Litchfield High Sports | The Journal-News

Litchfield's Annika Rhodes goes up for a kill against the block of Addison Glenn (#10) and Becca Hill (#15) during the Lady Panthers' game against Nokomis on Thursday, Aug. 24, in Litchfield. Rhodes led the Panthers with nine kills, but the Redskins were able to collect their second victory of the year in a three-set thriller.

Had there been a marquee outside Simmons Gymnasium on Aug. 24, it would have read, “Sit back and enjoy the ride” as two Montgomery County volleyball rivals traded blows in a roller … more

8/28/23

County Boys Soccer Teams Ready To Kick Off Classic

All three Montgomery County boys soccer teams will be competing in the Kickoff Classic on Route 66, an early season tournament hosted by Carlinville and North Mac on Aug. 26-30. Hillsboro is in … more

8/24/23

Litchfield Golf Battle Tested At Rend Lake

Thursday’s Battle at Rend Lake proved to be aptly named as some of the state’s best boys golf teams unleashed some heavy artillery on Aug. 17, at Rend Lake Golf Course in Whittington. … more

8/21/23

With Litchfield's Keeley Tabor looking on, Hillsboro's Sam Frailey chips out of the sand trap during the Toppers' season opener in Staunton on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Frailey shot a 53 to finish third individually behind Staunton's Breanna Feeley (48) and Lilly Bandy (49). Tabor carded a 62 in her debut, one of four Litchfield players playing their first varsity match.

Litchfield, Hillsboro Open Up Girls Season

Six of the 10 South Central Conference girls golf teams were in Staunton on Tuesday, Aug. 15, with both Litchfield and Hillsboro opening up their season at Timber Lakes Golf Course. The Lady Panthers … more

8/17/23

Schwab Siblings Take Top Honors At Litchfield C.C.

Litchfield held the top three spots individually and picked up the team win in their home opener on Tuesday, Aug. 15, as the Panthers shot a 146 at the Litchfield Country Club. It was a case of … more

8/17/23

Lady Panthers Gear Up For Success In 2023

The official opening of the 2023 volleyball season was Aug. 9 and Litchfield Head Coach Kari Dragoo was greeted by 27 athletes who are eager to earn playing time and contribute to the success of the … more

8/17/23

The Litchfield Wrestling Foundation will be hosting its third annual cornhole tournament on Saturday, Sept. 2, with the proceeds benefitting former Panther wrestler Aaron Roach and his recovery from a motorcycle accident in June.

Cornhole Tournament To Benefit Roach’s Recovery

The proceeds from the third annual Litchfield Wrestling Foundation Cornhole Tournament will be going to benefit one of their own this year as the event is set for Saturday, Sept. 2. Litchfield … more

8/3/23

Montgomery County's all-conference baseball and softball players were Hillsboro's Anika Camp, Litchfield's Bella Roach; Hillsboro's Nathan Matoush, Litchfield's Carson Saathoff and Hillsboro's Ketch Mills.

Five Named To SCC All-Conference Teams

Five Montgomery County players were among those honored by the coaches of the South Central Conference on this year’s SCC all-conference baseball and softball lists. Hillsboro had three … more

7/20/23

White Shoots 95 At Championships

Carter White of Litchfield recently represented his school at the 2023 High School Clay Target League National Championship, which was held at the Michigan Trapshooting Association in Mason, MI, on … more

7/20/23

Litchfield Middle School student Allison Belusko, center, earned first place in the novice female division. She is pictured above with her coaches, Tom Melchert, at left, and Kyle “Hootie” Sutton.

Litchfield Pulls In Students With New Trap Shooting Teams

The Litchfield School District offered a new extra-curricular opportunity, trapshooting, for sixth through twelvth graders thanks to one local family’s Father’s Day tradition. On … more

6/26/23

Members of the Hillsboro High School girls soccer team who earned spots on the all-conference team were honored by Coach Dave Mattson during an end-of-season awards banquet on Tuesday, May 30, at the Hillsboro Sports Complex. From the left are third team all-conference members Ava Pollard and Allie Kuhns; second team all-conference members Avery Walden, Sierra Compton and Isabella White; and first team all-conference honorees Sally Mattson and Kinley Richardson.

Ten From County Earn All-SCC

Seven Hillsboro players and three Litchfield players earned all-conference accolades from the girls soccer coaches of the South Central Conference by virtue of their play this past season. … more

6/1/23

Keenan Powell's third jump of 12.85 meters in Thursday's preliminary round of the IHSA Class 1A State Finals was enough to get him to Saturday's final round, but the Litchfield High School junior had bigger plans for the finale. Powell jumped 13.43 meters (44'0.75") in his first of three jumps on May 27 to break the school record and finish third overall in the triple jump.

Powell, Quarton Add To Newkirk's Legacy

Even after 31 years of making the trek from Litchfield to Charleston, no matter how hard Dan Newkirk tried to think otherwise he knew that this year was different. “My thought was to keep … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/30/23

The Litchfield Middle School 4x200 meter relay team ran a 1:55.67 to take the top spot at the IESA State Finals Track Meet on May 20, in East Peoria, by 1.27 seconds over Mercer County. Above, from the left, are Kilee Hoover, Jada Carroll and Emma Weidner, with the fourth member of the relay, Lydia Gruelle pictured on the right during the Mid-State Conference meet. The state title was one of five state medals for the Litchfield girls, with the Litchfield boys bringing home five more.

Litchfield Medal Haul Includes Another Title

For the second year in a row, the Litchfield Middle School girls track team is coming home with a championship from the IESA Class 3A State Finals, but this year, the four young athletes get to … more

5/25/23

It was a trip to remember for the Litchfield Middle School boys track team as the Panther Cubs brought home five medals from state, matching the five earned by their female counterparts. Above, from the left, are Jalen Stewart, Ryker Witt, Andrew Boston and Jaxon Ray, who finished second in the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays, with the 4x400 squad setting a new school record at 4:01.30.

Panthers' Trip To State Not Short On Storylines

Feel free to pick a highlight from the Litchfield Middle School boys’ track team’s trip to the IESA State Finals on May 19-20. You could go with the 4x400 relay, which finished … more

5/25/23

For the fifth time in the program's history, a Litchfield High School female athlete medalled in the 300 meter hurdles at the IHSA State Finals. Kendall Stewart, above, placed second at this year's meet, running a personal-best 45.21.

Stewart Second At State

The goal going into the 2023 track season was simple for Litchfield’s Kendall Stewart. On Saturday, May 20, that goal was accomplished as Stewart finished second in the 300 meter hurdles at the … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/22/23

Litchfield's Kaden Bergman and Auburn's Treshaun Lancaster sprint to the next handoff of the 4x200 relay at the IHSA Class 1A sectional in Gillespie on Thursday, May 18. Bergman and teammates Martavious Jones, Zach Leitschuh and Easton Grammer finished fifth overall in a time of 1:38.49.

Quarton, Powell, Painter Punch Ticket To State

If you were asked to predict three members of the Litchfield High School boys track team to qualify for state, Camden Quarton and Keenan Powell would probably be your first two guesses. And they … more

5/22/23

With 21 entries between the Litchfield Middle School boys and girls teams, the IESA Class 3A State Finals track meet will have a purple glow to it on May 19-20. In front, from the left, are Coach Victoria Knoche, Hailey Green, Lana Cress, Maggie Schwab, Lydia Gruelle, Leighton Warchol, Ryker Witt,Jaxon Ray, Hudson Walker and Nick Fetter. In the back row are Coach Stephanie Short, Jennah Longwell, Kilee Hoover, Ava White, Gabbi Jarden, Emma Weidner, Jada Carroll, Amari Vickery, Jalen Stewart, Andrew Boston, Lukas Paine, Troy Masinelli, Coach Drew Logan and Coach Vincent Fanelli.

Lady Panthers Have IESA Seeing Purple

East Peoria will be a sea of purple this weekend as the Litchfield Middle School girls track team invades the EastSide Centre for the IESA State Finals track meet. The Lady Panthers have 14 … more

5/18/23

Litchfield Boys Hoping For Record Breaking State Run

The Litchfield Middle School boys track team will be busy this weekend as they send seven entries to the IESA Class 3A State Finals in East Peoria on May 12-13. The Panther Cubs punched their … more

5/18/23

Litchfield's Emma Walch takes a cut at Anika Camp's offering from the circle during the regional quarterfinal game between the Purple Panthers and Hillsboro on Monday, May 15. Walch, one of four seniors on the Litchfield squad caught the pitch square and sent it over the fence for the final two runs in the Panthers' 7-3 victory over the Lady Hiltoppers in Greenville.

Panthers Knock Off Hillsboro At Regional

It took a few innings, but once the Litchfield-Mt. Olive softball team got rolling on Monday in Greenville, they were hard to stop. The Panthers overcame an early 1-0 deficit to score seven runs … more

5/18/23

Wildcats Shut Down Panther Bats

After knocking off Hillsboro on Monday to advance to the regional semifinals, the focus of the Litchfield-Mt. Olive softball team immediately switched to Tuesday’s game against Salem. The … more

5/18/23