We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 1331
The good news was that the Lena-Winslow Panthers continued to roll through the NUIC North with a straight set win over Orangeville on the road 25-14, 25-18. The bad news was sitting on a bleacher with an ice pack on her knee trying to fight back the tears. Mia Diffenderfer came down awkwardly early in game two and heard something pop in her knee. The normally stoic sophomore who would never show emotion whether she made a great play or a bad one, was suddenly fighting back tears – so you knew i...
With five wins needed to qualify for the IHSA post season party, Friday's conference battle in Stockton between the Blackhawks and Dakota Indians became a playoff for the playoffs as both teams came in with identical 3-4 overall records. The loser would be eliminated, while the winner stayed alive with one week left in which they had to claim their fifth win. Squaring off were two traditional running teams. And with Mother Nature put her two cents in as well as the rain was pelting everyone all...
So why is it that we all love Halloween so much? I mean really, look around - people go bonkers over Halloween. Houses get decorated, people wear costumes, kids can’t wait to trick or treat, and I have to admit it’s one of my favorites - but I had to stop and wonder, why? This isn’t some stupid history lesson about Halloween, and how we got it, I’ve seen tons of those and when you get right down to it - does a kid care? And be honest, how many of you actually give a rotting bone about the his...
There wasn't too much tension in the Orangeville gymnasium when AFC paid a non-conference visit to the Broncos. In fact, it was quite evident throughout the varsity match that a lot of people weren't really paying attention – or perhaps the nachos were extra good that day. Whatever the reason, in both contests, the scorekeepers missed a Bronco point – and while Orangeville was never in jeopardy of losing a game, let alone the match – it needs to be pointed out that they had to score 26 point...
Midway through game one of the Lena-Winslow Panther's conference battle at Pecatonica, the Indians had just made their third big stuff block to claim a 13-12 lead. But in spite of falling behind for the first time in the game, Panther head coach, Sue Amendt, never called a time out. "We were playing well," Amendt said. "They made some great blocks, but we were playing well. Besides, if I called a time out, they wouldn't listen to me anyway. They'd all be giggling over who belched, or something...
“Dan, you need a haircut.” That phrase has been ushered at me ever since I can remember. During my youth, my mother would make the proclamation that was then followed by her taking me to the barber. Later on, when I was in High School, my sister would cut my hair – it was easy being poofy like an afro – so she would make the announcement at dinner where my mom would agree, and I was quickly doomed to the chair in the middle of the kitchen floor. In college, I was able to go long stretch...
Lena-Winslow has a big front line. With Molly Amendt, Grace Groezinger and Eden Dietz, you've got three six footers (or close enough to it) right there. Add in the hops of Kaidynce Lynch, Alyssa Daughenbaugh and Mia Diffenderfer, and suddenly it's not easy finding holes against the Panther blockers. Durand found that out the hard way Tuesday night as the Panthers swept them 25-19, 25-17 to complete the first round of conference play undefeated at 6-0 in the NUIC North. The Bulldogs have...
Trouble hit the Aquin Bulldogs in the early minutes of their opening game on the road in Orangeville when middle hitter, Ava Theisen, went down in a lump after turning an ankle. Although it was a one point game at the time, the Bulldogs proceeded to fall apart in almost every phase of their game as hits went long, or into the net, passes suddenly went awry and sailing out of bounds, and even the region's top setter got called for a double hit – twice! The Bulldogs committed a whopping 15 unforce...
The Du/Pec Rivermen offense stepped out onto the field in their conference battle against Lena-Winslow in a shotgun spread formation – and stayed there all night. The Rivermen are known as a high octane offense, thanks in large part to star quarterback Cooper Hoffman. Yes, they would run the ball, but their main weapon was through the air – and they relied on it all night against Lena-Winslow. The Panthers meanwhile, have thrown a grand total of one pass all season, and that didn't change Fri...
Even though there were three more weeks to go, everyone pegged Saturday's battle between Potosi/Cassville and Blackhawk/Warren as the Six Rivers title game. And while the Chieftains brought their 'A' game, it took the Warriors a half before they got their offense on track. The game was decided in the first half. Porosi/Cassville scored on their first three possessions of the game, while the Warriors continually shot themselves in the foot as penalties stalled the one promising drive they had. Th...
I miss television. I don’t know about you, but as for me, it was a lot easier finding time to watch television when I was younger than it is now. But before you think I’m going to go off on one of those self-pity “I work too much” rants, let me get right to the point. With my cousin Chuck living with us, and is addiction to MeTV – a channel that shows old tv shows from the 60s, and 70s like One Adam-12, Gunsmoke, M*A*S*H, and Star Trek, there have been a lot of days where I have had plenty of...
Most people understand how an aggressive hit can result in a "kill" and also a point for a volleyball team. So, being able to get the ball into "system" where a good set can be made to allow that spike to take place is important. But what drives coaches crazy, is when a team is unable to get the ball into system and must hit a "free ball" back over the net because a free ball has little to no chance of getting a point, and makes it easy for the opponent to then get into system. In Warren Monday...
Throughout most of the school year, the Lady Hornets of Scales Mound and Lady Wildcats of River Ridge are on the same team as they co-op in both basketball and softball. So, the one, and only sport in which they oppose each other ... is volleyball. That familiarity with each other makes for a far different kind of match than you would see in most gyms throughout Northwest Illinois. When opposing teams see Addison Albrecht smash a monster hit, or Gwen Miller make one of her line drive drop...
For four years the Lena-Winslow and Aquin seniors had battled it out for volleyball supremacy, with Aquin always coming out on top. The Panthers would have a great team, with a ton of height and talent, only to go up against an Aquin squad destined for the State finals. But this year the tables were turned. This year, for the first time, it was the Panthers who came in as the favorite. The Panthers had the height, the skill and the experience – with only one glitch ... they had never beaten A...
John O'Boyle would have been proud. All season long, head coach Sean Downey had complained about how his team wasn't getting off to a fast start in their games. Friday night in Pearl City, they listened. After holding the Wildcatz to a three and out punt, Stockton got the ball on their own 20 yard-line and proceeded to march ... and march ... and march. Not a single run was over six yards during the drive, but none of them ever went for negative yardage either. For 16 plays the Stockton...
OK, I’m sorry, but I need to take a deep breath before this one. I have been covering High School sports for over 30 years, and in all of that time I have seen every negative aspect you can imagine. Cocky athletes, major mistakes by referees, arrogant coaches who think it’s about them, administrators with no backbone, and organizational ignorance from the IHSA. But to this day, there is still only one thing that still burns my butt and makes me want to slap somebody … ignorant parents who think...
The Eastland Cougars and Fulton Steamers locked up for their first conference battle, but added a lot of extra "schtick" by also making it their "Pink Out" night to battle cancer. So, with almost identical pink uniforms battling it out on the court, there were times that it wasn't easy telling which team was which because they both stepped up their game to put on quite a show. Fulton is loaded. Make no mistake about it. There is a reason they beat Galena in their opener and pushed Genoa...
There are several factors that can determine the outcome of a volleyball game. Service errors vs aces, how clean a team plays in avoiding unforced errors, and the biggie – who controls the net with kills and blocks. The last of those three was put on display Thursday night in Orangeville as the Broncos and Indians traded momentum based almost completely on which team was more aggressive at the net. In game one, the Broncos ruled – hammering down 14 kills as a team, with junior Kaylynn O'H...
The Dakota Indians knew they had a tall task ahead of them. Not only were they on the road at Lena-Winslow, but they were also without some starters who were nursing injuries. To their credit, head coach, Eric Didesch, did the only thing he could to try and slow down the Panther juggernaut – he loaded up the box with up to eight or nine defenders at a time to try to slow down the Panther ground game. It didn't work. The problem with loading up the line, is that if and when the runner breaks t...
Anybody who wasn't at the game between Fulton and Stockton at John O'Boyle Field Friday night who saw the final 40-16 score, would think that Fulton buried the Blackhawks and out-classed them. They would be wrong. The game was not a case of a dominant team beating up on a weak sister. What took place was a game in which Fulton dipped into their bag of tricks to pull away from a resilient Stockton squad that put up a much bigger fight than many people thought they would. Fulton scored right out...
Weekend Volleyball Tournaments allow teams to get a lot of work in to perfect their game - while also providing a chance to measure up and possibly bring home some hardware at the same time. There were several tournaments held last Saturday. In Pearl City, Erie Prophetstown and Marengo were the top two teams to battle it out for first place, but the competition allowed the River Ridge Wildcats a chance to "start over" as it was the first competition they had without senior outside hitter Amie Ri...
I had it all planned. My wife was leaving with my cousins’ wife for a shopping excursion at an art fair up in Wisconsin over the weekend, and my cousin was scheduled to work Saturday. So, while I knew I needed to cover and/or get results from both the Pearl City and Scales Mound volleyball tournaments – my Saturday night, for the first time in a long time, was going to be open. Now, my schedule typically sucks. So, I rarely have “me time” to go out and enjoy myself. As a special treat, when we f...
When Galena and River Ridge square off in volleyball, people who follow the sport know that it's the battle among the top two contenders in the NUIC West. But there is also an added twist to the match up because Wildcat head coach Brittany Sinagra was a former player for Galena head coach Dennis Wills. "I don't think the girls care much," Dennis said. "For them, it's a rivalry against a tough opponent in the West. But for me, I love Brittany. She's a good friend and I wish she was coaching for...
Yes, the Lena-Winslow Panthers are an incredibly powerful and polished team, but seeing them blow out opponents repeatedly is not what most fans would consider entertaining. But the back and forth see-saw affair that was put on display by the River Ridge Wildcats and Orangeville Broncos was the most exciting and jaw dropping contest anyone had seen in several years. Just before kickoff, foreign exchange senior, Edoardo Marcolin from just northeast of Venice Italy, was named the homecoming king....
The Stockton Blackhawks put up a good fight in the first quarter of their battle with Lena-Winslow. But when the Panthers blocked a Stockton punt and returned it for a touchdown early in the second period, the walls began to cave in on the Blackhawks. The Panthers struck first, and in a familiar way, as Gage Dunker scored from three yards out, then ran in the conversion to make it 8-0 Panthers. But Stockton responded. Senior Karl Hubb broke the goal-line from a yard out to put Stockton on the...
