Sports | The Journal-News

The Hillsboro Junior High track team will head to East Peoria on Friday, May 22, for the IESA Class 3A State Track Meet after qualifying for four events. In front, from the left are Sophia Odle, Arianna McKinney, Violet Limbaugh, Josselyn Murray and Jaelyn Murray. In the back are Grayson Brewer, Alexis Young, Vincent Connor and Henry Shultz.

It’s state season for track athletes all over Illinois and nine Hillsboro Junior High athletes will be making the trip to this year’s IESA Class 3A State Meet at the EastSide Centre in East … more

5/21/26

We received a photo of the Litchfield boys track team celebrating their sectional championship pretty fast, almost as fast as the Panthers were on Wednesday night in Gillespie. Litchfield picked up nine state qualifying berths in eight events in Gillespie, giving them back-to-back sectional titles on the boys' side for the first time since they won five in a row between 2001 and 2005.

It's Wednesday, Do You Know Where Your Teams Are?

Wednesday high school sporting events are usually fairly rare, but it's May and that means all bets are off when it comes to scheduling the final games of the season. I cover 17 teams from four … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/21/26

Litchfield senior Titan Hires, pictured with his parents, Gregg and Kari Hires, will continue his education and athletic pursuits at Rockford University after graduation from Litchfield. Hires has been a fixture for the Litchfield baseball team, starting all 136 games for the Panthers in his four years at Litchfield High School.

Baseball Takes Hires To Rockford

For Titan Hires, baseball is more than a sport. It’s family. “The first baseball uniform I ever put on was a Litchfield Bullets jersey and my dad was my … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/21/26

From a raw talent to one of the top defenders in the conference, Brady Stritzel has come a long way in his four years playing for the Hillsboro High School boys soccer team. Now soccer has taken Stritzel a little further, to play for Blackburn College. Pictured with Stritzel are his parents, Andy and Tracey Stritzel, and Hillsboro boys soccer coach Jason Burke.

Stritzel's Efforts Earn Him Spot At Blackburn

It’s a different sport and a different town, but Hillsboro High School is sending another Stritzel to play in college. On Monday, May 11, Brady Stritzel committed to play soccer and continue … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/21/26

After being part of Lincolnwood’s first ever trap shooting club, senior Izeck Matli will have the same opportunity at Blackburn College, where he signed to be on the school’s first clay target shooting team after graduation. In front, from the left, are Ben, Izeck and Jaclyn Matli. In the back are Blackburn Head Coach Lauren Dunn and Lincolnwood Head Coach Phil Hampton.

Matli Gets His Shot With Blackburn

This year, Lincolnwood senior Izeck Matli helped get the Lancers’ trap shooting team off the ground. Next year, he gets to do the same at Blackburn College. On Friday, May 15, Matli signed to … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/21/26

Hawks Hold Off Lady Redskins

Meridian senior Ashley Schelling struck out seven and held Nokomis to just one hit in a 10-0 victory in five innings on Thursday, May 14. The Hawks improved to 21-7 with the win, while Nokomis … more

5/21/26

Pictured above, from the left are Lennox Cole, Macie Ferrill, Carli Gilpin, Gracie Arnold, Chevy Penrod, Layla Wagahoff, Jaylee Krager, Representative Wayne Rosenthal, Olivia Moore, Emery Meisner, Audrey Rovey, Jaylynne Carron, Claire McWard, Paizley Crawford, Cara Eggimann and Paislee Krager.

Mohawk Volleyball Honored At State Capitol

Members of the Morrisonville Junior High School volleyball teams were invited to the State Capitol building in Springfield on Tuesday, May 19. Representative Wayne Rosenthal introduced them on the … more

5/21/26

Litchfield-Mt. Olive’s Madison Rimar and Charlie Bono, shown here after their win on senior night over Father McGivney on May 13, played their last game for the Lady Panthers on Tuesday, May 19, as they fell to Gillespie 10-0 at the Tri-City Regional in Buffalo. Rimar set new career highs in runs, hits and RBIs during the season, while Bono was second on the team in batting average (.328), first in runs scored (19) and second in RBIs (11) for the Panthers.

Lady Panthers Bow Out Of Regional

The 2026 season came to an end for the Litchfield-Mt. Olive softball team on Tuesday, May 19, as the Lady Panthers fell to Gillespie 10-0 in the semifinals of the Tri-City Regional in Buffalo. … more

5/21/26

Tennis Toppers Take Down Shells

The Hillsboro High School boys tennis team made short work of Roxana on Thursday, May 14, beating the Shells 9-0 on their home courts. The closest of the six singles matches was the number six … more

5/21/26

Litchfield High School girls track coach Shane Cress and the Lady Panthers celebrate their sectional title after winning the sectional in Carlinville on Wednesday, May 13. The Panthers, who have won three sectionals in the last five years, finished the night with 11 qualifiers for the IHSA State Track Meet, which starts this Thursday, May 21, in Charleston.

Lady Panthers Dominate At Sectionals

It was a dominant night on the track for the Litchfield High School girls track team as they qualified for state in 11 different events as they ran away with their third sectional title in five … more

5/18/26

Hillsboro Girls Track Sending Seven To State

The Hillsboro High School girls track team qualified for state in just under half of their entries at the sectional in Carlinville on Wednesday, May 13, as the young squad continues to rewrite the … more

5/18/26

Engleman To Make Return To State Meet

After missing a trip to Charleston last year by the slimmest of margins, Nokomis senior Camryn Engelman is going back to the IHSA Class 1A State Track Meet for the second time in her career. … more

5/18/26

Nokomis' Blain Goodwin successfully evades the tag from Morrisonville catcher Tucker Armentrout in the third inning for the MSM Conference showdown on Thursday, May 21, in Morrisonville. Goodwin's run gave Nokomis a 3-1 lead at the time, but Morrisonville battled back to score a 4-3 win, with the go-ahead run scoring in the bottom of the seventh.

Mohawks Walk It Off Against Nokomis

Thursday’s game between Nokomis and Morrisonville-Lincolnwood was everything you would have expected to get from two teams locked in a late season fight for a conference title. Just two days … more

5/18/26

Litchfield Battles Back To Beat Morrisonville

Two big innings and a single run proved to be the difference maker when the Morrisonville-Lincolnwood Mohawks and the Litchfield Purple Panthers tangled on the diamond this past Wednesday, May 13. … more

5/18/26

Late Surge Pushes Toppers Past Cahokia

Two big innings helped Hillsboro score a 22-6 victory over Cahokia on Thursday, May 14, on the Comanches’ home field. Despite the final score, the game was close early on as Cahokia led 2-1 … more

5/18/26

After re-writing the record books during her four years at Nokomis High School, Kinley Stolte will be continuing her volleyball and academic career at Greenville University after graduation. Pictured with Stolte are her parents, Amy and Matt Stolte, and Nokomis volleyball Head Coach Megan Mehochko.

Stolte Set To Play For Greenville University

At times, it feels like Kinley Stolte has been a part of the Nokomis High School volleyball program forever. And for good reason, because... well, she has. The senior setter played every set for … more

5/18/26

Panthers End Regular Season With Win Streak

After winning their first South Central Conference game of the season on Tuesday, the Litchfield-Mt. Olive softball team kept the momentum and ended the regular season on a three-game win streak with … more

5/18/26

Panther Bats Boost Pastrovich's No-Hitter

Peak momentum at the tail end of the regular season is precisely what most managers hope to get out of their baseball team. A six-game winning streak may just prove that a roster is meshing perfectly … more

5/18/26

McGivney Snaps Purple Panthers Win Streak

After winning their last six games, the Litchfield-Mt. Olive Purple Panthers ran into a tough Father McGivney Griffins baseball squad on Saturday, May 16. The Griffins would take a 10-0 … more

5/18/26

Hillsboro's Gracie Chambers (#3) and Emma Andrews (#31) converge on Wesclin's Arely Diaz-Lopez during their game on Saturday, May 16, in Trenton. The Warriors scored five goals in the first half, en route to a 5-2 win over the Toppers in the regular season finale.

Strong First Half Lifts Warriors Past Toppers

May hasn’t been a great month for the Hillsboro High School girls soccer team, but the Lady Hiltoppers are hoping that home field advantage will change their fortunes around this coming week in … more

5/18/26