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Local winners in IESA state track

[MAY 15, 2002] 

Girlss

Eighth grade

High jump — 1. Courtwright (WLB); 6. Ely (Elkhart); 20. Conaway(MP)

Long jump — 21. Presswood (WLB); 36. Anderson (MP)

Shot put — 12. Beavers (CEL); 21. McLaughlin (CC)

100 hurdles — 1. Conaway (MP)

200 — 16. Ely (Elkhart); 21. Courtwright (WLB); 23. Sparks (WLB)

800 — 1. Presswood (WLB); 18. Clark (WLB)

1,600 — 1. Presswood (WLB)

4x100 relay — 1. WLB (Ramlow, Hobler, Browning and Courtwright); 6. MP

4x200 relay — 27. Elkhart; 34. CEL

4x400 relay — 6. WLB (Presswood, Clark, Boward and Elliott); 11. CEL; 29. MP

[Photos by Rick Hobler]

Seventh grade

High jump — 17. McFadden (CEL)

Long jump — 8. Ramlow (WLB); 6. Boward (WLB); 18. Robertson (MP); 38. Bonaparte (CEL)

Shot put — 2. Olson (HE); 19. Curry (Elkhart); 31. Schonauer (CC); 34. Kutz (Elkhart)

Discus — 6. Olson (HE)

100 hurdles — 4. Gallagher (CEL)

100 — Finals: 8. Bonaparte (CEL); semifinals: 6. Bonaparte (CEL); 12. Ramlow (WLB)12^th; prelims: 7. Ramlow (WLB); 9. Bonaparte (CEL); 12. Robertson (MP); 19. Hobler (WLB); 28. Hyde (CEL); 37. Rankin (HE); 43. Cowan (MP)

200 — 2. Bonaparte (CEL); 8. Boward (WLB); 19. Robertson (MP); 42. Reed (MP)

400 — 25. Cowan (MP); 42. Durchholz (Elkhart)

800 — 37. Hudson (Elkhart)

4x100 relay — 4. WLB (Boward, Curry, Sparks, Atteberry); 35. Elkhart

4x200 relay — 1. CEL (Gallagher, Bonaparte, Fellars and Hyde); 23. Carroll Catholic

[to top of second column in this section]

Boys

Eighth grade

High jump — 6. Oller (CC)

Long jump — 1. Courtwright (CEL)

200 — 6. Courtwright (CEL); 15. Moehring (HE)

400 — 9. Detmers (HE)

800 — 21. McQuellon (CEL); 31. Conrady (HE);

4x200 relay — 3. HE ; 8. CEL; 18. MP

4x400 relay — 28. WLB

Shot put — 28. Wilson (MP)

Seventh grade

Pole vault — 6. Farmer (WLB)

High jump — 2. Umphryes (HE); 15. Ritchhart (CC)

Long jump — 36. Schoonover(CEL); 42. Davis (Elkhart)

Shot put — 4. Ritchhart (CC)

Discus — 7. Ramsey (MP); 32. Sanders (WLB)

200 — 26. Toft (CEL)

400 — 8. Umphryes (HE); 20. Schick (CC)

800 — 23. Conrady (HE)

1,600 — 11. Farmer (WLB)

4x100 relay — 18. CEL-; 25. WLB

4x200 relay — 19. HE; 29. CEL

4x400 relay — 7. WLB; 10. CEL

[Compiled by Rick Hobler]

[Click here for more pictures]

[Click here for related article]

Railers win conference victory
number eight

[MAY 15, 2002]  The Lincoln Railer varsity baseball team hosted Springfield Southeast at Lincoln College Tuesday afternoon. The senior-laden Railers notched their eighth conference victory (against five losses). Lincoln gained control early and held on for a 9-5 win.

With the exception of one inning, Lincoln’s pitching and defense were superb. Starting senior pitcher Matt Boyer had another strong outing, going 5 1/3 innings, giving up nine hits, five runs (two earned), two walks, and striking out three. In the first three innings, Southeast had runners in scoring position (with two on in the first inning, one in the second and two in the third), but by striking out a batter to end each of those innings, Boyer allowed no score.

[Jeremy Ohmart had three and six RBIs against Southeast.]

In the top of the sixth, with the score 9-1, Boyer and the Lincoln defense (which had played without an error at that point) ran into a little difficulty. After one out, the next four Southeast hitters ended up scoring, thanks to a single, an error on the shortstop, a single, a double, an error on the third baseman, a single and a fielder’s choice. Senior lefty Ryan Williams relieved Boyer, faced two batters and got two outs to end the sixth inning. Williams pitched through the seventh inning, striking out one, walking one and holding Southeast scoreless.

The big-stick-of-the-day award went to Jeremy Ohmart. As leadoff (and designated) hitter, he generated six RBIs on the day with two singles and a bases-loaded, two-out double. Sophomore Mitch Sheley, batting second in the lineup, also had three hits (singles) during the game. The contest boosted Ohmart’s conference batting average to .435 and Sheley’s to .429.

[to top of second column in this article]

Two Railers had two hits in the game: senior Ryan Williams (with an RBI and one run) and junior Ryne Komnick (scoring twice). Senior Andy Knopp contributed to the 11-hit Railer attack with an RBI triple that landed right at the fence in straightaway center field. In conference play, Knopp leads the team in RBIs and is hitting .359 with a team-leading .590 slugging percentage.

[Matt Boyer picks up his fifth conference win of the season.]

One anxiety-ridden play occurred with a Southeast base-runner stealing second. Lincoln catcher John Peters threw to shortstop Blake Schoonover, who ended up chipping a bone in his left hand trying to make the tag. Schoonover, who had to leave the game, was hitting at a .406 conference pace when he took off for the hospital. He was, however, given the medical go-ahead to play in upcoming games. He is a right-handed starting pitcher.

The Railers (16-14) will play their last conference game at Springfield Southeast on Thursday and their last regular-season game at home against East Peoria on Monday, May 20.  (The Railer baseball banquet will be at the K of C Hall on Wednesday, May 29, and is open to everyone. The $10 meal reservations are due by May 21 and can be made at 735-2866 or 735-4723.)

[Rich Knopp]

Box score and stats for Lincoln vs. Southeast

LCHS sophomore baseball vs. Southeast

[MAY 15, 2002]  Chris Matson threw a one-hit shutout to lead the Lincoln High School sophomore baseball team to an 8-0 victory over Springfield Southeast at Lincoln Tuesday afternoon. The victory gives the Railers an 11-10 record for the season with two games remaining. Lincoln plays at Southeast Thursday and closes out the season with a home game against Olympia Friday.

Matson took a no-hitter into the top of the seventh and retired the first batter before Wiese connected for a clean single to right for the only Southeast hit. Matson struck out 13 and walked one while hitting two.

Lincoln scored four times in the first inning on a single by Bob Maestas, a stolen base, a throwing error, a walk to Jason Williams, a two-run single by Sean Ferguson and a run-scoring single by Matson.

Lincoln scored a run in the second on a double by Maestas and a run-scoring single by Jason Melton. In the third Ferguson drew a walk, moved to third on a hit by Trent Kavelman and scored when the second baseman mishandled the relay throw. In the fourth, Brandon Babbs doubled and came around to score on a throwing error. The final Lincoln run came in the fifth on a walk to Matson, a passed ball, a single by Kavelman and a sacrifice fly by Kyle Atteberry.

[to top of second column in this article]

Southeast 000 000 0 — 0 - 1 - 3

Lincoln  411 110 x — 8 - 8 - 0

Bateman (L), Mabley (5) & Wiese; Matson (W) & Melton.

[Bill Martinie]

[MAY 15, 2002]

Delavan Regional at Delavan

Tremont                 040 410 0 — 9-13-2

Hartsburg-Emden   001 000 1 — 2- 4-2

For Hartem: R. Anderson. Fletcher(5), and Matt Gleason

Outstanding hitter: K. Herbert (2 hits)

[MAY 15, 2002]

Olympia Regional at Stanford

Central Catholic     000 000 0 — 0-2-2

Olympia                 012 042 x — 9-11-0

For Olympia: J. Shay and A. Lessen

Outstanding hitters: E. Canopy, 3B; J. Shay, 2B; T. Gaither, 3 hits; J. Shay, 2 Hits; T. Prager

Deer Creek- Mackinaw Regional at Mackinaw

Hartsburg-Emden  000 102 0 — 3-4-2

Midland                110 050 x — 7-12-1

For Hartem: N. Chapman and Moehring

Athens Regional at Athens

Mount Pulaski     000 000 000 001 — 1-8-2

Athens                000 000 000 000 — 0-2-1

Mount Pulaski winning pitcher: B. Tobias

Outstanding hitters: Doubles by M. Gleason (2), C.C. Hudson (1), J. Smith (2)

[MAY 14, 2002]  Recipe for a state championship team: Take two doses of Christine Presswood and two doses of Kylie Courtwright. Add in Melissa Ramlow, Chelsay Browning and Hilary Hobler. Mix in Rachel Clark, Natalie Boward, Stacey Elliott and Kylie Sparks. Mix in their other teammates, families and fans. Add plenty of rainwater and cook over four days. When finished, serve up the 2002 IESA Class A state track-and-field first-place team trophy to the eighth-grade girls from West Lincoln Broadwell and congratulate the "cook," coach Gordon Lanning. WLB won the team title with 43 points, while Bureau Valley South came in second with 32 points.

And that’s just the beginning of the story!

The seventh-grade girls from Chester East Lincoln also had some pretty nice hardware on their bus last night — the fourth-place team trophy in the Class 7A competition. CEL’s victory came from a well-balanced team performance and the strong performances of two of its athletes.

Individual awards also were in abundance for many Logan County athletes. (Check back tomorrow for a complete listing of local winners.) Several state records were also broken and new standards of excellence accordingly set.

Neither sun, nor cold, nor rain, nor lightning and wind could prevent some 2,000 dedicated and determined young athletes from their appointed rounds over a "loooong," extended four-day track weekend. The 2002 Class A IESA state meet, at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, began under bright sunny skies Friday, was canceled by a drenching rain and lightning on Saturday, and concluded with chilling temperatures, rain, wind and more lightning late Monday night. In fact, many courageous young men and women in the 4x400 relays ran the final races of the evening in a cold, driving rain.

But this weekend will not be remembered by Logan County track fans for the weather. What will be remembered are the outstanding and determined performances of its young women and young men.

In the competition for eighth-grade girls, Christine Presswood of WLB won two individual state championship medals with record-breaking performances in the 1,600-meter (5:19.14) and 800-meter (2:25.26) runs. Kylie Courtwright of WLB won her own individual state championship by repeating as the state’s best high jumper among the girls, clearing 5 feet, 2 inches in the end.

Also, Kylie and her teammates Melissa Ramlow, Chelsay Browning and Hilary Hobler ran to a state championship in 4x100 meter relay with a WLB record-breaking time of 54.43.

Mount Pulaski also had an eighth-grade state champion in Beth Conrady, who sped to a 16.71 finish in the 100-meter hurdles.

CEL’s fourth-place finish in the division for seventh-grade girls was led by excellent performances from Jordan Gallagher and Ashley Bonaparte. Jordan hurdled to a fourth-place finish in the highly competitive 100-meter hurdle race and literally smoked her competition on the third leg of the 4x200 relay event. Jordan passed most of the field ahead of her on the backstretch, and, after a handoff to Ashley Bonaparte, the rest of the field was watching from behind.

Bonaparte sped to a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash, with a time of 28.27. Ashley also finished eighth out of a large, competitive field in the 100-meter dash competition.

CEL’s state champion 4x200 relay team consisted of Gallagher, Bonaparte, Bridgette Hyde and Amy Fellers. The champion foursome finished with an official time of 1:56.90.

Hartsburg-Emden got another great performance from Abby Olson in the division for seventh-grade girls. Abby threw the shot put 31.7 feet for a second-place medal and gathered more honors with a sixth place in the discus at 82.03.

The seventh-grade WLB girls also shone in the 4x100 meter relay, the long jump and the 200-meter dash. Natalie Boward performed exceptionally well in the long jump competition, breaking the WLB record with a leap of 15 feet, 8.5 inches. Her long jump performance was good enough for sixth place in the state. Natalie also ran to an eighth-place finish in the 200-meter dash and was an essential part of the fourth-place 4x100 relay team.

[to top of second column in this article]

Melissa Ramlow jumped 15 feet, 1.25 inches in the long jump to take home an eighth-place medal. The fourth-place 4x100 relay team, consisting of Boward, Leslie Curry, Katelyn Atteberry and Kylie Sparks, ran exceptionally well against tough competition to finish with a time of 56.00 seconds.

Turning to the eighth-grade boys, CEL’s Curt Courtwright leaped to a state record-breaking performance and first place in the long jump. Curt, with his arm raised high over his head in his trademark jumping style, skied over the competition with a final mark in the sand at 19 feet, 7.5 inches. Courtwright also took home a sixth-place medal in the 200-meter dash.

The H-E 4x200 relay team was successful, finishing with a hard-fought third-place victory in the division for eighth-grade boys. The victorious H-E relay team consists of Jacob Moehring, Billy Detmers, Zak Flatley and Curtis Conrady. In the same 4x200 relay race the CEL team of Aaron Meyrick, Troy Tolan, John Toft and Curt Courtwright ran to an eighth-place finish.

Also, Jeff Oller of Carroll Catholic was sixth in the high jump. I was standing near Jeff when he was about to attempt the 5-foot, 6-inch height. I asked him if he had cleared that height, and his great response was, "Not yet, but I will!" Confidence pays off.

Rounding out the weekend state finals, the seventh-grade boys had a very spirited and very competitive meet in all events. Most notable of the local athletes was Wes Umphryes from H-E. Wes took home a second-place medal in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 4 inches before ending his day, and garnered an eighth-place finish in the 400-meter run. Other top-eight local finishers in this division were Justin Ritchhart, from Carroll Catholic, with a fourth-place finish in the shot put with a heave of 37.5 feet; Brandon Farmer, also from WLB, with a sixth-place finish in the pole vault; the 4x400 WLB relay team, consisting of Brandon Farmer, Seth Fink, Ryan Sanders, Matt Schreiber and alternate Jonathan Lessen, which ran to a seventh-place finish; and Noah Ramsey, from Mount Pulaski, with a discus throw of 109 feet, 3 inches, which was good enough for seventh place in that event.

After the lights went out at the EastSide Centre around 9:30 p.m. last night and I was headed home, I had a chance to reflect a little on the events of the weekend. I and other parents and fans followed two buses all the way to Lincoln, and there were several bus loads of other teams that passed us going to places unknown to me. They contained, in total, a couple of thousand young men and women ages 11 through 14 from towns all over Illinois.

I recalled the athletes in multi-colored uniforms, with multi-cultural faces, all giving their all and doing their best, to reach a goal. I can still hear the encouraging roar of the crowd as the "home kids" ran by — regardless of whether the athletes cheered were in first or in last place. There were also some who went home with state champion medals who, because of hearing impairments, didn’t hear the crowds but still felt the excitement of being cheered for.

And driving along, rain-soaked, hungry, cold and tired, I thought to myself, what a great weekend! And as one mother said to me about such events: "This is a piece of pure Americana." I agree.

Congratulations to all who were there.

[Rick Hobler]

(Reporter’s note: Photos of some of the events will appear on this website tomorrow. Please log on then.)

[MAY 14, 2002]

At Mason City

Porta                        010 000 3 — 4-8-3

Illini Central              002 100 0 — 3-5-0

For Illini Central:  Josh McDaniel (4-2) and Travis Scott.

Outstanding hitter:  Bryce Cunningham, 2 hits.

At Delavan Regional

Hartsburg-Emden         000 102 0 — 3-5-0

Delavan                        010 000 0 — 1-6-0

For Hartsburg-Emden:  Matt Gleason (6-2) and Drew Olsen.

Outstanding hitters:  Ryan Anderson, 1 hit, 1 RBI; Olsen, 1 hit, 1 RBI.

Outstanding pitcher:  Gleason, 7 innings, 13 strikeouts.

[MAY 14, 2002]

Deer-Creek Mackinaw Regional

Hartsburg-Emden         011 030 1 — 6-9-1

Tremont                       010 000 0 — 1-3-7

For Hartsburg-Emden:  Nikki Chapman and Alyssa Moehring.

Outstanding hitters:  A. Moehring, 2 hits, 3 RBIs; Jaci Cross, 2 hits; N. Chapman, 2 hits.

[MAY 14, 2002]  Local teams at the Capital Area Classic tournament in Springfield included Illini Central boys and Lincoln girls.

Boys

3,200 relay — 4. Illini Central, 8:32.4

Girls

100 meters — 4. Patricial Dorsey (Lincoln), 13.2

200 meters — 5. Dorsey (Lincoln), 26.9

400 meters — 3. Brooklyn Robbins (Lincoln), 1:03

Pole vault — 1. (tie) Jennifer Whalen (Lincoln), 8-0

400 relay — 5. Lincoln, 53.1

800 relay — 3. Lincoln, 1:51.2

1,600 relay — 5. Lincoln, 4:26

3,200 relay — 5. Lincoln, 10:42.7

[MAY 14, 2002]  The Illinois Elementary School Association tournament was held Monday at noon in East Peoria.  Many participants in both the boys and girls tournaments were from local schools.

West Lincoln-Broadwell took first place in team results with 43 points in the girls 8A tournament.  Chester-East Lincoln tied for fourth place with 24 points in the girls 7A tournament.

Click here to view results

Lincoln takes another game
from Jacksonville

[MAY 13, 2002]  Lincoln’s varsity baseball team continued on a winning track Friday as it handed Jacksonville a second loss in as many days, 8-2. Lincoln was helped by an error-plagued Crimsons ballclub that committed seven errors. Nonetheless, the Railers got the job done and moved their conference record to 7-5.

Senior Blake Schoonover began the mound duties for Lincoln and went 2 2/3 innings. Schoonover walked two in the first inning and gave up back-to-back singles that plated two runs. But Jacksonville’s at-bat came to a close with an unassisted double play by sophomore Mitch Sheley. Sheley nabbed a line drive and touched third before the runner had a chance to tag. Those two runs were the only ones scored by Jacksonville. Schoonover ended up with two strikeouts, four walks, and he gave up two hits.

[Ryan Williams takes the sign from catcher John Peters.]

Senior Ryan Williams, who relieved Schoonover, went 3 1/3 innings. His first assignment was to get out of a two-on, two-out situation, and he struck out his first batter to do so. Williams surrendered just one hit, struck out two and walked two. He was helped by two double plays by his defense. In the third inning, a Crimson batter lined to Blake Schoonover at short, who threw out a first-base runner who couldn’t get back to the base in time. In the sixth inning, an error by Andy Knopp at second allowed a leadoff runner on, but he rebounded by turning a double play on a ground ball hit to Schoonover. The Railers, who seemed to have few double-play opportunities earlier in the season, have now created seven in the last four games.

Senior Mike Martin threw the final inning for Lincoln. Although Martin put himself in a bases-loaded jam (with two singles and a walk), he struck out the last batter to finalize the Railer win.

While the Crimsons scored two to open the game, Lincoln came back with four in the bottom of the first. Mitch Sheley singled, followed by an RBI double by Ryan Williams and RBI singles by Blake Schoonover and Andy Knopp. In the second inning, Michael Aper scored after a walk, a stolen base, a sacrifice bunt by Jeremy Ohmart and a sacrifice fly by Sheley.

[to top of second column in this article]

[Mitch Sheley (left) and Andy Knopp had two hits each.]

Three more Railer runs came across in the fourth. Knopp singled and stole second. When Matt Boyer squared around to bunt and the third baseman charged the plate, Knopp took off for third with no one covering the bag. Boyer pulled back on the bunt, and the catcher made an errant throw to the shortstop, who was trying to beat Knopp to third, which allowed the Railer to score on the play. Boyer eventually walked, and then Jeremy Ohmart reached base on an error followed by an RBI single by Sheley and an RBI triple by Derek Schrader.

The Railer record now stands at 15-14. Seven Railers are still hitting over .300 for the season, with the lowest at .333. Jeremy Ohmart was especially hot earlier in the year; and for the last 16 games, Mitch Sheley has batted .421, Andy Knopp has hit at a .455 clip, and Blake Schoonover has hit at a .465 pace. With the bats making contact, the defense beginning to click, and the effective pitching by Matt Boyer, Blake Schoonover and Ryan Williams, the Railers are justifiably hoping to finish the season strong. The last two conference games will be played against Southeast on Monday (at home) and again on Thursday.

[Jacob Green, a potential future Railer,
looks ready to help out the team already.]

[Rich Knopp]

[MAY 13, 2002]  A number of area girls who participated in Class A high school track-and-field sectional meets have qualified for state competition.

At Monticello

100 hurdles — Hish (Olympia), 17.0

300 hurdles — Hentzen (Olympia), 49.2

Discus — Cook (Olympia), 99-2

800 medley relay — Bennett, Hish, Prater, Crawford (Olympia), 1:54.1

3,200 relay — Boone, Floyd, Westerfield, Freshour (Olympia), 9:57.1

At Lewistown

100 meters — J. McDanald (Illini Central), 13.8

[MAY 11, 2002]

At Mason City

Olympia                   103 000 1 — 5-7-2

Illini Central              000 100 0 — 1-5-3

For Olympia:  Tyler Thornton (6-0), Steve Raleigh (7) and Rush Olson.

Outstanding hitter:  Chris Frank, 3 hits, 2 RBI.

Outstanding pitcher:  Thornton, 6 strikeouts, 0 walks.

For Illini Central:  Jason Thomas and Travis Scott.

Outstanding hitter:  Josh McDaniel, 2 hits.

LCHS sophomore baseball vs. Jacksonville

[MAY 11, 2002] 

JACKSONVILLE — The Lincoln High School sophomore baseball team was beaten 7-2 by Jacksonville here Thursday afternoon, dropping the Railer record to 9-10 before another meeting of the same two teams Friday afternoon at Lindstrom Field in Lincoln.

Lincoln scored a run in the second inning on a walk to Jason Melton, a single by Miles Musick and a double by Chance Berger. The final Lincoln run came in the seventh when Sean Ferguson was hit by a pitch and moved to second on an infield single off the bat of Trent Kavelman. Ferguson was then picked off second but managed to slide safely into third ahead of the throw. With Kavelman heading for second, Ferguson broke for the plate and again beat the tag.

Berger had two of the five Lincoln hits. Brandon Babbs, Musick and Kavelman had one hit each. Berger was the starting and losing pitcher for the Railers. Evans, a left-hander, struck out 11 Lincoln batters to gain the victory.

Score by innings

Lincoln             010 000 1 — 2-5-2

Jacksonville      202 030 x — 7-7-2

Berger (L), Matson (5) & Melton; Evans (W) & Seymour.

[to top of second column in this article]

LINCOLN — After losing to Jacksonville, 7-2 Thursday night, the Lincoln High School sophomore baseball team came back with a convincing 16-0 victory Friday at Lindstrom Field.  The victory gets the Railers back to the .500 mark (10-10) for the season.

Leading the Railers to victory with three hits, three runs scored and two runs batted in was Jason Melton. Two of his hits were doubles. Neil Rohrer also contributed three singles and scored a pair of runs. Sean Ferguson had a pair of hits, one a triple, and drove in three runs while scoring two. Corey Stoltzenburg had a pair of hits, including a triple, scored twice and drove in one run.

Bob Maestas, who went the distance on the mound, had a pair of hits, two RBIs and scored a run. Miles Musick had a bases-clearing double and scored twice, while Jason Williams had a single, scored twice and drove in one run. Kyle Atteberry completed the hitting for the Railers with a single and a sacrifice fly for two RBIs. Maestas allowed only one hit while striking out seven and walking three.

Score by innings

Jacksonville      00  0   00 —   0-  1-3

Lincoln             03(11) 2x — 16-15-2

Lagergren (L), Scott (3) & Seymour, J. Tobin (4); Maestas (W) & Rohrer.

[Bill Martinie]

LCHS freshman baseball vs. St. Teresa

[MAY 11, 2002]  Lincoln High School defeated St. Teresa 4-2 and 8-4 in freshman baseball action at Lincoln Thursday afternoon. 

Mike McCullen picked up the victory in the first game, working the first three innings and striking out two. Paul Phillips hurled the final four innings with a pair of strikeouts and earned the save. Phillips and Andrew Gilmore had a pair of hits for the Railers and each scored a run. Neil Rohrer, Kevin Carroll, Alex Dahm, Jaron Harnacke, Chris Boward and Casper each had one hit for Lincoln.

In the second game, Harnacke picked up the win with three innings of work and a pair of strikeouts. Dahm earned the save with two innings (it was a five-inning game) and one strikeout. McCullen collected a triple and scored a run, while Boward also collected a triple with a run scored. Phillips connected for a triple and a single with a run scored, while Rohrer had a pair of singles. Harnacke, Adye and Olson each had one hit for the Railers.

[Bill Martinie]

[MAY 11, 2002]

At Washington

Olympia                202 001 0 — 5-6-1

Washington           060 000 x — 6-9-3

For Olympia:  Jessie Shay (16-3), Amanda Wilson (4) and Amber Lessen.

Outstanding hitters:  Becky Hieser, 2 hits; Tiffany Prager, 2 RBI.

High school track:  Class A sectional

[MAY 11, 2002]  Olympia, Mount Pulaski and Warrensburg-Latham competed in the Class A girls sectional at Monticello yesterday.  This tournament was to determine which teams advanced to state.  In most events, the top two places advanced; although in some, there were more advancing.  In team totals, Olympia placed third with 83 points; Mount Pulaski placed ninth with 17 points; and Warrensburg-Latham placed 16th with 1 point.  They competed against Argenta-Oreana, Blue Ridge, Central Catholic, Clinton, Heyworth, LeRoy, Lexington, Monticello, Prairie Central, Ridgeview, Tri-Valley, University High and Williamsville.

Individual results

(* indicates advancement to state)

200 meters — 3. Prater (O), 27.1

400 meters — 4. Freshour (O), 1:03.3

800 meters — 4. Rader (O), 2:31.2

1,600 — 6. Floyd (O), 5:39.7

100 hurdles — 2. Hish* (O), 17.0; 6. Hentzen (O), 17.8

300 hurdles — 2. Hentzen* (O), 49.2

Long jump — 4. Naylor (MP), 15-1

High jump — 4. Crawford (O), 4-10

Shot put — 4. Sanders (MP), 32-1

Discus — 2. Cook* (O), 99-2

Pole vault — 3. Hentzen (O), 7-0

400 relay — 4. Mount Pulaski, 53.9; 5. Olympia, 54.5

800 relay — 3. Olympia 1:53.3

800 medley relay — 1. Olympia* (Bennett, Hish, Prater, Crawford)1:54.1

1,600 relay — 4. Olympia* (Boone, Hentzen, Crawford, Freshour), 4:13.8

3,200 relay — 1. Olympia* (Boone, Floyd, Westerfield, Freshour), 9:57.1

[MAY 10, 2002]  Go to the Illinois Elementary School Association website for a complete list of qualifiers: http://www.iesa.org/activities/tr/2002/qualifiers_a.asp

Railers rip Jacksonville
for conference victory

[MAY 10, 2002]  The Lincoln varsity baseball team was not kind to the Crimsons on their Senior Day at Jacksonville. After a nice introductory ceremony for their baseball graduates, Jacksonville witnessed an 11-5 defeat at the hands of the Railers, who moved their conference record to 6-5 and their season record to 14-14.

Lincoln got on the scoreboard in the first inning with two runs. Derek Schrader and Ryan Williams reached base (on a fielder’s choice and a walk) and scored on a two-out fly ball by Danny Schick that popped out of the center fielder’s glove. Lincoln didn’t score for three more innings, but when they did, it was big.

In the fourth inning the Railers exploded with seven runs on only three hits, aided by four Jacksonville errors. Mitch Sheley bunt-hit the bases loaded after Matt Boyer and Jeremy Ohmart got on base on an error and a walk. Derek Schrader grounded to short, but a throwing error to second base scored Boyer and Ohmart. Ryan Williams smacked a two-RBI double to right-center field, which brought in Sheley and Schrader. After a Mike Martin walk, Williams scored on a fielder’s-choice error off the bat of Blake Schoonover. And both Martin and Schoonover scored on a two-RBI single by Andy Knopp.

[Photos provided by Rich Knopp]
[Matt Boyer delivers his pitch. Mitch Sheley is shown at third.]

Two more Railer runs came across in the sixth inning. Blake Schoonover pulled a one-out double down the third baseline, and Mike Aper later drew a walk. With two outs, Matt Boyer further helped his own pitching win by locating a two-RBI single to left field.

The only early scoring for Jacksonville was from the bat of center fielder Chuck Gullant. Gullant hit two home runs in his first two at-bats, but that was the only Crimson scoring until the bottom of the seventh inning.

Matt Boyer started on the mound for Lincoln and yielded only three hits in addition to the home runs by Gullant. Boyer struck out seven and walked three. His effort was helped by a fifth-inning double play turned by Blake Schoonover, Andy Knopp and Ryan Williams. Boyer stranded three Crimsons on base in the sixth inning, after giving up a single and two walks. Boyer pitched extremely well, and the defense played another game without an error.

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In the seventh inning, junior Chris Gosda took over the pitching duties for Lincoln. Gosda discovered that Jacksonville was not ready to roll over and play dead. The first three batters whacked two doubles and a single. After a walk, a single and a hit batter, and with the score 11-5 with the bases juiced, coach Pat Hake made the Crimsons see a left-hander. Ryan Williams got the call to the mound and struck out the two batters he faced to finalize the conference victory.

[Ryan Williams (left) and Matt Boyer were very effective on the mound for the Railers. Boyer went six innings for the win.]

Although the overall Railer record just stands at .500, many from the Lincoln team are having excellent individual conference performances. Based on Central State Eight conference stats provided last week, seven Lincoln Railers are among the top 21 hitters in the conference. Ranging from .362 to .344 in conference play are Andy Knopp, Blake Schoonover, Danny Schick, Jeremy Ohmart, Mitch Sheley, Derek Schrader and Ryan Williams. That’s a pretty deep lineup! And Blake Schoonover, Matt Boyer, and Ryan Williams are among the top 20 conference pitchers in ERA.

Lincoln will get another shot at improving their conference record as they serve as hosts to Jacksonville on Friday, May 10. On Saturday, Lincoln will host a doubleheader against a very successful Olympia team, beginning at 10 a.m.

[Rich Knopp]

[MAY 10, 2002]

At Bloomington

Hartsburg-Emden         110 000 0 —   2-  9-4

Tremont                        300 404 x — 11-11-1

For Hartsburg-Emden:  Matt Gleason (5-3), Kyle Hoerbert (5) and Drew Olson, Matt Gleason (5).

[MAY 10, 2002]

At Stanford

Mahomet              000 000 —   0-  1-2

Olympia                222 301 — 10-12-0

For Olympia:  Amanda Wilson (10-1), Tricia Gaither (5) and Amber Lessen, Katie Tucker (5).

Outstanding hitters:  Brandi Short, 2 hits, double; Tricia Gaither, 3 hits, 2 RBI; Jessie Shay, 3 hits.

Outstanding pitcher:  Wilson, 4 IP, 1 H, 5 strikeouts.

[MAY 9, 2002]

At Mason City

A-C Central         000 113 1 — 6-10-2

Illini Central          001 000 1 — 2-  3-0

For Illini Central:  Brandon Grimsley (4-1), Josh McDaniel (7) and Travis Scott.

[MAY 13, 2002]  Just when the Cubs and Cards needed some games rained out, somehow they still got theirs in. And then the Cards go and tease their fans by making a miraculous comeback. We’ll see if either team can make any kind of move at all in the next two weeks.

Tonight’s matchup is a dandy for the purist: Chicago’s Kerry Wood and St. Louis’ Matt Morris embroiled in a pitcher’s duel. How ’bout a rainout tonight and then a spectacular doubleheader tomorrow?

•  Class A softball and baseball are nearing state, with AA not too far behind. Don’t know where the Lady Railers will be seeded. Baseball Railer coach Pat Hake has stated that his club could be numbered anywhere between fifth and 12th. Here’s hoping for the seed that will allow them to go deep. They do have the potential. I have a funny feeling that they may surprise the skeptics and have some real fun in the playoffs. Good luck to both and to all our area teams in the days ahead.

•  Blues lived up to my low expectations and died with an awful sound… or was that Funky Claude? I know it was the Red Wings, but c’mon? The last three years of pretty good hockey… and nothing to show for it?!

•  Still no word from the NCAA regarding ISU guard Tarise Bryson’s request for a sixth year of eligibility via a medical redshirt for last season. Glad I don’t work for the NCAA. They must really be busy. They’ve been sitting on this issue for months. The reality: They’re too busy counting their money! Note to the NCAA from the LDN: Give the kid a break! Or, if nothing else, let him get on with his life. What is all the suspense about? I guarantee you that if Bryson played for Duke, he’d have had a quick decision and probably would’ve been given two more years of eligibility!

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•  The LDN recently had the chance to speak to ISU guard Gregg Alexander, who really enjoyed his first year at the collegiate level. He thinks that the Redbirds could be even better next year! Wouldn’t it be great if ISU could be next year’s SIU and have a nice long dance?

•  With the business out at the college and with all the rain, there has been little time for golf so far this season. I did make it out the other day, and may I just say that the Elks course looks beautiful! If you’ve traveled around and played any courses in the area, please let me know your impressions of them. From time to time I’ll try to record them here or in a feature story on golfing in central Illinois. Is it just me or does it seem like there’s never enough time to play golf? If I’m ever elected king of the universe I promise to proclaim "golf days" early and often!

[Jeff Mayfield]

Announcements

[MAY 9, 2002]  There is still time to sign up for the scramble golf tournament scheduled for May 18 at the Atlanta Golf Course. Proceeds from the tournament are being used to help finance the Lincoln American Legion and the Lincoln Heat baseball teams.

Anyone interested in playing in the tournament should contact Bill Martinie at (217) 732-6951, Todd Courtwright at (217) 732-7886 or the Northgreens Golf Course at (217) 648-5500.

Cost to play in the tournament is $40 per player, which includes golf, golf cart, lunch and prizes. Prize money will be based on the number of teams participating. 

This is the first time the Legion and Heat organizations have combined for a fund-raiser. If successful, this will likely become an annual event.

[Bill Martinie]

[MAY 2, 2002]  Starting this summer, the Lincoln Area YMCA will offer a coed track-and-field program for youth 5 to 12 years old and teens 13 to 18 years old. Participants will learn the fundamentals of track and field, as well as stretching, warm-up and cool-down.

LCHS track-and-field coach Michelle Aeilts, along with other volunteers, will teach participants the benefits of building a strong body, mind and spirit through running.

This new program will be offered in two six-week sessions. Session A, June 3-July 8, is for teens, and Session B, July 15-Aug. 19, is for youth. The program will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the LCHS track.

For more information, call 735-3915 or (800) 252-3520.

[APRIL 17, 2002]  Central Illinois Select Soccer Club will have open tryouts for all interested players May 13-17, May 20-24, and June 17 and 19. Tryout dates and times for specific age groups are shown at www.cis-soccer.org/Tryouts/Tryouts.htm.   

All tryouts will be at Nord Field, located on Six Points Road, two miles west of Morris Avenue in Bloomington. More detailed directions are available at www.cis-soccer.org/Clubfolder/Facilities.htm. 

For more information about tryouts and CIS traveling soccer, visit the club’s website, www.cis-soccer.org.; e-mail Steve Berry, director of coaching and player development, at cissocceracademy@hotmail.com; or call (309) 378-4699.

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