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[OCT. 26, 2001]   

Results

At Farmer City

Mount Pulaski defeated Blue Ridge 15-2, 15-7.

At Tremont

Hartsburg-Emden defeated Olympia 6-15, 15-6, 15-7.  This was H-E coach Jennifer Hayes’ 200th career victory!

Upcoming matches

At Fairbury -- Tuesday

Mount Pulaski vs. University High, 6:30 p.m.

Central Catholic vs. Hartsburg-Emden, 7:30 p.m.

At Fairbury -- Thursday

Championship game, 7 p.m.

[OCT. 25, 2001]   Rantoul defeated Charleston last night in the Lincoln Regional semifinal volleyball action by the match score of 11-15, 15-10 and 15-6. Lincoln will face Rantoul at 7 p.m. this Saturday for the regional championship. The winner will also earn the right to play next Tuesday in the Charleston Sectional.

Rantoul will be looking for revenge on Saturday. Lincoln previously defeated Rantoul in a regular season, non-conference match in late September.

In last night’s match, Rantoul’s Kindi Schlittler had nine kills and Rachel Idues had nine service points to help their team to victory. Also for the winners, Katie Schmidt had six blocks. Rantoul’s record stands at 15-17.

For the losing Charleston Lady Trojans, who end their season at 14-19, Audra Roach had 13 kills and Amanda Cutright had six kills. Denise Wright added eight points and 15 assists, and Ashley Duzan contributed four blocks.

The doors will open at LCHS and ticket sales will begin at 6 p.m. this Saturday. All tickets are $3, with the price being set by the IHSA.

GO, RAILERS!!

[Rick Hobler]

[OCT. 25, 2001]   The Lincoln College volleyball season came to an end Wednesday night as the sixth-ranked Lady Lynx lost to third-ranked Shawnee in three games. The Lynx lost 30-24, 30-26, 30-22. 

Beth Guy, a Hartem graduate, continued her fine play with 22 set assists, nine points and five aces, while Janine Buettner added eight points, two aces and five kills. Molly Owens contributed six kills and two blocks, while Amy Cox had four points, six kills and two blocks.

Coach Mark Tippett said: "I felt we grew a lot as a team this season. I was pleased with the way they responded during my first season as coach.  We were competitive and in nearly all of our matches. I am looking forward to next year, as we have eight returning.  If we can get a few good recruits, we should be able to show a lot of improvement."

Lincoln College completed its season with a 14-17 record.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

[OCT. 24, 2001]   

At Farmer City

In Prairie Central Sectional, Mount Pulaski defeated Heyworth 15-1, 15-1

Match 5: Mount Pulaski to play Blue Ridge at 7 p.m. Thursday for regional championship

Match 24: Winner of Match 5 plays winner of Match 11 (Lexington vs. University High)

[to top of second column in this article]

At Tremont

Olympia defeated Eureka 15-4, 15-11

Hartsburg-Emden defeated Deer Creek-
Mackinaw 15-6, 15-10

Match 23: Olympia to play Hartsburg-Emden at 7 p.m. Thursday for regional championship

Match 25: Winner of Match 23 plays winner of Match 17 (Central Catholic vs. Flanagan game)

Match 26: Winner of Match 25 plays winner of Match 24 for championship

[OCT. 23, 2001]   Havana defeated Illini Central 15-5, 2-15, 15-10.

[OCT. 22, 2001]   Mount Zion Sectional championship game:  LCHS 1, Rochester 3

[OCT. 22, 2001]   Lincoln College lost its Region 24 tournament match to Lewis & Clark at Godfrey Saturday to end a frustrating season. The final official LC record was 1-16 after they learned earlier that the Lynx would have to forfeit seven wins for using an ineligible player.

Coach Mark Howard said of the 2-1 setback, "We played hard, and I was extremely proud of the kids. We had just 17 players and two of those were injured, so we were really short-handed. It has been a real frustrating season with all that has gone on, but these kids battled and never gave up."

Steve Gorton assisted John Lusicic with a first-half goal with 14 minutes gone to give the Lynx a lead, but that was the final scoring for Lincoln College.   Gorton set a new school record on the goal, with his 21st assist of the season.

Lewis & Clark tied the score with 10 minutes left in the first half and scored the winning goal 15 minutes into the second half.

The Lynx were forced to forfeit the seven games when it was determined that a player transferring to Lincoln College did not have enough credits to be eligible.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College sports information director]

[OCT. 22, 2001]   Once you start reading stories to kids, you invariably come across my wife’s all-time favorite, Cinderella. The story goes that a young maiden’s cruel stepmother and stepsisters leave her at home to do all of the housework while they attend the ball put on by the handsome prince. But just while you’re crying your eyes out, Cinderella’s fairy godmother arrives on the scene, and before you can say, "Let’s go to a major bowl," a pumpkin becomes a beautiful carriage, a few mice become stallions pulling the coach, and Cinderella has a beautiful gown and is on her way to Pasadena. … OK, maybe Orlando or Tampa (who cares? As long as it’s somewhere warm. [I don’t write ’em, I just read ’em!]).

On Saturday afternoon the Illinois Fighting Illini lived out all of Cinderella’s emotions and then some on their way to an improbable 42-35 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. The trip to the royal palace all started out quite innocently. The Badgers won the toss and deferred. Therefore Illinois marched right down the field. After former CS8 player Peter Chritofilakos’ 32-yard field goal, Illinois led 3-0. At that point, the whole royal story was looking pretty good. However, Bucky Badger took issue with it, Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bolinger marched his troops on a long drive, and it was 3-7. And as easy as the Badgers made their drive appear, it looked like the Illini were staying home from the dance with ol’ Cinderella herself.

But then Illinois came alive. Touchdowns by Aaron Moorehead and Rocky Harvey around a record five field goals by two different kickers were making the slipper appear like it would fit. After long-kicker John Gockman booted a 43-yard field goal with not much time elapsed in the third quarter, the Illini had taken a 25-7 lead. However, the witching hour was looming on the horizon, unbenounced to a capacity crowd of 70,094, who were ecstatic about the possibility of not only beating Wisconsin for the first time in a decade but perhaps disposing of them along with the wicked stepfamily!

Wisconsin second-string QB Jim Sorgi replaced starter Bolinger, who left the game with an announced groin injury. Sorgi almost pulled off yet another amazing Badger comeback as he tried to rewrite the famous fairy tale. Sorgi directed a scoring drive that ended on a two-yard scamper by splendid scat back Anthony Davis. I, along with the rest of the royal kingdom, saw more of that guy than I cared to. Davis finished the day by carrying the ball 24 times and gaining 116 yards and two touchdowns. If I were a friend of Bucky’s, I’d tell him to give that ball to Davis a lot more! Then Sorgi found All-World receiver Lee Evans sandwiched around yet another Illini field goal, and that made the score 28-21. The royal clock was ticking toward the impending doom.

Next, Illini QB Kurt Kittner fired an uncharacteristic INT, and Davis took it to the house on a 17-yard sprint to tie the game at 28. The big grandfather clock began to chime. When Christian Morton somehow fumbled the kickoff seconds later, Cinderella and the Illini appeared headed for the house before the jig was up. Sorgi connected with Evans once again, and the carriage and the Illini turned into a pumpkin at around the same time that Wisconsin was enjoying a 35-28 lead. It doesn’t hurt when you score 21 points within the span of less than 90 seconds when you’re on the road.

As quick as lightning can strike I immediately felt what it must be like to be a Cubs fan when things go awry (I STILL think the Cubs were the best team in the division this year, but I’m only a semiprofessional sports writer)! I guess you could say that I was in disbelief. No, I think stunned may be more like it. No, I was actually mad … or rather angry. Forget the fact that Illinois has not had a home sellout win since 1991. Or just forget that the Illini haven’t beaten a Big Ten team with a winning record at home since 1991 either — only a span of 20 games!

Unlike reactions to Cinderella’s predicament, I didn’t feel sorry for the Illini. I felt that they had inflicted their own pain. Apparently they didn’t feel sorry for themselves either. Unlike past seasons when we would fold up like a cheap department store tent, this team did something I’ve been waiting to see from an Illinois team for years. They drew a line in the dirt and made a stand and a statement. I’m not sure how that fits into the famed fairy tale, but I’m sure there’s some way to twist the story out of context to make it fit here. And even though I was so miserable I was packing up to leave, Illinois dug deep into its playbook and found a 50-yard kickoff reverse somewhere near the back cover. It may have been the same route that Cinderella used to get home. By the way, that is a little-known fact submitted here only for you loyal LDN readers!

[to top of second column in this article]

Illinois did complete the drive when Kittner hooked up with Brian Hodges, and the Illini were helping the prince fit the glass slipper as they were back in business at 35-all. The Illini defense, which for the most part played pretty well on the day, was especially good in the fourth quarter, when they had to be. Putting some unrelenting pressure on Sorgi, they held the Badgers, but the Illini had already proven that this was a different team and a different year. They knew that they were closing in on the right house and the right person to make the slipper fit. And they simply went back to work.

And if you ever want to watch a sensational catch, grab the highlight reel of the pass Kittner threw to "the Franchise," Brandon Lloyd. Kittner said later that he thought Lloyd jumped approximately 10 feet in the air to haul that pass down. But isn’t that what fairy tales are fashioned from? Whatever it was, it was incredible. I’m still asking, "Did his foot REALLY come down inbounds?" And I was sitting in that end zone along with the unflappable LDN cameraman Tom Seggelke.

By now the prince had recognized Cinderella, but there was still that bit of making sure that the slipper fit. So after the Illinois defense proved themselves again to an appreciative throng by holding the Badgers, the evil step-cheesers weren’t ready to ride off into the sunset just yet. In fact, the Wisconsin punter pinned the Illini with their backs against the wall, booming a punt into the wind that stopped at the Illinois 7-yard line. There were still a few minutes left, and the Badgers had a full complement of timeouts remaining, hoping to prove that good endings only show up in real fairy tales.

The Illini decided that, unlike Cinderella, they would enjoy every last minute and second in making the slipper fit. Their resolve was so potent that they unleashed a drive reminiscent of the Mike White and John Mackovich days. And as the Badgers ate up their timeouts, the Illini were turning crucial third-down plays into first downs. Kittner displayed his toughness by scrambling for one.

But the one that will always stay with me was the pass that he appeared to have overthrown to Lloyd. All Lloyd did was to lay out, completely sprawled, reach out beyond human reach and snag the misguided aerial with one of the most sensational receptions that this sophomoric reporter has ever had the pleasure to witness. As a matter of fact, it’s why I’ve always enjoyed going to the games in person, just like when my dad took me to games when I was a little kid. While there’s a part of me that doesn’t care whether my son enjoys it like I do (actually I’m hoping that he likes math and sciences and hopes to become an archaeologist or an astronaut), how could you not want your son to see a game like this one?

Illinois finally showed the Wisconsin sidelines that the glass shoe did indeed fit, and they didn’t even have to run a final play. They walked into the sunset and into the arms of a delirious crowd with a hard-fought 42-35 victory that I will admit seemed as impossible to me as a plain orange and blue pumpkin becoming a golden carriage. Impossible? That’s one of the reasons I like fairy tales so much.

[Jeff Mayfield]

[OCT. 18, 2001]   

•  I say, tip the hat to Railer football coach John Oaks. While they haven’t had the success that everyone would like to see, good programs are not produced overnight. How long did it take the LCHS volleyball team to become an annual power? And do you realize that the Railer hoops squad has been a dominant team for several decades? Take away a few breakdowns and a few bad bounces, and you’re not only looking at a couple of wins but you’re looking at a competitive team. Here’s hoping that coach Oaks and his staff will stay around a few years and build the program to a competitive level. If Taylorville can do it, so can Lincoln!

•  If you missed the fifth volleyball scuffle between LC and LCC Tuesday night, you missed a fan’s smorgasbord. The match went the full five games and looked like it was headed for several additional minutes of play. While I’m sure coach Crawford was not exactly thrilled with the performance of his team, some credit must go to coach Tippett and the Lady Lynx. They seemed to out-hustle the Angels all night and seemed to want the game a little more. It could be passed off by saying that LCC was looking ahead to this weekend’s regional matches in Chicago. Whatever the case, the LDN is going on record now as saying that both of these clubs have the potential to be very dangerous during the playoffs. Look for both to pull off their share of surprises.

•  We’re also wishing good luck to the before-mentioned Lady Railer volleyball squad. Coach Howe seems to have them primed for another long postseason run. Wouldn’t you like to see that really BIG trophy-plaque sitting in the glass case in good ol’ Roy S. Anderson gym?…

[Jeff Mayfield]

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