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Wednesday, Nov. 6

Lady Railers advance to
‘personalized’ sectional finals

By Rick Hobler

[NOV. 6, 2002]  It takes a lot to get me upset. But act like your team is superior to the Lady Railers’ volleyball team and act like you ARE the sectional champion BEFORE you play the championship match — and you have just crossed the line. Now you’ve gone and made it personal.

Such was the attitude of Champaign Centennial’s head coach Stan Bergman before and after last night’s Rantoul sectional semifinal matches. Champaign Centennial barely won its match over Rantoul. Lincoln (30-8) won its match over Champaign Central. Both matches went a full three games. Lincoln will play Centennial for the sectional championship on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Rantoul High School. More about the semifinal match in a minute. First, the personal matter.

It began with a quote attributed to coach Bergman in a Champaign paper BEFORE any sectional matches had even been played. The quote was that he, Bergman, was "looking forward to playing Normal Community in the super-sectional" this weekend."

Since I couldn’t imagine a coach would be so cocky and presumptuous as to say such a thing BEFORE any of the sectional matches had even been played, I thought I’d ask him. After the Centennial match last night, I asked coach Bergman if he had actually said such a thing. He replied, "That’s what I said." Line crossed.

Still amazed, I asked him, "What about the upcoming match with Lincoln?" His response: "We played them once, and my girls want them REAL bad!"

Challenge accepted. I hope you don’t mind, Coach, if we actually play the match before you ask for the sectional trophy. Post his attitude in the Lady Railer locker room until then. By the way, the Railers will be "bringing it." You can quote me.

OK, back to Lincoln’s semifinal match.

In the evening’s first semifinal match, the Lady Railers showed the heart of champions as they once again refused to let their season end. But not before they gave their coaches and fans quite a scare. When it was over the box score looked liked this: 13-15, 15-11, 15-7; Railers win.

The scores tell only part of the story. After losing Game 1 of the match, Game 2 was knotted all the way until the Railers pulled away from a 10-10 deadlock late in the game. Then, in Game 3, the Railers were down 0-6 before running off 12 successive points to put the game out of reach and then going on to win the match.

It was clear from the Railers’ intensity and emotion, that there was no way their season was going to end last night. Everybody played a part. Even some, like Melanie Boyer and Julie Fults, played a bigger part than they probably would have ever guessed.

In Game 1, Lincoln’s altered starting lineup (due to the injury of senior Missy Aper) took a little too long to adjust and couldn’t pull out the win in the end. The Railers even led 11-10 at one point, before letting the game slip away from them. Champaign’s taller front line seemed to be everywhere on the net. Lincoln’s kills couldn’t get through their blocks, and attempts to tip over the blocks didn’t hit the floor on their side. Flickers of hope in Game 1 came from the serving of Maria Benitez, Brooklyn Robbins and Kari McFadden and from the net play of Samantha Conrady, Julie Fults and Melanie Boyer.

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As soon as Game 1 was lost, I made a place on my stat sheet to record the scores of Games 2 and 3. No way were the Railers going home in two games. This would be a battle of the heart to the end.

Pressed to the wall of volleyball postseason extinction, the Railers knew what they had to do in Game 2 — win. And win they did. In a seesaw match, the Railers initially found themselves down 0-2 and then 2-5. After a Central serve aced the Railers due to a miscommunication, coach Howe called timeout. Right after that the Railers fought back to a 5-5 tie. After falling behind again, 5-7 and 6-8, some nice serving by Brooklyn Robbins and an all-around team effort got Lincoln back to 8-8. The score was again knotted at 9-9 and 10-10. At 10-10, Melanie Boyer stepped to the service line, and Kari McFadden finally took charge of the net. The result, a 12-10 Railer lead. Kari rotated to the service line after a Central point and side-out. The McFadden sisters then decided to end it. One ace and two other serves by Kari and two kills from Michelle brought home the game. But there was still a long way to go.

Game 3 started out like a belated Halloween movie — too scary to watch — when Central went on a 6-0 run to begin the game. But the Railers never folded. Coach Howe didn’t even call timeout. The ladies on the floor would have to step up, show their heart and win, or go home. They chose the first option. At 0-6, Maria Benitez came off the bench to serve. Before she rotated over, it was 6-6, thanks to two aces, two nice net plays by Julie Fults and a strong kill by Kari McFadden. After getting back to the 6-6 tie, the Railers never let up. Lincoln allowed Central only one more point the entire third game. Michelle McFadden was relentless at the net. Brooklyn Robbins had a nice run of four service points, and Maria Benitez came back for two more. In a fitting end, senior Christina Xamis got the 15th service point after a nice block from Kari McFadden, and Brooklyn Robbins stuffed a Central kill attempt.

One hour and 30 minutes after it began, it was finally over. The Railers had, once again, fought back from being behind and refused to lose… just like so many other times this season. I saw heart, I saw emotion, I saw intensity, and I saw tremendous effort at every position

Nice job, ladies! See you Thursday. Lady Railer fans will need to be present and heard.

If it’s OK with you, I’ll call Centennial’s coach and tell him that you would really still like to play Thursday’s match… in spite of his opinion.

One pass, one point, one game at a time. Sectional champions — GO, RAILERS!

[Rick Hobler]

[Stats]

High school volleyball

[NOV. 6, 2002] 

Class A sectionals

At Arcola

Mount Pulaski def. Warrensburg-Latham 15-4, 15-3.

Mount Pulaski:  Kills, Bethany Dulle 9; blocks, Sarah Reeter 3; assists, Mallory Clements 30.

Records:  Mount Pulaski 36-2, Warrensburg-Latham 29-7.

At Hartsburg

Hartsburg-Emden def. Flanagan 15-6, 15-9.

Hartsburg-Emden:  Service points, Molly Klokkenga, Nikki Chapman 9; kills, Chapman 10; blocks, Megan Leesman 3.5;  assists, Klokkenga 29.

Record:  Hartsburg-Emden 28-9.

Class AA sectionals

At Rantoul

Lincoln def. Champaign Central 13-15, 15-11, 15-7.

Lincoln:  Service points, Maria Benitez 14, Brooklyn Robbins 13; kills, Michelle McFadden 18, Kari McFadden 15; blocks, M. McFadden 3, Samantha Conrady 2; assists, Brooklyn Robbins 46; aces, Kari McFadden 5, Benitez and Robbins 2 each; digs: Robbins 12, K. McFadden 10.

Record:  Lincoln 30-8.

[Click here for report by Rick Hobler]

Lincoln College men open home basketball season

[NOV. 6, 2002]  Lincoln College opened its home men’s basketball season with an impressive 85-53 victory over Carl Sandburg Monday night. The victory brings the Lynx record to 1-2 for the season.

The Lynx blistered the nets at a 59 percent clip (17-29) in the first half, and they also connected on five-of-nine shots from 3-point land. The hot shooting carried the Lynx to a 47-19 halftime lead, and they were never seriously threatened in the second half.

Five Lincoln College players reached double figures, with Rueben Trotter and Terrance Chapman leading the way at 19 each. Joining the pair in double figures were Derik Hollyfield with 12 and Michael Fowler and Amir Major with 10 each. Ten of the Lynx players cracked the scoring column for coach B.J. McCullum.

Lincoln finished with 52 percent shooting from the field, while Carl Sandburg managed to shoot 43 percent. The Lynx had a 38-30 edge on the boards, led by James Roberson with six.

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Lincoln College (85) — Josh Clark 1-2-0-1-3, Jeff Carlson 0-3-1-2-1, Michael Fowler 4-7-2-3-10, Rueben Trotter 9-11-1-2-19, Loyd Bowen 0-1-2-4-2, Amir Major 4-5-0-0-10, James Roberson 3-8-0-0-7, Terrance Chapman 5-12-7-10-19, Derik Hollyfield 3-6-5-6-12, Rian Lazzerini 1-3-0-0-2. Totals: 30-58-18-28-85. Three-point goals: Clark, Major 2, Trotter, Fowler 2, Chapman 2, Roberson, Hollyfield.

Carl Sandburg (53) — Brad Arthur 4-9-0-0-12, Kellen Brandon 6-14-1-2-13, Jordan Mesick 1-3-0-0-3, Lucas Sottos 1-1-0-1-2, Caleb Bennett 1-2-0-0-3, Courtney Collins 2-4-2-6-6, LaNerrick Harris 1-5-0-0-2, Ryan Twaddle 0-0-0-2-0, Brandon Jones 2-4-0-0-4, Brandis Leverette 3-6-0-0-6. Totals: 21-49-5-14-53. Three-point goals: Arthur 4, Mesick, Bennett.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]

Illinois State wins first exhibition, 89-70, over SIU-E

[NOV. 6, 2002]  NORMAL — Sophomore point guard Vince Greene scored a game-high 26 points, including six 3-pointers, as Illinois State won its first exhibition of the season, 89-70, over SIU-Edwardsville at Redbird Arena.

Baboucarr Bojang finished with 14 points and six rebounds for the ’Birds, while true freshman Chris Burras came off the bench to score 12.

SIU-Edwardsville was led by Ron Jones with 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Rob Baumgardner and Ben Garwitz each contributed 13 points, and Baumgardner also led the Cougars in rebounding with six boards. The Cougars never led in the entire game and after the initial 12-point deficit never got closer than seven points.

Illinois State opened up the game with a 12-0 run, highlighted by two 3-pointers and a crossover layup by Greene. The ’Birds’ defense forced eight Cougar turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the game, including the team’s first two possessions.

Greene led all scorers in the first half with 10 points, while Gregg Alexander chipped in eight first-half points on three-for-four shooting. ISU shot 61 percent from the field in the first half, including five-for-eight from beyond the arc.

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True freshmen Dana Ford, Marcus Arnold and Burras showed Redbird fans early in the game why they made up one of the best recruiting classes in Illinois State history. Ford started the game and dished out two assists on the Redbirds’ first two possessions. Burras and Arnold came off the bench in the first half and scored six and four points respectively.

Down 45-24 at halftime, the Cougars came out firing in the second half and outscored the ’Birds 26-15 over the first 8:30 minutes. The visitors were led by nine points each from junior Ron Jones and freshman Logan Glosser, narrowing the Redbird lead to 10. Following a timeout with 11:05 remaining in the game, the ’Birds went on a 13-0 run to extend their lead back to 23, which tied their largest lead of the night.

Illinois State plays its second and final exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 14, when it hosts EA Sports at Redbird Arena at 7:05 p.m.

[Todd Kober, ISU director of media relations]

Illini ticket update

[NOV. 6, 2002]  CHAMPAIGN — Sales were strong for the first day of single-game sales of Illinois men’s basketball tickets for the 2002-03 season. Tickets for the Jan. 11 Big Ten home opener against Wisconsin are down to singles (less than 35), while 130 tickets remain for Ohio State (Feb. 9), 350 for North Carolina (Dec. 3) and less than 950 for Michigan State (Feb. 18), Indiana (Feb. 25) and Minnesota (March 8 or 9). More than 3,800 tickets remain for each of the four non-conference games over holiday breaks (Lehigh, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Coppin State and Oakland).

Single-game tickets are $16. For ticket information, contact the UI Athletics Ticket Office in person at the Assembly Hall or call (217) 333-3470 or toll-free (866) ILLIN I-1. Tickets may also be purchased on the Internet at www.fightingillini.com.

Big Ten championship banner to be raised Nov. 15

The 2003 Big Ten championship banner will be raised Nov. 15 prior to the exhibition contest with EA Sports All-Stars. Among the EA Sports All-Stars are former Illini Lucas Johnson, who helped Illinois to consecutive Big Ten titles in 2001 and 2002, and Sergio McClain, member of the 1998 and 2001 Big Ten championship squads.

Illini women’s tickets available

University of Illinois women’s basketball season and individual tickets are now on sale. The Illini play a competitive home schedule, with 14 regular-season games at home.

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The Illini return three players who earned All-Big Ten recognition, including second team All-Big Ten selection Cindy Dallas, the conference’s leading rebounder a year ago. The athletic Illini will play an up-tempo, explosive style of basketball both offensively and defensively.

Reserved season tickets are $102 for the public (17 games including two exhibition contests). Faculty and staff season tickets are $85, while student tickets are $51.

Public single-game tickets are $7, $6 for faculty and $4 for students. General admission seating is just $2. The first 250 fans with general admission tickets will be allowed to sit underneath the Illinois basket as members of the "Grentz Gang."

For ticket information, contact the UI Athletics Ticket Office in person at the Assembly Hall or call (217) 333-3470 or toll-free (866) ILLIN I-1. Tickets may also be purchased on the Internet at www.fightingillini.com.

[Kent Brown, U of I assistant athletics director
and sports information director]

Articles from the past week

[NOV. 4, 2002]  Is it November already? Where did the year go? Someone PLEASE tell me that the years of my boy’s life are not going to continue to march on at this pace! Work and school are already deep into their routines. At least there are a lot of sports activities. Notice I didn’t say that there was a lot to cheer about. Central Illinois seems to be in a big slump… Maybe something will snap us out of it soon. Until then, let’s take the voyage together and sort through the local sports scene…

My coach of the week could very easily be my coach of the year, and that is none other than LCHS head football coach John Oaks! Coach Oaks told me and a LIVE TV audience on "FANdamonium" BEFORE the season began that he had high hopes and high expectations for his gridders. They reached several of those lofty dreams and goals. It took some of the hardest work and patience that you can ever imagine, but this man and his team got the job done and turned in what I believe is the best record in some 11 years. And that’s not the half of it! The freshmen may have had their best season ever, or at least one for the ages, as well. And the sophomores had their moments too! I’m compelled to give John and his staff the award as just a grateful fan.

Thanks, you guys, for beginning to restore some of the pride back into the program. Perhaps this season will serve as a launching pad to greatness! The LDN salutes you!

Staying with this same theme, I’m picking the Lincoln High School football team (on all levels) as my team of the week. Seldom will you see me reward a team on this side of the ledger, but you have to start somewhere. And this is a special team. First of all, I commend EVERY kid who just stuck it out! Especially those of you who went through it all for four years! And then to all of you who talked your friends into going out for the team. And then to you guys who went out amidst pressure NOT to do so from friends, family or whoever. You guys showed what hard work, determination and teamwork can do when no one cares who gets the glory! Hopefully our city and county officials are getting a glimpse of this picture.

At any rate, we here at the LDN salute your performance, and we’re proud of your accomplishments. May those of you who return next year, pick up the baton and head straight for the playoffs!

The LDN wants to take this opportunity to extend condolences to the family of coach Ed Butkovich. Coach had some exciting days and I believe has at least one Class A state title in his rich legacy.

He was especially good to me in my early days as the coach out at LCC. He allowed his players to come to our summer camp.

(You might be surprised that SOME coaches don’t let their kids come to our camp or any camp other than their own for that matter. I can STILL remember the scathing letter I received from one of the coaches from Jacksonville, questioning the methods I employed. History shows that some of the kids from THAT area needed more than just ONE week of our camp experience… BUT I won’t go into that now. Let me just say that our graduates went on to win many A and AA regional, sectional and a few state titles. I THINK that speaks for itself).

Anyway, coaches Butkovich and Rucks and Gasaway and others in Mount Pulaski always supported me and my program, and I’ll never forget that. I will always be loyal and grateful for that kind of friendship, especially when it comes from an unexpected source like that.

Other area teams had and have just as much at stake and have every opportunity to be supportive of LCC and other area colleges but choose to focus solely on themselves. That is their option.

I’m glad coach Butkovich wasn’t like that. He came as a favor to watch my teams practice every year and then offered me tremendous insights and suggestions. If you don’t know much about basketball, let me just say that few things could be worth more to you than having someone with his expertise helping someone like me who was REALLY struggling at the time.

And more than that, Ed was just a good guy. Whenever I saw him in public, he always had a kind or gracious word for me.

I was sad and stunned to hear the news of his passing. He was an icon in and for this area.

Thank you, Coach, for what you meant to me and for countless others. Godspeed!

Yes. The Bears had another chance to win a game in the waning moments. And unlike last year, when no matter who threw the ball it would always end up in a Bear’s hands, that’s NOT the case this year!

The thing that this reporter is amazed by is that whenever a Bears coach states that he’s content to always have at least a chance, I have to ask, "What???" I don’t want just a CHANCE. If I can kick the tar out of you and win by two or three touchdowns, that’s what I’m going to do (my apologies to those of you who thought I was a nice guy).

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[Photos by Tom Seggelke]

Take for instance the score tied in the fourth quarter with the Bears possessing the ball just inside their 20-yard line. They run a pitch or a toss play that they’ve run six to eight times already during the game (which begs the question, is their playbook really THAT small?). On top of that, they try to run it this time to a wide-out. Is it just my imagination or are wide-outs suppose to run down the field and catch passes? When you run something like that you deserve to fumble and lose the game. I will never be able to figure out that kind of stuff!

Even just before half they ran some vertical passing offense and were able to jet down the field in less than a minute in time to get a last-second 53-yard FG from Paul Ettinger! I realize that the zone was a little softer in that situation, but do we KNOW that for sure? There was no attempt to go back to that except in third and long situations and in desperation mode.

On the other hand, I did feel that the Bears defense played well. With the exception of two or three runs by Donovan McNabb (and folks, this guy’s going to break away every once in a while; he’s just that good), the Bears held them in check. Great pursuit by Urlacher and others gave the Bears at least a CHANCE to win (I STILL don’t like that phrase!).

But when the offense didn’t put up even positive yardage in the second half until the last desperation drive, that’s what happens. I know the schedule is tougher this season, but I’m just not sure this group can get it done.

Click here for more Bears photos.

Our own Greg Taylor tried to help Illini coach Ron Turner. Greg suggested that coach Turner stick with QB Jon Buetjer, but Turner didn’t, and by the time Jon was inserted into the game he didn’t have enough time to incite a comeback, as the Illini dropped an 18-7 ugly one to Penn State!

And what’s up with the tackling? Or lack thereof? I haven’t seen such sloppy technique since guys used to run over me!!!

My mom used to say not to say anything if you can’t say something nice… THEREFORE, this subject matter is closed!!!

The Lady Railer volleyball girls just keep winning. Now they will travel to Rantoul for a Tuesday night showdown with who we believe will be the Champaign Central Chargers at 6:30. Good luck, ladies!

That’s the only other sports news that’s been turned over to me. If you’ve got something else, get it to us as quick as you can. You can reach us at ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com.

Tonight our guests include the LCHS swimmers of George and Ruth Sloot, fresh off a fourth-place finish at the CS8 meet.

Illini assistant coach Billy Gillespie has accepted the head coaching position at UTEP. I hate to see him go!

Why didn’t Illinois give Donovan McNabb a better recruiting pitch when he was in high school?

Lincoln’s Brian Cook and Jerrance Howard will have to miss the first two games of the season because of playing in a non-sanctioned summer tourney. Don’t get me started with the NCAA and the IHSA again… Let’s just leave it alone!!!

Cook is featured in the new issue of Slam magazine. (Click here for details.)

Lincoln’s Greg Alexander and his ISU Redbirds get things started tonight versus SIU-E at 7:05 in Normal. Plenty of good seats STILL available!!!

LCC opens their season this weekend with a tourney in Cincinnati. LC dropped two tough ones on the road in their openers.

Have a great week, everybody!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[Click here for past columns]

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