ends have long been a source of Illinois fan frustration.

"I've been told that," Smith joked.

Over the past decade Illinois has a long list of

strong tight ends who have sometimes disappeared in the offense. Some, like the New Orleans Saints' Michael Hoomanawanui, were good enough to go on to the NFL. Smith said he wants tight ends to be a big part of Illinois' passing game, and fullbacks, too. Illinois hasn't used a true fullback in several seasons, forcing Smith to convert a pair of former linebackers, Nathan Echard and Austin Roberts.

KEY GAMES If the Illini can finish the nonconference schedule 2-1 with wins over Murray State and Western Michigan, the Big Ten schedule offers four games that would not require dramatic upsets to win.

Illinois hosts Purdue and faces Rutgers on the road. If the Illini win those, the Oct. 29 home game against Minnesota and the Nov. 26 game at Northwestern could be make-or-break games for a bowl berth.

PREDICTION The Illini are energized by their new coach and his NFL pedigree, but this is essentially the same team that was 5-7 last season, minus a number of key starters. Lunt's ability to stay healthy will be a major factor. The home-heavy schedule and a handful of winnable Big Ten games give Illinois a path to a bowl game. But given the likelihood of injuries and first-season hiccups for a brand-new coaching staff, 5-7 and sixth in the Big Ten West seems about right.

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EHS Fall Sports Schedules EHS FOOTBALL Aug. 26 at Quincy, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 vs. Rock Island, 7 p.m.

Sept. 9 at Collinsville, 7 p.m.

Sept. 16 vs. O’Fallon, 7 p.m.

Sept. 23 at Belleville East, 7 p.m.

Sept. 30 vs. East St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Oct. 7 vs. Belleville West, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14 at Alton, 7 p.m.

Oct. 21 vs. Granite City, 7 p.m.

EHS SOCCER Aug. 23 at Chaminade, 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 25 at Granite City, 6:45 p.m.

Aug. 26-27 at Alton Round Robin Tournament Aug. 30 vs. Belleville East, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 1 at O’Fallon, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs. Gibault, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 9-10 at Morton Tournament Sept. 13 vs. Collinsville, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Normal West, 12:45 p.m.

Sept. 19 vs. De Smet, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Normal Community, 12:45 p.m.

Sept. 27 vs. Alton, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 29 vs. Alton Marquette, 5:45 p.m.

Oct. 1 at St. Mary’s, 12:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 at CBC, 6 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Belleville West, 6:45 p.m.

EHS VOLLEYBALL Aug. 26 at Springfield Southeast, 7 p.m.

Sept. 2-3 hosts Tiger Classic, TBA Sept. 7 vs. St. Joseph’s Academy, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 9-10 at Crossroads Classic Sept. 12 at Triad, 6 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Granite City, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Althoff, 6 p.m.

Sept. 22 vs. East St. Louis, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 vs. Cor Jesu, 6 p.m.

Sept. 29 at Collinsville, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. O’Fallon, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Belleville East, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 7-8 at Mizuno Tournament Oct. 11 at Villa Duchesne, 5 p.m.

Oct. 13 at Alton, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 17 vs. Mater Dei, 6 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Belleville West, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 21-22 at Lyons Tournament

EHS TENNIS Aug. 25 at St. Joseph’s Academy, 4 p.m.

Aug. 26-27 at New Trier Tennis Invitational Sept. 2-3 hosts Heather Bradshaw Invitational Sept. 6 vs. Alton, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. East St. Louis, 4 p.m.

Sept. 9 at Rock Bridge Duals Sept. 13 at Belleville West, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Belleville East, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 at Highland Park, 3 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Lyons, Hinsdale Central, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Collinsville, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Waterloo, 4 p.m.

Sept. 22 vs. Granite City, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Mascoutah, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 23-24 hosts Southern Illinois Duals Sept. 27 vs. O’Fallon, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at Lockport Invitational Oct. 7-8 at SWC Tournament EHS BOYS’ GOLF Aug. 16 at Redbird Invitational, 1 p.m.

Aug. 18 at Madison County Invitational, 1 p.m.

Aug. 20 at Quincy Invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Aug. 26 at Champaign Central Invitational, 1 p.m.

Aug. 27 at St. Viator Invitational, 1:30 p.m.

Aug. 29 at Alton, East St. Louis, 4 p.m.

Aug. 31 at Granite City, 4 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Belleville East, Sparta, 4 p.m.

Sept. 9-10 at Mattoon Invitational Sept. 10 at Providence Catholic Invitational, 7:30 a.m.

Sept. 12 vs. Collinsville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Belleville West, 4 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Althoff, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Pekin Dragon Invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 21 at O’Fallon, 4 p.m.

Sept. 23 hosts Dick Gerber Invitational, 1 p.m.

Sept. 27 at SWC Tournament, 10 a.m.

EHS GIRLS’ GOLF Aug. 16 at Madison County Tournament, 1 p.m.

Aug. 22 at Collinsville, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 vs. Alton, Triad, Highland, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 25 at Belleville East, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 27 Marquette Blast-Off, 1 p.m.

Aug. 31 at Roxana, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs. Alton, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 8 vs. Marquette, Carrolton, 4 p.m.

Sept. 10 at Alton Invitational, 11:30 a.m.

Sept. 12 at Highland, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 vs. Triad, Marquette, Sacred Heart-Griffin, 4 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Missouri-Illinois Challenge, 12:15 p.m.

Sept. 19 vs. O’Fallon, 4 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. Belleville West, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 at SWC Tournament, 10 a.m.

Sept. 29 hosts Gary Bair Invitational, 1 p.m.

EHS CROSS COUNTRY Aug. 27 at Belleville West, O’Fallon, 8 a.m.

Sept. 3 at Granite City Invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 7 hosts Tiger Fall Classic, 4 p.m.

Sept. 10 at First to Finish Invitational (Peoria), 9 a.m.

Sept. 17 hosts Edwardsville Invitational, 9 a.m.

Sept.

26 at Jerseyville Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Locktoberfest (Boys), TBA Oct. 1 at Peoria Invitational (Girls), 11 a.m.

Oct. 4 at Madison County Meet, 4 p.m.

Oct. 14 at SWC Tournament, 4 p.m.

Oct. 17 hosts Tiger Finale, 4 p.m.

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Edwardsville quarterback Brenden Dickmann, left, tries to outrun the Alton defense during a regular season game last season.

Dickmann is returning for his senior season.

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Edwardsville midfielder Mohammad Hamad beats O’Fallon’s Nathan Lanter with a move to his left late in the second overtime in the Class 3A Edwardsville Regional championship game.

EHS FIELD HOCKEY Aug. 13 at St. Joseph’s Jamboree, 9:30 a.m.

Aug. 23 vs. Pattonville, 4:15 p.m.

Aug. 25 vs. Alton Marquette, 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 31 vs. Visitation, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 2-3 at Gateway Classic Sept. 6 at Rosati Kain, 4 p.m.

Sept. 9 vs. Marquette, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 13 at John Burroughs, 4 p.m.

Sept. 15 vs. Parkway West, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Parkway South, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. MICDS, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 23 vs. Lafayette, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 26 at Villa Duchesne, 4 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Nerinx Hall, 4 p.m.

Oct. 1 vs. Kirkwood, 10 a.m.

Oct. 4-8 at Public School Tournament Oct. 11 at St. Joseph’s Academy, 4 p.m.

Oct. 14 at Cor Jesu, 4 p.m.

Oct. 15 vs. Ladue, 11:30 a.m.

Oct. 20-29 at Midwest Tournament EHS SWIMMING Sept. 7 at O’Fallon Time Trial Relays, 5 p.m.

Sept. 13 at O’Fallon, 5 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Normal Community Invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 22 at Springfield, Sacred Heart-Griffin, TBA Sept. 29 vs. O’Fallon, 5:45 p.m.

Oct. 6 vs. Chatham Glenwood, 5:15 p.m.

Oct. 15 hosts Paint the Pool Pink Invitational, 1:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 vs. O’Fallon, 5:45 p.m.

Nov. 3 hosts Southern Illinois High School Championships, 5:45 p.m.

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Edwardsville sophomore Kate Martin goes up for a kill attempt during the first game against Granite City on Thursday at Lucco-Jackson Gymnasium.

August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

Fall Sports

Fall is back

Page 9

The Edwardsville Tigers will have 10 sports competing at the varsity level during the fall, including football, volleyball, boys' soccer, boys' and girls' golf, field hockey, boys' and girls' cross country, girls' swimming and girls' tennis. Starting from the top and going clockwise are returning student-athletes for EHS. Addy Zeller hits an iron shot out of the rough in a dual match against O'Fallon. Luke Babington watches his putt roll towards the hole at the Quincy Invitational. Members of the EHS boys' cross country team take off from the starting line for the Fall Classic. Grace Desse hits a shot at the net during the regular season. Cecelia Belt competes during a meet against the O'Fallon Panthers on the road. Julianna Determan stays ahead of an O'Fallon runner. Veronica Carrow keeps the ball out of the reach of a Cor Jesu defender. Photos by the Intelligencer Sports Staff.

Page 10

August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

Fall Sports

Metro and Madison returning as co-op team At quick glance

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net In rescuing one high school football program from possible extinction and reviving another after more than 20 years, last season’s co-op agreement between MetroEast Lutheran and Madison was a success.

MELHS finished the year at 0-9, but it was still a huge step in the right direction after a 2014 season in which it had to forfeit five games and pull out of another at halftime due to low numbers. Madison, meanwhile, was able to field a football team since 1992.

This year, coach Matt Tschudy is hoping that bigger numbers and more experience will translate into victories as the co-op agreement enters its second year.

“One year of high school football makes a huge difference. Last year over half the team had never played high school football before, but this year they’re smarter and more aggressive,” Tschudy said. “And they’re smart aggressive; they’re not just flying in crazy.

“We have good numbers and our attitude is a lot better because the kids know the coaches’ expectations. I think we’re looking pretty good.”

After starting last season with 29 players, Metro had 17 by the final game. But the good news for this year is that all of those players are back.

“Going 0-9 and getting all those guys back, it says something about them and their dedication to the game,” Tschudy said.

As of last week, Metro had 40 players on its roster.

“I think we’re going to be one of the larger teams in the conference, although the other teams probably

This is the second year of a co-op agreement with Madison 2015 Record: 0-9 Conference: Prairie State Coach: Matt Tschudy

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Seniors on the Metro-East Lutheran football team are, left to right, Kinden Griggs, Jeremiah Brown, Earl Green, Vince Wilson and Kyle Johnson. Not pictured is Josh Johnson. won’t believe it until they see it,” Tschudy said. “We have a decent number of guys who are not starting both ways and in the past, we’ve had the same 11 guys starting on offense and defense. That’s something that in 11 years of coaching, I’ve never been blessed with, so I’m excited to see what that can mean for our endurance in the

fourth quarter.”

The starting quarterback for MELHS will be Vince Wilson, a senior from Madison. Last year as a wide receiver and defensive back, he caught one pass for nine yards and had three tackles and one interception.

“Vince actually played quarterback in a couple games last year and

he has some experience at the position from middle school (in Granite City),” Tschudy said. “He makes good decisions and he’s quick on his feet. He has a good arm and he’s an all-around quarterback.”

Junior Fa’Shaun Merritt will be the No. 1 running back with junior Caleb Jones as the top receiver.

Jones saw some varsity action last

year while Merritt’s time was more limited.

On the offensive line, the Knights have a solid trio of returning players in junior Kai Luckert and seniors Josh Johnson and Kyle Johnson (no relation).

Defensively, MELHS is building around a secondary that includes junior Cartez Cook, who had 23 solo

tackles, nine assists and two fumble recoveries as a sophomore. Cook also played wide receiver and had 10 catches for 102 yards.

The defensive line includes Josh Johnson and junior Tarin Hatcher.

Johnson had 13 solo tackles, three assists and one fumble recovery while Hatcher had two tackles.

MELHS opens the season at 7 p.m. tonight with a home game against Bunker Hill. The Knights will play the Minutemen in the final game of the regular season Oct. 21 at Bunker Hill, with the second game counting in the Prairie States Conference standings. Last year the two teams met in the season opener and again in the third game.

“It will be neat to see how far we’ve progressed and to see how far they’ve progressed,” said Tschudy, whose team lost to Bunker Hill by scores of 28-0 and 30-0.

Barat Academy, which was supposed to be Metro’s second opponent on Sept. 2, has cancelled its season, but the Knights have found a replacement in Lighthouse Christian Academy in Seneca, Mo. MELHS will host that game at 7 p.m.

The third home game at MELHS will be at 7 p.m. on Sept. 30 against Mount Olive. Madison will host two games, at 11 a.m. against Kincaid South Fork on Sept. 10 and at noon on Oct. 8 against Alton Marquette.

“It’s good for their community, it’s good for our community and it’s good for the football program,” Tschudy said.

Metro-East runners are building off last season

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net After a year of improvement for the Metro-East Lutheran boys’ cross country team in 2015, the Knights are hoping to build on that success.

Last year, the boys placed fourth in the Class 1A New Athens Regional and qualified for the MELHS Sectional. The season ended there for the host Knights as they placed 17th among 20 teams and did not have any individual state qualifiers.

“The year before, we didn’t make it to the sectional and we weren’t that good, to be honest,” second-year coach Ruth Thompson said. “Last year we were a pretty young and pretty inexperienced team, but we still made it to the sectional.”

The numbers are a bit down this year for Metro, which has eight runners including exchange student Michael Tan from China.

Thompson is awaiting word on Tan’s eligibility.

Junior Javon Watkins returns as the Knights’ No. 1 runner. Watkins is the only runner from Madison in the second year of a co-op program between the two schools.

Junior Darion Brooks, who was the No. 2 runner last year, returns as well. Brooks is also playing football this season.

Junior Josh Jacobsen is a strong contender for the top three.

Sophomore Jonah Wilson returns after being No. 3 or No. 4 last year.

The lone senior is Ian Key, who

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Members of the Metro-East Lutheran cross country team are, front row from left, Brynne Walace, Kimmie Stinson, Kristina Robinson, Kate Muravjova and manager Kastilla Maine. In the back row, from left to right, are Ian Key, Jonah Wilson, Javon Watkins, Joshua Jacobsen and Nathaniel Perry. Not pictured are Darion Brooks, Michael Tan, Kate didn’t run varsity as a junior.

Rounding out the roster are junior Eli Harding and sophomore Nathaniel Perry.

“For the boys, I definitely want them to make it out of the regional again and improve on their sectional placing,” Thompson said. “I

think the guys are on board with that.”

The MELHS girls’ team, meanwhile, should benefit from

increased numbers after having only three runners last year. This year ’s roster doesn’t have any seniors, but it does have seven

girls, including three juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.

“Last year we had a senior, a junior who had come out for the first time and a freshman who was also running for the first time ever,” Thompson said. “This year I’m excited just to be able to have a team score.”

If she is cleared to be eligible as expected, Kate Muravjova, a junior foreign exchange student from Latvia, could be the team’s No. 1 runner.

“She’s a phenomenal runner and she has a very good running background,” Thompson said.

Freshman Nura Freese should be one of the team’s top two runners.

Junior Kimmie Stinson, who had run as a freshman but sat out last season, has also been impressive in practice.

The lone returning runner is sophomore Kristina Robinson.

“She improved quite a bit last year especially considering she had no running background at all,” Thompson said.

Sophomore Kate Weber, who is also playing volleyball, will probably crack the top five. Weber was the top runner for the Knights at the regional last year.

Other members of the team are junior Brynne Wallace and freshman Jarrica Hardaway.

The first major meet for the Knights is the Metro-East Lutheran Invitational at 10 a.m. today at SIUE. It should again be one of the biggest meets in the state, with about 50 high school teams and 20 to 30 middle school teams.

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Page 11

Fall Sports

Knights have heavy dose of seniors to lead

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com A senior class that went through a 6-24 season as sophomores and fell just a few points shy of winning a sectional semifinal has left a bitter taste for the Metro-East Lutheran Knights.

The Knights will look to change that feeling this season, and they have the numbers to back up their case. Metro has 11 seniors that will lead the charge.

“It’s certainly nice to have a lot of experience and great to have people that will work hard and set good examples,” coach Jon Giordano said.

MELHS went 12-23 last season, but that includes a Class 1A Lebanon Regional championship.

The Knights knocked off Lovejoy and Lebanon to claim their 11th regional championship in program history.

The first-ever sectional title wasn’t to be, as Metro lost 25-20, 23-25, 25-21 to Clay City in the sectional semifinals. Clay City went on to take fourth place at the state tournament.

“This group has been together for a long time. Many of these seniors were sophomores that went through a tough season that enabled them to grow and get better. It will be nice to see some of the fruits of their labor to pay off.

They grew within that season,” Giordano said. “It was a tough loss last year to a team in three games that went to the state (tournament).

We look at it and ask ourselves, ‘Can we be a few points better?’

“None of that will matter until we get through the regular season.

We have to get through the regional and advance to that (sectional).

That’s the priority.”

Metro certainly has the depth to maneuver through another tough regular season schedule.

Southwestern Conference teams Alton, Granite City and Collinsville are on the schedule, and tourna-

At quick glance 2015 record: 12-23 Conference: Prairie State Postseason: Lost in sectional semifinal to Clay City Head coach: Jon Giordano

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Pictured are senior members of the MELHS girls' volleyball team. In the front row from left to right are: Lydia Flaherty, Claire Cunningham, Paige Bold, Katherine Lange and Tamia Ross. In the back row from left to right are: Emma Eberhart, Katja Luckert, Courtney Fenelon, Ashlee Robinson, Danielle Timmerman and Abbie Niemeier. ment stops include Springfield Lutheran, Mascoutah, Belleville East and O’Fallon.

The senior class of Lydia Flaherty, Claire Cunningham, Paige Bold, Katherine Lange,

Tamia Ross, Emma Eberhart, Katja Luckert, Courtney Fenelon, Ashlee Robinson, Danielle Timmerman and Abbie Niemeier will carry the load.

“Each of the seniors brings some-

thing a little bit different in terms of attitude,” Giordano said. “We will really rely on the upperclassmen to set the tone.”

The Knights return their top five hitters this season.

Fenelon led the team with 169 kills and 14 blocks, while sophomore Ellen Schulte (165) and Timmerman (144) also cracked triple digits in kills. Robinson was on the cusp with 95 kills and 57

blocks. Schulte had a team-high 60 blocks and 38 aces.

“We return five front-row starters, so that’s going to be a very helpful thing. Having Lydia Flaherty, Danielle Timmerman and Courtney Fenelon is nice to have,” Giordano said.

Setting up the hitters will be Flaherty. She had 636 assists last season, but she also finished with 66 kills and 25 aces.

Giordano is expecting another all-around season from Flaherty, who finished with 359 digs.

“It’s great to see her offense growing even more with her setting abilities and being able to see the court. We will look to her to be a good hitter for us as well to add some versatility,” Giordano said.

Flaherty will play a vital role for the defense, which lost digs leader and libero Tori Harrison. Also gone is Rachael Calvert, Beka Mitchell, Audrey Paitz and Ashley Sola.

Giordano has plenty of options for filling out the defense, but they will have to perform well if the Knights want to have success.

“We lost a lot of back-row players. There will be some shoes to fill. It will be necessary for them to work hard and step up, because passing determines volleyball,” Giordano said. “Having a good overall defense is very important, especially at the small school level.”

And the small school level got tougher with the additions of Waterloo Gibault and Springfield Lutheran.

It’s a challenge the Metro seniors are ready to tackle.

Seniors are ready to help Metro-East Lutheran

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net With a senior-heavy lineup, the Metro-East Lutheran boys’ golf team hopes that experience will pay off in the long run.

MELHS, which has six seniors, opened the season Aug. 18 in the Madison County Tournament at Belk Park Golf Course after the East Alton-Wood River Invitational was rained out on Aug. 15. Metro’s four-man score of 418 was last among the five teams in the small-school division and Braden Woolsey, with a 92, was the only player to break 100.

Last year, MELHS placed fifth in the Class 1A Trenton Wesclin Regional, as Jordan Brown and Woolsey shot 91 and 93, respectively, to qualify for the Anna-Jonesboro Sectional.

Neither golfer qualified for the state tournament. Brown, who has graduated, was the team’s No. 1 player.

“Even with all the seniors, we were still well north of the 400 mark at Belk Park, so our first goal is to get on the right side of 400,” coach Tim Lorenz said. “We’ve got some growing to do.”

Lorenz coached the team for four years from 2011 to 2014 before Josh McDonald took over last season. This season, Lorenz is serving as co-head coach with former MELHS golfer John Zilm, a 2006 graduate now in his second year as a teacher at Zion Lutheran School in Bethalto. Zilm, who played golf at Concordia University in Nebraska, has also coached boys’ and girls’ golf at several high

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Varsity golfers for Metro-East Lutheran are, front row from left, Michael Fields, Owen Gusewelle and Lucas Scheibal. In the back are coach Tim Lorenz, Garrett Niemeier, Mike Coulson and Braden Woolsey. Not pictured schools in Illinois and Colorado.

“We share a lot of philosophies in terms of how to approach the course and it gives us a little more ability to work with the kids on the course during practice,” Lorenz said.

“Between the two of us, we feel that we can teach them a little bit more.”

Metro’s 10-man roster, in addition to the six seniors, includes one junior, one sophomore and two freshmen.

Among the seniors, Lorenz and Zilm are especially counting on varsity veterans Woolsey, Jacob Jump, Lucas Scheibal and Mike Coulson. Jump missed the county tournament due to illness.

“When I saw them two years ago, they were not at the top of my team because we graduated five seniors from that team,” Lorenz said. “I’m waiting to see which of those four wants to rise to a leadership position. Their games are kind of touch and go, and one day one of them might be a little better than the others.”

The other seniors are Owen Gusewelle and Garrett Niemeier, who don’t have as much varsity experience.

“We’re trying to work with Owen and make him a little more comfortable with what is going on and bring his score down,” Lorenz said.

The lone junior, Michael Fields, played the county tournament as a replacement for Jump and ended up with the fourth-best score among Metro’s six players.

“He’s got a promising short game, but we’re still working on some consistency issues,” Lorenz said.

Rounding out the roster are sophomore Josh Faulders and freshman Cameron Gusewelle (Owen’s brother) and Adam Sahuri.

Most of Metro’s schedule consists of dual and triangular matches, with the next tournament being the Dick Gerber Invitational, hosted by Edwardsville on Sept. 23 at Oak Brook Golf Club. The Prairie State Conference Tournament is Oct. 1 at Belk Park.

“Our main goals for the year are building consistency and some knowledge of the game and to bring our scores down to a more competitive level,” Lorenz said.

MELHS tennis will try to battle through depth problem

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net With only half a dozen players, depth isn’t a luxury for the Metro-East Lutheran girls’ tennis team. But coach David Roderick hopes that a year of experience will make a difference.

“Last year we started with four freshmen who had never played tennis before and by the end of the year, every one of them had earned enough points to get a varsity letter,” Roderick said. “Their improvement certainly stood out as the year went along.”

Six of the seven players from last season return, with the lone exception being team captain Annie Kiern, who graduated. Kiern played No. 2 singles.

Senior Heather Moore-Malic returns as the team’s No. 1 singles player.

“She’s played a lot of tennis in the past and grew up playing it,” Roderick said. “One of the best things about Heather is not only what she does individually, but she’s always willing to help the younger players.”

Metro’s other senior, Cierra Frields, played No. 3 singles last season.

“She showed a lot of improvement last year and won some very tight matches,” Roderick said. “She just outlasted her opponents.”

The remainder of the roster consists of four sophomores -- Tori Roderick (David’s daughter), Kathryn Butler, Maycen O’Leary and Amber Keplar.

“I think it will be fairly close to last year when we had Maycen at No. 4, Kathryn at No. 5, Tori at No. 6 and Amber at No. 7,” Roderick said. “A lot of times Tori and Amber would flip-flop, with one playing singles and the

other playing doubles, to give them both more playing opportunities. Kathryn was probably the most improved player throughout last season and she’s a good athlete.”

Unlike many of the large-school programs in the area, Metro typically doesn’t have many girls whose primary sport is tennis or who grew playing in tournaments.

“Heather is the only one who has a background in tennis and focuses primarily on it, but Maycen made the choice last year to take lessons and begin focusing on tennis,” Roderick said. “It’s also the only sport that Tori plays.

“Most of our kids come in learning the sport from the ground up, but the nice thing about a school like MetroEast Lutheran is that they can come in as freshmen or sophomores and play on the varsity and play multiple sports. Part of our philosophy is that we share these students with other sports and we encourage them to do that.”

MELHS, which opened the season Aug. 22 against the Edwardsville junior varsity, played Aug. 24 at Alton and will play Wednesday at Jerseyville. The first tournament for the Knights is the Heather Bradshaw Invitational Sept.

2-3 at Edwardsville.

“Our dual match record last year was much better than I anticipated early on, but we played a lot of larger schools in the first part of the season,” Roderick said. “As the season went on, we played more against schools our size and found that we were very competitive.

“The matches against the larger schools will be a little more meaningful to us this year because we don’t have four freshmen who are learning how to keep score and when to change sides. They’ll have a better concept of how to play the game, which will help a lot against better players.”

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

MELHS tennis team members are, front row left to right, Cierra Frields and Heather MooreMalec. In the back row are Amber Keplar, Maycen O'Leary, Kathryn Butler and Tori Roderick.

Page 12

Fall Sports

August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

Knights relying on offensive attack this year At quick glance

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com It’s a different mindset for the Metro-East Lutheran Knights entering the 2016 season, and that’s a good thing.

“We’re accepting that if they score that’s fine, because you are still going to have to score more than us,” said Metro-East Lutheran coach Noah Enke, who is expecting 20 kids to play this season. “We are very offensively minded this year.

It’s much different than the past three (seasons).”

It was just two seasons ago that Metro scored nine goals, was shut out seven times and finished 1-11-1.

Why the sudden change? Senior Kedric Norwood is the main reason.

Norwood scored a program-record 21 goals, including a seven-goal performance against Christ Our Rock on Sept. 1. The seven goals broke the single-game record of five at MELHS, and it tied him for 11th in IHSA history -- the record is 11.

“We definitely have Kedric to lead the way. After putting up the records last year, we will see if he can continue the path he started,” Enke said. “I think we all saw Kedric coming, but I don’t think we thought it was going to be that much. We expected him to come back in force, and he definitely proved it.”

The Knights went on to score 50 goals on the season and finished 13-7. They lost 3-2 to East AltonWood River in the first round of the Class 1A Greenville Regional.

With Norwood leading the way, Metro will be attempting to win its third regional championship in pro-

2015 record: 13-7 Conference: Prairie State Postseason: Lost in 1st round of regional Head coach: Noah Enke

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Seniors on the Metro-East Lutheran boys’ soccer team are, front row left to right, Michael Papka, Kedric Norwood and Stephen Korte. In the back row from left to right are Edward Prenzler, Thomas Schroader, John Hubbard and Noah Coddington. gram history and first since 2011.

The Knights are 1-1 all-time in sectional action.

Enke said the team, especially the seven seniors, are hungry for

success.

“This group has been together for the past three years, and they have gone through the highs and lows of what soccer can be. I think they are

ready to show what they’ve got,” Enke said.

And the Knights won’t just have to rely on Norwood to score goals.

Michael Papka, Noah Landers,

Stephen Korte and Noah Coddington will also be scoring options.

Last season, Papka was third on the team with five goals,

MELHS Schedules MELHS FOOTBALL Aug. 26 vs. Bunker Hill, 7 p.m.

Sept. 2 vs. Barat Academy, 7 p.m.

Sept. 10 vs. South Fork at Madison, 11 a.m.

Sept. 16 at Nokomis, 7 p.m.

Sept. 23 at East Alton-Wood River, 7 p.m.

Sept. 30 vs. Mount Olive, 7 p.m.

Oct. 8 vs. Alton Marquette at Madison, 11 a.m.

Oct. 14 at Pawnee, 7 p.m.

Oct. 21 at Bunker Hill, 7 p.m.

MELHS SOCCER Aug. 23 at Gillespie, 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 24-27 at Metro Cup Aug. 30 vs. Christ Our Rock, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 1 vs. Breese Central, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Roxana, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Freeburg, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 12 at Carlyle, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. East Alton-Wood River, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Wesclin, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 22 vs. North Mac, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Gibault, 11 a.m.

Sept. 26 vs. Litchfield, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 vs. Valmeyer, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 at Father McGivney, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Raymond Lincolnwood, 10 a.m.

Oct. 5 at Southwestern, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 6 vs. Staunton, 4:30 p.m.

MELHS VOLLEYBALL Aug. 24 at Alton, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 26-27 at Springfield Tournament Aug. 30 at Father McGivney, 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Nokomis, 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs. Granite City, 7 p.m.

Sept. 10 at Mascoutah Tournament Sept. 12 vs. Father McGivney, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 vs. Gibault, 7 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Belleville East Tournament Sept. 19 at Litchfield, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Southwestern, 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 vs. Bunker Hill, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Alton Marquette, 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 vs. East Alton-Wood River, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. Collinsville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Civic Memorial, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 vs. Greenville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14-15 at O’Fallon Invitational Oct. 18 at Mount Olive, 7 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Roxana, 7 p.m.

MELHS TENNIS Aug. 22 vs. Edwardsville JV, 4 p.m.

Aug. 24 at Alton, 4 p.m.

Aug. 25 at Gibault, 4 p.m.

Aug. 31 at Jerseyville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 2-3 at Heather Bradshaw Invitational Sept. 6 at East Alton-Wood River, 4 p.m.

Sept. 10 at Herrin Invitational Sept. 13 at Greenville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 15 vs. Civic Memorial, 4 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Mascoutah, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 22 vs. Waterloo, 4 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Roxana, 10 a.m.

Oct. 3 at East St. Louis, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Hillsboro, 4 p.m.

Oct. 6 vs. East Alton-Wood River, 4 p.m.

Oct. 11 vs. Gibault, 4 p.m.

Father McGivney Schedules

Intelligencer Sports Photo

Father McGivney’s Abram Munoz, left, and Metro-East Lutheran’s John Hubbard race for a ball in the first half of a regular season game last year.

MELHS GOLF Aug. 15 at East Alton-Wood River Invitational, 9 a.m.

Aug. 18 at Madison County Tournament, 1 p.m.

Aug. 22 at Staunton, 4 p.m.

Aug. 23 at East Alton-Wood River, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 at Valmeyer, 4 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Civic Memorial, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 12 at Marissa, 4 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Staunton, 4 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Roxana, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Christ Our Rock, 4 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. Valmeyer, 4 p.m.

Sept. 23 at Dick Gerber Invitational, 1 p.m.

Sept. 27 vs. Triad, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 at Marissa, 4 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Prairie State Conference Tournament, 9 a.m.

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

MELHS running back Jerry Watson Jr., left, tries to elude a Pawnee tackler during first-half action in last year's regular season finale.

MELHS CROSS COUNTRY Aug. 22 at New Athens Invitational, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 27 hosts MELHS Invitational, 10 a.m.

Aug. 31 at Columbia Relay, 4 p.m.

Sept. 3 at Concordia Classic, 9 a.m.

Sept. 10 at Peoria Woodruff Invitational, 9 a.m.

Sept. 17 at Tiger Invitational, 4 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Freeburg Invitational, 10 a.m.

Sept. 29 at Chester Invitational, 4 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Madison County Meet, 4 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Carlinville Invitational, 4:15 p.m.

while Landers had four goals and Coddington had a pair. All three, along with Landers, have made big strides during the offseason.

“The offense is very hungry for goals. (During scrimmage), there isn’t a time down the field they aren’t able to get a good shot off against the defense and keeper,” Enke said. “We have a lot of options on the offensive side. We aren’t extremely relying on just one or two people. We have a lot of players that can finish the ball.”

For as good as the Knights will be offensively, the defense will be rebuilding a bit.

Gone from last year’s team are captains Joe Babcock, who scored six goals, and keeper Reed Harmon, who had a 1.86 goals against average with six shutouts.

“We lost a lot last year with Joe Babcock, Reed Harmon and Nathan Partelow leaving. Those are three big names that we won’t have back,” Enke said. “I think we will still be good, because we still have Dan Shimkus in the back and John Hubbard.”

Thomas Schroader, who played in the field last season, and Eric Jones, the back-up keeper to Harmon, will be vying for time in goal for the Knights.

Last season, Metro allowed 35 goals in 20 games. The year before, it allowed 32 goals in 12 games.

Intelligencer Sports Photo

MELHS senior Lydia Flaherty, left, and sophomore Ellen Schulte blocks a kill attempt from a Roxana hitter last season.

FATHER MCGIVNEY SOCCER Aug. 23 vs. Trinity Catholic, 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 25 at Lebanon, 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 27-Sept. 1 at Carlinville Tournament Aug. 30 at Wesclin, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Staunton, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 8 vs. McCluer North, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Freeburg 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 15 vs. Breese Central, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 vs. Mascoutah, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 vs. Civic Memorial, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. East Alton-Wood River, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Murphysboro, 11 a.m.

Sept. 27 at Alton Marquette, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 vs. Metro-East Lutheran, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 30 at Roxana, 4 p.m.

Oct. 3 vs. Valmeyer, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Althoff, 4:30 p.m.

FATHER MCGIVNEY VOLLEYBALL Aug. 22-27 at Roxana Tournament Aug. 25 vs. McCluer North, 6 p.m.

Aug. 29 vs. Mulberry Grove, 7 p.m.

Aug. 30 vs. Metro-East Lutheran, 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Christ Our Savior, 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 vs. Okawville, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 12 vs. Hillsboro, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Wesclin, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 at McCluer North Tournament Sept. 20 at Barat Academy, 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 at First Baptist Academy, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 vs. Dupo, 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 at Gillespie, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. Okawville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Christ Our Savior, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 vs. Roxana, 6 p.m.

Oct. 13 Madison, 6 p.m.

FATHER MCGIVNEY CROSS COUNTRY Aug. 30 at Carlinville Early Meet, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 3 at Granite City Invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 10 at Belleville West Invitational, 9 a.m.

Sept. 17 at Edwardsville Invitational, 9 a.m.

Sept. 24 at Freeburg Invitational, 9 a.m.

Sept. 28 at Triad Invitational, 4 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Southwestern Invitational, 9 a.m.

Oct. 4 at Madison County Meet, 4 p.m.

Oct. 8 at East Alton-Wood River Invitational, 9 a.m.

Oct. 11 at Carlinville Invitational, 4:15 p.m Oct. 17 at Edwardsville Finale, 4 p.m.

August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

Page 13

Fall Sports

Griffins ready for first varsity volleyball season

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net The girls’ volleyball program at Father McGivney High School is entering its third year, but this season the Griffins are making the adjustment to playing a varsity schedule.

“The last couple years it was kind of a mix of freshman and JV matches and schools were really good about getting us onto their schedule,” Griffins coach Amanda Pirih said.

“They knew we were a new program and looking for some playing time, so we played anybody we could. There were some girls that first year that had never touched a volleyball before and now they’re really growing their skills.

“It started with a small group, but now between varsity and JV, we have about 22 or 23 girls.

Eventually we want to have three levels including a freshman team.”

Senior outside/right side hitter Sophia Cruthis, who is a co-captain, has been with the program all three years.

“She’s a great leader and she wants to teach the younger players how to be part of a team,” Pirih said.

Junior Kara Mosby, who returns at middle hitter, is another key player on the front row. Junior setter Claire McKee brings some club volleyball experience and also serves as a captain along with Cruthis.

“Claire has a good handle on telling the kids where to be and how to move on the court, so she’s a great asset to the team,” Pirih said.

Sophomore Emma Deist, who is left-handed, will be a right side hitter.

“She’s more confident on the court and more vocal and I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do this year on the front row,” Pirih said.

Beyond those four players, the varsity rotation is a work in progress.

“I have a few freshmen that I’ve called up to the varsity to try to fill some spots,” Pirih said. “We’re trying to get them into positions that serve the team well. I’m telling all the JV players that there are still spots available on varsity and they can fill them if it will improve our lineup.”

Other players on the varsity roster are junior Zena Pendall, sophomore Caitlyn Pendall and freshmen Madison Webb, Macy Hoppes and Guinevere Smith.

Father McGivney opened the season in the Roxana Tournament on Aug. 22, 23 and 27. The first home match for the Griffins was Aug. 25 against McCluer North, and they will play host to Mulberry Grove on Monday.

“It was a little tough putting together a varsity schedule because we’re a new program, but our athletic director, Henry Johnson, did a great job of reaching out to all the schools through the IHSA and through his own relationships and connections,” Pirih said.

While Pirih is looking toward growing the volleyball program long-term, she has some goals for this season as well.

“As a coach, I’m really competitive and I love to win, but realistically, being a new varsity program, we may not be as skilled as many of the other teams,” Pirih said. “But the mindset is that we’re going to work hard and give those teams a run for their money.”

For the Intelligencer

Members of the Father McGivney girls’ volleyball team are, front row left to right, Zena Pendall, Macy Hoppes, Sophia Cruthis and Guinevere Smith. In the back row are Madison Webb, Kara Mosby, Claire McKee, Caitlyn Pendall and Emma Deist.

Father McGivney returns for its second season

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net After a solid first season on the varsity level, the Father McGivney boys’ soccer team is setting bigger goals for this season.

Father McGivney was 5-12 in 2015, losing to Lebanon in a first-round Class 1A regional game. Overall, it was the third year for the boys’ soccer program, which started in 2013.

“We really didn’t know what to expect or how we were going to transition to the varsity level, which is obviously a big jump,” coach Tim Vance said. “I was really pleased with the boys’ effort and their commitment. They were dedicated to getting better.”

The Griffins start the season with 23 players, which is just about the same as last year.

They will again play varsity and junior varsity schedules, with some players seeing action on both levels.

Father McGivney has four seniors, with the Class of 2017 being the first to play four years of soccer at the school. Derek Shearer and Dillon Heinz will start on defense. Defender Joe McCreary will come off the bench. The other senior, Tommy Waugh, will play midfield.

The junior class includes goalkeeper Logan Shumate, a returning starter. The backup goalie, Alex Loeffler, is also a junior.

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Members of the Father McGivney boys’ soccer team are, front row from left, Dan Jones, Kellen Weir, Nick McLaughlin, Patrick Boulanger, Andrew Nwacha and Jacob McCreary. In the middle row, from left to right, are Nate Dammerich, Derek Shearer, Joe McCreary, Dillon Heinz, Carter Burnett, Aaron Boulanger and Kolton Klettte. In the back row, from left to right, are Tommy Waughm Eli Skubish, Brandon Munoz, Logan Shumate, Alex Loeffler, Noah Mitan, Michael Landoll, Jonah Mitain and Noah Pirtle. Not pictured is DJ Villhard.

Junior Eli Skubish should again be the top scoring threat after netting a teamhigh eight goals as a sophomore.

“Eli got hurt about midway through the season, which slowed him down a little bit,” Vance said. “If he can stay healthy,

he’s going to have a good year.”

Another junior, Kolton Klette, will see action at midfield and forward.

Among the sophomores, several players started last year as freshmen, including midfielders DJ Villhard, Nate Dammerich, Nick McLaughlin and Aaron Boulanger.

McLaughlin is coming back from a broken leg during baseball season last spring.

A strong freshman class features midfielders Brandon Munoz, Andrew Nwacha, Jonah Mitan and Kellen Weir.

Vance expects a year of varsity experience to make a big difference for Father McGivney.

“They know what it takes and they’re willing to play the game the right way,” Vance said.

“They’re going to respect the other team a little bit more because they know what to expect. I think the level of play is going to rise quite a bit.”

Vance hopes that will translate into more victories, especially when the postseason approaches.

“For the season, we want to get closer to a double-digit win total,” Vance said.

“We’d also like to win at least one game in the playoffs.”

The first home game for the Griffins, the Aug. 23 season opener against Trinity Catholic, was played at St. John Neumann School in Maryville, where Father McGivney was located for three years until the new campus opened in the fall of 2015.

The new field on campus is just about ready and Vance hopes the team will be able to play there for its next home game, Sept. 6 against Staunton.

Griffins aim to continue progress in their second year

By SCOTT MARION smarion@edwpub.net

Scott Marion/Intelligencer

Members of the Father McGivney cross country team are, front row left to right, Derek Shearer, Megan Schilly and Jarod Silhavy. In the middle row are Mira McAtee, Dan Jones, Lauren Meyer, Abby Podsghadley and Elijah Burns. In the back row are Bridget Weeks, Mark Mueller, Frank McClimans, Caleb Tanzyus, Zach Brasel and Jacob Kraus.

With the number of athletes nearly tripling from last season, the Father McGivney cross country program is taking the next big step this fall.

This is the first year for a full varsity squad for the boys’ team and possibly for the girls as well, and is the third year for the program overall, although the runners have competed mostly in varsity meets over the past two seasons.

“When I inherited the team last year we had two boys and three girls, and as it stands right now, we have nine boys and five girls,” coach Marissa Giuffre said. “We had a really nice turnout this summer and the kids who ran for us last year were very complimentary of the program, so I hoped that it would feed into bigger numbers for this year. Plus, the school is growing and you hope that it might appeal to some of the new people.”

On the boys’ team, senior Derek Shearer is a potential No. 1 runner. He attended Father McGivney as a freshman but went to school in Texas the past two years.

“He’s also doing soccer, so what I’ve seen from him has been limited, but he ran the Mud Mountain (5K race July 30 at SIUE),” Giuffre said. “He had been practicing for about three weeks at that point because the move came in the middle of July. It was his first time in that race and he ran a 22.30, so I was beyond pleased.”

The other senior, Jarod Silhavy, returns from last season and has improved his times. Also returning is sophomore Elijah Burns.

Freshmen Frank McClimans and Zach Brasel and junior Dan Jones are also likely to crack the top six. Jones is also a soccer player.

Rounding out the boys’ squad are freshmen Jacob Kraus, Caleb Tanzyus and Mark Mueller.

For the girls, the team’s best runner, sophomore Lauren Meyer, won’t be able to compete officially for Father McGivney until next season. Meyer is a transfer from Edwardsville High School and under IHSA rules is not eligible for the 2016-17 school year. For now, Meyer is able to practice with the team.

Senior Megan Schilly, who was hampered last year by blisters on her feet, still improved her times from her sophomore season. This year Schilly is healthy and competing for the top spot.

Sophomore Mira McAtee, who also returns from last season, has been battling injuries during the first two weeks of practice. As a freshman, she was one second away from a Class 1A sectional berth after initially being told that she had qualified out of the regional.

“They gave her the envelope that said ‘you’re going to the sectional’, but they thought she was the fourth (individual) qualifier and it turned out she was the sixth runner,” Giuffre said. “I’m hoping that in every race, that will be the catalyst behind her performance.”

Junior Abby Podshadley and freshman Bridget Weeks are also members of the team, while freshman Hannah Goodwin, a late addition to the roster, could give Father McGivney the fifth runner it needs to have a team score.

The Griffins open the season Aug. 30 in the Carlinville Early Meet and will be in the Granite City Invitational on Sept. 5.

“I’m anxious to see how we can place as a team because that’s something we haven’t been able to do so far in our program,” Giuffre said. “Ultimately I’d love to qualify a team to the sectional. Getting to that next level would give them a better taste of the postseason and that’s what builds your program.”

Page 14

Fall Sports

August 27, 2016 — www.theintelligencer.com

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