Hillsboro High Sports | The Journal-News

Hillsboro's Ketch Mills went 2-for-3 with three runs scored in the Toppers' 10-0 win over Carlinville in the regional quarterfinal on Monday, May 13.

by Ron Deabenderfer It’s a neat event to witness when a team comes together, when an athletic group that had struggled for the past two seasons finally has a we-did-it-right moment. That … more

5/16/24

Eighteen athletes from the Hillsboro Junior High track program, coached by Tom Lunz and Brian Atkins, earned 14 qualifying berths for the IESA Class 3A State Finals in East Peoria on May 17-18. State qualifiers and alternates, in front, from the left, are Joe Lanter, Jackson Cunningham, Leland Armbruster, Cody Payne, Davis Tomei, Nolan Adams, Josiah Atkins, Hudson Wright and Rocco Romero. In the back are Gabriel Wells, Roman Reed, Piper Walk, Bailey Chappelear, Kaelin Cress, Aubrey Huber, Mia Wells and Alexa Compton.

Dragons Send 18 To State Meet

Eighteen Hillsboro Junior High athletes qualified for 14 events at the IESA Class 3A State Track Meet, which will be held at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria on May 17-18. The Dragons, who are … more

5/16/24

Lady Miners Stay Unbeaten In SCC

The Gillespie High School softball team clinched their fourth straight undefeated championship season in the South Central Conference on Thursday, May 9, at the expense of the Hillsboro Lady … more

5/16/24

Hillsboro freshman Jaida Linn elevates over the bar during the high jump at the Civic Memorial Sectional on Thursday, May 9. Linn went on to take first at the sectional, qualifying her for the IHSA Class 2A State Track and Field Championships on May 17, in Charleston.

Sectional Debut A Success, Headache For Toppers' Linn

Hillsboro High School freshman Jaida Linn earned her first sectional title and qualified for state on Thursday, May 9, at the Civic Memorial Sectional, but the win didn’t come without some … more

5/13/24

Litchfield's Daphney Hartel drew the attention of Hillsboro defender Zoey Spinner and her teammates Addison Compagni (#32) and Brynn Connor (right) during a run toward the goal during the second half of the regional semifinal in Hillsboro on May 10. After falling to Hillsboro 9-1 in last year's regional championship, Hartel and company beat the Lady Hiltoppers for the third time this year, winning 3-1 to advance to the regional championship against Alton Marquette on Tuesday, May 14, at 5 p.m.

Litchfield Moves On With Win Over Toppers

When Hillsboro and Litchfield met up in the girls soccer regional championship last year, it took Chloe Law just 89 seconds to put the Lady Panthers on the board, but the Lady Hiltoppers answered … more

5/13/24

Toppers Put Six In Top Three At Gillespie

The Hillsboro boys track team set ten new personal records and had six top three finishes on Friday, May 10, as they tied for fourth at the Gillespie Invitational. The Toppers finished the day with … more

5/13/24

Montgomery County Teams Compete In Jokisch-Grandone Invite

Prom had some athletes from Litchfield and Nokomis missing in action, but all three Montgomery County track programs were in Carlinvile on April 27, for the Jokisch-Grandone Invite. Ten new personal … more

5/13/24

Panthers Get Past Hiltoppers

With a nod to poet T.S. Elliot, one might say two neighboring teams ended their regular season baseball play on the opposite ends of the famous bang/whimper spectrum this past weekend. Litchfield … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 5/13/24

Tennis Toppers End Regular Season

The Hillsboro boys tennis team started the final week of the regular season on a high note as they defeated Roxana 8-1 on Monday, May 6. The Hiltoppers had the team win sewed up before doubles … more

5/13/24

Lady Toppers To Host Basketball Camp May 29-31

The Hillsboro High School girls basketball program will host their annual youth basketball camp on May 29-31, at the Hillsboro Junior High gym. Conducted by the players and coaching staff of the … more

5/13/24

Hiltopper Boys Basketball To Host Camp

The Hillsboro High School boys basketball program will host its annual basketball camp on June 24-25 at the Hillsboro Junior High School gym for players entering third through eighth grade. The … more

5/13/24

Hillsboro High School girls basketball coach Bret Tuetken was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 4, at Redbird Arena in Normal.

Tuetken Inducted Into IBCA Hall Of Fame

Hillsboro High School girls basketball coach Bret Tuetken has accomplished a lot in his 23 years at the helm of the Lady Hiltoppers: six South Central Conference championships, ten IHSA regional … more

5/9/24

Pictured above, in front, from the left are Lexi Downey, Isabella Collins, Sara Milanos and Aly Leisure. In the second row are Annabelle Wright, Rylie Jones, Zoey Spinner, Alexis Carlyle, Jesse Balla, Avery Reynolds and HHS Principal Patti Heyen. In back are Coach Marian Williams, Melissa Bell, Aubrey Reincke, Reagan Voyles, Chloe Martincic, Ryder Hoover and Claire Matthews. Not present for the photo were Lily Churchwell and Lilly Huber.

Topper Tennis Team Honored By IHSA

May is National Tennis Month, but that’s not the only reason members of the Hillsboro High School girls tennis team are celebrating. On Thursday morning, April 25, HHS Principal Patti Heyen … more

5/9/24

Hillsboro's Amelia Fuller (#31) tries to track down a loose ball during the the Lady Hiltoppers' game against Decatur St. Teresa on Thursday, May 2. With Hillsboro racking up ten goals on the night, some of the younger players on the roster, including Fuller's fellow freshman and first time goal scorer Aleigha Marburger, got the opportunity to play some varsity minutes in Hillsboro's 10-1 win.

Soccer Toppers Close Out Regular Season

In their final two games of the regular season, the Hillsboro girls soccer team experienced the ebbs and flows of parochial high school soccer as they took on Decatur St. Teresa on May 2 and Alton … more

5/9/24

Rhys Riggs (left) and Ryder Dettman teamed up to land three keepers weighing in at 8.84 pounds at the Sangchris Lake Sectional on Thursday, May 2, including a 5.5 pounder that earned Dettman big bass for the tourney. That was good overall and punched Hillsboro's ticket to the IHSA State Tournament for the second time in the program's history.

Toppers Heading Back To State

For the second time in the program's history, the Hillsboro High School bass fishing team is going to state. Ryder Dettman and Rhys Riggs, along with head coach and driver Mike Kershaw, landed … more

5/6/24

Four of the six singles matches in Hillsboro's home finale against Civic Memorial went to three sets on Thursday, May 2, including Eli Howard's win over Grant Shirley. Howard and Shirley split the first two matches before the Hillsboro junior scored a 10-6 win in the rubber match.

Eagles Sneak Past Toppers

Hillsboro’s final home tennis match of the season was about as close as one can get. The Toppers and the visitors from Civic Memorial were tied after singles play, but a 2-1 edge in doubles … more

5/6/24

Toppers Fall To Pana, Gillespie In SCC Play

Hillsboro’s baseball team played the last two games of the sixth week of the 2024 season on the road, traveling east on R. 16 Thursday, May 2, to Pana for a make up conference game before … more

5/6/24

Lady Hiltoppers Fall To Father McGivney, Pana

It was a tough end to the second to last week of the regular season for the Hillsboro High School softball team as they fell to Father McGivney and Pana by a combined score of 24-7 on May 1 and 2. … more

5/6/24

Staunton's Lilly Trettenero and Hillsboro's Samantha Page (center) and Amya Greenwood were in perfect sync going around the first turn during their heat of the 200 meter dash at the South Central Conference Championships on Tuesday, April 30, in Virden. Page finished second in the event, one of 11 top six finishes for the Toppers, while Greenwood was seventh by a hundredth of a second. Greenwood had her moment earlier in the day, taking first in the triple jump.

Hillsboro Girls Third At SCC Track Meet

“If we had a standout distance girl, they may have been close to second.” Coach Zach Reed was right in his analysis of the Hillsboro girls track team at the South Central Conference … more

5/2/24

Hillsboro's Kaeden Smith finished in the points in both hurdles events at the South Central Conference Championships on Tuesday, April 30, in Virden, placing fourth in the 110 meter hurdles and sixth in the 300 meter hurdles.

Toppers Snag Top 5 Finish At North Mac

The Hillsboro boys track team set eight new personal records and finished in the top five in the team standings at the South Central Conference Championships on Tuesday, April 30, in Virden. In … more

5/2/24