August 2019 Page 1
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
Iroquois County Fall Sports Preview A special supplement to the Times-Republic
Cissna Park Timberwolves
Donovan Wildcats
Milford Bearcats
Clifton Central Comets
Iroquois West Raiders
Watseka Warriors
Your guide to the fall sports season in Iroquois County
2019
Page 2 August 2019
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
WATSEKA WARRIORS
Although young, Watseka soccer hopes to compete By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com
Soccer
The Watseka High School Varsity Soccer team began their first official day of practice on Aug. 12. The team is led by head coach Jeremy Douglas. To start off the season, the team’s practices consisted of drills to help hone their skills as well as the fundamentals of the game. Between speed and endurance drills, ball handling exercises and agility training, the team also focused on sportsmanship and what it means to be a team player. The team faces some adversity this year with the loss of some upperclassmen last season. “We’re really young this year. We’re extremely young,” said Douglas. However, Douglas is optimistic that his team’s next few weeks of
Date Opponent Location Time 8/26 Hoopeston Area Watseka 4:30 p.m. 8/27 Oakwood Watseka 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. 8/29 Momence Momence 4:30 p.m. 9/03 Illinois Lutheran Crete 4:30 p.m. 9/05 Beecher Watseka 4:30 p.m. 9/10 Grant Park Grant Park 4:30 p.m. 9/12 St. Anne Watseka 4:30 p.m. 9/13-14 Cornjerker Classic Hoopeston TBA 9/17 Iroquois West Watseka 4:30 p.m. 9/19 Central Central 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. 9/21 Judah Christian Champaign 1 p.m. 9/23 Bismarck-Henning Bismarck 4:30 p.m. 9/24 Grace Academy Watseka 4:30 p.m. 9/26 Blue Ridge Watseka 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. 9/28 Fisher Fisher 10 a.m. 9/30 Geotown-RF Watseka 4:30 p.m. 10/01 IW Invite vs. IW Gilman 6 p.m. 4:30 p.m. The Watseka Warriors soccer team, in no particular order: Fernando Oralano, Mat- 10/02 IW Invite vs. Central Gilman 10/03 IW Invite vs. Momence Gilman 4:30 p.m. thew Henieke, Hudson Arseneau, Peter Miller, Haven Maple, Sophia Scott, Xochilt 11 a.m. DeHaro, David Arnold, Andrew Heuring, Rolando Gaytan, Preston Schroeder, Kade 10/05 Bishop McNamara Kankakee 10/07 St. Joseph-Ogden Watseka 4:30 p.m. Murray, Dolly Murray, Duncan McKenna. 10/08 IW Invite vs. St. Anne Gilman 4:40 p.m. practices will allow them be as competitive as we day with a 9 a.m. practice 10/11-19 IHSA Regionals TBA TBA TBA to be game ready when the can and we intend to push taking place on Friday. The 10/22-29 IHSA Regionals TBA 10/29 Super Sectional TBA TBA season begins. ourselves to do what it takes team also hosted their anTBA “Hopefully, the next two to succeed.” nual pork burger scrimmage 11/01-02 IHSA State Tournament Normal
weeks of good, solid, hard practices will get us at a game level where we can be competitive with the other teams in the area,” he said. “We are a great young team. We have such great potential and are going to
The team has wasted no time getting down to business. For the first week of practice, the team conducted their practices at 4 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday at the soccer field and 8 a.m. on Tuesday and Thurs-
Above: The Watseka boys golf team, not in order: Lukas Ball, Leevi Bruens, Dylan Harris, Zakk Clark, Bradly Galarza, Mitchell Galyen, Delmar Gillespie, Zachary Hickman, Adam Norder, Jordan Schroeder, Payton Anderson, Nolan Courville, Jacob Howaniec, Ryan Huizenga, Aden Quick, Garrett Thomas.
in which they have the opportunity to show off what they’ve learned in front of the community. The Watseka Warriors’ soccer team’s first game will be against Hoopeston on Aug. 26 in Watseka.
The Watseka girls golf team, not in order: Halley Noel, Carolyn Dickte, Haley Essington, Natalie Schroeder, Caitlin Corzine, Allie Hoy, Jackie Lynch, LaRissa Bertrand, Autumn Hanners.
Golf
Watseka golf teams off to successful start By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com The Watseka high school golf teams are both off to a fantastic start this season. The boys team is currently 12-0 while the girls are 4-0. Leading the charge for both the boys and girls teams is Darin Hartman, who is in his 20th year as head coach. “It’s going to be a fun year. I’m excited about it and the kids have really been working hard,” he said. “We’re on the range working and put little games in and other things that they can do competition wise. I’ve got a great group. They work hard and they listen, so I am a pretty fortunate person.” One thing Hartman has found enjoyment in during his 20 year coaching career is how coachable the kids are. “A lot of kids when they first come onto the team don’t know anything about the game. So, they are eager to learn. Once they start to learn, it seems like the light clicks and they continuously get better and put the work in. Coaching golf has been great because it seems like I have zero problems.” One thing the kids learn right out of the gate is having a respect for the sport and its course. “Golf is a game of honor and we
harp that at the kids from day one,” said Hartman. “We are just so fortunate that Shewami lets us play here and it’s important that our program reflects that in the treatment of not just the course, but how they play the game.” With 16 players on the boys team, Hartman is looking to his upperclassmen to lead by example this season. “Lucas Ball is going to be the mainstay on the boys side for us. He’s going to be asked to anchor the boys teams. He is so consistent score wise that he does a lot of leading just by showing how it’s done. The same can be said about Dylan Harris and Jordan Schroeder.” On the girls side, Hartman said Natalie Schroeder is another player that leads by example and takes charge. “Natalie really separates herself from everybody and is a great golfer. She works really hard on her game and has done a great job to get her name where it needs to be,” Hartman said. “The great thing about all those kids is they aren’t afraid to help out other kids. If they see other kids struggling they’ll work with them and try to help them out and that’s what we look for.”
BOYS Date Opponent Location Time 8/27 Westville Harrison Park 4:15 p.m. 9/03 Dwight Dwight 4:15 p.m. 9/04 Milford Shewami CC 4:15 p.m. 9/06 IW/Cissna Park/Beecher/Momence Shagbark4:00 p.m. 9/10 Westville/B-H Shewami CC 4:15 p.m. 9/13 Cissna Park Shewami CC 4:15 p.m. 9/16 Prairie Central Shewami CC 4:15 p.m. 9/18 Beecher/Momence Balmoral 4:15 p.m. 9/24 GCMS Railside 4:15 p.m. 9/25 Donovan/Momence/Tri-Point Shewami CC 4:15 p.m. 9/26 St. Thom More/Blue Ridge Lincolnshire Fields/ CC 4 p.m. 9/27 Watseka Golf Invitational Shewami CC 3:30 p.m. 9/30 TVC Tournament Balmoral 9 a.m. 10/02 Iroquois County Administrotors Shewami CC 2 p.m. 10/04 Grant Park Invite Minne Monesse 1 p.m. 10/07 Regionals Shewami CC 9 a.m. 10/12 Sectionals El Paso TBA 10/18-19 State Finals Bloomington TBA GIRLS 9/03 Donovan/Milford Shewami CC 4:15 p.m. 9/04 Milford Shewami CC 4:15 p.m. 9/05 Pontiac Indian Scramble Pontiac Elks 1 p.m. 9//06 IW/Cissna Park/Beecher/Hoopeston Shagbark 4 p.m. 9/10 Prairie Central/ Blue Ridge Indian Creek 4:15 p.m. 9/12 Beecher Balmoral 4:30 p.m. 9/13 Cissna Park Shewami CC 4:15 p.m. 9/16 Pontiac Invitational Pontiac Elks 1 p.m. 9/17 Dwight/IW Dwight 4:15 p.m. 9/18 Beecher/Momence Balmoral 4 p.m. 9/24 GCMS Railside 4:15 p.m. 9/26 St. Thom More/ BlueRidge Lincolnshire Fields CC 4 p.m. 9/30 TVC Tournament Balmoral 9 a.m. 10/02 Iroquois County Administrators Invite Shewami CC 2 p.m. 10/10 Regionals TBA TBA 10/12-15 Sectionals TBA TBA 10/18-19 State Finals Bloomington TBA
They Work Hard. They Play Hard.
Let’s Hear It for Our Student Athletes!
As we kick off a new school year, we’d like to take time out to salute the dedicated students who go the extra mile in the classroom, on the court and in the field to reach their goals. Their determination and hard work set a great example, and we wish all of our student athletes much success in the new school year and beyond. Keep up the great work!
Bob Burd bob.burd@countryfinancial.com
100 N. 10th St., Watseka, IL 60970 tel (815) 432-5240 fax (815) 432-5278 residence (815) 432-4502 cell (815) 471-5240 Retirement Planning College Funding Life Long Term Care Auto Home
GOOD LUCK TEAMS 300 E. Fredrick Milford, IL
815-889-4191
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August 2019 Page 3
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
Football
Warriors take it one step at a time By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com The Watseka Warriors football team’s football season will will get underway this week with the team’s first game of the season being played at home on Aug. 30. The team recently hosted its annual pork burger scrimmage on Aug. 23 to showcase what they have learned over the summer and gives the fans a taste of some new plays and drills that they have been working on in practice. “We’ve had a good pre-season this year,” said Watseka head coach Aaron Hilgendorf. “This week has been extremely critical for us. Tonight was kind of a dress rehearsal of sorts. I think it’s a good thing for us to get out here and go through our pre-game, with our uniforms on and the crowd watching us.” Hilgendorf said he has been impressed with how the team has come together during its practices and is looking forward to watching it all being put into motion for their first game of the season. “I’ve been really pleased with our practices. Mentally, I think we are where we need to be. We need to make some improvements but we will start working on our game plan starting tomorrow.” One thing Hilgendorf does not want for his team is for them to get ahead of itself. Date 8/23 8/30 9/06 9/13 9/20
The Watseka Warriors football team, not in order: Dylan Todd, Brayden Haines, Brady Walwer, Ethan Labelle, Reece Nasers, DJ Wellmaker, Maddux Rigsby, Justin Bunting, Drew Wittenborn, Jameson Cluver, Shannon Woods, Hayden Courville, Justin Mcgahan, Erik Raymer, Bretten Walwer, Joe Fegan, Conner Curry, Hunter Meyer, Henry Pavlak, Bryce Denoyer, Isaac Raymer, Simon Hodolitz, Jack Naese, Clayton Harper, Ashton Bowling, Nicholas Gomez, Caden Giroux, Tylor Durflinger, Jacob Durflinger, Nick Albright, Yeraldo Deleon, Andrew Soucie, Cal Cotter, Evan Schaumburg, Adam Kunce, Shawn Farris, Ryan Kunce, Clay Dorsey, Noah Wellborn. “It’s one game at a time for us. Right now we are focused on beating Oakwood and playing our best game there. After that we’ll focus on week two. We have our long term goals but right now the biggest one is to take it one game at a time.” Helping keep the team on track are the seniors, which Hilgendorf said have taken on responsibility quite a bit over the last few weeks. “The seniors have really stepped up this year and taken some ownership of the team,” He said. “That, along with some of our juniors stepping up their game and becoming more vocal is helping bring us closer together as a team. It’s encouraging to see as a coach.” Senior wide receiver Justin Bunting said his team has
Opponent Porkburger Scrimmage Oakwood Salt Fork Momence Oblong
Location Watseka Watseka Watseka Watseka Oblong
Time TBA 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
9/27 10/04 10/11 10/18 10/25 11/01
shown major improvements just in the last few weeks alone. “I’ve seen a lot of our guys really get a lot stronger from last year. I’ve also noticed their leadership skills improve as well.” As a senior, leadership is what it’s all about for Bunting. “I definitely feel a sense of responsibility to be a leader,” he said. “On both offense and defense, we have to pick our guys up when things aren’t going so well and that’s what we try to do.” The Watseka Warriors first game of the season will be at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 against Oak Wood in Watseka.
Dwight Central Seneca PBL Iroquois West IHSA Playoffs-1st Round
Watseka Clifton Watseka Paxton Watseka TBA
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. TBA
Watseka tennis team taking steps for success
BEST OF LUCK TO ALL TEAMS!
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Date 9/03 9/05 9/09 9/11 9/12 9/16 9/18 9/23 9/24 9/28 10/03 10/07 10/08 10/10 10/15 10/18-19 10/24-10/26
Opponent Location Rich South Richton Park Southland Prep Watseka GCMS Gibson City Centennial Lindsay Courts-Champaign Urbana Watseka Pontiac Pontiac Kankakee Watseka Bishop McNamara Watseka Mahomet-Seymour Watseka Lincoln Way Invite New Lenox St. Thomas More Champaign-Atkins Danville HS Champaign-Atkins GCMS Watseka Pontiac Watseka Kankakee Kankakee Sectionals TBA State Finals Mt. Prospect
Time 4:15 p.m. 4 p.m. 4:15 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4:15 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 8:30 a.m. 4:15 p.m. 4:15 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4:30 p.m. TBA TBA
Tennis
The Watseka tennis team, not in order: Brianna Hanners, Laura Macias, Emily Crosswell, Hannah Morales, Shai Wallace, Zoey Krueger, Ashton Peters, Katelyn Hatch, Emma Simons.
By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com Though the team has seen a small drop off in numbers this season, the Watseka girls tennis team is eager to improve from recent years and is taking the necessary steps to make that a reality. Head coach Corrie Maulding, who is now in her second year as head coach, said the team is really stressing the importance of unity and positivity this season. “We do some team building exercises and stress the importance of being positive and uplifting. We want to build the program and want to have a good time competing,” she said. Recently, the team was awarded with the IHSA Academic Achievement Award, a feat that only the tennis team and the girls track team has ever done. “We really stress the importance of academics and the girls know they need to stay on top of their grades so we will definitely be shooting for that again this year,” Maulding said. The tennis team won four matches last season, which was an improvement from the year before. Being a rebuilding year, and with such small numbers Maulding is hoping that her teams dedication will take them to where they hope to be this season. “We have five returning from last season. It is a small team this year but they are dedicated and focused. I have two from each grade and our two freshman have never played but they are doing really really well,” she said. “I think having a smaller team will be good because then they will all get to play more often and get a lot more touches with the teams that we play.” The Watseka tennis team’s first match will be on Sept. 3 against Rich South.
Three Cheers
for Our Student Athletes
We’d like to take time out to recognize the young men and women who dedicate so much time and effort to the pursuit of their athletic and academic goals. We salute your hard work, and we hope this school year is filled with wins for each and every one of you.
www.iroqbank.com
Iroquois - Main office (815) 429-3337 Beaverville (815) 435-2036 Sheldon (815) 429-3331 Ashkum (815) 698-2346 Gilman (815) 265-4707 Watseka (815) 432-4198
Page 4 August 2019
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
Volleyball
The Watseka Lady Warriors volleyball team. Front row, left to right: Claire Curry, Maggie Guimond, Grace Smith, Sydney McTaggart, Teagan Wuethrich, Arika Stanley. Back row: Reagan Gooding. Kourtney Kincade, Raegann Kochel, Kennedy McTaggart, Kinzie Parsons, Tegan Cawthon, Meredith Drake.
Date 8/26 8/26 8/28 8/31 9/05 9/07 9/10 9/16 9/17 9/19 9/23 9/25 9/28 9/30 10/03 10/07 10/10 10/14 10/15-/19 10/22 10/24 10/28-10/31 11/04-/06 11/08 11/15-11/16
Opponent CP Tip-Off Tourney vs. Kankakee CP Tip-Off Tourney vs. Central CP Tip-Off Tourney vs.Oakwood CP Tip-Off Tourney vs.TBA PBL Manteno Early Bird Classic Hoopeston Area South Newton St. Thomas More Momence Prairie Central Beecher Watseka Invitational Westville Iroquois West St. Anne Dwight GCMS SVC Tournament Cissna Park Central Regionals Sectionals Super-Sectionals State Finals
Location Time Watseka 6 p.m. Watseka 7 p.m. Cissna Park 7 p.m. Cissna Park TBA Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Manteno 8 a.m. Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Momence 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. WCHS & GRS 8 a.m. Westville 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Gilman 5:30/6:30 p.m. Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. GCMS 5:30/ 6:30 p.m. KCC TBA Watseka 6 p.m., 7 p.m. Clifton 5:30/6:30 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA Redbird Arena TBA
Lady Warriors have high goals this season By ZACK WATERS, Sports sports@intranix.com Back for her 15th year of coaching, Watseka Lady Warriors volleyball head coach Krista Pufahl is preparing her team for the upcoming Timberwolf Tip-Off to start the season. After losing some pretty heavy hitters last season, Pufahl is implementing some new things and getting her team into the flow of things. “We are just kind of mixing a couple of things up and trying some new things out that are a little bit dif-
ferent from the summer,” she said. “It’s probably the biggest transition year we have had since we went to state in 2014. So what we need this year is for some people to step up. We have a good tradition going here and we are hoping to keep that up.” Pufahl said some key players to look out for will be juniors Kinzie Parsons and Kennedy McTaggart who will be taking the hitting load for the team. Grace Smith will be returning as a setter after setting last season as well.
Pufahl is optimistic in her teams ability this season. “I think we can easily win 20 games, but it’s going to be different. When you lose a group of nine its just going to be a different feel and different look. I’d love to win a regional title and we are hosting the sectional so of course that would be nice to take home as well.” The Lady Warriors started the season against Kankakee at 6 p.m. on Aug. 26 in game two of the Cissna Park Timberwolf Tip-Off.
CISSNA PARK TIMBERWOLVES Cissna Park volleyball to play young roster
Volleyball
By WENDY DAVIS, Reporter reporter@intranix.com Cissna Park has had teams like the one this year, and ultimately, they end up successful. The Timberwolves volleyball team will have no senior this year. This is for the first time in at least 14 years, said coach Josh Landon. “Our numbers are down, but to put a positive twist on it, if they all return they’ll return experienced.” The 11 girl team sees five juniors, but only three are returning starters: Carly Pence, Kristen Walder and Audrey Kaeb. “We’ll turn to them as floor leaders and captains.” One is playing her first year and the other is playing her second, he said. The starters lost were the setter and two outside hitters, so Landon said he’s going to need to fill these important spots. “There’s a lot of experience for these underclassmen to gain at the varsity level. They’ll learn and develop their skills to take them forward through the year.” Landon noted this happened four years ago, when the 2019 seniors were freshmen there were no seniors on that roster either. Last year the team was regional champs with a 26-9 record. And, as every year, the school will host its Timberwolf Tip-Off, which will have not just county teams but also teams from Fisher, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Oakwood and Kankakee. The event will take place from Aug. 26-29 with the final game being played on Saturday, Aug. 31. A total of 12 teams will be participating and will be divided into three separate pools. The Navy Pool will consist of Cissna Park, Danville Schlarman, Hoopeston and GCMS. The Date 8/26 8/27 8/28 8/29 8/31 9/03 9/05 9/09 9/10 9/16 9/19 9/23 9/24 9/26 9/28 9/30 10/03 10/07 10/09 10/10 10/12 10/15 10/17 10/19 10/22 10/24 10/28-10-31 11/04-11/06 11/08 11/15-11/16
Opponent Timberwolf Tip-Off Timberwolf Tip-Off Timberwolf Tip-Off Timberwolf Tip-Off Timberwolf Tip-Off St. Joseph Ogdgen Ridgeview Grant Park Champaign Judah Christian Bismarck-Henning PBL Fisher Tri-Point Clifton Central Reed Custer St. Anne Dwight Milford PBL Classic Momence High School PBL Classic SVC Tournament SVC Tournament SVC Tournament Watseka Iroquois West Regionals Sectionals Super-Sectionals State
The Cissna Park Lady Timberwolves, from left to right: KayLee McWethy, Sarah Hardison, Kristen Walder, Mikayla Knake, Carly Pence, Bonnie Russell, Emma Morrical and Audrey Kaeb. Columbia Pool will be Armstrong-Potomac, Milford, PBL and Fisher. The Silver Pool will consist of Clifton Central, Kankakee, Oakwood and Watseka. The pool play format will be best two of three. The first group of games will begin at 5 p.m. on Aug. 26 with Kankakee taking on Clifton in Watseka while Milford faces off against PBL at Cissna Park.
Location Cissna Park Cissna Park Cissna Park Cissna Park Cissna Park St. Joseph Cissna Park Grant Park Cissna Park Bismarck Paxton Fisher Cullom Cissna Park Braidwood Cissna Park Cissna Park Milford Paxton Momence Paxton Kankakee Kankakee Kankakee Watseka Cissna Park TBA TBA TBA Bloomington
Time TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA 6 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. TBA 5:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. TBA 6 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA 6 p.m. 5:30 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA
There are four possible places during the tournament and only the first place team will take home the championship trophy. Twelve all-tournament player plaques will be awarded after the final match.
WE SUPPORT OUR STUDENT ATHLETES
Good luck to all of our local school athletic teams this year. We’re proud of you!
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August 2019 Page 5
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
Timberwolves seek successful golf season By ZACK WATERS, Sports sports@intranix.com The Cissna Park golf team is in a transition year this season. The team saw the loss of seniors Dawson Savoree and Bailey Sluis last season and will look to Devin Hull to take the reigns and lead the team this year. So far this season, Hull is shooting at mid
to low 50s. Cale Clauss is following close behind shooting mid to high 50s. On the girls side, Emily Hylbert and Lauren Kaeb are competing pretty evenly for the top spot with Hylbert shooting a 64 and Kaeb a 65 during their first meet of the season. The Cissna Park golf team’s next meet will be at Danville Country Club on Sept. 5.
Golf
Left: The Cissna Park golf team. From left to right: Cale Clauss, Kahne Clauss, Will Petry, Caden Blackburn, Bryce Bruens, Brody Sluis, James Yergler, Brendan Trumann, Gavin Speirs. Not pictured are: Trae Cobb, Devin Hull, Hayden Overbey, Emily Hylbert and Lauren Kaeb.
Date 9/05 9/06 9/09 9/11 9/13 9/16 9/17
Opponent Danville-Schlarman IW/Watseka/Beecher Hoopeston Fisher Watseka GCMS/Fisher Milford
Location Danville CC Shagbark Hubbard Trail Willow Pond Shewami Railside Shewami
Donovan Wildcats
Time 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4:15 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m.
9/23 9/27 9/30 10/02 10/08 10/12 10/18-19
Schlarman Watseka Invite Twin Valley Conference Iroquois County Regionals Sectionals State
Danville CC Shewami Away Shewami TBA TBA TBA
4 p.m 3:30 p.m. 9 a.m. 2 p.m. TBA TBA TBA
Date Opponent Location 8/27 Iroquois West Home 8/29 Kankakee Trinity Academy Home 9/03 Tri-Point Away 9/05 St. Anne Home 9/07 Blue Ridge Tournament Away 9/09 Hoopeston Away By ZACK WATERS, Sports 9/10 Gardner South Wilmington Away sports@intranix.com 9/12 Illinois Lutheran Home Dedication and focus is what coach Emily Snyder is seeing from her Donovan Lady Wildcats 9/16 Grace Christian Academy Home volleyball team this season. 9/19 Beecher Away With the return of six seniors this season, Snyder is in high spirits about the outcome if this 9/24 Grant Park Home 9/26 Tri-Point Home year’s season. Momence Away “I am optimistic with how our season will turn out. We have put a lot of hours in at the gym and 9/30 10/01 St. Anne Away are looking to step up our overall game.” 10/03 Gardner South Wilmington Home This season, the Lady Wildcats have gained both height and speed at the net and although several 10/05 Calvary Christian Tourney TBA of her players are new to the sport, Snyder said the young ones on her team are up to the challenge. 10/07 North Newton Home Although some of the girls are young, they have stepped up to the expectations set by the veteran 10/08 Illinois Lutheran Away players this year,” she said. 10/15 TVC Tournament Away This year, Snyder looks to seniors Karley Davidson and Emma Leady for her leadership. 10/17 TVC Tournament Away “Both of those girls are great all around players and are the ones that set the expectations on the 10/19 TVC Tournament Away 10/22 Beecher Home court.” 10/23 Central Home 10/25 Grant Park Away Date Opponent Location Time 9/03 Watseka Away 4:15 p.m. 9/04 Milford Away 4 p.m. 9/11 Donovan Meet Home 6 p.m. 9/12 Grant Park Away 4:15 p.m. By ZACK WATERS, Sports taking home second place in their first meet of the 9/16 Hoopeston Away 4 p.m. 9/17 St. Anne Away 4 p.m. sports@intranix.com season against Watseka, Cissna Park and Hoopeston. 9/20 RVC Meet Home 1 p.m. The Donovan Wildcats golf team will be looking So far, Brodi Winge is shooting mid to low 50s 9/23 Donovan Meet Home 4 p.m. to fill in the holes left by their seniors last season. 9/25 Watseka Away 4 p.m. and is looking to be the number one contender for the After losing Kohlton Lanoue and Keegan Wingert9/27 Watseka Away 3:30 p.m. top spot. Closely behind is Caleb Klecan who shot a 9/30 Beecher Away 9 a.m. er who were shooting mid 40s last season, the teams 10/02 Milford TBA 2 p.m. 59 for his first meet of the season, then came back to new leader has some big shoes to fill. 10/04 Grant Park Away 1 p.m. The team has two meets under their belt so far and shoot a 52 during their second meet. 10/08-11 Regionals TBA TBA
Volleyball
Lady Wildcats show dedication, focus
Time 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. TBA 7 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. TBA 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. TBA TBA TBA 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
Golf
Wildcats look for continued golf successes
Page 6 August 2019
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
MILFORD/CISSNA PARK BEARCATS
The MCP Bearcats football team, not in order: Bryce Sluis, Mason Blanck, Nick Allen, Sam Kaeb, Justin Tillman, Trey Totheroh, Alex Barney, Kadin Randalls, Nick Warren, Penn Stoller, Jarid Woodby, Ashton Sparks, Keegan Boyle, Sawyer Laffoon, Angel Salinas, Alex Garcia, Tevon Longest, Ryan King, Theran Blanck, Jacob Nash, Damian Renteria, Billy Zarate, Seth VanHoveln, Rudy King, Luke Trumann, Tanner Garrison, Jordan Raymer.
Date 8/30 9/06 9/13 9/20 9/27 10/4 10/11 10/18 10/25 11/1 or 11/2 11/8 or 11/9 11/15 or 11/16 11/22
Opponent Lake Forest Academy North Fulton (Cuba) Metro-East Lutheran Schlarman Alden-Hebron Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland Pawnee Judah Christian River Ridge Round 1 Playoffs Playoffs Quarterfinals Playoffs Semifinals State Championship
Time 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. TBA TBA TBA 7 p.m.
Football
Defending state champs ready for action By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com Coming in to this season as the current reigning state champions, the Milford/Cissna Park eight-man football team is ready to defend its title. “Last season you could say was kind of the dream season,” said head coach Clint Schwartz. “We went from evaluating our whole program and really what it came down to was the decision to play eight man football. It was either that or we don’t have a football program. Fast forward 11 months and all of the sudden we are the state champions. It was really fun to watch our kids be able to enjoy that and go from just being the door mat to having success. It was unbelievable.” In order to top that and with one season under their belt already, Schwartz and his team is now able to
focus more on the little things. The four weeks in the summer that we do stuff and the first couple weeks of the season, it is all about us. We are 100 percent focussed on getting better as a team and individually,” he said. “Last year, there were so many changes that needed to be made when making that move to eight-man and no one really knew what to expect. This year, we are able to carry over a lot from last year and are able to focus a lot on the little things. Now that we can focus on the little things, we have seen so much amazing progression so far with our guys. Even the guys that came back from last year, they are better than they were.” Although they lost six players last year, four seniors and two foreign exchange students, the MCP Bearcats numbers have actually managed to increase this sea-
son. “Last year we finished the season with 24 kids and this year we are at 34,” said Schwartz. “We have 23 freshman and sophomores out this year which are really good numbers. I think the success of last season played a big role in that. There’s a lot of schools that would love to see those numbers.” As far as game plan goes, the team is sticking to what they know. “We aren’t doing a whole lot different this season. Sure, there’s a few little wrinkles here and there that we need to work on, but we didn’t want to change up a whole lot. We are staying true to who we are and are going to run the football offensively, and on the defensive side obviously we need to slow down the run.” The MCP football team’s first game of the season will be Lake Forrest Academy on Aug. 30.
MILFORD BEARCATS Volleyball
Bearcats looking to strong leadership for winning season By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com The Milford Lady Cats volleyball team is looking to their strong leadership this season to lead them to a sectional win. This season, the Lady Cats have a large number of senior members comparatively to past seasons. “We have a really strong senior class. This year we have four, which doesn’t sound like a lot but for Milford it is a lot. I’ve had a year where we only had one. All four are really good leaders and really good girls,” said Milford head coach Christy Duis. “This will be my fifth year as head coach and from what I’ve seen with the teams I have had, when we’ve
done well it’s because we have had strong senior classes. We may not always have been necessarily always the best or most talented, but as far as that leadership goes when we have solid senior classes we have done well.” Duis is also looking for her two new comers to step up and take charge as well. We’ve got two sophomores that play up for us and they’re really good. We have Kailey Mowrey who is a middle and is probably going to be our big hitter. That, coupled with our solid seniors we are excited.” This season, a lot of focus is being put on sportsmanship and what kind of team the girls want to be a part of. A lot of what the team’s principles are lays on
the senior’s shoulders. “This year, we are really focusing on what our values are as a team,” Duis said. “I had a senior meal before we started the season to find out what was important to them. It was a great, productive meeting and we are kind of going off of those values for the season.” It’s not enough to just take regionals this season for the Lady Cats. They’re after the sectional title, and with it being hosted at Milford it is easy to see why. “We would love to win a regional and get to the sectionals. We are actually hosting the sectionals, so that would really be pretty cool to win that one,” said Duis.
Please see MILFORD, page 7
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August 2019 Page 7
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
Date 8/28 9/3 9/4 9/5 9/9 9/12 9/17 9/24 9/27 9/30 10/2 10/3
Opponent Location Watseka/Kankakee Shewami Donovan/Tri-Point/Watseka Shewami Donovan/Tri-Point Shewami Scramble Pontiac Hoop/CP/Schlarman Hubbard Trail Schlarman/Westville Danville Country Cissna Park Shewami Salt Fork Shewami Watseka Invite Shewami Bismarck Harrison Park County Shewami VVC Harrison Park
Time 4:15 p.m. 4 p.m 4 p.m. 1 p.m. 4 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 2 p.m. 9 a.m.
Left: The Milford girls golf team, left to right: Jessica Hines, Bailee Fanning, Alexis Vogel, Baelee Luce, Kristin Butler, Emma Mann.
Potential for improvement great for Milford golfers
Golf
By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com The Milford golf team is looking to improve on last season this year to get things started. “For the boys we’ve basically got four veterans coming back,” said head coach Sharon Glasgow. “James Burch will probably be our number one player all year. He and Brady Marshino competed for the number one spot all year long last season.” Glasgow said after losing Marshino to graduation, there is a big hole to fill. “Right now, CJ VanHoveln and Luke McCabe are expected to fight for the two and three positions as juniors. And we will probably look to Caleb Harris or Cooper Frerichs for the four spot.” Glasgow said VanHoveln and McCabe are expected to be shooting mid to low 40s for the season but the fourth position is something they need to settle in and she believes the potential is there. “I try to tell my kids to play one shot at a time. You can’t The Milford boys golf team. get the shot back that you’ve already screwed up so if you hold on to it you are just going to carry it with you. It’s over and done with,” she said. The girls side is looking for improvement as well. “We just want to improve over last year. Baelee Glasgow said she would like to see Baelee Luce return to Luce went to advance to sectionals last year so I am sectionals again after last season.
hoping that she can do that again along with Bailee Fanning. But they all have the potential to improve.”
You can always bank on our support The Milford Lady Bearcats volleyball team, front row left to right: Julia Bushnell, Lexy Puetz, Sam Conley, Scout Voyles, Emmaleah Marshino. Back row: Maya McEwen, Kaylee Warren, Lily Atwood, Caley Mowrey, Jakki Mowrey.
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Date 8/26 8/27 8/27 8/31 9/9 9/12 9/17 9/19 9/19-23 9/24 9/26 9/28 9/30 10/01 10/03 10/07 10/08 10/09 10/10 12/19 10/15 10/17 10/22 10/24 10/29-10/31 11/4 and 11/6 11/8 11/15-11/16
Opponent Cissna Park (CP Tourney) PBL Tourney Fisher Pool Play Crossover St. Anne Armstrong-Potomac Georgetown-Ridge Farm Bismarck Henning Iroquois West Schlarman Hoopeston Watseka Tournament Tri-Point Salt Fork Oakwood Cissna Park Chrisman PBL Tourney Armstrong-Potomac PBL Tourney Westville Bismarck-Henning Schlarman Hoopeston IHSA Regional IHSA Sectional Super Sectional State Finals
Location Cissna Park Cissna Park Cissna Park Cissna Park Home Home Away Home Away Away Away TBA Home Home Home Home Milford Paxton Away Paxton Away Away Home Home TBA TBA TBA TBA
Time TBA 5 p.m. 7 p.m. TBA 6 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. TBA 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. TBA 6 p.m. TBA 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA
MILFORD from page 6 “We have been to the regional championship the last two years and just can’t get over that hump of winning it. I feel like we
can finish at least at the top of our conference, so that is also another good goal for us.
Page 8 August 2019
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
IROQUOIS WEST RAIDERS
The Iroquois West boys golf team. Front row, left to right: Kade Kimmel, Kamden Kimmel, Evan Izquierdo, Kyler Meents. Back row: Jack Pree, Jaiden Ehmen, Ryan Tilstra, Jack McMillan, Ivan Munoz.
The Iroquois West girls golf team: Adelynn Scharp, McKinley Tilstra, Taylor Talbert.
Golf
IW golf teams looking to improve on last season By ZACK WATERS, Sports Girls sports@intranix.com Date Opponent Location Time With a current record of 5-2, the Iroquois West 9/04 Lutheran/Beecher/Tri-Point Away 4:30 p.m. boys golf team is off to a strong start already at the 9/05 Indian Scramble Away 1 p.m. start of the season. 9/06 CP/Watseka/Beecher/Hoop Home 4 p.m. “I’ve been really happy with how we’ve started 9/17 Dwight/Watseka Away 4:15 p.m. off the season this year,” said head coach Grant 9/24 Fisher/Blue Ridge Away 4 p.m. 9/25 GCMS Away 4 p.m. Meyer who is now in his fifth season with the 9/30 Twin Valley Invite Away 9 a.m. Iroquois West golf team. 10/01 Prairie Central/Blue Ridge Home 4 p.m. “We don’t have any seniors this year so to come 10/02 Iroquois County Tourney Away 2 p.m. out in our first meet of the season and get a 186 to 10/09 Regional Away TBA beat four of the five teams we played against in 10/14 Sectional Away TBA our first match was great.” 10/18 State Finals Away TBA On the girls side of things, Meyer said his team is pretty young there as well. “Overall, I think both of our teams are young. But for the girls, the potential is there. They could captains to help his team’s leaders vocalize their roles. struggle a little bit, but they will improve later in “I named captains this year, two boys and two girls. the year.” We don’t have the most vocal group so this kind of put Meyer implemented some new things into this them in a position where they have to step up. So it has season as well. One of those being naming team been nice to have that and gives them a chance to put them
Boys Date 8/28 9/04 9/06 9/13 9/16 9/18 9/18 9/19 9/23 9/24 9/25 9/27 10/02 10/04
Opponent Lutheran Lutheran/Beecher/Tri-Point CP/Watseka/Beecher/Hoop Bismarck-Henning/Hoop Grant Park Blue Ridge JV Invite GCMS/Tri-Point Milford/Momence Donovan/Tri-Point Fisher/Blue Ridge Blue Ridge Watseka Invite County Meet Momence
Location Away Away Home Home Away Away Away Away Away Away Home Away Away Away
Time 4 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 2 p.m. 4 a.m.
into a leadership role.” After Ryan Tilstra’s trip to sectionals last season as a sophomore, Meyer says his team is looking to improve on that and try head there as a team.
Lady Raiders carry on with changes, hard work
Volleyball
By ZACK WATERS, Sports sports@intranix.com After struggling to get a win last season, the Iroquois West Lady Raiders volleyball team needed to implement some changes into their program. Head coach Dakota Bohlmann said this year, her team is considerably more focused and are working together as a team. “This year, we have started doing some different drills and the girls are definitely working together more cohesively than in previous years,” she said. Date 8/26 8/27 8/29 9/03 9/05 9/09 9/11 9/12 9/16 9/18 9/23 9/26 9/30 10/03 10/05 10/07 10/09 10/10 10/12 10/15 10/17 10/24
Opponent Blue Ridge Donovan Tri-Point Grace Christ Academy Central Bismarck-Henning St. Anne Momence GCMS Gardner South Wilmington Milford Dwight South Newton Watseka Hoopeston Ridgeview PBL classic Paxton/Buckley/Loda PBL classic SVC Tourney SVC Tourney Cissna Park
Location Away Away Away Home Home Home Home Home Home Away Home Away Home Home Away Home Away Away Away Away Away Away
“Last season wasn’t as good as we hoped for, so we are just looking to improve definitely. We can definitely win, we just need to do it. We just have to keep working together and I know we can do it.” One of the things the team has to their advantage is a large number of varsity players. “I have a bigger varsity team this year. I have five seniors and six juniors, so I am looking to those guys for my leadership,” she said. “All of my varsity are returning players and three of them are also playing club ball right now. So not only Time 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 11 a.m. 6:30 p.m. TBA 6:30 p.m. TBA 5 p.m. 5 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
are they getting that experience in the off-season, they are also helping because then they can help the other girls too with coverage plays and give them tips that they’ve learned.” Bohlmann said she has seen improvements in her team just since the pre-season began. “This season I’ve definitely seen a lot of improvement. I’d say we’ve gotten better since we started practicing this summer. There is a lot of good potential and the girls work good together so if we continue that, we will have a good season.”
The IW volleball team. Front row, left to right: Emma Lopez, Estefany Andrade, Jenessa Salazar and Chloe Baker. Middle row: Alexis Fred, Anahi Munoz, Ashton Miler, Lili Rodriquez and Lesly Andrade. Back row: Maddie Manning, Shelby Johnson, Mallori Fairley, Merrek Sweeny, Lindsey Songer and Kaylee Cormona.
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August 2019 Page 9
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
Date 8/30 9/06 9/13 9/20 9/27 10/05 10/11 10/18 10/25
Opponent Bismarck-Henning Hoopeston/Schlarman Paxton/Buckley/Loda Momence Oakwood Seneca Dwight Central Watseka
Location Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Home Away
Time 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
The Iroquois West Raiders football team, not in order: Thomas McFall, Dane Thorne, Peyton Rhodes, Tibaldo Alvarez, Daltin Austin, Landon Davis, Jaeton Schacht, Trystyn Schacht, Gabriel Alvarez, Damian Melgoze, Sam mcmillan, Jaysun Rodriguez, Jacob Duffy, Auston Miller, Ty Pankey, Devin Kuchel, Jonathan Tammen, John Ahlden, Evan Rogers, David Netzband, Conner Taylor, Damon Fowler, Luke Villagomez, Kevin Butler, Clayton Leonard, Chris Alcantar, Justyn Rodriguez, Yahir Perez, Nathan Price, Carson Maisonneuve, Collin Mcgehee, Josue Salvador, Garron Perzee, Zach Rice, Landon Conrad, Ryan Fred, Alex Mcclain, Tanner Jensen, Matthew Boyd, Eric Netzband, Cannon Leonard, Dylan Hylbert, Aiden Tilstra.
Raiders to keep game plan simple in upcoming season
Football
By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com With 29 underclassman on a 43 man roster, the Iroquois West Raiders football team will be looking to build up its program and gain some experience in the upcoming season. “We are going to be young,” said coach Cam Stone. “That’s kind of been the story of the last two years here. It’s one of those things where it’s nice to be youthful and have these guys for a couple of years, but with that of course we are going to have some growing pains as well.” Stone is optimistic, however, and places his faith in his teams youthful
athleticism to help them’s succeed. “We’ve got some good young guys who I want to use their athleticism to our advantage. We are just going to keep it as simple as possible and just kind of let them go and play the game of football,” he said. “We are going to go and be successful no matter where we are, it just depends on how fast we retain things and that is on us as a coaching staff. But, ultimately we’ve got some athletes that we are going to get out in space and hopefully be successful with that.” To lead the charge, Stone is looking to three-year starting quarterback Tibaldo Alvarez.
“Tibaldo looks extremely good right now,” said Stone. “After transitioning to the spread last year, it was kind of a learning year for him. But, he looks extremely good right now and we are trying to keep him off defense as much as possible as well so he’s getting in his reps and leading the way for the younger guys.” Stone mentioned a couple other notable players as well. “Zach Rice will lead us on the offensive line along with Kevin Butler. Aaron Netzband was a transfer for us last year, he will play receiver and we are really looking at him as an outside target this year.”
The overall game plan this season for the Raiders will be simplicity, all while ensuring the team is living up to their full potential. ”As a coaching staff we find ourselves having to reign ourselves in because the kids just want to go and play the game. So we just want to keep it simple and sort of keep the thinking out of the game.” The Iroquois West Raiders will take on Bismarck-Henning on Aug. 30 at home.
Raiders look to change things up on the pitch this season to graduation, Alvarez he is hoping for some key players to step up an fulfill those crucial positions. “I think the hardest part of our team that was hit was the defense last year. Two of our defenders were seniors last year and they took up a lot of that field. So hopefully this year, we have a couple of guys that are filling in those spots. It seems like right now we are working well with them so we will see how it goes.” The team is very cohesive according to Alvarez. Over the summer, they found their own time to practice which allowed them to get a sense of how to work as a unit. “As a team, they bond pretty well. You can tell just by the way the work together that they have chemistry in practices and it’s been going pretty well,” he said.
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Between the JV and varsity teams, Alvarez is working with about 36 players which he said are fantastic numbers. But the loss of three key seniors has left a hole that will be hard to overlook and is something Alvarez will need to fill before the start of the season. “Last year, I tried to work in some of the other guys that were going to be filling in those spots so it’s not going to be completely new to them, but they are a little bit younger than the other guys,” he said. “This year, Diego Camarena, Angel Barajas and Ulises Aguilera are my seniors. I’ve had those guys the four years that I’ve coached. They’ve done a pretty good job so far of controlling the team and helping me out a little bit. They know they are now in a position of leadership and to set the example.”
Opponent Georgetown/Westville Momence St. Anne Herscher Invite Blue Ridge Beecher Lutheran Cornjerker Classic Cornjerker Classic Watseka Grant Park Fisher Grace Christian Academy Schlarman Iroquois West Invite Hoopeston Iroquois West Invite Regionals
Location Time Home Away Away Away Away Home Away Away Away Away Home Away Away Away Home Home Home Home
11 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. TBA 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. TBA TBA 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 10 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 4 p.m.
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Soccer
By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com The Iroquois West Raiders soccer team is hoping to change things up a bit this season. Head coach Rich Alvarez said he is determined to place much more focus on his teams speed this year than he has been in the past. “This year we have changed a lot of how we conditioned. I am looking for more speed, so we have been focusing more on that. We have been doing a lot more sprints and different things to help us out and get us into that fast placed game play. It will help take the pressure off the defense and more pressure on the other team’s side.” After the loss of his two senior defenders last season
Page 10 August 2019
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
CENTRAL COMETS
Football
Comets eager for football season By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com With only a few days left until its first game of the season, the Clifton Central Comets football team is eager to get out on the field and show off what they have worked so hard at during the pre-season. “We have had a great summer in terms of kids buying in and working hard. Our summer attendance has been exceptional and the kids picked up everything that we threw at them. We have been able to work on things that we could not do last year because of our inexperience at every position. We still have work to do but I like where we are right now,” said Brian Spooner, head coach of the Central Comets. After their heartbreaking 30-28 playoff loss to the Rockridge Rockets last season, the team is hungry and Spooner believes his team now has the experience it takes to succeed. “I think we could be as good as we want to be. We have a lot of kids back from last year and we are hoping that experience will pay off,” he said. “I think it’s hard to compare each season with another one because of the difference in the makeup of the guys on the team but I do feel like that we compare really well with some of the teams that we have had in the past in terms of athleticism and speed.” With a record of 7-2 last season as well as a trip to the playoffs, the team looks to its upperclassman to help guide the team to where they want to be. “We will always look to our seniors first for leadership because they are the ones who’s clock is ticking the fastest in terms of time left to play,” said Spooner. “We also have some juniors that have stepped up and are willing to lead as well.” The Central Comets football team will head to GeorgetownRidge Farm to take on the Buffaloes at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30. Date 8/30 9/06 9/13 9/20
Opponent Georgetown-Ridge Farm Herscher High School Westville High School Dwight High School
Photo by Steve Scoggan The Central Comets varsity football team, not in order: Luke Shoven, Matthew Luhrsen, Jay Lemenager, Caden Perry, Will Evans, Chandler Burrow, Grant Grider, Trevor Meier, Seth Raines, Jacob Shoven, Tristan Schmidt, Carson Turner, Logan Beherns, Carson Turner, Justin Kuntz, Cory Hoggins, Nate Kuntz, Evan Redwing, Jayce Meier, Micha Hartman, Garrett Graham, Damian Bailey, Cade Alexander, Nolan Reick, Brock Spooner, Garrett Manny, Dallas Rodriguez, Seth Mcdivitt, Jace Fontaine, Caleb Toberman, Nathan Reick, Miles Price, David Price, Jon Woolever, Tony Marquez, Aiden Christiansen, Jordan Saathoff, Giaccomo Panozzo, Evan Donnelly, Alex Munoz, Jared Saathoff, Landon Shule, Harrison Kent, Patrick Lindgren.
Location Away Home Away Home
Time 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
9/27 10/04 10/11 10/18 10/25
Seneca High School Watseka High School Paxton/Buckley/Loda Iroquois West Momence
Away Home Home Away Home
4 p.m., 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Cross Country
Expectations high for Comets cross country this season By ZACK WATERS sports@intranix.com The stakes are high this season, as the Clifton Central cross country team is getting set for yet another season. As current state champions in their division, the boys team will need to up the intensity if they want to remain on top. With their numbers and experience, head coach David Ladehoff believes they are in the running for another state victory again this year. “I have the core of the boys varsity returning. They have the experience and have worked hard over the summer months. We should be in contention for the State Championship in Class 1A this year,” he said. “The boys have more talent with this group than prior years of runners. We still have had to improve since the rest of the competition is working hard to beat the Comets.” Although they are in a rebuild year, Ladehoff is confident in the girls team’s ability as well. “The lady comets are starting from scratch this season. We have three new runners that will have their chance to move to varsity early in the season. They Date 8/31 9/04 9/14 9/19 9/24 9/28 10/01 10/05 10/10 10/14 10/15 10/21 10/26 11/02 11/09
Opponent Location Saber Corn Classic Away Bishop McNamara Away PBL Invite Away Trojan Cross Country Invite Away Hoopeston Away Herscher Cross Country Invite Away El Paso-Gridley Away Twin Valley Conference Home All-Area Away Amboy Away Paxton/Buckley/Loda Away IW and Kankakee Home IHSA Regional Away IHSA Sectional Away IHSA State Finals Away
We Salute Our School Athletes
Wishing all of our school teams a safe and successful season. We hope you’ll experience the thrill of victory, but more importantly, that you’ll enjoy every minute of the fame. We salute your hard work, school spirit and commitment to the team. Good luck!
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Time 9 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 9 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 10 a.m. 4:15 p.m. 10 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 10 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 10 a.m. 9 a.m. 9 a.m.
will need to recruit another runner for us to compete as a team. but we will have three strong runners at the front of the competition.” For the boys, the leadership will come from those who have competed in the past.
Please see CROSS COUNTRY, page 11
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August 2019 Page 11
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
Volleyball
Date 8/31 9/05 9/07 9/09 9/12 9/16 9/19 9/23 9/26 9/28 10/01 10/03 10/07 10/08 10/15 10/17 10/19 10/21 10/23 10/24 10/26 10/28
Opponent CP Timberwolves Tip-Off Iroquois West Manteno Early Bird Classic Peotone Paxton/Buckley/Loda Herscher Dwight Gibson City Cissna Park Reed Custer Comet Classic Beecher Momence Tri-Point South Newton SVC Volleyball Tourney SVC Volleyball Tourney SVC Tournament Coal City Donovan Watseka STM JV invite IHSA Volleyball Regional
Location Time Away TBA Away 4 p.m., 7 p.m. Away TBA Home 7 p.m. Away 3:45 p.m., 7 p.m. Away 7 p.m. Home 6:30 p.m. Away 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m. Away 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. Away 9 a.m. Away 3:30 p.m., 7 p.m. Home 7 p.m. Home 7 p.m. Away 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m. KCC 6 p.m. KCC 6 p.m. KCC TBA Home 6:30 p.m. Away 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. Home 7 p.m. Away 8 a.m. Away TBA
The Central Lady Comets varsity volleyball team, not in order: Jillian Baker, Emily Gresens, Maddie Kleinert, Kaylie Warpet, Hanna Offerman, Kaylee Ketcherside, Karlie Wilken, Kaylen Boudreau, Riley Thompson, Lizzie Kleinert, Shayna Lehmkuhl, Hallie Wilken, Lilly Pierce, Laney Bottorff, Mia Gasperini.
Lady Comets have high expectations for volleyball season By ZACK WATERS, Sports sports@intranix.com High expectations is what is on the table for the Central girls volleyball team. The team is getting set to take part in the Cissna Park Timberwolf Tip-Off beginning on Aug. 26 along with many other teams from around the county. “I am seeing a lot of great things from the girls,” said head coach Amber Boudreau who is now returning to coach after five years.
“Their attitudes are great, the talent is there and most of them have high expectations for the season, as do I. I’ve seen a few weaknesses, but with hard work and determination it can be fixed.” Boudreau said she always places high expectations on her players and is looking to several key players to take charge and become team leaders. “I am really looking for leadership from Hanna Offerman and Kaylie Warpet, as they are my setters and I feel Riley Thompson will lead the team as well.”
Boudreau is confident her team will meet those expectations and believes in her teams abilities. “I think there is a lot of talent on this team and I think they are capable of having a great season.” The teams first game of the tip-off will be at 5 p.m. on Aug. 26 against Kankakee in Watseka.
CROSS COUNTRY, from page 10 “Isaiah and Trevor have been able to run with confidence from the track season. Since I only have two underclassmen, the maturity level of the team is really developed. On the girls side of things, Ladehoff is placing his faith in returning sophomore Alexis Ward to lead the charge. “As a sophomore, I don’t think Alexis wants to be seen as the leader of the team. She does have plenty of state experience for both track and cross country, which forces her into this role.” The Clifton Central cross country teams first meet of the season will be at 9 a.m. on Aug. 31 at St. Thomas More to participate in the Saber Corn Classic.
GOOD LUCK TEAMS!
Photo by Steve Scoggan
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Page 12 August 2019
Iroquois County High School Fall Sports Preview 2019
The Clifton Central Comets soccer team, not in order: Lexi Clyden, Tyler Morris, Morgan Beherns, James Peters, Evan Warner, Dylan Bailey, Payton Gray, Kendall Antons, Haley Krach, Tessa Couldter, Kayla Brault, Dylan Behrends, Sydney Moore, Nathan Warner, Milan Patel, Michael Hess, Austin Bender, Anna Ritter, Kody Warpet, Chase Clyden, Ryan Kohler.
Photo by Steve Scoggan
Communication on the pitch focus for Comets this soccer season
Soccer
Date Opponent Location 8/29 Iroquois West Away 8/30 Wilmington Away 9/03 Beecher Home 9/05 Grant Park Away 9/10 Illinois Lutheran Home 9/11 Rantoul Away 9/12 Momence Home 9/14 Fisher Away By ZACK WATERS 9/16 Kankakee Trinity Home sports@intranix.com 9/17 St. Anne Away Soccer is back in action at Central High School. The Central Comets soccer team played its first 9/18 Streator Home game on Aug. 27 at Kankakee Trinity Academy. 9/19 Watseka Home Although head coach Drew Granzow finds his leadership from his upperclassman and the team cap- 9/20 Hoopeston Home tains both on and off the field, one thing he said a big focus for his team is communication. 9/21 Ottawa Invite Away “Communication needs to come from everyone. No one player can see everything all the time, so it is 9/23 Peotone Away very important that they all communicate with each other and work together no matter what is going on. 9/26 Coal City Home Granzow’s overall outlook on the season is simple. Win and have fun winning. 9/30 IW Soccer Invite vs. IW Away 10/01 IW Soccer Invite vs. Momence Away “This is a new group of athletes and a new team,” he said. 10/02 IW Soccer Invite vs.Watseka Away “They know that the previous couple seasons haven’t been great and are working hard to try and 10/03 IW Soccer Invite vs. St. Anne Away make sure their season doesn’t end the same way.” 10/10 Reed Custer Away One way the team can ensure that is to utilize the chemistry they have found in the pre-season.
“I’m seeing team bond and chemistry. Since these are some young kids with only three seniors on the team, chemistry is a huge thing for any sports team to be successful. Also a lot of determination.”
Time 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 10 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 6 a.m., 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. 3:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m. 3:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. 4:45 p.m., 6:30 p.m.