In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello overcame a slow start and pulled away in the third quarter for a 21-6 season-opening win over IVC from Chillicothe Friday night in Illini Prairie Conference high school football action.

The Sages and Grey Ghosts played to a scoreless first quarter, but IVC started the second quarter with a first-and-goal from the nine-yard line when junior quarterback Keegan Schol scored from nine yards out for a 6-0 lead.

Monticello would answer, but not until the 2:34 mark of the second quarter when Nolan Buehnerkemper found Zeke Young for an 86-yard touchdown to give Monticello a 7-6 lead, a lead they would not give back.

Monticello went up 14-6 in the third quarter when Buehnerkemper scored from ten yards out on a quarterback run.

Just before the third quarter expired, Forrest Rawdin returned a blocked punt 18 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-6 Monticello. 

It was a sloppy game from both teams. Schol finished 7-for-17 with 68 yards passing and two interceptions for IVC. He rushed for 50 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown.

Buehnerkempr was 15-for-26 for 191 yards with a touchdown but three interceptions for the Sages. He also rushed for 34 yards on 11 carries with a score.

Young hauled in four catches for 107 yards for the Sages with a touchdown. 

IVC was penalized 11 times for 68 yards, while Monticello was penalized nine times for 65 yards. 

The Sages start the season 1-0. They will host Tolono Unity next Friday night for their home opener. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, the Central A&M Raiders defeated the Clinton Maroons by a score of 42-6. 

 

The Maroons were led by Keaton Graves, who scored their only touchdown of the evening on a 12-yard rush late in the 4th quarter. He did not complete a pass for positive yards; however, he rushed for a total of 74 yards. Cash Tanner added 25 yards while Josh Bass had 24. 

 

The Raiders were led by Emett Stenger, who threw for 206 yards and rushed for 14; he threw three touchdowns.  Victor Ravelo added two touchdowns and 113 yards, while Aiden Sites also had a touchdown and contributed with 109 yards. Jhett Smith added a rushing touchdown and 30 yards. 

 

With the loss, the Maroons fall to 0-1 while Central A&M improves to 1-0. 

 

Tune in next week as Clinton travels to Warrensburg-Latham, hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM. 
 

The Monticello Sages' magical run to the State Finals last season is undoubtedly an unforgettable memory, but now this year's team is hungry to keep the success rolling.

Monticello opens its new season at IVC in Chillicothe tonight. Coach Cully Welter has been pleased with the way his team has worked this summer and fall and is not coming into the year complacent.

According to Coach Welter, his team will be inexperienced on both sides of the ball, but there are plenty of players who should stand out this year.

IVC should offer the Sages a good week-one test. While some of the mainstays from their teams in recent years have graduated, Coach Welter indicates the size of the Grey Ghosts will present a challenge.

Game time is 7 pm tonight. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

The Clinton High School football team graduated quite a few seniors last season, so now they will lean on returning players, highlighted by their 4-year starters Keaton Graves and Josh Bass, to lead their young group. 

Head Coach Ron Bass told Regional Radio that while their numbers are down this year, his team has shown up during the summer, and he looks forward to seeing what they're capable of during the season. 

When it comes to philosophy, Coach Bass has been telling his kids to trust the process. While they may be faced with hardship this season, he is focused on being better at the end of the season than they are at the start. 

The Maroons are slated to start the season at home versus Central A&M, and Coach Bass explains that he looks forward to getting to show off their new facilities to begin the year. He feels like this will be a good matchup for his boys. 

Clinton takes on Central A&M tonight in Clinton, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 PM. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms, tune in for pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 PM. 

Monticello will utilize their group of returning players as an advantage this year. 
Monticello Volleyball Coach Kim Allison says that she has seven seniors on her team, and they have all done a great job of setting the culture and welcoming in the new players. She believes her team is very well-rounded and will have lots of contributors.  With many of the students being on the varsity squad since their sophomore year, Coach Allison says her players have seen the high highs and the low lows. While they know things may get tough, she says they are on a mission.  Coach Allison calls this team "hungry and humble." The Monticello volleyball season is already underway, and the Sages have a current record of 1-1. They take on Maroa-Forsyth this evening at 7:00 PM in Maroa.  
 

Dedicated is how one local cross-country coach described her group of runners this year. 

Clinton cross-country coach Rachel Anderson-Lyons explains that her athletes do a great job of getting runs in outside of practice, despite having a rather young team. Age aside, Clinton's boys finished higher last year than any cross country team in school history. 

Coach Anderson-Lyons explains that physical maturity plays a big part in the development of runners, so combined with the success of last year, she expects her kids to have a great season. 

It's easy to forget that cross-country is a team sport, but Coach Anderson-Lyons says her athletes have a lot of camaraderie and do a great job of investing in each other. She adds that her senior leadership has been outstanding. 

This Saturday night, the Clinton cross-country team will participate in the Light It Up Meet, which started during COVID. Following the meet will be a fireworks show. 

The Light It Up meet begins at 7:00 PM. Varsity boys will begin at 7:40, and Varsity girls will start at 8:15 PM. 

The Central A&M football program begins the 2025 football season with a bit of momentum behind it.

The Raiders made the postseason in 2024, finishing 5-5 overall, but they struggled with numbers. Coach Brent Weakly indicates that when Okaw Valley and Sullivan ended their co-op, A&M was happy to inquire about a new co-op. He calls it a fun, enjoyable group to be with. 

The Raiders only graduated four seniors from last year's team, so they bring back a lot of experience. Coach Weakly is excited about the experience with his skill positions, but notes that a lot of it comes down to how well they play up front.

Coach Weakly says it has been great to see his kids and the Okaw Valley kids start to mesh and become one unit during the July competition season.

Central A&M starts the season at Clinton on Friday night before its home opener against Shelbyville on Sept. 5. 

One of the most team-oriented groups he's ever had is how one central Illinois football coach is describing his team this year.

Coach Clay Haurberg has had to rebuild the Argenta-Oreana football program from nearly square one since COVID and believes this year's group has the right mindset to be successful.

Coach Haurberg returns several key components to last year's team - including a three-year starting quarterback. He is very excited to see what this group can do.

According to Coach Haurberg, this senior class was one of the early groups he had that had to see a lot of playing time at the varsity level when perhaps they were not ready for it because he was trying to build the program back up.

The Bombers start the regular season at Nokomis and Toledo-Cumberland before their first home game with Arcola on Sept. 12. 

Bringing back a quarterback and most of your offensive line from the year before will make any high school football coach excited - but bringing it back from a state runner-up team will make for big expectations.

Maroa-Forsyth Football Coach Josh Jostes is also excited because he is bringing back an entire defense with multiple starters from last year.

The Trojans' offensive line should size between 200-225 pounds. While not annually a big team up front, Coach Jostes doesn't mind that because he wants his front line to be good athletes for his notorious screen game.

Maroa-Forsyth will look for those mismatches on offense and defensively, while experienced, Coach Jostes notes there are some spots they start the year a little thin.

Coach Jostes anticipates the Sangamo to be another formidable conference this year.

The Trojans host Athens to start the season next Friday. 

The Clinton boys' and girls' golf teams took home top honors at a tri-meet with Shelbyville and Ramsey at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Findlay Wednesday afternoon.

Sophomore Riley Keelin was the low-scorer for the Lady Maroons with a 48. Riley Fentress shot a 53, and Leah Mills carded a 54. 

On the boy's side, Griffin Utterback and Carter Cothern scored career lows with a pair of 40s. Briley Carter carded a 41, and Grady Douglas shot a 42. Ryan Pine and Evan Newberg each finished with 43s.

The boy's team won by 12 strokes, finishing with a 163 to Ramsey's 175 and Shelbyville's 203.

The Lady Maroons finished 30 strokes ahead of Shelbyville with a 217. 

The golfers return to Eagle Creek on Monday.

 

A new wave of players will have their numbers called this fall to lead a longtime successful football program.

Shelbyville football coach Bill Duckett says the Rams will lean on a new wave of talent this fall as the Rams graduated a strong group of seniors last year.

Because of the talent he has, Coach Duckett indicates his team will likely be a little more run-oriented than they have been in the past. The scheme will look the same, but the playcalling may not.

For Coach Duckett, his seniors this year are stepping up from a leadership perspective and making the most of the opportunity they have.

Coach Duckett's team isn't shying away from the tradition of making the postseason in Shelbyville and says they are focused on getting back.

 

The LeRoy Panther football program experienced some great success the last few years, led by a dynamic group of players that graduated in 2025.

Coach BJ Zeleznik is now working to mold a new wave of talent that will be inexperienced, but that doesn't mean the expectations change.

The Panthers have nearly 30 players between the sophomore and junior classes, and Coach Zeleznik indicates there's been good growth in that group this summer.

Coach Zeleznik still believes in his team and indicates they have the ability to be a good football team, but will have to limit the mistakes of a young, inexperienced football team.

The Panthers host Ridgeview-Lexington to open the season next Friday.

 

Clinton Golf Coach John Reynolds has been at the helm of the golf program for three years now and is starting to see the fruits of a lot of labor come to fruition.

A lot of work by his players is starting to show up on the golf course, and Coach Reynolds is really excited about the team he is working with this fall.

Coach Reynolds has been focused on getting to know the kids and understanding what is happening with their game. 

The Maroons boys and girls squads have already jumped into the competition season. Coach Reynolds says the season begins the same week as tryouts.

 

Having seemingly tried everything, a central Illinois football coach took a unique path with his program this summer.

While they did the usual 7 on 7 competitions, hit the weight room, and participated in joint practices, Dee-Mack head football coach Cody Myers turned to the psychological side of life and brought in a mental coach to work with his staff and players this summer.

While graduating nine seniors and bringing back most of his offensive line from last year, Coach Myers indicates those kids were two-way players. He is looking for a few guys to step up and make their mark not only for the Chiefs, but in the Heart of Illinois Conference.

One of the unique things about this group is how they care for the Dee-Mack football program and the community. Coach Myers says that is a unique attribute and makes this one of his favorite groups he's had.

For the Indians, the goal this year is to play a playoff game at home.

The Chiefs start the season at Eureka and Tremont before hosting El Paso-Gridley for its home opener on Sept. 12.

 

Returning a majority of an offensive line is going to bring a lot of comfort to a high school football program, and for last year's eight-win Eureka Hornets, that combination has them believing this could be another exceptional year.

Coach Jason Bachman indicates he also brings back a tailback with a great deal of experience and is hoping those two in tandem will be a spark for their team that is otherwise pretty inexperienced.

Coach Bachman saw real growth from kids who lacked experience. The Hornets really challenged themselves going up against perennial powers in the high school football landscape in Illinois. He believes his team needs to be a cohesive unit if they are going to be successful.

Controlling the line of scrimmage and being disciplined are going to be keys for the Hornets to be successful this year.

Eureka hosts Dee-Mack to open the year on Aug. 29.

 

In a game heard on WHOW, Luis Robert Jr. homered to spark a six-run fourth inning and the Chicago White Sox beat the Atlanta Braves 13-9 on Monday night.

Robert followed Andrew Benintendi's leadoff single against a struggling Spencer Strider with his 13th homer to put Chicago up 3-0. 

Mike Tauchman drove in two with a bases-loaded double, and Lenyn Sosa's two-out RBI single made it 7-0.

Brooks Baldwin hit his eighth home run, a leadoff shot in the third to give Chicago the lead. 

Sosa hit his 17th homer, a three-run drive off Austin Cox in the sixth for a 10-1 advantage. 

White Sox rookie RHP Shane Smith (3-7, 4.01 ERA) starts Tuesday opposite Braves RHP Bryce Elder (5-9, 5.89). Hear tonight's action on WHOW. 

Kyle Teel and Benintendi both had four of Chicago's 19 hits.

Yoendrys Gómez (3-1) allowed four runs in five innings for the win in his second career start. Grant Taylor pitched a scoreless ninth to close it out.

 

Back-to-back winless seasons have left the Tremont football program in shambles, but first-year coach Joe Hageman is hoping to build confidence in his kids this season.

The Turks haven't won a game since they went 2-7 in 2022. Despite the struggles, Coach Hageman says it isn't slowing down the motivation of his players.

Despite the struggles, Coach Hageman believes his team is poised for a positive step forward this season. He says numbers remain good and the cupboard is certainly not void of talent.

Last year's season was largely uncompetitive for the Turks, with few games within even two or three touchdowns. Coach Hageman believes this season could have a lot of confidence-building in just being competitive.

Tremont will open the season taking on GCMS on Aug. 29. 

With the 2025 fall sports practice season underway, Bloomington High School will be leaning on experience to get the Purple Raiders back to the postseason.

Coach Niall Mulcahy is very excited about his returning receivers from last year's 8-3 team but he also has some anchors elsewhere on the field that should play pivotal roles this season.

While there are places on the field with plenty of experience, there are some position battles that will play out leading up to the opener on Aug. 29. Coach Mulcahy says it is an opportunity for kids to show the work they have put in.

Coach Mulcahy enjoys this group of players he has and looks forward to the things they will be able to do this season.

It is the goal of Bloomington High to get back to the postseason. Coach Mulcahy says his team put the work in during the offseason.

The Purple Raiders open the season hosting Danville. 

 

In a game heard on WHOW, Yoendrys Gómez struck out seven in five innings, Edgar Quero had three hits and three RBIs, and the Chicago White Sox scored five runs in the fifth inning in a 9-6 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

Detroit starter Jack Flaherty and Gómez (1-1) traded three scoreless innings before Wenceel Pérez broke through for the Tigers in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Kerry Carpenter.

Chicago tied the game in the fifth inning on an infield single from Curtis Mead that drove in Kyle Teel. 

Colson Montgomery also had a two-run single in the inning. Brant Hurter took over in relief of Flaherty (6-12) and walked in another run.

Luis Robert, Jr. followed with a run-scoring hit.

The White Sox loaded the bases again in the sixth inning, and Codi Heuer walked Andrew Benintendi to score a run and make it 6-1.

Quero put the Tigers away with a solo home run in the seventh inning that put the White Sox up 7-3.

Quero also hit a two-run single in the eighth.

RHP Shane Smith (3-7, 4.22 ERA) will take the mound for the White Sox on Wednesday, while the Tigers have yet to announce a starter for the series finale. The White Sox return to the WHOW airwaves on Friday.

 

After a dynamic couple of senior classes graduated, Normal Community is looking to the next wave of talent to continue its winning tradition.

The Ironmen, winners of back-to-back Big 12 Conference titles, will go for their third straight conference title this season, but Coach Jason Drengwitz says it's going to be up to a new cast of young players asked to carry the mantle.

Coach Drengwitz usually takes the summer slow with his program and uses a lot of the practice and competition season to do evaluations of what he has. While a lot of big holes to fill, he was never tempted to push the kids a little harder.

For the Ironmen, this is a group that works hard, and Coach Drengwitz says they hold each other accountable. Because of having so many new faces on each side of the ball, it is hard to tell right now where the team will excel. 

To be successful this season, Coach Drengwitz believes his team has to stay healthy. As the fall practice season begins, he hopes his team increases the intensity with which they practice.

Normal Community opens the season Aug. 29, hosting Peoria Richwoods. Like a lot of schools, the Ironmen take the home opener opportunity to honor the seniors on senior night.

 

The high school football season gets going this week with the first week of fall practices.

 

Normal West High School is going to be leaning on a lot of depth this fall. Coach Nate Finchum says their season started with a slow buildup this summer. It was a different approach for the Wildcats.

 

 

For Normal West, depth will be one of its strengths, and while that can be a challenge to make sure everyone gets their touches and their reps, Coach Finchum also notes it can be a positive if they find themselves battling injuries.

 

 

While the Wildcats had a slow buildup throughout the offseason, Coach Finchum indicates these first few weeks are going to be about getting back to basics.

 

 

To get back to the postseason, Coach Finchum says his Wildcats will have to have strong efforts from their defense. On the offensive side of the football, Normal West will need to take care of the football and find a way to make sure their playmakers stay involved.

 

Normal West opens the season on Aug. 29, taking on Peoria Notre Dame.

 

In a game heard on WHOW, Lenyn Sosa and Colson Montgomery homered and the Chicago White Sox snapped a six-game skid with a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday

 

 

Chicago starter Davis Martin (4-9) allowed five hits and three earned runs in five innings, with three walks and two strikeouts. Grant Taylor earned the save.

 

Mead, in his sixth game with the White Sox, hit an RBI double in the third to extend the lead to 4-0 in the third.

 

 

Chicago has led the league in home runs since the All-Star break with 42.

 

The White Sox have not named a starter for their home series against the Tigers on Monday. Detroit will go with RHP Chris Paddack (4-10, 4.91 ERA).

Nolan Gorman singled home the winning run, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs to wrap up their three-game series Sunday night.

In the seventh, Jordan Walker singled with two outs. He stole second and scored when Gorman singled to right field to knock Shota Imanaga (8-5) out of the game.

Imanaga went 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. He gave up the three runs on four hits.

Sonny Gray (11-5) threw seven innings to earn the win. He allowed two runs on five hits, struck out seven and walked one.

JoJo Romero pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to record his third save despite giving up a walk and two singles in the ninth. Pinch-runner Jon Berti was caught stealing for the second out. After two hits, Romero got Matt Shaw to ground into a fielder's choice to escape the jam.

Shaw pulled Chicago even at 2-2 with a home run into the left field bullpen in the fifth.

Pedro Pagés gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead when he homered after Thomas Saggese led off the third inning with a single.

In the fourth inning, Pete Crow-Armstrong singled with one out. He stole second for his 30th steal. But then he was picked off by Gray, who threw to shortstop Masyn Winn.

The Cardinals are 13-2 in Gray’s 16 home starts this season. That is the best home team record for any starting pitcher in MLB this season. Overall, the Cardinals are 18-6 in his 24 starts this season, tied with Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez for the best team record for any pitcher with 20 or more starts.

Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (6-9, 5.11 ERA) starts against the Rockies on Monday.

The Cubs visit Toronto on Tuesday to face RHP José Berríos (8-4, 3.89).

A dynamic senior group departs the Normal U-High football program, and now it is up to those next on the depth chart to maintain the high standard set after a record-setting year for the program.

Coach Brody Walworth took over a program that had a lot of rebuilding to do, and while he knew last year's seniors were a dynamic group capable of great things, he didn't see it as waiting on them to bring the program to new heights.

With some big spots to find new faces for, Coach Walworth approached the summer no differently than any other. He indicates that this summer, there was probably more teaching and coaching than in other years.

According to Coach Walworth, there will be a really dynamic group of playmakers he will be able to turn to this season. He calls his offense very downhill.

Defensively, the Pioneers return half of their defense from last season, and Coach Walworth is looking for big things from that group.

Normal U-High opens the season at Peoria Manual. 

The Washington football program has been top dog in the Mid-Illini Conference the last few years but this year, with integral parts of those two teams graduated, the challenge will be to maintain that place at the top.

Coach Todd Stevens indicates they spent the summer challenging kids and taking advantage of the competition season with some top-tier programs in central Illinois.

In the midst of that competition, Coach Stevens saw his kids get better. An emphasis was put on giving back, and he felt his kids embraced that this summer.

While he has a lot of positions with holes to fill, Coach Stevens has a lot of returning players that he is excited about and a quarterback battle that has been very fruitful this summer.

With competition stiff in the Mid-Illini this year and several programs with multiple standout athletes, that place at the top is going to be a fight for Coach Stevens' Panthers. 

Washington opens the season at Niles Notre Dame. 

 

Bringing excitement to Decatur's south side is the goal is this year for Decatur Eisenhower's football program.

Fourth-year coach DaJuan Johnson admits football hasn't always been prioritized by its students, but that is starting to change, and it is his belief the program can turn a corner this year, thanks to a great summer by his athletes.

While Eisenhower finished just 1-8 last year, there were a couple of football games the Panthers were right there. Coach Johnson says thanks to this summer, where he had excellent participation from his players, he feels they are developing and ready to hit the ground running when practices for the season begin next week.

Coach Johnson's Panthers are led by a third-year starting quarterback. He is hopeful some of the experience and speed around him will be the catalyst to winning a few more football games.

The Panthers this season will be focused on playing fast, downhill, taking care of the football and tackling well. Coach Johnson believes if his team can do those things, they will have a banner year on Decatur's south side.

Decatur Eisenhower opens the football season at Streator.