We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
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Any Lena-Winslow football fan who is honest, will tell you that watching Panther games can be rather boring. Wondering at what point the running clock might get triggered is not what most avid football fans would call exciting. But the IHSA semi-final on Saturday in Chicago against the Hope Eagles did not follow that pattern. Let's be blunt, the Eagles were bigger, stronger, faster and overall better athletes. To be totally fair, Lena-Winslow was out-classed by them ... on paper. But the...
The coaches have made their All Conference choices, so once again it is time for our All Area Team – but this year, I wanted to do it a bit differently. Normally, I made the picks, but they were off of gut feelings from witnessing all of the games throughout the season. And while that worked, I still got arguments from friends and fans that it came across more as a "Dan's favorite" list than an actual All Area Team. So, this year, I tried something different – actually breaking down sta...
The River Ridge Theater Department had a problem. Their talent base held no less than 12 seniors – and all of them needed to be out on stage for their final performance. But finding a show that had enough parts for as many females as the Wildcats had actors ... that was the issue. The solution, was dipping into the way back machine and pulling out a play from the 1930s entitled "Stage Door." Now, you need a quick history lesson, because I looked into it. The play "Stage Door" was written back i...
About a month ago, the Potosi/Cassville Chieftains were running all over the Blackhawk/Warren Warriors on the Warrior's home field. And, in spite of the fact that both teams were undefeated at the time they met, a very loud contingent of Warrior adults was being incredibly stupid on the sidelines – screaming at players and coaches alike – to the point where head coach, Desie Breadon, had to stop what he was doing, turn to the sideline and call them out by name – "Why don't you shut the hell...
Some of you may find this hard to believe, but I've never been a role model when it comes to fashion. Recognizing one's limitations is a good thing, and trust me - in the world of fashionable clothing, and looking one's best ... well ... I kinda got left off at the plaid and paisley aisle. Apparently, my fashion sense was never a factor in trying to woo my wife - which is a good thing, seeing how I don't have any. In fact, there are a couple of humorous - at least in her eyes - stories about my...
Anybody who watches the Lena-Winslow Panthers go through their pre-game warm-ups will notice how when doing the form tackling drill, the Panthers always have the head of the tackler outside of the runner. But Annawan Weathersfield was having all of their tacklers put their head inside the runner. "Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks came up with that," Panther head coach Ric Arand explained. "It's supposed to be safer, but I never bought into it. As long as you keep your head up, you're fine....
They made it interesting, but the Lena-Winslow Panthers lived up to their top seed billing with a three game win over Fulton in the Eastland Sectional semi-finals to advance on to the Championship match. Game one was almost uneventful as the Panthers opened up the early lead and extended it to 19-12 on a stuff block by Grace Groezinger that triggered the first Fulton time out. But the momentum was firmly on the Panthers die of the net as they increased the margin to 23-14 on a kill by Eden...
The magical season of the Lena-Winslow Lady Panthers came to a crashing end Wednesday night in the Sectional Championship to Galena, and the struggle is trying to put the season of this amazing group of young athletes into perspective. On the one hand, you had the scores as Lena-Winslow fell behind in game one early and continued to battle back – closing the gap and reeling the Pirates in – but the name of game one was the mistakes. The Panthers made eight unforced errors as tip shots aro...
The Forreston Cardinals are more than justified in wanting the IHSA to go to a 1-32 seeding system for the IHSA playoffs. Having to travel to Lena-Winslow in the second round wasn't much of a reward for the amazing season they played. And consider this, Forreston held the ball longer than the Panthers by nearly a 2 to 1 margin; they ran more offensive plays, had more first downs, and drew fewer penalties ... but the Panther's big-play offense proved to be the difference in a 46-14 victory in...
I really wish I could still see the world through the eyes of a child. I’m not sure about your house, but we had a grand total of four Trick-or-Treaters show up at ours on Halloween. Now, I know it was cold – really cold – because like a doofus I went and sat outside on our front porch waiting for people to show up. And even thought the beers I grabbed for the “Trick-or-Beer” I hand out to people I know was warm when I grabbed it, the three cans I took back inside were perfectly chilled a...
Nobody would argue that the worst crime someone could commit would be murder. But what many believe is right behind murder on the list of heinous crimes is Child Pornography and Sexual Assault. "These people take nude pictures of kids – like 13 to 16 years old – without them knowing anything about it, then go and trade those photos or videos for other child pornography," said Stephenson County Sheriff Steve Stovall. "People might think there's no victim, but they're wrong. How can that kid eve...
There was a lot to take in and enjoy at the opening night of the River Ridge Volleyball Regional Monday night, but the nightcap stole the show. Lena-Winslow got to play musical positions in their game one win over Warren, but when the Stockton Blackhawks and Scales Mound Hornets took to the court – the real magic began. Scales Mound was coming off a tremendous season in which they claimed second place in the NUIC West, reached the 20 win mark, and as coach Werner admitted, "This group brought r...
Sometimes, you have to see a game to believe what takes place in it, and even then you might walk away shaking your head. Such was the case Tuesday at the River Ridge Regional as both of the higher seeds advanced into the semi-finals, but took vastly different paths in doing so. In the opener, the Orangeville Broncos looked like they had everything well in hand as they pounded the West Carroll Thunder in game one 25-6. The Broncos were playing nearly flawlessly as they only made one unforced...
Both of the semi-finals at the River Ridge Volleyball Regional were exciting, but for different reasons as Lena-Winslow and Orangeville punched their respective tickets to make it into the finals – albeit with a lot of drama. In the opening match, Stockton was playing some exceptional defense – digging up balls that seemed impossible to dig – but the Panthers were still in control early when disaster struck. Mia Diffenderfer was making her comeback from the knee injury that sidelined her two w...
Coming into the championship match of the River Ridge 1A Volleyball Regional, the biggest question revolved around how the Panthers would address the hole on their Right side. But it was answered quickly as senior Natalie McNutt was introduced in the starting lineups. McNutt had been sick and missed Wednesday's semi-finals match in which both Mia Diffenderfer and Breanna Fye went down to injuries. "It was just something that was going around in my family, but I'm fine now," the senior said with...
Unlike years past, the opening round of the IHSA 1A football playoffs did not feature a cupcake opponent paying a visit to Lena. No, this year, due to dwindling numbers, a rather formidable traditional power – Rockford Lutheran – was the first round opponent. And while the eventual outcome on the scoreboard looked familiar, the Panthers had to put some serious work in to bring an end to the Crusader's season. On the opening kickoff, the ball rolled down to the Lutheran 22 where Gavin Sanders pic...
My wife was cleaning out my man-cave downstairs and converting it into the new “grandkids room” where they will be able to go play as they are soon to get to the age where they would prefer to go off on their own anyway as opposed to sitting and listening to the grown-ups talk. And, because she was willing to do almost all of the work, I really had no argument against her idea. I mean, we moved my “office” upstairs after the last big flood, and the big beautiful television we put up in the fam...
My phone began pinging like crazy Thursday morning as people were sending me a link to what was supposed to be a news app – which carried a story alleging that Stephenson County Chief Deputy, Andrew Schroeder, was a member of the right-wing radical group the Oath Keepers. But as a journalist, I have perfected the art of being able to see when a story has credibility, and when it is nothing more than a muck-raking piece by some wanna-be “journalist” looking to stir the pot or make a name for t...
Everyone has seen the controversies regarding criminals not having to do any serious time, or seeing any form of formal punishment for incidents like the flash mob ransacking in Philadelphia. That kind of social media induced crime wave has not taken place here in Northwest Illinois. But law enforcement officers and business owners alike are pointing out that our small corner of the world may not be as "disciplined" as we'd like to believe. Village Voices has been doing a deep dive into court...
There are some good high school football rivalries, and then there is the one between Lena-Winslow and Forreston. Between them, they have won the state championship in each of the last six years. And with a pair of exceptional coaches, and student athletes who embody what we all love in high school sports ... there simply is no comparison. Friday night in Forreston, the Panthers were the heavy favorites, but Forreston had a solid game plan. To begin with, Forreston was running as much clock as p...
Galena, Fulton and Lena-Winslow all swept through their respective NUIC conference divisions to claim the crown, but now come the Regionals – so where do we think they will stack up when they compete in the post season tournament? Glad you asked. Earlville Regional There are no local teams competing at Earlville, so do you really care? Newark is the top seed for a region, so expect them to win it and make the trip to Eastland for the Sectional. AFC Regional All of the first three matches will p...
So, what’s your definition of a “poop” show when it comes to local government? Consider the following … As most people know, there is a major impasse in regard to the potential sale of the Nursing Home. Ten Board members look at the potential sale of it for 1.6 million dollars, and are more than willing to cut ties and let a company that knows how to manage medical facilities take over. But six Board members refuse to sell … at least for now – and just recently stooped to some rather biza...
Maybe it was because I was a member of a fraternity, or maybe it was because 20 year old guys tend to pull pranks on each other all the time, but when I was in college, getting “pimped” was a major deal. A “pimp” was a practical joke you pulled on a fraternity brother. They ran the entire spectrum from hanging all of the belongings of one guy – furniture, clothes, everything – in a tree, all the way to the time we picked up one guy’s car and placed it on the platform stage sitting in the middle...
The Pearl City Wolves haven’t been getting a lot of attention in the press lately, but don’t think for one minute everyone who follows area volleyball wasn’t noticing what was going on. First year coach, Tammy Stephen, was slowly but surely, making the Wolves believe. A team without a power hitter, and full of smart kids who were good athletes – but few pure volleyball players – wasn’t expected to compete in the powerful NUIC North. After all, the conference had three state ranked teams in it...
East Dubuque came into River Ridge Wednesday night looking like a M*A*S*H unit with three starters injured, and their best outside hitter done for the season. "Yeah, I brought three freshmen up, and we're trying to settle in on a new lineup, but we're focused on having fun the rest of the season," said head coach Ashley Sites. So, for all practical purposes, the match was one River Ridge needed to win comfortably. A back-and-forth see-saw affair would lead to more questions than answers. But...
