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2014-15 Winter Sports Preview A special supplement to the Times-Republic November 2014
BASKETBALL WRESTLING Central Page 2 Central Page 11 Christ Lutheran Page 3 PBL Page 11 Cissna Park Page 4 Donovan Page 5 Iroquois West Page 6 Milford Page 7 PBL Page 8 St. Anne Page 9 Watseka Page 10
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Central Boy’s Basketball
Photo By James Neveau Central boy’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Justin Lemenager, Brandon Schoon, Chris Garcia, Hudson Long, Blake Willi Back row: Zach Washington, Thomas Wellborn, Dylan Miller, Jacob Hendricks. Not Pictured: Nathan Schoon
Schedule: Dec. 2 - at Peotone Dec. 5 - at Watseka Dec. 12 - at PBL Dec. 16 - Grant Park Dec. 26-30 - Kankakee Holiday Tourney Jan. 2 - at Reed-Custer Jan. 6 - at Manteno Jan. 9 - Dwight Jan. 13 - at Wilmington Jan. 16 - Cissna Park Jan. 20 - at Tri-Point Jan. 30 - at Momence, Feb. 3-7 - SVC Tourney Feb. 9 - at Judah Christian Feb. 10 - Donovan Feb. 14 - Coal City Feb. 17 - Beecher Feb. 20 - IW
Central Comets plan to get out and run despite new cast of players By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic
With a road-heavy early schedule and a team that’s trying to replace three of their five starters from a season ago, the Clifton Central Comets could be forgiven for questioning what their best course of action is from a strategy perspective, but for head coach Josh Sertich, staying the course is the chosen path. “That is the plan right now,” he said of sticking to his team’s high-tempo offensive system. “Sometimes I wonder if we’ll still be able to do it, but I think it’s our best bet. We have enough athletes and guys who have done it before, so it’s still our goal to move down the court quickly and to play the press at the other end of the floor.” Even though the team will be keeping a similar identity from a strategic per-
spective, losing players like JR Caspary, Logan Podowicz, and Noah Frerichs is a tough blow for any team to absorb. “Those three guys we lost from last year were really big for us,” Sertich said. “They’re going to be hard to replace. We do have other guys who can step up for us, but they’re different players and we have to adjust our approach to that.” Complicating things right off the bat for Central is their road-heavy schedule in the early part of the season. Between their season-opening stint at the St. Anthony Turkey Tournament and a road game January 6 against Manteno, the Comets will only play one game in their home gym. While that isn’t exactly conducive to getting players acclimated with a system, Sertich and his team are embracing the challenge. “I love playing at home in The Crater
and it’s a fun atmosphere, but I don’t mind getting out on the road either,” he said. “It gets the guys more focused before games to take those bus rides too. I’m not a big fan of the schedule, but it is what it is and we have to try to keep in mind what’s positive about playing that many road games.” Alongside returning starters Chris Garcia and Justin Lemenager, Sertich is looking for contributions from several new faces this season. “I think Zach Washington can help us out, especially on the offensive side of the floor,” he said. “Right now he’s learning to work hard on the little things on a daily basis, and I think once he figures it out he’s got a lot of potential and upside. Blake Willis and Nathan Schoon will both get a big opportunity to help us as well.”
Central Girl’s Basketball
Coming off a season that saw them win the Kankakee Holiday Tournament and advance to the sectional semi-final round in the postseason, Sertich knows that this will be a different team with different aspirations, but he still has to get a feel for what the team will bring to the table. “Last year I knew we had a chance to be great. This year I don’t know what to expect,” he conceded. “I know we can be good, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we struggled a bit early in the year. The good thing about playing in Effingham is that we’ll play four really good teams and answer my questions about where we are. I think if we do the little things right and execute, I think we can be really good and hopefully take another step forward with this program.”
Photo by Jordan Rich Front row Left to Right: Emery Podowicz, Becca Woods, Sydney Beherns, Lauren James, Haley Rosenboom, Gabriella Griffith, Morgan James Back Row L to R: Allison Mathy, Halle Long, Lexie Cantrell, Cassidy Gerdes, Rose Ritter, Della Ritter
Schedule: Dec. 1 - at Kankakee Dec. 4 - Watseka Dec. 6 - Wilmington Dec. 9 - at Manteno Dec. 11 - PBL Dec. 13-17 - IW Holiday Hoops Dec. 18 - at Dwight Jan. 3 - at Herscher Jan. 5 - Tri-Point Jan. 8 - at Cissna Park Jan. 15 - Momence Jan. 19-24 - SVC Tourney Jan. 29 - Donovan Feb. 3 - Coal City Feb. 5 - at IW
Comets deal with growing pains that comes with young roster By JORDAN RICH, Spor ts Editor Spor ts@intranix.com
The Central girls basketball team might have one of the most inexperienced rosters in the county. With only two seniors and 11 freshman and sophomores the Comets have a lot of talent, but will have to deal with some growing pains along the way. Early in the season the youth has showed in the team as they have had trouble keeping the ball and not turning it over. In their game against Milford they turned the ball over 20 times in the first half. “We don’t have the talent to play through that,” head coach Henry
Hines said. “Defensively I have had no complaints. We have been pretty solid basically every game so far this season.” The Comets have should life throughout the season as they have never stopped playing. Hines knows that his team will will have trouble early on in the season and that it is only a matter of time before they put it together. Especially when they have more time to practice. "Three games in three nights is tough for a team," Hines said. "Especially when you as young as team as we do. It makes you pick and choose when you can run, when you can into press. We were forced
to really slow things down in our first couple games, because of all the games we played. Since the season started the Comets played five games in five days. Something no coach wants to see his team have to do especially to open the season. The tough schedule has shown what players will be a factor as the season goes on. Sophomore Morgan James has played well as the teams point guarding having to go against the likes of Watseka and Milford who have very much more experienced guards. Freshman Cassidy Gerdes has also has shown promise on the wing and down low has she has been able to
hit long range shots and give the Comets a deep thereat. Senior Becca Woods though has shown her vert an chops as one of the oldest players along with Della Ritter. Both players will have to show up in all aspects of the game for their team to win. "We will have to rely on the seniors early to lead us," Hines said. "We will need them to be or leaders as the rest of the team gains more experience and we continue to get better." Central will get a tough test as they take on Kankakee on the road Monday.
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Christ Lutheran Boy’s Basketball Schedule: Dec. 9 - Normal Calvary Dec. 11 - at Danville Baptist Dec. 12 - at Trinity Dec. 15 - Grace Baptist Dec. 19 - Deland-Weldon Dec. 26-27 - Donovan Holiday Tourney Jan. 6 - Danville Baptist Jan. 9 - at Decatur Jan. 10 - Trinity Jan. 13 - Cornerstone Jan. 15 - at Judah Christian Jan. 20 - at Deland Jan. 22 - at Momence Jan. 23 - at Normal Calvary Jan. 26 - at Tri-Point an. 27 - University, J Jan. 30 - at Arthur Okaw Feb. 6 - at Cornerstone
Photo by Jordan Rich Christ Lutheran boy’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Slater Scheurich, AJ Tofari, Oliver LaMie, Shane Hewerdine. Back row: Jacob Lessman, Christian Hoggins, DJ Spitz, Tom Baillie, Josh Harstick.
Christ Lutheran looks to compete thanks to four years of experience By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Sports@intranix.com
One thing Christ Lutheran has not had over the years has been consistency. With such a small school and students transferring to PBL it is hard sometimes for head coach Mike McCormick to keep a core group together for all four years. This year though, the Crusaders will finally have that consistency. “We are very senior heavy this year,” McCormick said. “Most of these guys have started basically all four years. This will be a good opportunity. “In past years we might have one senior or maybe two and you are typicality a young team. This is the first time in almost seven years that I have been
Photo by James Neveau Christ Lutheran girl’s varsity basketball: Front row: Jessica DeBella, Samantha DeBella, Juliette Harstick. Back row: Sadie Koschnick, Coach Mike McCormick, Shelly Spitz
here that all of the sudden you have a senior class that is that big. That will benefit us this year experience wise. I think we will be competitive.” The Crusaders will have eight eniors on this years team. This experience will allow Christ Lutheran to compete in games and have the patience to get their offense going. “We dont have a lot of size, but we have a lot of kids I think that know what they are doing,” McCormick said. “Shooting will be the thing that will either make us or break us, if we can shoot the ball better than what we have in the past. I know the guys have been working on their shot.” “They are a smarter group this year because of how much they have been working together. They have been
together all through high school and even all through grade school. I think that is going to benefit us a lot.” A plus for the team this year is that they have Slater Scherurich for a whole season. Scherurich transferred back from PBL last year and was not eligible to play until Christ Lutheran’s regional game. He is expected to help out offensively right away. “Slater is going to be our point, probably the big scorer for us,” McCormick said. “He didn’t have a chance to play with the team last year. Certainly Jacob Lessman, who carried much of the load last year by himself, I think it will help him to have Slater out there.” McCormick also expects a big breakout year from AJ Tofari. “AJ could definitely be a break out
player for us. He has improved every single year. He has that potential where he can come out and help defensively or he can have a few games where he scores 15 or 20 points.” But it still all comes down to if the Crusaders can play their game and play as a veteran group. Something that will either be the reason for their success or not. "We are small so we will want to put a lot of pressure on the ball," McCormick said. "We want to run and score in transition. If we slow it down in a half out game it probably isn’t going to benefit us a lot. Although we are a little smarter this year. In past years we have been impatient and taken a lot of bad shots. I think this year we should be a little better in that area as a team."
Christ Lutheran Girl’s Basketball
Schedule: Dec. 4-6 Mike Walsh Memorial Tourney Dec. 11 - at Danville First Baptist Dec. 12 - at Trinity Dec. 15 - Grace Baptist Dec. 19 - Donovan Jan. 6 - Danville First Baptist Jan. 9 - at Decatur Christian Jan. 10 - Trinity Jan. 15 - at Judah Christian Jan. 23 - at Normal Calvary Jan. 26 - at Tri-Point Jan. 27 - University Jan. 30 - Arthur Okaw Christian Jan. 31-Feb. 6 - ECIC Tourney
Crusaders lack of depth means slower pace of play By JAMES NEVEAU For the TImes-Republic
For smaller schools, getting enough athletes to have a really deep bench is always a challenge, but for the Christ Lutheran Crusaders, things will be even tougher than usual as they try to deal with only having seven players on the roster. “I think it could be a challenging season for us in a lot of ways,” head coach Mike McCormick says. “We have seven players on the team, and I think ballhandling is going to be a big issue for us. If we can handle the ball okay and more it around the floor, it’ll be one of
those years where we’ll develop more as we go along.” Having a limited roster can make a coach’s job of choosing an appropriate offensive system difficult, and McCormick’s task is no exception. Using timeouts and a slower pace of play will be the team’s chosen method this season, and the coach will be looking to get his players used to playing at the high school level. “We’re definitely not a run-and-gun type of team,” he concedes. “We do have a couple of girls who haven’t played before, and they’ll be starting. There’s girls nervous at this point, and
it’ll be interesting to see where we’re at. I think over the course of the year, we’ll develop some other strengths, and when we get back to full strength we’ll have to re-evaluate our best strategy to use.” Those new players did get off to a good start in a season-opening win over the Donovan Wildcats, but the team is still a work in progress, to be sure, and McCormick says that he will try to ease the girls into things. “We definitely want to get the girls acclimated to offense and defense as much as possible,” he says. “We’ll have to conserve energy since we’re a bit short-handed, and we’ll use timeouts
to kind of slow the pace down. We do have talent in some places, but in a school like ours, it’s tough to get kids together, so we’ll work through that.” With such a young team, the Crusaders are going to have their work cut out for them as the season goes on, and so McCormick will be looking for his team to start building up the program for the long-term. “Last year was a challenging year, and this year will be the same,” he says. “Most of these girls are juniors or below, so we’ll get our feet under us and really focus on building forward into next year.”
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Cissna Park Boy’s Basketball Photo Contributed Cissna Park boy’s varsity basketball team: Front row: John Redeker, Trace Nims, Jacob Marquez, Devon Laubscher, Jake Montgomery. Back row: Head Coach Kevin Long, Matt Birr, Tristen Kissack, Trevor Hurt, Jared Bauer, Ben Jennings, Asst. Coach JD Jennings, Asst. Coach Darrin Kregel
Schedule: Dec. 2 - at Bismarck Dec. 5 - at St. Anne Dec. 6 - Salt Fork Dec. 9 - at Armstrong Dec. 18-22 - St. Joe Leader Classic Dec. 26-30 - State Farm Classic Jan. 9 - IW Jan. 10 - Danville Jan. 16 - at Central Jan. 17 - Prairie Central Jan. 23 - Dwight Jan. 24 - Bishop McNamara Jan. 30 - at Watseka Jan. 31 - Milford Feb. 3-7 - SVC Tourney Feb. 10 at South Newton Feb. 13 - Momence Feb. 20 - at PBL
Cissna Park expects tough schedule to get them ready for the postseason By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Sports@intranix.com
In the last 17 seasons Cissna Park has built a program of tradition. With nine regional titles, four sectionals and trips to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 the program expects success. “We feel like our winning tradition allows us to maintain high expectations on a yearly basis,” head coach Kevin Long said. “Our kids know they are expected to make a big time commitment and they understand what it takes to be successful.” This level of expectation has resulted in a tough schedule that sees the team playing in the St. Joe Ogden Leader Classic right before Christmas and the
Photo by Jordan Rich Cissna Park girl’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Gabby Wessels, Jasmine Stock, Michelle Fehr, Lyndsey Neukomm, Lauren Knake. Back row: Lexi Knake, Stephanie Fehr, Samantha Hasselbring, Addison Stoller, Theresa Trask,
State Farm Classic in BloomingtonNormal on Dec. 26. “We feel like we play a tough nonconference schedule and we expect our league to be very competitive from top to bottom,” Long said. “At the end of the regular season we may not have a great win-loss record, but we feel our strength of schedule prepares us well for the postseason.” The Timberwolves will be lacking in experience as only two of their five seniors have multiple years of experience. The team lost 60 percent of their scoring to graduation. “To be efficient on the offensive end we will have to execute and limit our turnovers,” Long said. “We also need to
improve our field goal and free throw shooting percentages.” The team will look toward Ben Jennings for scoring as he led the team last season with 11.4 points per game. He won’t have to try and create shots as Jacob Marquez led the team last year with 101 total assists. The rest of the returning players are Trevor Hunt (1.1 ppg) and Matt Birr (3.2 ppg). “The group will not be as talented as some of our past teams,” Long said. “But if we can avoid injuries we feel like we can overcome that.” With this lack of offense Cissna Park will look toward defense like they have for multiple years. “Defense has always been the top pri-
ority,” Long said. “We take pride each season in establishing ourselves as a top defensive team.” Long isn’t going to make things too complex for his young team. He wants to make sure they only worry about things that they can control and not get worried about things they can’t. “Playing with a high basketball IQ, being fundamentally sound and accepting individual roles will be critical if we are to reach our potential,” Long said. The Timberwolves open up their season with two games on the road against Bismarck Henning and St. Anne before they play Salt Fork on Dec. 6 at home.
Cissna Park Girl’s Basketball Schedule: Dec. 1 - Gibson City Dec. 6 - Ridgeview Dec. 8 - at IW Dec. 13 - at Fisher Dec. 19 - at Bismarck Dec. 20 - at Annawan Dec. 29-30 - Momence Tourney Jan. 6 - at Unity Jan. 8 - Central Jan. 10 - Hoopeston Jan. 15 - Watseka Jan. 17 - at St. Anne Jan. 19-24 - SVC Tourney Jan. 26 - at Tri-Point Jan. 29 - at Momence, Jan. 31 - Milford Feb. 2 - at Dwight Feb. 5 - at PBL
Lady Timberwolves looking to pick up the pace By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Spors@intranix.com
In Cissna Park head coach Stephen Summers' second year as head coach the Timberwolves are looking to get out and run more. “We really want to run the ball and get more field goal attempts up,” Summers said. “Just with the way the personnel has changed with he seniors going out and the guards coming in. Almost all of our drills involve us running up and down the court. Hopefully it doesn’t turn into a circus as we face good teams.” So far five games into the season the Timberwolves have shown how good they can be, and they only have a handful of practices. Much of the quick pickup has to do with their success over the summer. “We had a really good summer,”
Summers said. “We faired pretty well and learned a lot. We are going to try and get some practices in, wrap things up and iron a few things out as we move forward.” Cissna Park went to events at Purdue and Bismarck just to name a few and were able to compete. The Timberwolves were able to go undefeated in some events, but were always in close events whether winning or losing. Summers is not worried that the team's success from last year and over the summer will impact them. “I think they have pretty level heads,” Summers said. “They understand that they have to work hard and not get to above themselves in terms of making themselves better. I think as we move forward they have the attitude that they have to work hard as they get better. And who knows where that will land us this
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year.” Just because there is more of a focus on offense Summers still wants the team to be defensively strong citing that it was the main reason to their success last year. “Last year we took a lot of pride in developing a defensive presence,” he said. “I’m not sure how much exposure they had with man to man before I came along. I know there was some. I might have been a little mean when I put it in, but I wanted them to buy in. This year we want to keep our defensive fundamentals there and execute.” On both sides of the ball to succeed in what they are trying to do the team will look to their seniors, Stephanie Fehr and Lexi Knake. Both players made big impacts last year and have gotten better in the off season. Fehr for instance got better in the low post and in the Tip-Off
Championship had 14 rebounds. “Steph Fehr is a great person,” Summers said. "She is involved with so much off the court as well as on the court. She has really developed. She doesn’t play volleyball so she has been working at it for the past few weeks. We have had some one-on-one time to help her with her post game. Her just getting a little more attention has helped her greatly.” Knake on the other hand has continued to lead the team as the floor leader. Her experience from leading the team last year and from years at AAU has given the team the phrase of, “When she does well we play well.” Cissna Park has started the season at 5-0 and has outscored teams by an average 39.8 points per game.
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Donovan Boy’s Basketball
Photo By James Neveau The Donovan boy’s varsity basketball team: Front: Todd Arseneau, Rapheal Ingram, Alex Storm, David Miller, Bryce Peter Back: Asst. Coach Mason Parks, Tyler Rude, CJ Hedge, Eric Lattimer, Tristan Emerson, Clint Barnhart, Head Coach Andrew Lindo
Schedule: Dec. 2 - Watseka Dec. 5 - Grant Park Dec. 6 - at Tri-Point Dec. 12-16 - Watseka Holiday Tourney Dec. 19 - at Beecher, Dec. 26-27 - Donovan Holiday Classic Jan. 6 - at South Newton Jan. 10 - at St. Anne Jan. 13 - IL Lutheran Jan. 16 - at GS Wilmington Jan. 20 - at IW Jan. 23 - at Grant Park Jan. 27 - Tri-Point Jan. 30 - St. Anne Feb. 6 - Beecher Feb. 10 - at Central Feb. 13 - at IL Lutheran Feb. 20 - GS Wilmington
Wildcats working hard to compete in River Valley Conference By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic With a mixture of good passers on the wings and some big bodies in the paint, the Donovan Wildcats will be looking to make some noise in the River Valley Conference, and head coach Andrew Lindo sees his team working to make that goal a reality. “The one thing I tell the boys almost every single day is that I’m impressed with how hard they practice and how much effort they give in the two hours they’re with me,” he says. “They do an incredible job of learning, and seeing the carryover from individual drills to the team stuff at the end of practice, it looks really good in our half court set.” “It’s a great thing to have such coachable players in your first season on the
bench as a varsity coach,” he adds. While the Wildcats have lofty expectations, the group isn’t coming off their best season. They ended up only winning one game in the 2013-14 season, including a 14-game losing streak to end the season. Despite that history and the obstacles that come along with rebounding from a tough season, Lindo is still optimistic. “I have high expectations for these guys this season,” he says. “With the athletic ability we have, and the coachability the boys have, their ability to learn, and how hard they play, it’s what high school basketball is all about. Smart offense, good defense, and learning from mistakes are three keys to basketball, and if we do all three of those things we’re going to make a step forward this
year.” The big key for the Wildcats will come from their group of front court threats. Junior Eric Lattimer will be a big part of the quest for improvement, as his 6-foot4 260 pound frame will provide a key post presence as Donovan run their halfcourt sets. “Erik averaged 11 points and nine rebounds a game as a sophomore last year, and if you’re around practice, he’ll absolutely dominate,” Lindo says. “I foresee him having himself a heck of a junior year, and our offensive system will be based around him in the post. People will be surprised when they see us and have two 6-foot-4 guys in the front court.” Using that size and physicality is going to be critical for the Wildcats against
some of the athletic teams they will be facing, with teams like St. Anne lurking in their conference. With that in mind, Lindo is trying to establish a reputation for defense and half-court dominance for his team as he tries to make his first year a successful one. “We box out and we rebound well,” he says. “I’m not going to compare Donovan High School to the University of Wisconsin, and I’m definitely not Bo Ryan, but that’s kind of the philosophy that I bring here. Let’s be solid in halfcourt defense and grind it out with our half-court offense, and let’s take highpercentage shots while giving our opponents low-percentage shots. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Donovan Girl’s Basketball Schedule: Dec. 1 - Grant Park Dec. 4 - at Tri-Point Dec. 8 - St. Anne Dec. 11 - at Beecher Dec. 18 - IL Lutheran Dec. 19 - at Christ Lutheran Jan. 5 - at IW Jan. 6 - at South Newton Jan. 8 - at GS Wilmington Jan. 12 - at Grant Park Jan. 15 - Tri-Point Jan. 22 - at St. Anne Jan. 26 - Beecher Jan. 29 - at Central Feb. 2 - at IL Lutheran, Feb. 3 - Watseka Feb. 5 - GS Wilmington
Photo By James Neveau The Donovan girl’s varsity basketball team: Front: Casey Arseneau, Elle Martell, Katlyn Goodrich, Allee Leady, Anna Storm Back: Coach Todd Yeoman, Jaclyn Wingerter, Carley Shivers, Holly Kaufman, Adrienne Adams, Ashten Smith
Wildcats look to put winless season in the past under new coach By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic
To say things were tough for the Donovan Wildcats’ girl’s basketball team last season would be an understatement. The group struggled out of the gate and throughout the season, but under new head coach Todd Yeoman, the team will look to turn things around after a winless season. “We’re looking good so far,” he says. “We’ve got some nice height in the post with Jackie Wingerter. She’s going to play an important role to allow us to get the ball into the paint for scoring chances. Casey Arseneau is going to be
Good Luck To All The Teams
a good ball-handler for us and play a dynamic role for us in that regard. I’m also looking forward to seeing Anna Storm’s shot as the season goes on. She has looked really good in practice and played well in our preview night, so I’m interested to see what she does this season.” With a group of new players in the fold, the team is still searching for its identity. Usually a younger, undersized team will look to play a slower-tempo, half-court game, but the Wildcats will look to incorporate both high and low pace elements to their game as the season wears on.
“I would say that we’re more of a half-court set team,” Yeoman says. “We will push the ball when it’s necessary in the course of games, but like I always tell the girls, we don’t have a shot clock. The clock is our friend. We don’t only have 24 or 35 seconds. Let’s make sure that we’re taking care of the ball.” “We don’t want to force the ball in. We want to continue to make the defense work, and to catch them with our speed if they fall asleep on us,” he adds. With new strategies taking time to implement and a young team that will
benefit from playing time, Yeoman says that his team won’t be focusing so much on their overall win-loss record, but rather on building the foundation for a team that will be successful in the future. “We’re looking mostly for discipline and focus from the girls,” he says. “That’s one of the most difficult things to instill in a team as the season goes on. In the past, things haven’t gone well for us, and it’s hard to focus at those times. This season is a great opportunity to see where we’re at and to see how well we can stay focused as we try to turn this program around.”
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Iroquois West Boy’s Basketball
IW boy’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Austin Conrad, Markese Gaytan, Jacob Davis, Payton Stiers, Jose Lopez, Colton Coffey. Back row: Brandon Turk, Kristian Sanchez, Nick Dowell, Levi Fitzjarreld , Jacob Clark, Alexander Frank, Corey Schunke, Austin Martinez.
Schedule: Dec. 2 - at St. Anne Dec. 5 - Momence Dec. 9 - Tri-Point Dec. 11-16 - Watseka Holiday Tourney Dec. 19 - at Streator Jan. 6 - LeRoy Jan. 9 - at Cissna Park Jan. 10 - Armstrong Jan. 16 - Watseka Jan. 20 - Donovan Jan. 24 - at IL Lutheran Jan. 30 - at PBL Jan. 2-7 - SVC Tourney Feb. 10 - Fisher Feb. 13 - Dwight Feb. 14 - Milford Feb. 17 - at Ridgeview Feb. 20 - at Central
Raiders will enter the season inexperienced, yet very coachable By JORDAN RICH, Spor ts Editor Spor ts@intranix.com
With just three returning lettermen, Iroquois West head coach Matt Honeycutt knows that his team has a lot to learn. That is the thing though that they have done best. “They are a very coachable group,” Honeycutt said. “They have had some success at the JV level so I am hoping that carries over. We had some success over the summer, our schedule is tough but hopefully we will be able to have an up tempo style of offense.” Austin Conrad and Alec Frank are the returning seniors who have been
in the system for four year. The rest of the team's three seniors are new to the program. “A couple of them were move-ins, another was injured last year and another guy decided to come out,” Honeycutt said. “There is probably a few guys that are probably playing organized basketball for the first time at the high school level and there are other guys that have before so it is probably a mixed bag there. They have picked up on things pretty quick because they listen and are coachable. Overall they are a great group of kids and they have a tough situation and they have made the most of
it to this point.” The Raiders were able to make the most of a tough situation as they came from down 16-5 early in the first quarter against Hoopeston and were able to fight back to a 70-62, showing that the team has picked up on the offense quickly. “I have been preaching defense these first two weeks of practice, but that is hard because you got to get your offensive stuff in,” he said. “I would love to have another week of practice, but that is not the case. That is the cards we have been dealt, but we are ready to play, or at least we are ready to take that energy out on
an opponent.” Even with the lack of experience the Raiders have a possibility of having different leading scorers from game to game. In their first game Conrad led the team in scoring, but junior Kristian Sanchez was just a single basket from matching Conrad. “I think I have six or seven guys who can lead us in scoring on any given night,” Honeycutt said. “I’m hoping that is a good thing and I hope we are balanced. If we are balanced in scoring we can be pretty hard to guard. We will see how it goes.”
Iroquois West Girl’s Basketball
Photo by Jordan Rich IW girl’s varsity basketball team team in no specific order: Skylar Small, Renee Gerling, Elena Sanchez, Bryanna Nambo, Savannah Mims, Taylor Cultra, Grace Schroeder, Ariel Medina, Meara Tilstra
Schedule: Dec. 4 - at Momenc Dec. 8 - Cissna Park Dec. 11 - Tri-Point Dec. 13-17 IW Holiday Hoops Dec. 20 - Ridgeview Jan. 5 - Donovan Jan. 8 - at Watseka Jan. 10 - Gibson City Jan. 12 - at Milford Jan. 15 - PBL Jan. 19-25 - SVC Tourney Jan. 26 - at South Newton Jan. 27 - St. Anne Jan. 29 - at Dwight Jan. 31. Midland Jan. 5 - Central
Raiders ready to challenge for conference title By JORDAN RICH, Spor ts Editor Spor ts@intranix.com
For many years Watseka and Cissna Park have been in control of the Saganom Valley Conference in girls basketball. This year though, Iroquois West believes that they are finally ready to be one of the top teams. “We are excited to get back at it,” head coach Kristy Arie said. “We return everybody from last year's team so we are looking to get out and be competitive in our conference, be better than last year. That has always been a goal of ours. We
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feel we have a really good chance of doing that this year and that’s our focus.” The Raiders have gotten off to a 3-1 start as they made it to the finals of the Fisher Tournament. “We are getting our post a little more involved than we have in years past,” Arie said. “We still have the outside shooting that is good when it is a good night, and we have had some up and down nights. “We got up and down the floor well. We were pushing the ball. The defense got some turnovers and
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allowed us to get some fast break points. So we are trying to create some up tempo, fast pace basketball.” The Raiders return all five starters from last year's team. The thing that makes it even more intriguing is all five have been playing on the team since they were freshman. One player Arie will be looking to is junior point guard Skylar Small. “I am really looking towards Skylar Small to be that floor captain out there,” Arie said. “She is a smart player. She has really developed into
that leadership role so I am really looking to her to lead the team out there.” Arie is also looking toward senior Elena Sanchez to make a big impact. According to Arie she wants to see Sanchez's game mentally improve. Everyone on the starting five has been part of successful teams that have won two regionals and a sectional title two years ago. "We definitely want to be one of those top three teams in the conference and we really feel like we got a shot at that," Arie said.
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Milford Boy’s Basketball Milford boy’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Zach Luecke, Shayne McNally, Kyle McNally, Corwin Allen, Kyle Bennett, Steve Varela, Ty Clark. Back row: Brad Leitz, Gabe Burgos, Alex Portwood, Wade Fox, Jacob Rogers, Andrew Allen, Jacob Henning,
Schedule: Dec. 5 - Georgetown-Ridge Farm Dec. 6 - Watseka Dec. 9 - Rantoul DEC. 11-15 - Watseka Holiday Tourney Jan. 3 - Armstrong Jan. 6 - at Bismarck Jan. 9 - Schlarman Jan. 13 - Hoopeston Jan. 17 at Chrisman Jan. 20 - South Newton Jan. 24 - at Salt Fork Jan. 30 - Oakwood Jan. 31 - Cissna Park Feb. 6 - at Armstrong Feb. 10 - Westville Feb. 13 - Bismarck Feb. 14 - at IW Feb. 17 - at Schlarman Feb. 20 - at Hoopeston
Milford hopes experience, size can take them back to Regional finals
By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Sports@intanix.com
After an impressive 18-6 season last year that saw Milford battle for a regional title the Bearcats return a load of talent in head coach John Spezia's third year on the bench. The Bearcats will have eight players on their roster with a height of 6'0 or above, with the other five players between 5'8 and 5'11. Leading the way is Alex Portwood and and Jake Rogers who are both three time letter winners and stand at 6'4 and 6'3 respectively. Portwood averaged 16.6 points per game last season while hitting
84 percent of his free throws and 45 percent from behind the arc. Rogerson the other hand has used his length to bring down 483 rebounds in his three years and average 9.2 points a game last season. The third starter is Wade Fox who lead the the team in steals while averaging 7.2 points per game. When Fox was a sophomore he was 5'7 and now two years later his stands at 6'5'' and according to Spezia is still growing. "He has improved a ton and will be a tremendous force defensively and offensively," Spezia said. "His best basketball will be in college."
The other two starters that the Bearcats plan to go with is Andrew Allen who will provide rebounding screening and solid defensive play. The other player will be Corwin Allen who Spezia calls one of the most athletic players on the team and will bring great speed to the team. "Corwin had a very productive summer," Spezia said. "And can bring tremendous defensive pressure and quickness." Milford will have a tough non-conference schedule as they play the likes of Watseka, Cissna Park, Rantoul and soon South Newton, from Kentland, IN, who
will be playing in the SVC starting next year. "It should be a fun year in Bearcat Country," Spezia said. "We are experienced and deep bench wise for the first time since I have been here. This a totally different team then last year with more quickness and the ability to pressure the basketball." "The conference stacks up as very competitive with Chrisman,Westville, Bismarck-Henning and Schlarman pushing for a top spot." The Bearcats will open up the season against Georgetown-Ridge Farm at home on Dec. 5.
Milford Girl’s Basketball Photo by Jordan Rich Milford girl’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Lily Habing, Cheyenne Wilken, Alissa Totheroh, Abby Mussard, Morgan Huckleby. Back row: Coach Mike Duis, Katelyn Gaffield, McKenzie Reiners, Gosie Thrush, Emily Duis, Madi Rose, Coach Stephanie McCall
Schedule: Dec. 4 - Armstrong Dec. 8 - Georgetown RidgeFarm Dec. 11 - at Bismarck Dec. 13 I - IW Holiday Hoops Dec. 18 - Hoopeston Jan. 5 - at Salt Fork Jan. 8 - Oakwood Jan. 10 - at Watseka Jan. 12 - IW Jan. 15 - at Armstron Jan. 17 - at Chrisman Jan. 20 - South Newton Jan. 22 at Christ Lutheran Jan. 24 - Schlarman Jan. 26 - Westville Jan. 29 - Bismarck Jan. 31 - Cissna Park Feb. 2 - at Schlarman Feb. 5 - at Hoopeston
Lady Bearcats will rely on defense as they look to gain experience By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Sports@intanix.com
Not only will first year head coach Mike Duis have to deal with a young team, but he will also have to deal with a team of players who have very little varsity experience. “The team lost four starters last year. All seniors,” Duis said. “Most of the scoring. Leading scorer. Leading rebounder. They are all gone. Only one junior really had a lot of varsity minutes of experience." Despite having four seniors on the roster only Alissa Totheroh got the time last year on varsity. This means the whole
team, including the Duis is still in a process of learning the team and what they can excel at. "Experience matters. It just simply does,” Duis said when comparing his team to a team like Watseka who was able to beat Milford Nov. 18 with one practice. “A lot of those girls, despite missing their star from last year, have a lot of experience. It doesn’t mean you can’t play hard or be a good team. We will quit talking about experience in three to four weeks when we have experience and it is not a issue anymore.” While the team looks to gain playing experience the team will look to their defense to to help them win games and
produce scoring chances on the offense. Milford has started the season at 3-1 with many of their wins coming from great defensive team performances and their offense being created off of stops and turnovers. “We are inexperienced right now offensively,” Duis said. “But our defense has got to carry us. It just has to. We have had stretches where it has bothered teams. Any team can be a good defensive team.” When the team is looking to score Duis said they will be looking to Totheroh, because of her experience and great leadership she has. “Alissa Totheroh will be our floor
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leader,” Duis said. “She has played and started varsity since a sophomore. She is the one with the most experience and she is our point guard. If there is someone with the most experience it is your point guard. He also expects the senior class to be a huge factor. “The seniors are great girls. They just didn’t have a lot of varsity time last year, but they listen, they work hard. We have a good group of girls and I am excited about them.” “I have told the girls that I want to be competitive. We want to compete in every game, and competing can take different forms.”
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PBL Boy’s Basketball Photo by Jordan Rich PBL boy’s varsity basketball team Front row: Paul Bigham, Kirk Vesely, Dalton Coplea, Josiah Martin, Jordan Kietzman, Hunter Weber, Peyton McClure. Bacl row: Mgr Josh Pine, Jeremy Walder, Parker Young, Corbin Riecks, Jake Stevenson, Jonny Walder, Andrew Zenner, Wes Rickett, Matt Poll
Schedule: Dec. 2 - at Hoopeston Dec. 5 - at Dwight Dec. 12 - Central Dec. 13-19 - St. Joe Leader Classic Jan. 6 - at Monticello Jan. 9 - at Momence Jan. 10 - Prairie Central Jan. 13 - Rantoul Jan. 17 - Urbana Jan. 20 - at St. Thomas More Jan. 27 - St. Joe Jan. 30 - IW Feb. 2-7 - SVC Tourney, Feb. 10 - at Blue Ridge, Feb. 13 at Watseka Feb. 14 - Gibson City Feb. 17 - at Fisher Feb. 20 - Cissna Park
Panthers expect depth to be a key to their success By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Sports@intranix.com
If a coach can use his whole bench it either means he doesn’t have go-to players or because they are so inexperienced. For PBL head coach Adam Schonauer it's because he feels they are that deep. “I expect early on to play about 10 guys,” Schonauer said. “We have some guys I think who have the potential to help us out. We have got some bodies as far as athletes so it’ll just be if they perform when the lights come on.” Schonauer will look toward seniors Parker Young, Jeremy Walder and Kirk
Vasely to lead the team as the only seniors on the team. “Parker and Jeremy played quite a bit for us last year so we will expect them to bring back some leadership and rebounding and scoring inside,” he said. “Kirk will be a nice guy off the bench." The rest of the team is made up of 10 juniors and one sophomore. Jonny Walder will be one of those juniors to produce for the Panthers. His role is to be expanded from his sophomore year as he will be one of the go-to starting players. “Jeremy Walter has improved a lot,” Schonauer said. “He is a player that I
think has the ability to be an all conference type player with just his athleticism and his size. Off our bench I think Jordan Kissman is a kid to come off. He is good, but sometimes it is just a constant thing with him." And then there is the lone sophomore. “Dalton Coaply who is a sophomore I feel will be able to do some great things for us at the varsity level,” he said. The Panthers will look to rely on their defense for much of the season and keep the games low scoring. The 10 players will hopefully be able to keep the team fresh and be able to keep themselves in games.
The season will be one of growth for the Panthers as the team looks to get better with time. In the two weeks that they have had to practice they have improved greatly. “We are getting up and down,” Schonauer said. “The kids are really playing hard. Our execution is not very good right now, but that is going to come with more practice. Our energy has been great and we have had a couple of great practices to go into our opening week. With the time we have had I am happy with the progress we have made.”
PBL Girl’s Basketball Photo by Jordan RIch PBL girl’s varsity basketball team in no specific order : Liberty Jamison, Bethany Knight, Kellyn Maynard, Abby Sellek, Kirstin Schnabel, Mallory Lithgow, Leslie Lawson, Tawny Liggett, Aleeka Gentzier, Emma Fleming, Kaila Christensen and Haley Elson
Schedule: Dec . 1 - at Bismarck Dec. 2 - Tri Valley Dec. 4 - Dwight Dec. 9 - at Urbana Dec. 11 - at Central Dec. 13 - at Eureka, Dec. 15 - St. Joe Dec. 16 - Rantoul Dec. 18 - Momence, Dec. 20 - Fisher Dec. 29-30 Momence Tourney Jan. 8 - Blue Ridge Jan. 15 - at IW Jan. 19-24 - SVC Tourney, Jan. 29 - Watseka Jan. 31 at Hoopeston Feb. 2 - at Gibson City Jan. 5 - at Cissna Park
Despite rough start, Panthers are still looking at positives By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Sports@intranix.com
Things have not started well for the PBL Lady Panthers. If an 0-4 start to the season wasn't bad enough, injures have impacted the Panthers and forced them to bring up players to fill the holes. We have a lot of girls who are inexperienced at the varsity level, head coach Clarissa Gross-Michalak said. "That is what we are working on. Getting everyone healthy on the varsity level and in the mean time getting some girls experience that they don’t have any."
"Three sophomores and two freshman have been pulled up. and out of the 12, seven have never put on a varsity jersey and played a varsity game. We are going through some growing pains right now." "Our point guard is out right now currently with a fractured ankle so both freshman were pulled up to fill that role. You can tell they lack a little bit of confidence and exposure so this last week was a rough week for us but you could tell we made improvement and growth over that time." With the injuries the team has the
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Panthers have had to look for others to take over. "Kirstin Schnabel is probably our go-to right now," Gross-Michalak said. "She got all tournament team last week, so she has been someone we have been able to rely on, but we just need more people to be able to contribute on a constant basis." But fans should not worry as the games haven't been blow outs. Despite their first loss the Panthers have been just one possession away. The mistakes that the team has been making are fixable
problems and not just one glaring one. "It hasn’t been one major thing for us it has been a bunch of little things," Gross Michalak said. "Turnovers, missed free throws, missed layups, not boxing out. So it is all those little things you just need to keep working on and to work on at practice. We are trying to just have one speed so that we can prepare your mind or body for every game." The Panthers will look to get back on track Monday as they take on BismarckHenning on the road.
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St. Anne Boy’s Basketball Schedule: Dec. 2 - IW Dec. 5 - Cissna Park, Dec. 9 - at Beecher Dec. 19 - at GS Wilmington Dec. 20 - at Momence, Dec. 26-20 - Kankakee Holiday Tourney Jan. 9 - Tri-Point Jan. 10 - Donovan Jan 13 - Grant Park Jan. 16 - IL Lutheran Jan. 20 - GS Wilmington, Jan. 27 - Beecher Jan. 30 - at Donovan, Feb. 3 - at Herscher Feb. 10 - at Tri-Point Feb. 13 - at Grant Park, Feb. 17 - Kankakee Feb. 20 - at IL Lutheran
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Photos by James Neveau St. Anne boy’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Jared Pomaranski, Dae’Veontae Paino, Jaasiah Altman, Jomarri Jones, Omar Perez, Bruce Collins. Back row: Michael Stalnecker, Kah-Mari Pickens, Jalmen Sullivan, Deon Thomas, Peter Collins
Cardinals not worried about replacing top players By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic
Roster turnover is the name of the game in high school sports, but in the case of the St. Anne Cardinals boy’s basketball team, they are looking to replace three faces of the team as Jeff Taylor, Rickey Taylor, and Octavious Davis have all graduated. Despite the obstacles that come with replacing those types of athletic players, St. Anne head coach Rick Schoon is confident that he has the pieces in place to do just that. “We’ve lost some really good players, but we’ve also got some really solid guys coming back,” he says. “The three guys we lost were the only ones, so we still have plenty of competitive experience and we’re getting an infusion of talent
St. Anne girl’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Alexis Smith. Middle row: Keyla Justice, Maricela Pena, Dayo McCoy, Rubi Andrade, Alondra Cozart, Fantaja Isom, Alaiah Cozart, Chunese Moore. Back row: Asst. Coach Allison Fowler, Jesenia Ochoa, Candace Roberts, Carmanesha Maxwell, Lesley Ochoa, Erin Corriveau, Liliana Cruz, Shalonda Clayton, head coach Andy Stembridge
from the lower levels. Our expectations are the same. We expect to be successful every season and to make a run during the postseason.” A postseason run is exactly what the Cardinals went on last season, as they romped to a regional title and came within a couple of shots of knocking off St. Thomas More and capturing a sectional title as well. That kind of success has the team hungry for more, and they’ve shown a determination on both ends of the floor in practice that reflects that desire. “Those guys know our expectations and they should know how to properly run the defensive system that we have,” Schoon says. “We’ve said from day one in practice that our goal is to be the number one defensive team in the state,
and whether we can achieve that or not is up in the air with teams like Cissna Park out there, if we can play close to that level we’ll be a solid team this year.” While the coach is preaching defense, his team has several players who can play the game above the rim as well. Players like Kah-Mari Pickens stand out in that regard, and that element of the game gives the Cardinals a great deal of balance. “It’s nice to have the athleticism that we have,” Schoon says. “Athleticism makes up for a lot of other deficiencies that you may have, but if we can take care of the basketball and run the sets we want to run, that makes us more disciplined in crunch time. Facing the kind of defensive teams that we face, we can
use our athleticism, but we have to be smart as well.” At the end of the day, the big thing for St. Anne will be finding players to fill the scoring and leadership voids left by the trio of graduated stars, and Schoon has his eyes on a couple of players to fill those roles. “Deon Thomas had a really solid season for us last year, and he was kind of unnoticed because of the other players we had,” he says. “He gives us some great leadership. Jomarri Jones kind of took a backseat last year too, but he’s lost a good amount of weight and he can handle the ball really well. These guys are going to have to shoulder that burden and be able to step up to the plate this year.”
St. Anne Girl’s Basketball Schedule: Dec. 4 - at Beecher Dec. 8 - at Donovan Dec. 10 - at Tri-Point Dec. 11 - GS Wilmington Dec. 18 - Watseka, Dec. 29-30 - Momence Holiday Tourney Jan. 6 - at Central Jan. 8 - IL Lutheran Jan 12 - at Dwight Jan. 13 - at Kankakee Trinity Jan 15 - Beecher Jan. 17 - Cissna Park Jan. 19 - Wilmington Jan. 21 - at Kankakee Jan. 22 - Donovan Jan. 26 - at GS Wilmington Jan. 29 - Tri-Point Feb. 2 - at Grant Park Feb. 5 - at IL Lutheran
St. Anne looking to step up expectaions in Stembridge’s second year By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic
Heading into his second year as the head coach of the St. Anne Cardinals girl’s basketball team, Andy Stembridge is looking to take the program to new heights, and judging by the way his team is approaching their business, the players seem to be taking note of the raised expectations. “I’ve been impressed with our girls’ effort, first and foremost,” he says. “They’re plugging in and playing hard, and that’s great to see. We had a really good first game against Grant Park, a hard-fought win. We do have a lot of younger girls who have never played, so it’s good to get them some experience and to have a smaller team so we can
rotate more of them in.” Those practices have yielded positive effects for the Cardinals, as their halfcourt sets on both offense and defense seem to be coming together well. That kind of discipline is key for a team looking to make strides this season, and with that in mind the competition for playing time is fierce among the players. “These girls are able to get on the court and practice for us to earn those minutes in games,” Stembridge says. “The more times they get out there, the more confidence we have in them and the more confidence they have in themselves.” That confidence was apparent in their first game of the season, as the Cardinals jumped out to an early lead and held
look at a win-loss record when discussing the expectations he has for the team this season, and instead focuses on making sure that they remain competitive on a night in, night out basis. “My biggest thing, and a goal we’ve shared as a coaching staff with the team, is just to fight from the opening tip to the final whistle,” he says. “All the way through the game. In years past we haven’t put together full games, and if something goes wrong we give up on ourselves. If we put together full games, I firmly believe that we can be competitive with most of the schools on our schedule.”
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on for a victory over the Grant Park Dragons. Setting that kind of tone was important for Stembridge and company, and a couple of players who made an impact in the contest will be looked to as leaders in the coming year. “Alexis Smith is going to be one of our big workhorses down low this season,” Stembridge says. “She had 25 points in our first game and we’ll be counting on her to score and to clean up the rebounds on both sides. We’ve also got Keyla Justice and Rubi Andrade returning, who are our captains and are providing some great leadership for our girls setting up the offense and doing those kinds of things to help us win.” Cautious not to let the cart get ahead of the horse, Stembridge prefers not to
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Watseka Boy’s Basketball
Photo by Jordan Rich Watseka boy’s varsity basketball: Front row: Ryan Brady, Bailey Scher, Joe Trudeau, Telmunn Barjargal, Jacob Schippert, Nathan Schroeder, Matthew Hodolitz. Back row: Head coach Barry Bauer, Cole Davenport, Kyle Giroux, Hunter Lee, Justin Hasselbring, Reed Kaper, Chris Canady, Will Lyznicki, Coach Hilgendorf
Schedule: Dec. 2 - at Donovan Dec. 5 - Central Dec. 6 - at Milford Dec. 11-16 - Watseka Holiday Tourney Dec. 26-29 - BSN Holiday Classic Jan. 3 - Judah Christian Jan. 6 - at St. Thomas More Jan. 9 - South Newton Jan. 16 - at IW Jan. 17 - Grant Park Jan. 23 - at Momence Jan. 24 - at Prairie Central Jan. 27 - Tuscola Jan. 30 - Cissna Park Feb. 3-7 - SVC Tourney, Feb. 10 - Gibson City Feb. 13 - PBL Feb. 14 de La Salette Feb. 20 at Dwight
Position flexibility will be a key to this years team By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Spor ts@intranix.com
Watseka’s boy basketball team this year will be very junior and point guard heavy. With a roster that consists of 11 juniors, head coach Barry Bauer expects to have a unique team on the floor at any time. “I think at anytime we can put four point guards on the floor,” Bauer said. “Which is a nice commodity to have. You can never have to much ball handling. We are lacking a little bit in size so rebounding is a concern. I think we
are going to be able to score and be a very good team defensively.” Bauer feels that the team can get out and run at anytime, but at the same time they can slow it down and have a strong game in the post. “Our flexibility is a key, Bauer said. “We can have guys score on the post. Depending on what other teams want to do and what we want to do. Flexibility is key. “We will try to play to our strengths. I think we will be very good at ball handling team. In practice so far that
has been a strength along with our quickness. We will have to play to our strengths and push the ball a lot. We will use our quickness and ball handling to score some points.” The Warriors will look to juniors Cole Davenport and Will Lyznicki as leaders on the floor and experience. Both of the juniors played a lot of minutes as sophomores and will be looked to as the leaders on the floor. With a roster of lone senior Chris Canady the team still is filled with a lot of experience. They will still be looking to some
younger players for some important minutes. “We have a couple sophomores that will get a lot of minutes,” Bauer said. “Nathan Schroeder and Hunter Lee played a little varsity last year, but not a lot. They will be exclusive varsity players this year and won’t be playing any junior varsity.” Watseka will open up the season on the road against Donovan and will take on Central in a conference game at home on Dec. 5.
Watseka Girl’s Basketball Photo by Jordan Rich Watseka girl’s varsity basketball team: Front row: Kara Dexter, Summer Cramer, Cortney Adams, Daisy Solorzano, Kate Norder, Natalie Castonguay, Tessa Downs. Back row: Faith Aaron, Josie Hasselbring, assistant coach BJ Arvin, Meegan Massey, Emily Allhands, Taylor Bauer, Madison Bauer, Kassidy Berry , head coach Barry Bauer, Katie McTaggart,
Schedule: Dec. 1 - Momence Dec. 4 at Central Dec. 8 Peotone Dec. 18 - at St. Anne Dec. 20 - Armstrong Dec. 22 - at Hoopeston Dec. 26-29 - Blue Devil Classic Jan. 8 - IW Jan. 10 - Milford Jan. 12 - South Newton Jan. 15 - at Cissna Park Jan. 19-24 - SVC Tourney Jan. 26 - at Prairie Central Jan. 29 - at PBL Feb. 3 - at Donovan Feb. 4 - Beecher Feb. 5 - Dwight
Defense, knowing what it takes to win key for Warriors By JORDAN RICH, Spor ts Editor Spor ts@intranix.com
After a quick turnaround from the volleyball season the Watseka Warriors are still unsure about things on the offensive side. The limited practice has the team learning as they go. Their defense though is something that they can excel at and win games. “I have always stressed defense,” head coach Barry Bauer said. “That has always got to be our core. I think a good defense will turn into some offensive points, and that is what we will need to do, get points in transition. We are looking to be a solid defensive team.” The one concern for the Warriors is
the inability to rebound the ball and get second chances and also allowing too many offensive rebounds. "Rebounding has been a problem actually for a few years," Bauer said. "It is something we have addressed and something we will have to work on." The Warriors will look to lean on seniors Katie McTaggart, Taylor Bauer and Natalie Castonguay as their leaders, but Bauer expects the supporting cast to be able to help. With the team's success there is starting to become expectations year in and year out for the Warriors to make deep postseason runs. But inside the team there is no pressure whatsoever. "I think the pressure is
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off a little bit," Bauer said. "We lost all-time leading scorer Devin Curry so it is going to be a little adjustment for the girls since she won’t be on the floor during crunch time when we need a shot. I think they are more then capable of handling that." “ I think the supporting cast is very capable of stepping in and playing major roles also,” he said. “We will need them to play major roles.” So far in the early season starter Kara Dexter and freshman Summer Cramer off the bench have produced on the offensive and defensive side. “We are confident with the girls that we bring off the bench,” Bauer said. “We just have to get used to the
rotations of what people are coming off and what people are on the floor.” A lot of the team's success from players who haven't had that much experience in years past comes from their success during the volleyball season. Seven of the teams players on varsity also play volleyball. "Anytime you have success you build character," Bauer said. "You build confidence and you build chemistry. I think a lot of these girls that played together on the volleyball team will carry it over here. I think we will built on it." The Warriors will continue their regular season on Monday as they take on Momence at home.
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Central Wrestling Photo by James Neveau Central varsity wrestling: Front: Dalton Reed, Joshua Beegle, Clayton Thorne, Tyler Konetski, Connor Prairie, Dylan Rieken, Derek Lyons. 2nd: Justin Goggins, Nick Frey, Adrian Pace, Jacob Kaericher, Will Kleinert, Trevor Raines. 3rd: Coach Travis Williams, Austin Renehan Josh Smith, Ben Schafer, Jacob Smith, Jagger Harris, Ruby Love, Asst. Coach Ed Chouinard Back: Drew Kooyenga, Alex Renehan, Caleb Thompsen, Curtis Buikema, Kyle Buikema, Jaacqueson Harris, Benjamin Toberman
Central’s deep program allows goals to become that much closer to reach By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic
In high school sports, a constant influx of young talent is something that all programs aspire to, but few have developed the pipeline that the Clifton Central Comets’ wrestling team has been able to put together over the past few years. “We’ve got a strong mix of freshmen, with three state champions from the IESA level,” Comets head coach Travis Williams said of his team. “What’s unique about that group is that they’re physically built like they’re sophomores or juniors. Physically they match up well with guys who have been in the program for the past three years. It’s nice to have that competition between new guys and guys who have been here for a while
PBL varsity wrestling: Front: Conrad Powell, Will Mesch, Teagan Wood, Jason Mrase, Sam Livingston, Brandon Scott, Chase Cornett, Dalton Neff. Back: Andy Forbes, head coach Erik Ronney, Nathan Harms, Jacob Parrish, Colin Sullivan, Coleman Meece, Keanan Krabb, Gavin Ogburn, Alex Pippin, Zach Schilts
and know what to expect week in and week out. It’s a perfect mix of youth and experience.” That blend is going to come in handy with the lofty goals that the team has for itself. With upperclassmen looking to make one final splash and a group of youngsters looking to make an immediate impact, the team will be looking to a duo of seniors to provide some leadership on the mat. "Jacob Kaericher and Will Kleinert are two of the most experienced guys we have,” Williams said. “They’ve wrestled for four years here and have had postseason success. They’re not necessarily vocal leaders, but they lead by example and are really helping out.” One obstacle that the team will be
facing right out of the gate is the fact that numerous team members are just getting done with their football season, with the Comets making it all the way to the quarterfinal round in the Class 2A football playoffs. Despite the potential of the athletes to be fatigued, Williams is confident that the team has already begun subtly preparing itself for the campaign. “What’s unique is that football dials up conditioning at the beginning, but the deeper they go in the playoffs, they dial it back a bit,” he said. “Dialing it back up the conditioning for us is tough the first couple of weeks in time for wrestling. What’s unique with having a track record in this program is that a lot of guys will do that on their own toward
PBL Wrestling
the end of football, and are conscious of where they need to be weight-wise and cardio-wise.” With a solid record a season ago and a tough schedule looming ahead of them, the Comets will be looking to make a statement in the coming year, and Williams’ goals are reflective of that intense desire to succeed. “We’ve had the goal since I’ve got here to win a regional championship,” he said. “We’ve had individual success, but not enough of it. We’re hoping with this mix of younger and older guys, and depending on the draw we get, will be the key. The school record for wins is 24, and we think that’s something attainable as well.”
Schedule: Dec. 2 - at Bismarck Dec. 15 - St. Joe Dec. 18 - Central Dec. 20 - at Unity Dec. 27 - at Champaign Central Jan. 6 - at Rantoul Jan. 8 - at Praire Central Jan. 10 - at Prairie Central Jan. 13 - at Clinton Jan. 15 - Hoopeston Jan. 20 - Bismarck Jan. 22 - at Riverton Jan. 27 - at Grant Park Jan. 29 - Gibson City Jan. 31 - TVC Meet Feb. 3 - at St. Thomas More
PBL looks to take major jump in wrestling program By JORDAN RICH, Sports Editor Sports@intranix.com
Last year was not successful for Paxton-Buckley-Loda wrestling when it came to team wins. They had none. That hasn’t stopped head coach Erik Ronney from setting a high goal for his team that he believes they can accomplish. We didn’t win a meet last year,” Ronney said. “This year I want to exceed expectations and be above .500, and that is a pretty high goal coming off of last year. But I believe we can. And having the kids see that and believe that. I’m not just saying that. I really do believe that if we do everything right and put forth the effort that these kids can break some ground that they are not used to.” The Panthers will start that goal as they take on Bismarck-Henning and Westville
on Dec. 2 at Bismarck. They will get to time build on their result from the meet as they will have their next meet at St. Joseph-Ogden on Dec. 15 and Central on Dec. 18, at home. It is easy to see why Ronney believes that his team is capable of this success as the numbers and interest are growing. “We have got about 25 kids right now on the roster,” Ronney said. "A lot of freshman and a high volume of seniors. A lot of them started with the program four years ago. This is a good squad so far and on paper it looks like we will have a lot of success. Hopefully we stay injury free and the kids want to excel and learn.” With the high number of wrestlers PBL still needs to answer some questions between now and their first meet which is to try and see if they can fill about 14
G O T E A M
weight classes. “We are trying to see if there is some potential for a full lineup,” Ronney said, “but we are missing weight brackets. 120 is going to be hit or miss this this year.” According to Ronney the team has a surplus of wrestlers around the 160 weight limit. This will bring a lot of competition that Ronney is looking forward to having. “It is fine because it gives us a lot of competition,’ he said. “The kids that are new are trying to get the starting spot and if they lose they will just have to wrestle up a class. That’s just what you have to do. We aren’t the only school that has a small lineup.” Colin Sullivan is looking to have another great season. Sulivan who won the Unity Invitational last year at 132
will be moving down to 126 this year. "I'm hoping that he will move down to 126 this year," Ronney said. "He has a broken hand right now so hopefully getting him ready for Unity. Made it to sectionals his freshman year and got injured his sophomore year. Last year he was just in a hard weight class and he just couldn't move onto sectionals and got fourth. I am hoping that he can stay on track and get over this hand injury." Whatever happens to the team this year it will be based on how much the program keeps growing. "It is hard coming from a new organization. You have to teach the kids year after year the appropriate moves. It seems like the same routine, but already the team is learning and getting things done."
You can always bank on our support. At First Trust & Savings Bank, we don’t just support the athletic teams in our community. We’ve been providing Iroquois County residents with our award-winning service for over 100 years. Hardwork & Teamwork – That’s a winning combination.
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2014-15 Iroquois County Winter Sports Schedule DECEMBER
Anne at Beecher; Milford vs 1st Armstrong Girls Basketball 5th - Watseka vs Momence; PBL at GIRLS - Milford vsGeorgetownBismarck;Cissna Ridge Farm Park vs Gibson BOYS - St. Anne City; Central vs Cissna Park: at Kankakee; Donovan vs Grant Donovan vs Grant Park: Central at Park Watseka; PBL at 2nd Dwight GIRLS - PBL vs 6th Tri Valley; IW vs GIRLS - Cissna Cissna Park BOYS- St. Anne vs Park vs Ridgeview; Central vs IW; Donovan vs Wilmington Watseka; Central at Peotone; Cissna BOYS - Milford vs Watseka; Cissna Park at Bismarck; PBL at Hoopeston Park vs Salt Fork 8th 3rd GIRLS - Watseka GIRLS- IW at vs Peotone; Donovan Cissna Park at 4th IW; Donovan vs Girls Basktball: St. Anne; Milford Watseka at vs Georgetown Central; PBL vs Dwight; 4-6 Mike Ridge-Farm 9th Walsh Memorial Tourney; Donovan GIRLS - PBL at Urbana; Central at at Tri-Point; St. Manteno
GOOD LUCK RAIDERS
BOYS - Milford vs Rantoul; St. Anne at Beecher; Christ Lutheran vs Normal Calvary; Cissna Park at Armstrong 10th GIRLS - St. Anne at Tri-Point 11th GIRLS - PBL at Central; Christ Lutheran at Danville First Baptist; Donovan at Beecher; St. Anne vs GS Wilmington; Milford at Bismarck BOYS - Watseka Holiday Tourney; Christ Lutheran at Danville First Baptist 12th GIRLS - IW at Tri-Point; Christ Lutheran at Trinity BOYS - Christ Lutheran at Trinity; Central at PBL Karen Sippel, Adm inistrator
13th GIRLS - PBL at Eureka; Cissna Park at Fisher; IW Holiday Hoops 15th GIRLS - PBL vs St. Joe; Christ Lutheran vs Grace Baptist BOYS - Christ Lutheran vs Grace Baptist 16th GIRLS - PBL vs Rantoul BOYS - Donovan at Tri-Point; Central vs Grant Park 18th GIRLS - Watseka at St. Anne; PBL vs Momence; Central at Dwight; Donovan vs IL Lutheran; Milford vs Hoopeston BOYS - St. Joe Leader Classic 19th GIRLS - Cissna Park at Bismarck;
Christ Lutheran vs Donovan BOYS - St. Anne at GS Wilmington; Donovan at Beecher; Christ Lutheran vs Deland-Weldon 20th GIRLS - Watseka vs Armstrong; PBL vs Fisher; Cissna Park at Annawan BOYS - St. Anne at Momence 21st GIRLS - IW vs Ridgeview 22nd GIRLS - Watseka at Hoopeston 26th GIRLS - Blue Devil Classic, BOYS - Donovan Holiday Classic; BSN Holiday Classic; State Farm Classic; 26-30 Kankakee Holiday Tourney 29th GIRLS - Momence
Tourney;
JANUARY
2nd BOYS - Central at Reed-Custer 3rd GIRLS - Central at Herscher BOYS - Milford vs Armstrong; Watseka vs Judah Christian 5th GIRLS - Central vs Tri-Point; Donovan at IW; Milfrod at Salt Fork 6th GIRLS - Cissna Park at Unity; Christ Lutheran vs Danville First Baptist; Donovan at South Newton; St. Anne at Central BOYS - Milford at Bismarck: Donovan at South Newton; Christ Lutheran vs Danville First
BEST OF LUCK TO ALL TEAMS!
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2014-15 Iroquois County Winter Sports Schedule Baptist; Central at Manteno; PBL at Monticello; Watseka at St. Thomas More 8th GIRLS - Watseka vs IW; PBL vs Blue Ridge; Cissna Park vs Central; Donovan at GS Wilmington; St. Anne vs IL Lutheran; Milford vs Oakwood 9th GIRLS - Christ Lutheran at Decatur Christian BOYS - Milford vs Schlarman; St. Anne vs Tri-Point; Christ Lutheran at Decatur Christian; Central vs Dwight: Cissna vs IW; PBL at Momence: Watseka vs South Newton 10th GIRLS - Watseka vs Milford; Cissna Park vs Hoopeston; Christ Lutheran vs Trinity BOYS - St. Anne vs Donovan; Christ Lutheran vs Trinity; Cissna Park vs Danville; PBL vs Prairie Central 12th GIRLS - Watseka vs South Newton; Donovan at Grant Park; St. Anne at Dwight; Milford vs IW 13th GIRLS - IW vs Milford' St. Anne at Kankakee Trinity BOYS - Milford vs Hoopeston; St. Anne vs Grant Park: Donovan vs IL Lutheran; Christ Lutheran vs Cornerstone Christian; Central at Wilmington; PBL vs Rantoul 15th GIRLS - Watseka at Cissna Park; PBL at IW; Central vs Momence; Christ Lutheran at Judah Christian; Donovan vs TriPoint; St. Anne vs Beecher: Milford at Armstrong
BOYS - Christ Lutheran at Judah Christian 16th GIRLS - IW vs St. Thomas More BOYS - St. Anne vs IL Lutheran: Donovan at GS Wilmington; Central vs Cissna Park; Watseka at IW 17th GIRLS - CIssna Park at St. Anne; Milford at Chrisman BOYS - Milford at Chrisman; Cissna Park vs Prairie Central; PBL vs Urbana; Watseka vs Grant Park 19th GIRLS - St. Anne vs Wilmington; SVC Tourney 20th GIRLS - Milford vs South Newton BOYS - Milford vs South Newton; St. Anne vs GS Wilmington; Donovan at IW; Christ Lutheran at Deland-Weldon; Central at TriPoint; PBL at St. Thomas More 21st GIRLS - St. Anne at Kankakee 22nd GIRLS - Donovan
St. Joe; Watseka vs Tuscola 29th GIRLS - Watseka at PBL; Cissna Park at Momence; Central vs Donovan: St. Anne vs TriPoint; Milford vs Bismarck 30th GIRLS - IW vs St. Joe; Christ Lutheran vs Arthur Okaw Christian BOYS - Milford vs Oakwood; St. Anne at Donovan; Christ Lutheran at Arthur Okaw Christian; Central at St. Anne; Watseka at Prairie at Momence; Milford at Christ Central Cissna Park at Lutheran 26th Watseka; PBL vs BOYS - Christ GIRLS - Watseka IW Lutheran at at Prairie Central; 31st Momence Cissna Park at TriGIRLS - PBL at 23rd Point; Donovan vs Hoopeston; Cissna GIRLS - Christ Beecher; St. Anne Park vs Milford; Lutheran at at GS Wilmington; ECIC Tourney Normal Calvary Milford vs BOYS - Milford vs BOYS - Donovan Westville Cissna Park at Grant Park; BOYS - Christ Christ Lutheran at Lutheran at TriNormal Calvary; Point 2nd Cissna Park vs 27th GIRLS - PBL at Dwight; Watseka GIRLS - Christ Gibson City; at Momence Lutheran vs Cissna Park at 24th University Dwight; Donovan GIRLS - Milford vs BOYS - St. Anne at IL Lutheran; Schlarman vs Beecher; St. Anne at Grant BOYS - Milford at Donovan vs Park; Milford at Salt Fork; Cissna Tri-Point; Christ Schlarman Park vs Bishop Lutheran vs 3rd McNamara; University; PBL vs GIRLS - Watseka at Donovan; Central vs Coal City BOYS - St. Anne at Herscher; SVC Tourney 4th GIRLS - Watseka vs Beecher;IW vs Wilmington 5th GIRLS - Watseka vs Dwight; PBL at Cissna Park; Central at IW; Donovan vs GS Wilmington; St. Anne at IL Lutheran; Milford at Hoopeston 6th BOYS - Milford at Armstrong; Donovan vs Beecher: Christ Lutheran at Cornerstone Christian 9th
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GIRLS - IHSA Regionals begin BOYS - Central at Judah Christian 10th BOYS - Milford vs Westville; St. Anne at TriPoint; Donovan at Central; Cissna Park at South Newton; PBL at Blue Ridge; Watseka vs Gibson City 13th BOYS - Milford vs Bismarck; St. Anne at Grant Park: Donovan at IL Lutheran; Cissna Park vs Momence; PBL at Watseka 14th BOYS - Milford at IW; 14-20, ECIC Tourney; Central vs Coal City; PBL vs Gibson City; Watseka vs de La Salette 16th GIRLS - IHSA Sectionals begin 17th BOYS - Milford at Schlarman; St. Anne vs Kankakee; Central vs Beecher; PBL at Fisher 20th BOYS - Milford at Hoopeston; St. Anne at IL Lutheran; Donovan vs GS Wilmington: Central vs IW; Cissna Park at PBL; Watseka at Dwight 23rd GIRLS - IHSA Super-Sectionals BOYS - IHSA Regionals begin 27th GIRLS - IHSA State Finals 28th GIRLS - IHSA State Finals
MARCH
3rd BOYS - IHSA Sectionals begin 10th BOYS - IHSA Super-Sectionals 13th-14th BOYS - IHSA State FInals
GOOD LUCK TEAMS!
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116 W. Walnut St., Watseka, IL 60970 (815) 432-4060 Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
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