Iroquois County's Times-Republic Spring Sports 2014

March 2014

Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

2014 Spring Sports Preview A special supplement to the Times-Republic March 2014

CONTENTS BASEBALL Central...................2 Christ Lutheran......3 Cissna Park............3 Donovan................4 Iroquois West.........5 Milford..................6 PBL.......................7 St. Anne.................8 Watseka.................9

SOFTBALL Central...................2 Donovan................4 Iroquois West.........5 Milford..................6 PBL.......................7 St. Anne.................8 Watseka.................9

TRACK Central...................10 Iroquois West.........10 PBL.......................11 St. Anne.................11 Watseka.................11

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Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

March

CENTRAL BASEBALL

The Central varsity baseball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Adam Schoon, Tony Zell, Sean Sands, Cory Steinhart, Jacob Hendricks, Lucas Blume; from front row, left to right, Derrick Graham, Chris Garcia, Brandt Padgett, Corey Gifford, Brock Cailteux and Adam Jensen. Not Pictured is Dan Weedon.

Photos by Jordan Pottorff

Comets focused on improving on 2013 campaign

By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic

While track athletes can simply run and do weight-lifting to keep their conditioning at top level even if there is still snow on the ground, baseball players don’t have that option.

With an intense winter showing faint signs of weakening its grip, Central Comets head baseball coach Brian Kohn is having to tweak his workouts as his team begins preparing for the upcoming season.

“It’s hard to simulate at-bats off live pitching inside,” he said. “I think our pitchers do a good job of making it as realistic as they can, but obviously the lack of a threat of the batter really swinging and hitting the ball hurts, because you can only get that outside.”

Despite those limitations, Kohn will be looking at riding a talented group of up-

perclassmen as the season gets underway.

Even with the departures of players like Mike Raines, Kolton Koch, and Logan Gigl, there are still plenty of players who will be looked toward to fill in the gaps.

“Our ace is going to be Cory Steinhart,” Kohn said. “He surprised some people last year and he really blossomed. He learned a lot from Raines, and I’m hoping that continues and that he mentors our team too.

We’ll also have a couple of juniors coming out of the bullpen, including Chris Garcia.

Last year, we couldn’t afford to take his defense out of the middle of the field, but we’re going to put some trust in our other guys and hopefully find a good glove in that group.”

Finding some defense on the team is going to be a challenge for the Comets, as it was an area that they struggled in quite a bit during the 2013 season. Kohn is cog-

nizant of those struggles, and is having his players work on their glove skills just about every day.

“Last year, we straight up struggled defensively,” he said. “We also had the worst luck with two outs in the fifth inning, so we’re trying to get our mindset right in order to get out of those situations. We’re going to put more of an emphasis on defense than we have in the past too, and being inside for a while will hopefully give us a chance to get a lot of reps defensively.”

Playing at a school with successful football and basketball programs, Kohn and the Comets are surrounded by examples of players who fill their designated roles, no matter whether they are meant to be stars or role players. The coach hopes to bring that kind of mentality to his baseball team as they prepare for the season.

“We need guys that know what they

have to do, kind of the way the guys in basketball and football filled their roles,” he said. “We have some guys that have some high baseball IQ on this team, and I’m hoping that those guys can go out there, hustle, and really play hard to help us win games.”

Before the Comets can begin their exploits on the diamond, they have to first ride out the stubborn winter, but Kohn is optimistic that his team will come out of the gym ready to go.

“I really think we’re going to look at our seniors, because they’ve been around and have enough experience that we can lean on that early,” he said. “I think most of them could be pretty potent if they get off to a good start, but I think we have a long enough time before we get outside that we can achieve that.”

CENTRAL SOFTBALL The Central varsity softball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, head coach Brian Spooner, Jenna Offerman, Amanda Piper, Brooke Whybrew, Sara Lemenager, Sydney Kleinert, Kennedy Hamblin, Kenzie Berggren, Melissa Dunstan; from front row, left to right, Jade Raines, DJ Troli, Taylor Hull, Kaelyn Vaughn, Jenny Ledoux, Alexis McNeely and Taylor Goldtrap.

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Comets return veteran group with high expectations

By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic Some coaches may bemoan their rotten luck over the winter weather that has gripped Illinois for several months, but for Central Comets head softball coach Brian Spooner, the chance to remain indoors and work on fundamentals is a welcome challenge for his team.

“Some years, it would be a problem because your window of being inside in an average year is pretty small, because your schedule starts so early, you only get two and a half weeks of practice,” he said. “That’s not going to be the case this year. We probably won’t be able to get outside to practice or play until April. Although it’s not fun to do all this prep work, it’s necessary to do it in order to get ourselves ready.”

One of the reasons for Spooner’s optimism about his team’s ability to take advantage of the circumstances is that several players took advantage of offseason coaching and tutoring over the winter, and he expects the impact to be evident on the field.

“The main player to take advantage of it was DJ Troli,” he

Good Luck To All The Teams

said. “This will be her third year pitching for us, and she’s gotten stronger every year. She’s a fairly petite girl, but she’s got a big heart and she’s pretty tough too. She’s been pitching a lot this offseason, and she didn’t play basketball, so basically since volleyball got over she’s been working on her pitching.”

Troli wasn’t the only player that Spooner pointed towards as being key to his team’s season. He also discussed needing veteran leaders to step up and propel the team forward.

“We were over .500 last year, and we got a majority of our team back from that season,” he said. “I already had a meeting with the seniors, and I explained to them that I expect some big things from them. (It hurts) losing players like Trish Faulkner, but everyone graduates at some point, and you obviously can’t hold onto them forever.”

Even with a veteran squad, there are some serious downsides to having so many games cancelled at the beginning of the season, and Spooner is careful to guard against overworking his players now with some potentially tough times looming ahead.

“The bad part about last year was that we had to stack up

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so many games at the end of the year that by the time we got to regionals, we were pretty worn out,” he said. “We’re hoping that our younger girls can relieve the starters and take some innings off of them.”

“We’re not necessarily worried about what we can get done in the first week,” he continued. “I’d say the second and third weeks will be the most important, simply because that’s when we’re going to have our practice routine established, and we can get in a rhythm as we get into drill work that will be beneficial.”

When the spring finally does kick off and the girls are able to get outside, Spooner already has a good idea of how he’s going to finish getting his players set for competition.

“Once we get outdoors, probably all we’re going to be working on is getting in the right position and making sure that we’re making correct mental decisions,” he said. “We don’t want to beat ourselves. If we get beaten, that’s fine, but the other team has to physically beat us. We don’t want to give up a lot of runs because we make silly mistakes.”

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Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

Page 3

CHRIST LUTHERAN BASEBALL

The Christ Lutheran baseball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, head coach Dave Dettmering, Thomas Baillie, Jacob Lessman, Tim Boylan; front row, left to right, Andrea DeBella, Hallie Lancaster, Christian Hoggins and Shane Hewerdine. Not pictured are Slater Schewrian, Aj Tofari, Billi Lohrbach and Haley McCormick.

Photo by Jordan Pottorff

Crusaders focused on development, improving

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com It’s a new year for Christ Lutheran’s baseball team, but the continuous question facing the Crusaders year in and year out remains: will they have the numbers to field a team.

This year, in 2014, the question is yes as head coach Dave Dettmering fields a team that consists of 11 players. Although Dettmering has the numbers to field a team, the experience is lacking. Several players have never played baseball at the high school level, or have never played baseball at all.

“We just strive for goals as people who have never seen baseball before,” Dettmering said. “Our goals is for them to do certain things, and if they achieve that that’s a win for us more so than a ‘W’ in the other column. That’s more or less how I look at things. As long as they think they have done what they can do in the best of their ability that’s all I can do.”

Among the players that Dettmering is introducing to base-

ball is Tim Boylan.

“Tim played hockey, and he’s been overseas with his dad as a missionary,” Dettmering said. “His dad is a minister and they have been all over the world. Tim played hockey and wrestled, and you can see that. The other night for the first time I had him on a batting tee. Hitting a baseball and a hockey puck, I don’t think is much different. Your hand-eye coordination and your hips have to swing. He was tattering it. It’s different when someone is throwing it at you, but I think he will catch on.”

Although Detterming faces a tall task of grooming inexperienced players into contributors at the high school level, he does return a pair of players who posted strong seasons a year ago in Shane Hewerdine, Jacob Lessman and Slater Schewrian.

“We’ve got Shane Hewerdine as our main returning player,” Dettmering said. “He won our batting title last year and hit .470. Jacob batted .465, and Slater was just under

.300. He carried us at the beginning, I mean he was hitting .700 but went hitless the last three games. He hit a bad streak where he was hitting it were people were.”

In addition to his trio of returners, Dettmering said he has a quartet of pitchers who will see time on the mound this season.

“We’ve got Slater, AJ, Jacob and Hewey, they will be our four pitchers,” he said. “Tom said he would pitch if we needed to take someone out. There is a difference between a pitcher and a thrower, and I think we have some pitchers.”

From a positional standpoint, Dettmering is eyeing Jacob as his catcher, Shane Hewerdine at shortstop, Tim Boylan in right field, Thomas Baillie in center field, Andrea DeBella at second base, Christian Hoggins at first base and AJ Tofari at third base and pitcher. Dettmering also said Haley McCormick and Billie Lohrbach will man the outfield at times this season.

CISSNA PARK BASEBALL The Cissna Park varsity baseball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, manager Hillary Hines, head coach Darryl Focken, Jake Montgomery, Ben Jennings, Noah Anderson, Tristen Kissack, Tyson Rogers, Wyatt Froehling, John Nowaczyk, Dylan Reetz, assistant coach Rick Tarro and manager Kali Hines; front row, left to right, Trace Nims, Devon Laubscher, Riley Savoree, Josh Marquez, Jacob Marquez, Jon Tarro, Matt Laubscher, Jake Tarro and Austin Kregel.

Timberwolves to face questions, eager to prove themselves

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com

Cissna Park’s baseball team is gearing up for the 2014 season with a level of uncertainty surrounding the program. The Timberwolves lost four starters to graduation, face several questions from a pitching standpoint and return a team that struggled offensively for the majority of the 2013 season. Despite the uncertainty of what the 2014 version of the Timberwolves will look like, head coach Darryl Focken is eager to build on a season where Cissna Park finished just short of winning a regional championship.

Offensively, the Timberwolves turned in a combined average of .254 in 2013, and Focken said that he looks for a much-improved stat line from the plate this season.

“Our leading hitter was Wyatt Froehling, and he is back as a senior and that’s big for us,” Focken said. “He hit .423 last year, and we need to get the Marquez’s (Josh and Jacob Marquez) on base. Jacob and Josh certainly have to get on base. Josh will be our leadoff hitter.”

Along with the Marquez brothers and Froehling, Focken is looking for increased production out of Dylan Reetz, Tyson Rogers and Riley Savoree this season.

“Dylan Reetz had a really good year last year at .351,” Focken said. “He was our second leading RBI guy and is a senior as well. Tyson Rogers and Riley Savoree are two guys that got playing time but didn’t start all the time. They will certainly have to step up as well this season.”

From a pitching prospective, Focken has a few players in mind that he will put on the mound this season but is looking for a bounce back year from Jacob Marquez in 2014.

“Jacob Marquez was a kid that we really wanted to have a big year,” he said. “He pitched almost 45 innings, but his ERA was a little high. He was 1-7, and I thought he was going to be a big key player as a sophomore last year. He had trouble getting out of innings and walked a lot of people. That was one of his problems.”

Along with Marquez, Focken noted that Reetz and Froehling would also see time on

the mound this season.

“Wyatt and Dylan Reetz are two guys that I’m going to have to rely on to pitch,” he said.

“Devon Laubscher, he is probably the fastest kid in the area, but he will have to pitch a little bit, too. But he’s at the doctor getting his shoulder looked at right now. We don’t have that inning-eater, and at our level when you are playing four or five games a week that’s a problem.”

Although Focken has a level of uncertainty at the plate and on the mound, one thing is certain: the Timberwolves will run and run

often.

“Hitting is going to be an issue at times, but that probably happens everywhere early in the season,” he said. “We do have some quickness. I love to run, and we stole 140 bases last season, which led the area last year.

We have probably led the area in my years the majority of the time because that’s the way I like to play. That’s going to be one of our key things if we can get on base and run a little bit.”

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Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

March

DONOVAN SOFTBALL

The Donovan varsity softball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Kelsey Vance, Carley Shivers, Casey Arseneau, Ashten Smith, Bayley Lambrecht; front row, left to right, Rebecca Martell, Nicole Schuldt, Anna “Bacon” Storm, Molly Shy and Kylie Clyden.

Photos by James Neveau

Wildcats bring back young, enthusiastic group

By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic Coming off of one of the best seasons in school history, the Donovan Wildcats girls’ softball team is going to have a tough time replicating the task, as they are trying to replace a slew of seniors that left the squad last year.

“We basically have all new position players this year,” head coach Nathan Lacher said. “Basically, no one is in the same spot, so we’re working on our drills and on our fundamentals here in the gym and in the hallway. What we’re able to do is limited, but we’re trying to get a lot of reps in hitting and fielding, so whatever we can do to get us ready when the snow melts and the ground thaws is what we’re doing.”

Lacher’s squad is going to be led not by a group of upperclassmen like it was last season, but rather by a group of sophomores who had experience with the team that made it all the way to the sectional

final last season. Players like Anna Storm, Rebecca Martell, Bayley Lambrecht, and Nikki Schuldt will be the backbone of the team this season, and Lacher has already discussed his expectations with that young but experienced group.

“I’ve talked to the sophomores, and I tell them that this process of getting ready isn’t just about this year,” he said. “Whatever you do with the freshmen this year is about your junior and senior years, so you need to step up and be leaders. We don’t have the luxury of those girls just floating by, because we’ve only got one junior and two seniors this season. They’ve accepted that role in helping out the new girls, which is good to see.”

Despite the youth on the team, Lacher is still confident that going through the softball system in Donovan is going to help them as they get acclimated to playing at the high school level.

“Most of the freshmen played two years in junior high with me, so they’re familiar with the program

and my expectations,” he said. “We’re going to have them contribute immediately. We’ve got a lot of freshmen who are new, but they’re not new to the expectations, so that puts us ahead of the curve I think.”

The girls’ enthusiasm to get into the gym and start working is in part a reflection of the coach, who acknowledges that he starts thinking about softball as soon as winter starts and the focus of the school is largely on basketball.

“The girls always know that it’s getting close to softball season when I start counting down from 100 in December,” he said. “It’s always exciting, so I’d put my excitement level at about a 12 (out of 10). It’s a real exciting time, and not just for me.

The girls are excited, and honestly the school is too about what these girls did last year in winning regionals, so we’re hoping to follow it up with another solid season as we continue to push this program forward.”

DONOVAN BASEBALL The Donovan varsity baseball team.

Team members are, from back row, left to right, Christian Emerson, Logan Trumble, Eric Lattimer, Clint Barnhart, and Alex Jordan; front row, left to right, head coach BJ Bushnell, Justin Moyer, Josh Regnier, Ralph Ingram, Ty Clark, Kaleb Salzman, Landon Perzee and Tristan Hann.

Wildcats return to field, ready to build on lost season

By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic

For most teams, returning to practice for a sport is an experience that players get excited about, but in the case of the Donovan Wildcats’ baseball team, that excitement is amplified because of the fact that the team didn’t even take the field last year.

“What I love is how everyone has been here for every practice,” head coach BJ Bushnell said. “For only having 12 guys, the excitement level has been way up, and the energy level has been up too. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with it having been so long. I’m more than pleased to see the eagerness to learn and to get better.

That’s thrilling.”

Baseball is a sport that requires a lot of mental exactitude in order to succeed, but with the year off in between seasons, Bushnell is having to make sure that his team is back up to speed in terms of physical execution as well.

To the team’s credit, they have been up for anything that’s been thrown

their way, and may even be a little too excited for the campaign to get underway.

“They’ve been sponges and open to any and all drills,” he said. “They’ve been pressing forward, and I’m sure they’re getting tired of me saying ‘you gotta crawl before you can walk.’ We just need to settle down a little bit, but we need to start from the foundation before we can even start building.

There hasn’t been any complaining, and everyone has been eager and willing to go through with everything.”

Despite that emphasis on physical execution in their preseason workouts, the Wildcats are going to be a team predicated on avoiding mistakes with their brains as well once they are able to get out on the diamond for practices and games.

“We’re definitely emphasizing the mental part of the game and minimizing those mistakes,” Bushnell said. “If you make physical errors, that kind of stuff is honestly just going to happen.

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Perhaps with an abundance of caution because of the zeal with which his players are attacking their preparations for the campaign, Bushnell is cognizant that he may need to rein in his pitching staff, so he is instituting some strict limits on how they approach their craft on the mound.

“We’re going to be on a strict pitch count, and that’s the way to go nowadays,” he said. “You can’t just have one workhorse and milk their arms, otherwise you’ll kill them. In order to have a deep bullpen and prepare yourself for years to come is to get everyone involved in pitching and to teach them the basic fundamentals.

“Unfortunately, we can’t do long-toss in here,” he added as he described the team’s workouts for pitchers. “We have to emphasize fundamentals by doing stuff like throwing from one knee. We do a lot of towel throws too. Kerry Wood was a Hall of Fame towel thrower. We do a lot of

those things to mimic the mechanics, so we aren’t using any extra pitches, because there’s a shelf life for an arm on how long it can go.”

The Wildcats seem to have everything in order as they prepare for the season, but all eyes, including Bushnell’s, can’t help but gaze into the future when they can finally get the season underway.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I’ve been a part of junior high baseball, but to get this high school team back out there will be big. There were so many sad faces last year when we didn’t have a team last year. The community comes out and they really want to watch baseball. It’s still the national pastime. Between the intricacies of the game, and the secondguessing, and the crack of the bat, it’s been a long time coming for these kids this year. I’m very anxious, and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

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March 2014

Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

Page 5

IROQUOIS WEST BASEBALL The Iroquois West varsity baseball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Jake Clark, Alexander Renehan, Charlie Miller, Jake Schroeder, TJ Foulks, Jake Carney, Austin Miller, Clark Fink; front row, left to right, Jonah Carney, Austin Conrad, Riley Miller, Payton Stiers, Skyler Kissack, Trenton Miller and Colton Coffey Photos by Jordan Pottorff

Raiders look to build on successful 2013 campaign

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Repor ter Spor ts@intranix.com

Harsh winter conditions have undoubtedly affected baseball teams around the state, and that statement rings true for Iroquois West’s baseball team as they prepare for the upcoming season in the close confines of their high school gymnasium.

Iroquois West is fresh off a season where it claimed a regional championship, and despite losing several key players to graduation, the Raiders return a host of veteran players in TJ Foulks, Trenton “Bubba” Miller and Clark Fink that head coach Sam Rhodes believes will be major factors in the Raiders’ success this season.

Along with the aforementioned trio of returning players, Rhodes brings in a team that returns six starters but is unsure of how his team will look on opening day.

“We are going to find out in our first game how much shuffling we will have to do,” Rhodes said.

“Right now, based on what we had last year and what we have coming back, we may have to shuffle some kids around. It’s going to be an adjustment.

Keaton Zirkle and two kids from last year were starters for four years. Pretty much all of our outfield has been set since they were sophomores. We will have to find a first baseman when Bubba (Miller) is pitching, and we will have to find a third baseman. The pitching and the defense, there are a lot of things I have to move around, but I hope to find out those answers early in the season.”

With the questions that do surround this years’ Raider team, Rhodes is eyeing sophomores Payton Stiers and Austin Conrad as a potential breakout players this season.

“Payton Stiers, last year he was kind of the utility player,” he said. “That kid as a freshman could really play any position, and he was solid at any position. You kind of expect him to be more of a shortstop this year and fill in where Hector Reyes left off. We have a good-sized freshman and sophomore class. I’m not real sure what we will get out of our younger kids, but someone who will have to step up this year will be Austin Conrad.”

Rhodes said that Conrad will be the starting catcher and will likely see some innings on the

mound this season, as will Stires.

Along with Conrad and Stiers, Rhodes is looking for Miller to build on a successful 2013 season, both at the plate and on the mound.

“Bubba did a heck of a job last year,” Rhodes said about Miller’s play. “He did a good job with an ERA right under 4. He will most likely be the starter in the rotation. (He) also carried us offensively for the first month of the season. He struggled a bit at the end of the season but still batted over .300. The first month of the season he led us in all offensive categories, and fortunately we have him back and he made some big improvements last year.”

Although the Raiders have a nucleus of veteran players and a pair of underclassmen that are candidates for big seasons, the weather has played a factor in the early stages of the season as the Raiders inch closer and closer to their opening day matchup with Tolono.

“We will just have to mix up drills,” Rhodes said about keeping his players fresh as they prepare for the upcoming season indoors. “I don’t expect us to get outside for quite a while.”

IROQUOIS WEST SOFTBALL

The Iroquois West varsity softball team.

Team members are, from back row, left to right, head coach Christina Brown, Tabitha Masterson, Taylor Robinson, Grace Schroeder, Savannah Mims, Taylor Lund, Ariel Medina, coach Kelsie Fancher; front row, left to right, Natalie Rose, Kaleigh Wilken, Desiree Medina, Ashly Mueller, Nayeli Camarena, Tailere Keister and Mikaela Cotter.

Raiders ready to make their mark in 2014

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com Iroquois West’s softball team is likely to go through its fair share of growing pains this season. Head coach Christina Brown said the Raiders return a young and inexperienced group of players but is confident the Raiders can make noise once their young nucleus of players adapts to the varsity level.

“We are young and overall inexperienced,” Brown said. “We have added some athleticism in the infield with Grace Schroeder and Taylor Lund. Opening day may be quite different than later down the road.”

Along with the influx of young talent, the Raiders do have a few players with experience that will play a crucial role in Iroquois West’s potential success in 2014.

“Two of the top three hitters from last year return,” Brown said. “Desi Medina and Tailere Keister will hope to continue leading the offensive attack. Kaleigh Wilken handled most of the pitching load last season after the team lost Morgan Small to an eye injury. She will again be a

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major contributor on the mound.”

With a general idea of what the Raiders may look like on opening day, one thing is of concern to Brown: lack of practice.

“Unfortunately, spring break took away from some needed practice time, so a few players who will ultimately be contributors will likely miss some time early,” Brown said. “The weather has inhibited some game prep, so we may make some errors early that should be correctable with some time on the infield. Our fundamentals have obviously been a focus as being inside has created a lot of time for drilling.

One of the places most greatly impacted will probably be our pitching staff. They have worked different pitches, but have still yet to throw from the mound.”

Despite the lack of practice time and the unique situation the weather has given the Raiders and surrounding teams alike, Brown envisions a lineup with a prowess of hitting. She said with several top offensive players returning from last season it will allow her to adjust the lineup to find a batting order that best suits her team. She also said the team is not one who relies on

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power, so a focus on contact and putting the ball in play will give the Raiders the best chance of winning in 2014.

“Hitting for power will probably not be at the top of our successes list, so we will look for some players who get on base often to be in the top of the order and contact hitters through the middle of the order to hopefully move our runners around the

bases.”

As far as team goals go, that is something Brown said she has not addressed with her team to this point in the season.

“We haven’t taken a lot of time to set team goals,” she said. “Mainly, we are dedicated to being productive offensively, sound defensively and competitive day in and day out.”

G O T E A M

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Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

March

MILFORD BASEBALL

The Milford varsity baseball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Shayne McNally, Clayton Rieches, Tanner Davenport, Alex Portwood, Jake McKinley; front row, left to right, Ryley Ward, Randy White, Rowdy Murray, Jordan Gullquist, Ben Leitz, and Keegan Martin.

Photos by Jordan Pottorff

Bearcats focused on winning attitude, selfless approach

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com

Fresh off a trip to the regional championship game under the direction of first-year head coach Greg DeWerff in 2013, Milford’s baseball team has its sights set on improving on last year’s strong finish.

With a host of veteran players returning for another season on the diamond, DeWerff spent the offseason and early stages of this season talking about progression and the fundamentals of baseball.

“Our first week of practice was all fundamentals and your basic essentials,” DeWerff said. “Every day we preached learning something new. Progressing, whether it be fielding, throwing or hitting, it’s starting from the bottom and working up.”

The heightened attention to fundamentals had the Bearcats going through the first days of practice without touching a bat, something DeWerff said frustrated the players until they noticed the constant repetition began to show signs of progress.

Now with the Bearcats going through a variety of drills in the tight confines of their gymnasium due to a pro-

longed winter, DeWerff has his team focusing on energy and simulating what an outdoor game will present to the Bearcats.

“We don’t complain about things we can’t control,” he said. “We just try to do our best in here. I think a big part of practicing inside is keeping the tempo up and keeping the enthusiasm up. We simulate as much as we possibly can with the space we have. They want to get out there and are itching to get outside. We just take it a day at a time and have fun doing it.”

From a personnel standpoint, DeWerff returns eight starters from the 2013 version of the Bearcats. Although the Bearcats bring back a veteran and experienced bunch, DeWerff said that every position is up for grabs regardless if you are a returning starter or a player who has yet to see time at the varsity level.

“Nothing is written in stone,” he said. “I like to keep it that way to create competition. On our infield we have a bit of a logjam to be honest, which is nice to have. We have a few guys who might be playing a position you didn’t think would be at in the beginning of the year. I don’t care if you are 14 or 18, if you are productive for

the team you are out there. There is nothing set in stone.”

Despite DeWerff keeping an open-eyed approach to the makeup of his team, the Bearcats return two seniors who will impact the game from the mound. Tanner Davenport and Clayton Rieches took the mound in the regional tournament as juniors and will be two players that will guide the Bearcats through 2014 from the rubber.

DeWerff also said that younger guys will be expected to take the mound throughout the season and added that they have four guys who can give Milford quality innings this season.

As far as the approach Milford is bringing into the 2014 season, DeWerff is preaching continuity and a selfless attitude.

“We use the analogy at the beginning of the season that we are all in the same boat,” he said. “We all have an oar and are all rowing. If one guy puts down his paddle you kind of have to throw him off. We are all about team, and when we get to that first game we can drop anchor and play. We are all together, and they have really bought into it.”

MILFORD SOFTBALL The Milford varsity softball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Madelyn Garrison, Brittyn Franklin, Gosie Thrush, Kylie Thrush, Sierra Fanning, Madisyn Rose; from middle row, left to right, Analyh Zarate, Audri Zurate, Alissa Totheroh, Cornisha Allen, Erin McNally, Lauren Totheroh; from front row, left to right, Lilly Habing, Bailey Roth, Taylor Simpson, Lexie Abhsie and Mindy Garrelts. Not pictured is Madison Overbey.

Bearcats have sights set on improving, contending in VVC

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com

Milford-Cissna Park’s softball team is aiming at turning the corner from a team that finished near the bottom in the Vermilion Valley Conference in recent seasons to a team that can contend with the better teams in the VVC. Head coach Clinton Liefer said he returns a core of talented players that is headlined by starting pitcher Mindy Garrelts.

Garrelts missed last season due to injury and spent the year before that pitching for a VVC rival.

“Mindy Garrelts is back and will be pitching the majority of the games for us,” Liefer said. “She was at Schlarman two years ago, but adding a pitcher and a middle of the

order hitter definitely wont hurt us.”

With Garrelts leading the team from the mound, Liefer said that allows Erin McNally to return to her natural position at shortstop and should help his team be more competitive throughout the course of the season.

Along with McNally, Liefer is looking for big things out of Cornisha Allen, Madison Overbey and Alissa Totheroh.

“We have seven seniors, and out of those seniors our core is pretty much back,” Liefer said. “Erin McNally pitched the majority of our games this year, and she will be back.

Her role will be changed back to her natural position, and our leadoff hitter, Cornisha Allen, will be back and is a big part of setting the table for our offense.”

With a group of returning players set to

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“I’m feeling very good compared to years before,” he said. “Like I said, we set some goals at the beginning of the season. We

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March 2014

Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

Page 7

PBL SOFTBALL The Paxton-BuckleyLoda varsity softball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Suzy Quinn, Leslie Lawson, Jessi Bergman, Zayna Flahaut, Tawny Liggett, Savanna Gebauer; from middle row, left to right, Kaila Christensen, Cassie Oyer, Kelsey Vaughn, Skylar Harris, Krystena Tharman, Ashley Bloodworth; from front row, left to right, Asti Hastings, Mallory Lithgow, Bethany Knight, Ariel Flessner and Kirsten Goodson.

Not Pictured is Logan Freed.

Photos by Jordan Pottorff

Panthers bring back young core, aim to take next step

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com Several questions surround Paxton-Buckley-Loda’s softball team as head coach Brad Pickens returns a young core of players that will lead the Panthers through the 2014 season.

The Panthers are coming off a year where the majority of the team was made up of freshman and sophomores, and that appears to be the case again this season. The Panthers are one year removed from a season where they lost seven of their nine starters to graduation, but the youthful players that line PBL’s roster gained valuable experience at the varsity level and are poised to build on the success they did have in 2013.

“Right now we are somewhere around 18 or 19 girls; of which four are upperclassmen,” Pickens said. “It’s going to make for a very entertaining year. The girls we have coming back are stepping up in to leadership roles. We are just a really young team and with that is going to be growing pains, but from what we have seen so far in the little bit of practice we

have had this year, the girls are very excited and willing to work hard.”

A bright spot surrounding this year’s squad is the fact that the Panthers return six of their nine starters from 2013. Pickens noted that he expects his underclassmen to contribute at the varsity level from the opening stages of the season and said that the possibility of starting a freshman or sophomore at the remaining three positions is likely as he looks to continue to rebuild the program.

Leading the Panthers this season is a host of pitchers that Pickens believes can contribute from the get-go in Skylar Harris, Zayna Flahaut and Asti Hastings.

“Last year Skylar Harris was the main pitcher for us until she had a season-ending injury that caused her to miss the last couple games and the regional,” Pickens said. “At that time we flipped to Zayna, another freshman that matured over the course of the year. They are probably our top two pitchers at this point, but Asti is going to get her fair share of games this

year, too. All three of them provide a different look when they pitch with different speeds and different strengths. I have a rotation that can go three deep, and that’s not counting an additional sophomore or freshman that is pitching as well. It’s a nice problem to have.”

From an offensive standpoint, Pickens said that he has a general idea of what his lineup will look like. He noted that he is relying on big years from Harris and Jessi Bergman and also expects Hastings to be a factor in the middle of the lineup.

Despite the expected production from Harris, Bergman and Hastings, Pickens knows his team will have to manufacture runs to be competitive in 2014.

“We are going to have to be very clever with how we score runs this year,” he said. “I’d love to say we are going to pound the ball with everyone. We have a lot of good hitters that can hit the ball hard, but with anyone it’s about making that contact.”

PBL BASEBALL

The Paxton-Buckley-Loda varsity baseball team. Team members are Colin Sullivan, Jay Eshleman, Johnny Walder, Dustin Mercer, Jonah Wilson, Weston Weber, Dalton Coplea, Payton Dudley, Axl Denault, Wyatt Kingery, Drew Schrodt, Payton McClure, Andrew Zenner, Marty Mennega, Colten Eichelberger, Hunter Johnson, Wil Boman and Cody Bauman.

Veteran group has eyes set on competing for regional title

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com This season is set to be a promising year for Paxton-Buckley-Loda’s baseball team. Head coach Rick Johnson returns a veteran group of players that has the Panthers returning seven of their nine starters from a competitive team in 2013.

Leading the core of returning players is center fielder Drew Schrodt, shortstop Jay Eshleman and starting pitcher Johnny Walder.

Schrodt and Eshleman recently signed to continue their baseball careers at Kankakee Community College and will be vital pieces in the Panthers success this spring.

“I’m looking at Drew Schrodt (to lead the team),” Johnson said. “He kind of struggled a little bit early last year, but moving him to the leadoff spot – and he had a great year last summer with the Dutchmasters – I think Drew is really going to raise his level up a lot.”

Along with Schrodt, Johnson is also expect-

ing big things from Axl Denault.

“I’m looking for Axl Denault to raise his level for what he did last year,” Johnson said.

“He’s a kid who I think might have a good breakout year.”

On the mound, Johnson returns a promising group of players that can impact a game.

“Out of our 30-something kids, I think 20 of them pitch,” Johnson said. “Jay Eshleman came in and pitched some big games for us in the past. I’d like to not throw Drew (Schrodt) if I didn’t have to, but I’m hoping to get some inning out of Hunter Johnson, Marty Mennega and potentially Andrew Zimmer.”

Johnson said that he expects Johnny Walder to be the ace of the rotation.

As far as a projected lineup goes, Johnson noted that Schrodt and Eshleman will likely hit in the leadoff and two hole, Mennega is a prime candidate to fill the three hole and Denault and Walder will round out the heart of the order in the number four and five spots

in the lineup. Johnson also added that Dustin Mercer and Jonah Wilson are candidates to fill out the bottom half of the lineup due to their ability to consistently make contact and do the little things to win games, such as bunting and hit-and-runs.

With a veteran group of players returning to the field and the Panthers

boasting a pitching-heavy roster, Johnson has lofty expectations for his team this season.

“Our goal every year is to win 20 games, win a conference title and put ourselves in a spot to win a regional,” he said. “We have that chance realistically. We have a good group of kids that are self-motivated.”

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Page 8

Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

March

ST. ANNE BASEBALL The St. Anne varsity baseball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, head coach Paul Juarez, Jacob Emerson, Nick Dethrow, Rickey Taylor, Nathon Bretveld, Conner Chwaszczewski, Austin Broers, Aaron Juarez and assistant coach Kenny Sain; front row, left to right, Jared Pamaranski, Alec Blanchett, Michael Emerson, Zach Wielgus, Ryan Mercier, Justin Dethrow, Kyle Klienert and Noah Burling. Not pictured are Jason Cowsert, Zach Cowsert and Jordon Creque.

Cardinals focused on improvement under new head coach

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Repor ter Spor ts@intranix.com

It’s been a rough stretch of seasons for the St. Anne baseball team. The Cardinals have won two games since the 2011 season and will look to right the ship under the direction of new head coach Paul Juarez.

Juarez knows he will face many challenges in his first season with the Cardinals but has his sights set on revamping a program that has played cellar dwellers in the River Valley Conference.

“Our expectations is to be more competitive this year,” Juarez said. “I took this program on because they told me they have struggled for too many years.

I took it for the challenge.”

In preparation of turning the corner as a competitive team in 2014, Juarez, like many coaches, has been forced to develop his team inside a gymnasium, something he said has limited what his team can do in the early stages of the season.

“You just have to limit things that you know you can do,” he said. “You are working inside. So is everybody else unless they have a big dome some-

where that I don’t know about. We are all in the same shape. When the weather permits, we will get outside. We are just going through the fundamentals inside the gym. We have batting cages and pitching mounds inside, so we just do what we can inside and prepare for when we get outdoors.”

Although the Cardinals have struggled to compete for the last several years, Juarez said he has pieces in place to be a competitive team in 2014. He is eyeing players like Kyle Kleinert and Nathon Bretveld to lead the Cardinals and provide leadership for a young core of players set to reverse St. Anne’s recent fortunes.

“Some of my key players are Kyle Kleinert and Nathon Bretveld,” Juarez said. “We have five seniors, three juniors and the rest will be underclassmen. I expect to be competitive.”

From a pitching standpoint, Juarez said with this being his first year guiding the Cardinals he has questions of the makeup of his team on the mound.

He hopes to get quality innings out of Kleinert, Bretveld and Nick Dethrow but left the opportunity open for some of his underclassmen to rise to the

occasion to lead the Cardinals from the mound in 2014.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant or cocky, but my expectations is to be .500,” Juarez said. “I told my wife when I took this challenge that I expected to bring them to .500 this year. We won one game last year and one game the year prior to that. I expect to bring them to .500. I have kids with great attitudes and kids that are working hard.”

Although Juarez has the goal of leading the Cardinals to respectability, he said the toughest part of the job would be the mental aspect of believing they can compete at the highest level.

“Mental preparation will be key,” he said. “Physically they have the talent and they know how to play baseball. The biggest challenge will be the mental challenge of it. They aren’t used to being in the competitive edge.”

ST. ANNE SOFTBALL The St. Anne varsity softball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Anna Jarrett, Mackenzie Peters, Jayme Martin, Destiny Torres, Jessie Ochoa, Lesley Ochoa and head coach Jordan Chapman; front row, left to right, Amber Chase, Cheyenne Williams, Allison Kerness, Amber Ravellette and Cassidy Stalknecker.

Photos by Jordan Pottorff

Cardinals ready to compete in River Valley Conference

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com

St. Anne softball head coach Jordan Chapman is focused on turning around a program that has struggled in recent seasons. She returns a team that can do a fair share of damage at the plate and is ready to contend in the River Valley Conference.

To prepare for the upcoming season, Chapman has had her team conditioning in the gym and honing their skills in the batting cage.

“We started out with some open gym conditioning and a lot of core strength for hitting,” she said. “We have a lot of big bats in the lineup this year, so we have been working on that. We got out Monday, so we were outside doing a lot of outfield work when we could actually get out. Inside it’s been a lot of hitting.”

Leading a potent offensive attack is the core of Mackenzie Peters, Cassidy Stalknecker, Allison Kerness, Jayme Martin and Destiny Torres, a group of girls Chapman

said will play a pivitol role in getting the Cardinals out of the cellar in the RVC. “Mackenzie Peters is a fourth-year senior,” Chapman said. “She is a solid infield/ outfield hitter. She knows the game really well and is a complete player. Cassidy Stalknecker returned for her senior season. She is a big bat. She is going to be our catcher and knows the game really well. Allison Kerness, Jayme Martin and Destiny Torres are home runs every other at-bat. I’m expecting big things this year with a lot of upsets.”

Taking the mound for the Cardinals at the top of the rotation will be Martin, Torres and Peters.

“Jayme Martin will be our priority on the mound,” Chapman said. “She is working on going to Dominican University next year, so this will be a big season for her getting established on the mound. Destiny Torres and Mackenzie Peters will throw a little. We have a freshman in Amber Chase who just got surgery on her shoulder. She got to play this year and just got cleared. She can only

Good Luck to Area Teams

do two innings as of right now, but she is a great player. She is right up there with our seniors and will bring a lot to our team.”

Although Chapman envisions a powerful lineup, she is undecided about what her lineup will look like come opening day. She said she will put a left-handed bat at the top of the order to set the table for her power hitters, but other than that is undecided who will round out the lineup.

Despite questions remaining about what

the Cardinals will look like when the first pitch is put in play this season one thing is certain: the Cardinals believe they will be competitive.

“We have talked about how this wont be the same old St. Anne softball team where it’s written off as a loss,” Chapman said. “It’s going to be a lot different this year. Beacher won’t stomp all over us this year. I expect a really good season from these girls.”

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March 2014

Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

Page 9

WATSEKA SOFTBALL

The Watseka varsity softball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, assistant coach Colin Flaherty, Samantha Hodolitz, Taylor Bauer, Hayley Gray, Madison Bauer, Kassidy Berry, head coach Barry Bauer; from middle row, left to right, Amanda Mussleman, Mya LaVoie, Katelyn Davis, Morgan Hotaling, Taylor Hotaling, CJ Crook; from front row, left to right, Colleen Suchy, Katie McTaggart, Blair Hankey, Emily McCann and Rachel Billings. Not pictured is Devin Curry.

Photos by Jordan Pottorff

Consistent pitching, steady hitting poised to lead Warriors

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Repor ter Spor ts@intranix.com

Watseka’s softball team has its sights set on improving on a sub-.500 record in 2013 as the Warriors return seven potential starters from last year’s team and will be anchored by a pair of pitchers in Taylor Bauer and Hayley Gray.

Along with Bauer and Gray guiding the Warriors from the mound, head coach Barry Bauer returns a team with nearly the entire starting infield returning from a year ago.

“Our infield is pretty much back from the last few years,” Bauer said. “CJ Crook will be at second, Colleen Suchy at short, Emily McCann at third, and with Taylor and Hayley pitching, the other will be at first base. That’s basically how we palyed just about every game last year. Morgan Hotaling is back at center field. She had a great year defensively, so right now we are looking at the corner spots, left

and right field, as who can play better defense.”

The major question pressing the Warriors from a defensive standpoint is the catcher position. Bauer said Katie McTaggart, Mya LaVoie and Blair Hankey are prime candidates to man the plate and all show a large amount of promise receiving pitches behind the plate.

In addition to returning their two starting pitchers and the majority of their starters defensively, Bauer said this year’s team has the capability to do a lot of damage on the offensive side of the ball this season.

“I’m hoping we can put some runs across,” he said. “We have a lot of people back that have varsity experience that should help us offensively.”

As far as expectations go, Bauer said his team will approach that question as the season progresses.

“We don’t set goals until midway through the season where we kind of see where we are at as a team,” he said. “Right now it’s just improving every

WATSEKA BASEBALL

day, and we are very pleased with the first week of practice we had inside. Depending on the weather, hopefully we can get some practices outside, but if not we will use the first few games as practices, and hopefully by the end of the year we are as good as we can get.”

With team goals yet to be set, one thing is certain: the Warriors will face tough competition all year long.

“St. Joseph-Ogden is probably going to be the number one ranked team in the state again,” Bauer said. “They are always a monster on our schedule.

St. Thomas More, Momence and PBL (Paxton-Buckley-Loda), our conference down through the years has been a very strong softball conference. Up and down it will be interesting, and hopefully we have a bit of an advantage with our two pitchers coming back.”

The Watseka varisty baseball team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Coach Gene Kanak, Kyle Giroux, Zach Mathes, Collin Clatterbuck, Justin Moyer, Austin Hasselbring, Chris Canady, head coach Anthony Videka, from middle row, left to right, Tyler LaVoie, Juan DeHaro, Drew Hartman, Matt Hodolitz, Nicolas Gabrisko; from front row, left to right, Jake Shippert, Nathan Nasers, Cole Davenport, Caleb Parker, Will Lyznicki, Cody Scott and Blake Burd.

Balanced team returns for Warriors, ready to compete

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Repor ter Spor ts@intranix.com

Watseka’s baseball team returns a veteran bunch of players that has the Warriors’ sights set on accomplishing big things in 2014.

Among the group of returning players is seniors Caleb Parker, Austin Hasselbring, Cody Scott and Justin Moyer. Head coach Anthony Videka said Hasselbring and Scott are two potential candidates for the top end of the rotation, and also said Moyer and a trio of sophomores will see time on the mound this season.

“You are looking at bigger games as our seniors with Cody and Austin (pitching),” Videka said. “Tyler LaVoie, we are looking at him to step up for some big games, too. You are looking at Cole (Davenport) and Will (Lyznicki) and possibly Jake Shippert in there eating up some innings. I think those three sophomores can help us out a lot.”

From a pitching standpoint, the Warriors are not lacking arms, and Videka said Parker’s experience behind the plate would only benefit the returning starters and new arms that will toe the rubber this season.

“Caleb Parker behind the plate, this will be his third year behind the plate for us,” Videka said. “He made a big step from his sophomore to his junior year, and we are looking for him to make an even bigger step from his junior to senior year. More defensively from him is great, but we are looking for that bat in the lineup too, and we know he can deliver that.”

Joining Parker in key positions in the field will be Moyer at first base, Blake Burd in center field and a shuffling defensive positioning depending who will take the mound on a given day.

“I think we can do a lot of stuff in a lot of places,” Videka said about his defensive positioning. “We have really been stressing the little things in hitting, fielding and base running.”

The influence on doing the little things right is something Videka said could make this team potent in many areas in 2014.

“We may be the team that scores 10 runs in one game and wins 10-9 then turns around and wins 1-0 because we play stellar defense,” Videka said. “It will really depend on the day for us, because I think we can do everything

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well. It’s just a matter of doing it.”

The matter of execution remains to be seen on the field for the Warriors and nearly every surrounding team as the prolonged winter conditions have kept the Warriors inside for the majority of the early season as they prepare for the upcoming year.

Once the Warriors do break out of the compact confines of their gymnasium – and the winter weather makes a turn for spring conditions – the War-

riors will put their lofty expectations to the test.

“A lot of these kids jumped the gun and said we will win state,” Videka said when asked about team goals. “You have to win regionals first, and that’s what we talked them down to. Lets win game one and go from there. Can we win conference and get a one seed in the regional and win a regional; I think that’s goals that we have talked about and are realistic goals for us.”

Page 10

Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

March

CENTRAL TRACK AND FIELD

P

The Central varsity track and field team. Girls’ team members are, from back row, left to right, Allie Mathy, Eilise Alexander, Abigail Jordan, Carley Turner, Hailey Sheffler, Hanna Gray, Lauren Ladehoff; middle row, left to right, Ciara Lindgren, Zoe Forquer, Clare Peters, Meghan Gray, Andrea Pace, Katie Peters, Holly Coulter; front row, left to right, Kyra Hurt, Emery Podowicz, Halle Long, Gabbi Smith, Mary Peters and Dani Smith. Boys’ team members are, from back row, left to right, Noah Frerichs, Seth Trobaugh, Zach Birge, Zach Washington, Kyle Grice, Austin Lowery; third row, left to right, Austin Moore, Jacob Mathews, Gunnar Gullquiest, Evan Morrison, Jace Peters; second row, left to right, Nick Smith, Landon Rosenboom, Logan Podowicz, Austin Hiemberger, Cole Peters; front row, left to right, Chris Blewett, Sean Cognion and Tommy Wellborn.

Comets return state qualifiers with high expectations

By JAMES NEVEAU For the Times-Republic

Every team in high school sports has to deal with the realities of losing athletes to graduation, but when you add in the difficulty of trying to prepare a new group of players without being able to go outdoors because of a stubborn winter, things can get even more dicey.

“I’m to the point where I’m starting to run out of indoor ideas,” Central boys’ track coach Mitch Thompson said. “I don’t like to repeat workouts too early in the season, so we’re trying to come up with new ideas. I’m keeping them on their toes and getting some total body workouts in. When the weather’s nice to us, we’ll start doing that (event specific) stuff.”

Girls coach Rebecca Swigert is dealing with that as well, but her athletes don’t seem to mind having to work out in the school’s gym.

“The girls are enthusiastic and ready to get going,” she said.

They’re champing at the bit a little bit, which is good on one

hand. On the other hand, knowing that we still have snow on the ground, there’s only so many things that you can do with limited facilities.”

The girls’ team is in need of some outdoor work before the season, with several new athletes on a team that is trying to replace Rayanne Wright, a state champion in the 400-meters.

“Obviously you can’t replace Rayanne Wright,” Swigert said. “But that being said, we have two state champions (Andrea Pace and Emery Podowicz) on the team from the junior high, so we definitely still have high expectations this year.”

On the boys’ side of things, they have plenty of experience to go around as they prepare for the season, with several athletes who competed in the state meet last season that are looking for a repeat performance during the current campaign.

“We are junior and senior heavy this year, and I have a lot of guys with a lot of years under their belts,” Thompson said.

“We have seniors like Logan Podowicz and Landon Rosenboom in the 300 meter hurdles and shot put, respectively.

Chase Peters was a great runner for me all season long as a sophomore last year, so with him as a junior this year I expect B a lot of improvement.”

Despite losing Wright to graduation, the girls’ squad will still be strong as they return several state qualifiers and a group t of state-caliber freshmen to the roster. s “That returning relay group that went to state, with Clare Peters, Meghan Gray, and Hanna Gray, we’re looking for big o things from those girls,” Swigert said. “We (also) have 16 fresh- G men coming in. Obviously, junior high and high school are o totally different things, but the whole freshman class has had m success, and just bringing that winning attitude is going to help

us quite a bit.” w With a group of excited kids waiting for winter to finally T break its icy grip on Central Illinois, Thompson and Swigert are “ both having to make sure that they get their teams in shape, y but they also have guard against ramping up the intensity too m quickly. t

IROQUOIS WEST TRACK AND FIELD

The Iroquois West varsity track team. (Left) The boys’ team members, from back row, left to right, Moises Galvan, James Pangel, Dakota Hoffman, Alec Frank, Jeff McCurry, Markese Gayton; middle row, left to right, Eli Oldridge, Ian MacDonald, Brighton Sier, Jorge Jimenez, Tyran Mueller, Jacob Connorr, Ian Nemeth; front row, David “Cookie” Novak and Jacob Davis. (Right) Girls’ team members, Peyton Cotter, Autumn Betourne, Cecilia Canizela, Hannah Fink, Megan Kemarly, Elizabeth Conrad, head coach Shirley Reed; front row, left to right, Chelsea Williams, Bailey Lund, Whitney Fleming, Tyra Mueller, and Skylar Small.

Uncertainty, questions surround Iroquois West

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com

Several questions face Iroquois West’s track team this season. The Raiders return limited numbers from last season and will look to fill in holes as the year progresses.

On the boys’ side, head coach Bruce Kunsch was expecting a large crop of runners in 2014 but was delivered a curve ball when several key runners decided to not participate in track this year.

“It’s probably switched on me overnight,” Kunsch said about his roster. “It’s really disappointing. Our 4X800 relay team would have been really good but a couple guys decided to not come out. That’s hurt us pretty bad.”

Although the Raiders do not have the runners they anticipated coming into the season, Kunsch has players he thinks will make an impact this season.

“It’s probably going to be more sprintheavy, and our sprinters will be young,”

he said. “Dakota Hoffman will be our top sprinter, and he is only a sophomore. The makeup of the team is going to be very young.

I’ve got a lot of freshman and sophomores out.

A couple of the freshman, two relay teams went to state in junior high, and hopefully that will pan out for us well.”

Outside of the sprint events, Kunsch said Ian McDonald will be the Raiders’ top runner in the middle-distance events, and David “Cookie” Novak will be the teams’ top thrower in field events, along with Austin Zirkle in the jumping events and sprint events.

“Out top thrower coming back is David “Cookie” Novak,” Kunsch said. “He is looking at the mid 40s last year, and we are hoping he does a little better than that this year. Austin Zirkle, if he comes out will be our top point getter. He is a sprinter and will help out drastically in the relays and does a pretty nice job in the long jump and the triple jump. We will just have to see how it all pans out.”

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On the girls’ side, head coach Shirley Reed also fields a team with many question marks.

Reed said Macy Grant, Bailey Lunds, Peyton Cotter and Skyler Small would be the key runners this season, but other than that has a number of questions facing the makeup of the roster.

“That’s what I’m going to try and find out this week,” Reed said when asked about her roster. “I have no clue. I asked a lot of them what they did last year, and I got a lot of ‘nothings’. I’ve got a little bit of a challenge, but the ones that are back will help the other ones. I think they will be girls that work together and not against each other.”

From an event standpoint, Reed has Lunds penciled in to run the 3200 but is unsure of what girls will fill in the rest of the events.

“It’s all up in the air,” Reed said. “The only one I know for sure is Bailey Lunds in the 3200. It’s kind of funny. Last year she wasn’t a long distance runner at all, and I talked her into it and she broke the school record.”

In the midst of early season preparation, one thing Reed said the team would focus on is yoga. Reed said yoga improves flexibility and is something that can cut down on injuries, which hurt the Raiders in 2013.

“We started doing yoga last year, and we already started that today,” she said. “They were thrilled about that, and I don’t want those injuries we had last year.”

The question marks facing the Raiders on both the boys’ and girls’ side will begin to be answered on April 1 when the Raiders open the 2014 season.

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March 2014

Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

Page 11

PBL TRACK AND FIELD

Panthers return strong core, high expectations

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com Paxton-Buckley-Loda’s boys’ and girls’ track team are aiming for big things in 2014. The Panthers return state qualifiers on both sides, and unlike many area teams, they have had the opportunity to put their abilities to the test in the early stages of the spring.

The Panthers have made several trips to the campus of the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign for indoor track meets. This has given head coaches Erik Ronney and Alex Goudy the opportunity to gauge their respective team’s ability against premier competition as they prepare for the grind of the outdoor season.

“We had our first trial run at the

The PBL varsity track team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, Nicole Carpenter, Shannon Carlson, Nancy Grady, Tamra Kuester, Abby Sellek,Sydney Porter, Audrey Bloomquist, Kayla Burnes; front row, left to righ, Lexi Werner, Sam Bastic, Deanna Diesbury, Harley Mullis, Falon Pelsyznski, Skyler Emberson, Courtney Ann Schwing, and Brianna ST. Vasquez.

armory,” Ronney said. “The kids ran well, but we are still looking to get out on our own track.”

From a personnel standpoint, Ronney is eyeing a trio of seniors to be top point getters for the Panthers this season as well as providing leadership for a young core of runners in Trent Wooten, Tyler Rubarts and Cody Coats.

On the girls’ side, Goudy is optimistic about what her team can do in 2014.

The Panthers return a veteran group of runners and throwers but also have a big nucleus of freshman coming into the program.

“We have 40 kids this year, and I probably have 10 or 15 new girls this year,” Goudy said. “I only have two seniors, and one is Kayla Burnes and she’s done this for four years. The other is

Paige Kuester. This is her first year, but she did run cross-country, so she is a distance runner and knows what she is doing.”

Looking over the roster, Goudy sees big things from her team in field events.

“Some of our strengths are in the jumping area,” she said. “We have Sydney Porter, who went to state in the long jump. Kayla Burnes is a senior and is coming around with better distances. We also have Abby Sellek, who will be top in the discus.”

In the running events, Goudy is eyeing Audrey Bloomquist as the top performer in the distance events.

“I usually tell Audry to take off because she ran cross-country and can lead the runners,” she said. “She’s ran for years and I put her in charge. I expect big things out of her this year.”

ANNE TRACK AND FIELD

Cardinals aiming for sustained success in 2014

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com

St. Anne’s boys’ and girls’ track teams return a balanced group that should be competitive in every aspect of track & field.

On the boys’ side, head coach Keith Goss noted his team will be based on speed with a pair of brothers set to make their mark on the track.

“Some of our key runners this year will be Diego Huarta, Chris Huarta, Jeff Taylor and Rickey Taylor,” Goss said.

“We are looking to do pretty good this year and hopefully break the 4x100meter record. Chris and Diego both run the 100-meter dash, so we are looking for big things in that.”

Along with a core of sprinters set to lead the Cardinals in sprinting events, Goss said he returns a complete team that can impact a track meet in a variety of areas.

“We have a lot of kids that ran crosscountry and are coming out to run

track,” Goss said. “Last year we were getting beat mostly in long distance and the mile relay. This year, you have to look out for us.”

Goss pointed to Nathan Bretveld as a key component in the Cardinals’ potential success in the middle distance events, saying that Bretveld did big things this year for the St. Anne cross-country team and is hoping that success will translate to the track in the 1600-meter run and the 800-meter run.

The Cardinals also possess the ability to impact a track meet in field events.

“We are looking pretty good in the field events,” Goss said. “Last year we only had a couple people and this year we have a senior who moved here from Watseka. He is throwing this year.

We have Akeem Carter who will be throwing this year. We should do pretty well in the field events.”

In preparation for the upcoming season, Goss has his team conditioning inside the school as harsh weather

conditions impacted the early stages of the season.

“We have been doing a lot of sprinting in the hallway and a lot of work in the weight room,” he said. “The other day we were able to get outside with it being 45 degrees. We did some 200-meter runs and some 400-meter runs.”

On the girls’ side, the Cardinals will be led by Mia Smith. Smith was a state qualifier but was in a car crash that had her missing the state tournament.

“Mia Smith, she was in a car accident last year and couldn’t go to state,” Goss said. “She was a triple jumper and high jumper. Little by little it is coming together for her.”

Goss also said the Cardinals will be a competitive bunch on the girls’ side.

“They have a good balance this year.

Mia will jump for them, and Keema Justice will throw the shot put. They have an all-around team this year.”

The St. Anne varsity track team. Team members are, from back row, left to right, DeAndra Johnson, Louisha Anthony, Jamie Greene, Mia Smith, Keyla Justice; fron row, left to right, Alyssa Golden, Lacheir Talley, Gena Pickens, Brittany Wyatt and Fantajia Isom.

WATSEKA TRACK AND FIELD

Photos by Jordan Pottorff

The Watseka boys’ and girls’ varsity track and field teams. (Left) Boys’ team members, from left to right, Andrew Rice, Corwin Allen, Andrew Allen, Dakota Hampton, Austin Kidwell, Gabe Burgos, Jake Rogers, Austin Baker, Cam Eades, Luke Thomas; middle row, left to right, T.J. Eades, Shane Clyden, Dillon Carley, Tyler Callahan, Nathan Schroeder, Trevor Berry, Dakota Stevens, Hunter Lee, Donny McGahan; front row, left to right, Chris Thibault, Collin Powell, Blake Deneau, Skyler Rayburn, Alex Shantz, Hayden Schaumburg, Tommy Gregorash, Joe Taylor, Andrew Mussard. The girls’ team members, from back row, left to right, Daisy Solórzano, Allee Bunting, McKensie Hagen, Katie Kidwell, Tiffany Hasbargen, Kenzie Crabtree, Emily Allhands; middle row, left to right, Breanna Stampfli, Cortney Adams, Morgan Depatis, Meegan Massey, Molly Ailey, Haley Louffler; front row, left to right, Olivia Claire, Savannha Stevenson, Claire Bossong, Paris Patrick, Natalie Castonguay, Samantha Gooding, Rachel Donaldson and Tessah Downs.

Warriors return to Class 2A, ready to compete

By JORDAN POTTORFF, Reporter Sports@intranix.com

Watseka’s track team is poised for success in 2014 as the Warriors return a host of state qualifiers on both the boys’ and girls’ track teams.

Leading the state qualifiers is a pair of throwers in Emily Allhands and Allee Bunting. Allhands and Bunting lead a core of throwers that will also be aided by the emergence of Meegan Massey, a player that head coach Troy Simpson said would be a top competitor at nearly ever school in the area.

Along with the trio of throwers who will lead the Warriors this season, the girls squad has a balanced group of runners that are poised for big seasons in both sprints and distance events.

“We are a very young program this year,” Simpson added. We have a lot of incoming freshmen, and we are excited to see what they can contribute. In terms of our upperclassmen coming back, McKensie Hagen in the hurdlers and jumps (will be key). She is an outstanding 400 runner, so we are looking to see her continue on the course of what she was doing last year, medaling at the sectional in the 300 hurdlers. Our sprints,

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it will be interesting to see what we have.

Natalie Castonguay is a junior, and it’s her first year out. She posted some good times in the 40 (yard dash), so we are looking forward to looking at what she does.”

In distance events, Simpson noted that Olivia Claire would lead a group of inexperienced runners at the high school level.

“We have six or seven girls that have run distance for us right now and will run in the 800, 1600 and 3200 (meter events),” Simpson said. “Olivia Claire will be our anchor and is an outstanding leader. She has some goals with the 800 to make her mark, and she is looking at bringing those freshman and sophomores along to help strengthen our distance core.”

On the boys side, head coach Richard Dickte returns a squad that is headlined by state qualifier Austin Kidwell. Kidwell is a two-time state qualifier and will lead a core of promising runners that includes Jake Rogers, Corwin Allen and Andrew Rice, among others.

Dickte said his team is speed-oriented and that he expects his team to make noise in the speed and middle-distance events this season.

“Our little saying is ‘speed kills,’” Dickte

said. “In high school track and field, all but really two events you need speed. The only two that aren’t speed-oriented are the 1600 and 3200 (meter runs). You need speed, and our strength is definitely in our sprinters and jumpers.”

In field events, Dickte is looking for big things out of Kidwell and Rogers.

As far as team goals go this season, Dickte noted his team will be competing at the Class 2A level this season, something

that he said will directly effect his teams production at the end of the season.

“A lot of the guys have some good lofty team goals,” Dickte said. “One is to have an undefeated season. Last year we were 13-2 and some of the guys said we wanted to go undefeated this year. As a team, we bumped back up to 2A. We are going to do what we can, and I think we are going to score some points and surprise some teams.”

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Page 12

1st

Iroquois County’s Spring Sports

March

2014 IROQUOIS COUNTY SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULE

APRIL

5th

BASEBALL - Christ Lutheran at Arthur Okaw; Iroquois West vs. St. Thomas More; Watseka at Central; Cissna Park vs. Momence; PBL vs Oakwood; SOFTBALL - PBL vs. TriPoint; Watseka at Central; MilfordatGCMS;Iroquois West vs. St. Thomas More; Donovan vs. North Newton TRACK - PBL, Central, Iroquois West at Watseka

BASEBALL - Milford vs. GeorgetownRidge Farm; St. Anne at Gardner-South Wilmington; Cissna Park vs. South Newton; Donovan vs. Kankakee Trinity; SOFTBALL - Donovan vs. Kankakee Trinity; St. Anne vs. Gardner-South Wilmington; PBL vs.

Tolono Unity; Milford vs. Georgetown-Ridge Farm; TRACK-GirlsSVCMeetin Paxton

2nd

6th

BASEBALL - St. Anne vs.

Beecher (DH); PBL vs.

Tri Valley; Cissna Park vs. Ridgeview; Donovan vs. Tri-Point; SOFTBALL - St. Anne vs.

Beecher (DH); PBL vs.

Monticello; Donovan vs.

Tri-Point

3rd

BASEBALL - Iroquois West at St. Thomas More; Watseka vs.

Central; Cissna Park at Momence; PBL at Fisher; St. Anne at Dwight SOFTBALL - Iroquois West at St. Thomas More; Watseka vs. Central; St. Anne at Dwight TRACK - Iroquois West at PBL;

4th

BASEBALL - PBL at Bismarck-Henning; Cissna Park at Herscher; Watseka at Donovan; Milford at Westville SOFTBALL - PBL vs Herscher; Watseka at Donovan; Milford at Westville;

5th

BASEBALL - Christ Lutheran vs. Luther North College Prep; Watseka vs. Hoopeston Area (DH);

6th

BASEBALL - Central vs.

Wilmington (DH);

7th

BASEBALL - Milford at Salt Fork; Donovan at St. Anne; PBL vs.

Monticello SOFTBALL - Donovan at St. Anne; Milford at Salt Fork; Watseka at Armstrong-Potomac; TRACK - Iroquois West at Central vs. Central, Momence, Donovan;

8th

BASEBALL - St. Anne at Kankakee Trinity; PBL at St. Thomas More; Cissna Park at Central; Watseka at Iroquois West; Christ Lutheran at Blue Ridge; Milford vs.

South Newton SOFTBALL - St. Anne at Kankakee Trinity; PBL at St. Thomas More; Central vs. Kankakee; Watseka at Iroquois West; Milford vs.

South Newton; Donovan at Manteno TRACK - Central at Dwight; Coed Invite at PBL; St. Anne at Dwight; Watseka at Paxton Coed Invite; Iroquois West at Dwight;

9th

BASEBALL - Donovan at Beecher (DH); St. Anne at Kankakee Trinity; Milford vs.

Bismarck-Henning SOFTBALL - Donovan at Beecher (DH); Milford vs. Bismarck-Henning; Central at Hoopeston Area; St. Anne at GardnerSouth Wilmington TRACK - St. Anne at Manteno;

Central’s Chris Garcia prepares to field a ball at shortstop in a game last season.

PBL; Cissna Park vs. St. SOFTBALL - Iroquois Thomas More; St. Anne West vs. St. Anne; 10th 17th at North Newton; Watseka vs. Central; PBL BASEBALL - St. Anne BASEBALL - Iroquois SOFTBALL - Donovan at vs. Momence; at Momence; PBL West at Cissna Park; vs. St. Thomas More; Watseka vs. St. Thomas Momence; Iroquois West TRACK - Watseka Fresh/ Soph Invitational against Cissna Park vs. Central; More; PBL at St. Joseph- vs. Central; Watseka at PBL; Central, Iroquois West, St. Watseka vs. Iroquois Ogden; TRACK St. Anne at Anne, PBL, West; Donovan vs.

SOFTBALL - PBL at St. Manteno Panther Invite South Newton; Christ Joseph-Ogden; Watseka in Manteno 30th Lutheran vs. Tri-Point vs. St. Thomas More; 25th BASEBALL - Milford SOFTBALL - St. Anne at TRACK - Watseka hosts at Bismarck-Henning; BASEBALL - Milford Momence; PBL vs. St. Donovan at Invite; St. Anne at Donovan; vs. Westville; St. Anne Thomas More; Central Iroquois West at Fisher Central vs. Momence; vs. Watseka; Central at Bishop McNamara; Watseka at Herscher; at Manteno; Iroquois Watseka vs. Iroquois 18th Christ Lutheran vs.

West at Ridgeview; West; BASEBALL - Central vs.

Donovan vs.

Grant Momence; TRACK - Central at STM Tri-Point; Park; Christ Lutheran vs.

SOFTBALL - Donovan SOFTBALL - Central vs.

Cornerstone Christian vs. St. Anne; Central 11th Tri-Point; Academy; vs. Momence; Watseka BASEBALL - Iroquois TRACK - PBL at SOFTBALL - St. Anne at Herscher; Milford at West at Prairie Central; Monticello; vs. Watseka; PBL vs.

Bismarck-Henning Watseka at GardnerBismarck-Henning; South Wilmington; 19th Central at St. JosephCentral at Coal City; BASEBALL - Cissna Ogden; Milford vs.

1st PBL at Tuscola; Christ Park vs. LeRoy (DH); Westville; Iroquois West BASEBALL - Iroquois Lutheran vs. Lexington; St. Anne vs. Kankakee at Ridgeview; Donovan West vs. Tri-Point; SOFTBALL - Iroquois Trinity; vs. Grant Park; Watseka at Cissna Park; West at Prairie Central; TRACK - PBL at Tolono Central vs. Dwight; PBL Watseka at Gardner21st South Wilmington; BASEBALL - Milford vs. Unity; PBL at Lady Falcon at Momence; Invite at GCMS; Watseka SOFTBALL - Iroquois TRACK - Iroquois West at Armstrong-Potoman; at Tolono Unity; Watseka West vs. Tri-Point; GCMS; PBL at GCMS; St. Anne at Illinois at Lady Falcon Invite at Watseka vs. Donovan; Lutheran; Donovan GCMS; Iroquois West Central vs. Dwight; PBL at 12th vs. Gardner-South at Lady Falcon Invite at Momence; BASEBALL - Milford Wilmington; GCMS; Central at Lady TRACK - St. Anne at North vs. Oakwood; PBL at SOFTBALL - St. Anne Falcon Invite at GCMS; Newton; Tuscola; Cissna Park vs. at Illinois Lutheran; Manteno (DH); Watseka Watseka at Georgetown2nd at GCMS (DH); Ridge Farm; Milford vs. 26th BASEBALL - Iroquois BASEBALL - Milford SOFTBALL - Milford vs. Armstong-Potomac; West at Fisher at Oakwood; PBL Oakwood; Donovan vs. Gardner(DH); Cissna Park at at LeRoy; Central at South Wilmington; Hoopeston Area (DH); Momence; Iroquois 14th TRACK - PBL at GCMS SOFTBALL - Iroquois West vs. Gardner-South BASEBALL - Milford at Invite; IW at Manteno; West at Fisher (DH); Wilmington; Georgetown; St. Anne Central at Manteno; Milford vs.

Watseka (DH); SOFTBALL-PBLatLeRoy; vs. Tri-Point; PBL at Central at Momence; Unity; 22nd 28th Watseka vs. Trinity SOFTBALL - Milford at BASEBALL - Donovan BASEBALL - Milford Academy; Milford at Goergetown; Watseka vs. Kankakee Trinity; vs. Salt Fork; PBL at Oakwood; Iroquois vs. Grace Baptist; PBL vs. Iroquois West at Rantoul; Cissna Park West vs. Gardner-South Urbana; St. Anne vs. Tri- Central; Watseka vs. vs.

Armstong-Potomac; Wilmington; Point PBL; Cissna Park at St. Donovan at Tri-Point; TRACK - PBL at St. TRACK - Watseka vs.

Thomas More; Milford SOFTBALL - Donovan Joseph-Ogden Invite; Donovan, St. Anne; vs. Hoopeston Area; Watseka at Herscher SOFTBALL - Donovan vs. at Tri-Point; PBL at Invite; Iroquois West at 15th KankakeeTrinity;Iroquois Gibson City-MelvinBASEBALL - Iroquois West vs. Central; Milford Sibley; Watseka at South Herscher Invite; Central at Newton; Milford vs. Salt Herscher Invite; West vs. Cissna Park; vs. Hoopeston Area; Fork Watseka at St. Thomas Watseka vs. PBL More; PBL vs. St. TRACK - Comet Carnival TRACK - PBL at LeRoy; 3rd Iroquois West at Central; BASEBALL - Cissna Park Joseph-Ogden; St. Anne at Central; Iroquois vs. Grace Baptist (DH); vs. Christ Lutheran West at Comet Carnival; PBL vs. Hoopeston Area; 29th SOFTBALL - St. Anne vs. Watseka at Comet SOFTBALL - Central vs.

BASEBALL - Christ Kankakee Trinity; PBL Carnival; St. Anne at Kanakee Trinity; PBL vs.

Lutheran at Arthur vs. St. Joseph-Ogden; Comet Carnival; Oakwood; Donovan at Okaw Christian; Watseka at St. Thomas Hoopeston Area (DH); Iroquois West vs.

St. More; Iroquois West vs. 23rd TRACK - St. Anne at Anne; Watseka vs.

Grace Baptist; Donovan BASEBALL - Central vs.

John Eakle Invitation in Cissna Park; Central at South Newton; St. Joseph-Ogden; Danville TRACK - PBL hosts Quad SOFTBALL - PBL at Salt vs. Beecher; PBL vs.

Momence; Meet; Fork; Central vs. St. Joseph-Ogden; 16th TRACK - PBL Fresh/Soph BASEBALL - St. Anne Meet in Paxton; Watseka at Grant Park; Central at PBL Fresh/Soph Meet; vs. Bishop McNamara; Iroquois West at PBL Watseka at Manteno; Fresh/Soph Meet; Christ Lutheran at Illinois Lutheran 24th 108 S. Main St., Gilman, IL SOFTBALL - Donovan at BASEBALL - Christ Illinois Lutheran; St. Anne Lutheran at PBL (JV); at Grant Park Donovan at Momence; TRACK - Central vs Iroquois West vs Peotone Central; Watseka at

MAY

7th

BASEBALL - St. Anne at Tri-Point; PBL at Blue Ridge; SOFTBALL - St. Anne at Tri-Point; PBL at Blue Ridge;

8th

BASEBALL - Christ Lutheran at Lutheran; Donovan vs. Milford; Iroquois West vs. St. Joseph-Ogden; Watseka vs. St. Anne; Cissna Park at PBL; SOFTBALL - Iroquois West vs. St. JosephOgden; Watseka vs.

St. Anne; Central vs.

Beecher; TRACK-PBLVarsityInvite at PBL;

9th

BASEBALL - Milford vs.

Schlarman; Cissna Park vs. Tri-Point; Watseka at Rich South; Iroquois West at Donovan; Christ Lutheran vs. Judah Christian; SOFTBALL - Donovan vs.

Iroquois West; Milford vs.

Schlarman; TRACK - Lady Spartan Classic at St. JosephOgden;

10th

BASEBALL - PBL vs.

GCMS; St. Anne vs.

Westmont; TRACK - Irish Relays at Bishop McNamara;

12th

BASEBALL - Milford at Armstrong-Potomac; St. Anne vs. Grant Park; Cissna Park at Christ Lutheran; Donovan vs.

Illinois Lutheran; SOFTBALL - Donovan vs.

Illinois Lutheran; St. Anne vs. Grant Park; Milford at Armstrong-Potomac; TRACK - Boys SVC Meet in Paxton

13th

BASEBALL - Christ Lutheran at Cornerstone Christian; Donovan at Watseka; Iroquois West at Momence; PBL vs.

Central;

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