Sports | The Journal-News

Link Doesn't Miss Much In Win Over Hiltoppers

When the Gillespie Miners came to Hillsboro for conference baseball play Friday afternoon, May 5, two teams from the opposite ends of the win/loss spectrum met; Gillespie carried the banner of an … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 5/8/23

Litchfield racers Corey Wood (left) and Dustin Bryant took first in the Box and No Box classes at the Central Illinois Dragway in Havana on Saturday, Aug. 12, with Wood beating Bryant in the final.

Litchfield Gang Lands In Winner’s Circle

It was a good day at the track for the Litchfield Gang at Central Illinois Dragway in Havana on Aug. 12. Litchfield racers Corey Wood and Dustin Bryant took first in both the Box and No Box … more

8/21/23

Lady Redskins Bounce Back With Win

After losing their first conference game of the year on Tuesday, the Nokomis High School volleyball team bounced back on Thursday, Sept. 28, at Mt. Olive. The Redskins improved to 4-1 in the MSM … more

10/2/23

Four Hiltoppers Medal At Rocket Invite

Despite some adverse circumstances and solid competition, the Hillsboro High School wrestling team put four wrestlers on the podium at the Rocket Invite in Rochester on Saturday, Jan. 20. Senior … more

1/25/24

Above are the eight young hurlers who toed the rubber in their team's 10 a.m. games, which were determined by a razor-thin margin, with the largest final deficit a 3-0 affair. From the left are Litchfield's Laynie Wyatt and Tate Dobrinich, Nokomis' Reaghan Jonas and Drake Taylor, Hillsboro's Anika Camp and Dylan Lessman and Lincolnwood's Taryn Millburg and Jonah Elvidge.

Annnd Here's The Pitch...

If you stood in the right place at the Hillsboro Sports Complex on Saturday, April 13, you could see all eight Montgomery County high school baseball and softball teams without taking another step, … more

4/15/24

Tri-City Holds Off Lincolnwood In Rematch

Two days after falling to Tri-City 11-1 in Raymond, the Lincolnwood-Morrisonville baseball team tried to return the favor on the Tornadoes’ home field on Thursday, May 4. After falling behind … more

5/8/23

Washville racer Travis Lentz was third in Youth Bikes at the National Racing Association’s Amateur National XC Championships in Springville, IN, on Aug. 12, while fellow Montgomery County rider Cooper Duff was seventh.

Area Riders Roll At National Championships

The first ever Amateur National XC Championship was held at Lawrence County Recreational Park in Springville, IN, on Aug. 12-13, and several racers from the J-N Motorsports area made their presence … more

8/21/23

Nokomis Volleyball 'Tries' To Pick Up MSM Victory

It was homecoming week at Nokomis High School and as it turned out, it was a bad week for “Tri-” things. On Friday, Sept. 22, the Nokomis football team defeated Tri-County 42-0, but the … more

9/25/23

Duncan Fuehne, grandson of Bob Fuehne of Hillsboro, was named the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association’s 2022-23 national Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Sept. 14.

Fuehne Named National Scholar Athlete

The grandson of one Hillsboro resident has made an impact at the Colorado School of Mines, both in the classroom and in the cross country and track world. Duncan Fuehne, grandson of Bob Fuehne of … more

10/2/23

Lady Lancers Advance In Consolation Round

The Lincolnwood-Morrisonville girls basketball team held Granite City to single digits in three of the four quarters as they advanced to the next round of the Lady Hawk Invitational in Carrollton … more

1/25/24

With teammate Elise Walch backing up the play from left field, Litchfield-Mt. Olive shortstop Charlie Bono camps underneath out number one in the seventh inning of the championship game of the inaugural Montgomery County Softball Tournament. The Lady Panthers went on to defeat Nokomis 8-4 to capture the title, with the Litchfield baseball team accomplishing the same feat just across the way at the Hillsboro Sports Complex on Saturday, April 13.

Litchfield Softball Makes The Most Of Title Shot

Both Litchfield-Mt. Olive and Nokomis knew going into the championship game of the inaugural Montgomery County Softball Tournament just how important it was to make the most of their limited … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 4/15/24

Nokomis Girls Track Fourth At Sullivan

The Nokomis High School girls track team picked up 47 points and had an impressive fourth place finish at the Redskin Invitational in Sullivan on Tuesday, May 2. Nokomis finished in the top six 10 … more

5/8/23

Beal Tries To Stay In The Hunt At Coles County

After a weekend off to start the month of August, Farmersville’s Addy Beal and the BadAddytude Racing team were back at Coles County Dragway on Saturday, Aug. 12, for the Terry Luechtefeld … more

8/21/23

Pawne Superintendent Tim Kratochvil, a standout at Mt. Olive High School and a SIU-C Hall of Fame baseball player, passed away Saturday, Sept. 23. He was 49.

Sports, School Communities Mourn Loss Of Kratochvil

The Pawnee community and beyond is reeling after the unexpected death of Superintendent Tim Kratochvil on Saturday, Sept. 23. A candlelight vigil was held Sunday night in front of Pawnee High School … more

9/25/23

Lincolnwood Girls Pick Up Two Wins

The Lincolnwood-Morrisonville girls golf team closed out their regular season schedule Monday, Sept. 25, on a high note as they picked up two more wins to improve to 17-4 on the season going into … more

10/2/23

Eagles Escape Toppers In Rematch

When Bethalto Civic Memorial’s Eagles visited Hillsboro Tuesday night, Jan. 23, Topper pride was on the line. The Eagles had defeated the home team by twenty points exactly a week before in the … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 1/25/24

With Nokomis' Blain Goodwin leading off first behind him, Litchfield's Ethan Saathoff finishes off his delivery to home plate in the sixth inning of the championship game of the Montgomery County Baseball Tournament on Saturday, April 13, in Hillsboro. Saathoff was nearly unhittable in the title game, allowing just two hits in six and two-thirds innings as the Panthers avenged last year's loss in the championship with a 4-0 victory over the Redskins.

It's Litchfield's Turn For The Title

After falling to Nokomis in the championship game of the Montgomery County Tournament last year, Litchfield Head Baseball Coach Rocky Giannuzzi stopped his team from gathering up their things and had … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 4/15/24

Vandals Take Two From Purple Panthers

After rattling off four straight wins, the Litchfield Purple Panthers’ win streak would come to an end Thursday, May 4, in Vandalia. The Vandals put six runs on the board in the first three … more

5/8/23

Everett Fourth At Wayne City

Litchfield racer Bodee Everett picked up his second top five of the season at the Wayne County Speedway as he finished fourth at the track in Wayne City on Aug. 12. Everett started second in his … more

8/21/23

Lancers Breeze To Win Against Hawknadoes

The Lincolnwood defense and goalkeeper Carson Contreras recorded their ninth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over the Riverton/Tri-City boys soccer team. The Hawknadoes, as they are unofficially … more

9/25/23