In a game heard on WEZC, Bloomington Central Catholic used a big second half to pull away from Monticello in a 41-13 win Friday night in Illini Prairie Conference high school football action from Monticello.

Valshun Powe totalled 187 yards with two touchdowns on 15 carries, scoring on two runs of 50-plus yards in the second half, Matthew Brady ran for 165 yards with a touchdown and passed for 122 and another score to help lead BCC to a 5-0 start. 

Brady found Eion Conn for an 88-yard touchdown in the first quarter to open the scoring. 

Leading 20-7 at the half, Powe scored from 52 yards and 54 yards out in the third quarter to help BCC break the game open in the third. 

Brady added a 25-yard touchdown run in the first half. 

Maddux Utley and Nolan Buehnerkemper scored in short-yardage situations for Monticello. Buehnerkemper finished with 128 yards passing and 67 yards rushing. Utley had 37 yards receiving and 23 yards rushing for the Sages. 

Monticello drops to 3-2 overall. They travel to St. Joseph-Ogden next Friday night. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, early mistakes on special teams plagued the Clinton Maroons, sending them to a 49-0 loss to the Eureka Hornets on the road. 

The Hornets started the game with the ball and marched down field to make the score 7-0 early on. 

A fumble on the Maroons' first kickoff reception gave Eureka good field position and allowed them to score again. 

With the score at 14-0, a muffed kick at the one-yard line was scooped up by the Hornets to make the score 21-0 before the Maroons' offense got their first opportunity to take the field. 

The Maroons struggled offensively, but were highlighted by Josh Bass, who passed for a total of 96 yards. Keaton Graves posted 69 receiving yards, 53 of which came in just two receptions. Cash Tanner added 10 rushing yards. 

Eureka told a much different story when it came to their offense, which was led by Quarterback Lincoln Knapp and his three rushing touchdowns. He passed for only 37 yards but rushed for 82. Fisher Gladson added two touchdowns and 47 rushing yards. 

With the loss, the Maroons find themselves still in search of their first win, now sitting at 0-5. Eureka improves to 2-3. 

Clinton is back at home this week to celebrate Homecoming and take on the Tri-Valley Vikings.

 
Hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. Game time is 7 PM. 

A beaten-up Clinton football squad heads to Eureka tonight in a Heart of Central Illinois Conference tilt.

The Maroons allowed 32 points in the second quarter en route to a 39-0 loss last Friday night in Tuscola. Despite having numerous injuries to battle through in the second half, Coach Ron Bass was pleased with his team's fight in the second half to avoid the mercy-rule running clock. 

Clinton (0-4) will continue to look to establish the run against 1-3 Eureka - who Coach Bass notes have had about the same amount of luck as his team, trying to keep kids healthy.

The Maroons could be without some key contributors this week, and Coach Bass indicates they've been making plans for those potential absences with different players getting varsity reps in practice this week. 

Game time tonight is 7 pm. Hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 

Heart of Central Illinois Conference action tonight

El Paso-Gridley @ Tri-Valley

Tremont @ Shelbyville

Dee-Mack @ Fieldcrest

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley @ Warrensburg-Latham

Heyworth @ Fisher

Central A & M @ LeRoy

Coming off a must-win victory over Decatur St. Teresa Friday night for Homecoming in Monticello, the Sages enter a brutal stretch of their schedule starting with Bloomington Central Catholic tonight.

Coach Cully Welter was pleased with the way his team responded from a lackluster performance at Rantoul the week before. Monticello (3-1) rushed for over 300 yards and was able to control the line of scrimmage.

This week, the competition takes a step up for the Sages. Bloomington comes into play 4-0 overall with a dynamic duo that leads the way.

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

Illini Prairie Conference

Prairie Central @ Illinois Valley Central

St. Joseph-Ogden @ Rantoul

Pontiac @ Tolono Unity

Apollo Conference games tonight

Taylorville @ Effingham

Mt. Zion @ Mahomet-Seymour

Charleston @ Mattoon

Big 12 Conference games tonight

Urbana @ Bloomington

Peoria Richwoods @ Champaign Central

Peoria Manual @ Normal Community

Normal West @ Peoria

Champaign Centennial @ Peoria Notre Dame

Central State Eight Conference games tonight

Decatur MacArthur @ Chatham-Glenwood

Lincoln @ Decatur Eisenhower

Rochester @ Normal U-High

Springfield @ Quincy Notre Dame

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin @ Springfield Lanphier

Jacksonville @ Springfield Southeast

Lincoln Prairie Conference action tonight

Nokomis @ Sangamon Valley

Villa Grove @ Oakland Tri-County

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond @ Sullivan

Arcola @ Toledo-Cumberland

Mid Illini Conference action tonight

Washington @ Limestone

Metamora @ Canton

Dunlap @ East Peoria

Morton @ Pekin

Sangamo Conference action tonight

Auburn @ Athens

Pleasant Plains @ Petersburg-PORTA

New Berlin @ Pittsfield

Maroa-Forsyth @ Riverton

Williamsville @ Olympia

Non-Conference games tonight

Ridgeview-Lexington @ Decatur St. Teresa

Argenta-Oreana @ Madison

Paxton-Buckley-Loda @ Tuscola

8-Man football

Martinsville @ Blue Ridge

Decatur Unity Christian @ Oblong

Illinois Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema hopes to turn the page from a disastrous game, welcoming 21st-ranked Southern California to Champaign, Ill., to face the 23rd-ranked Fighting Illini on Saturday.

Illinois (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) climbed to No. 9 on the strength of winning its first three games by a combined 135-22 margin, but the Illini had no answers for the Hoosiers.

Compounding the lopsided loss that snapped a seven-game winning streak dating back to last November, was the news that the Illini will be without All-American defensive back Xavier Scott for the foreseeable future.

Scott was a scratch from the Indiana contest after sustaining an apparent ankle injury Sept. 13 vs. Western Michigan, and Bielema announced on Monday the standout of the Illinois secondary will be sidelined for "most of the season."

The absence comes at a bad time, ahead of USC Trojans's first visit to Champaign since 1996. That game ended up as a 55-3 Trojans victory.

USC (4-0, 2-0) brings one of the nation's sixth-leading passer, Jayden Maiava (1,223 yards), as well as the fourth-most prolific pass-catcher, Makai Lemon (438 receiving yards).

Lemon caught a season-high eight passes for 127 yards, hauling in his third touchdown receptions of the year in USC's 45-31 win last week over Michigan State. He also rushed for a score

Like Maiava, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has nine touchdown passes without a pick, but Altmyer managed just 146 passing yards at Indiana.

Altmyer's top target has been Hank Beatty, who has 21 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, of wideout Justin Bowick's eight total receptions, three were TD grabs.

Game time is 11 am on Saturday.

Eastern Illinois travels to Western Illinois on Saturday as both teams open OVC-Big South play for the 2025 season.   

EIU enters off a bye week with a 1-2 record in non-conference play. 

Connor Wolf passed for 112 yards in the second half at Indiana State. In the Panthers' last game against No. 4 Illinois State, Wolf shone in his first collegiate start, earning OVC-Big South Freshman of the Week honors.  Wolf set an EIU freshman single-game passing record with 411 yards passing, going 28-of-43 with four touchdown passes. He broke Jimmy Garoppolo's record of 341 yards set Oct. 23, 201,0 against Murray State.

Game time is 3 pm on Saturday. Hear all the action, starting with a 2:30 pm pregame, on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

The Clinton High School boys' golf team is the Central Illinois Conference champions for a third straight year.

The CIC meet was on Monday at Moweaqua. The boys scored a 308, a record low for the Conference. 

They were led by junior Grady Douglas, who shot a 74 and placed second, followed by junior Griffin Utterback, who carded a 77 - good for third. Freshman Evan Newberg shot a 78 and placed fourth, while junior Briley Carter had a 79 and placed fifth.

Senior Ryan Pine shot an 80 while Carter Cothern shot an 87. 

On the girls' side, Mills finished with an 88, the low round on the girls' side. Senior Riley Fentress carded a 90, which was good for second place.

The girls begin the postseason next Tuesday, when they travel to Lincolnshire Country Club in Champaign.

The boys return to Moweaqua for their Regional play on Wednesday, October 1.

The Clinton Maroons were so beat up at Tuscola last Friday night, they turned to their JV squad in the second half.

Tuscola scored 32 points in the second quarter en route to a 39-0 win over the Maroons in Tuscola. Coach Ron Bass was very pleased with the way his young kid stepped up after a multitude of injuries impacted his team.

An onside kick in the second quarter was a real turning point in the Warriors' win and 32-point outburst. Despite being told to be ready for an onside kick, his team wasn't.

Coach Bass was disappointed in the week of practice by his team and is hoping this turns into a learning experience for a young team.

The road through the Heart of Central Illinois Conference doesn't get any easier this week when Clinton visits Eureka. Game time is 7 pm on Friday night. Hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Monticello was approaching its week four matchup against Decatur St. Teresa like a playoff game - and Coach Cully Welter felt his team answered the bell.

Because of how difficult the Illini Prairie Conference is this season, the Sages approached their match-up with their former Okaw Valley Conference rivals like a must-win, and Coach Welter felt his team bounced back after a lackluster win over Rantoul the week before.

Senior quarterback Nolan Buehnerkemper ran for over 200 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Coach Welter was pleased with that aspect of his offense, but still feels it is a work in progress.

With Bloomington Central Catholic and St. Joseph-Ogden coming up on the Sages' schedule, Coach Welter says that the win over St. T was a must-win.

Monticello hosts Bloomington Central Catholicon  Friday night. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. Game time is 7 pm. 

Heart Of Central Illinois

Westmont 0

Fisher 53

Tremont 13

Heyworth 24

Leroy 33

Minonk 0

Clinton 0

Tuscola 39

El Paso(Gridley)    52

Gibson City(Melvin Sibley) 14

Eureka 6

Colfax(Ridgeview) 35

Downs(Tri-Valley) 44

Mackinaw 0

Madison 26

Moweaqua(Central A & M) 28

Illini Prairie

Paxton(Buckley-Loda)   24

Fairbury(Prairie Central) 14

Rantoul 40

Bloomington(CC) 51

Decatur(St. Teresa) 20

Monticello 39

Chillicothe 7

Pontiac 28

Big Twelve

Normal(West) 27

Bloomington 31

Kankakee(Sr.) 28

Normal(Community) 17

Peoria(Notre Dame) 6

Peoria(Richwoods) 42

Peoria(HS) 76

Peoria(Manual) 6

Lincoln Prairie

Niantic(Sangamon Valley) 44

Arcola 6

Arthur(LAH) 35

Argenta Oreana 6

Sangamon

Maroa 53

Petersburg 0

In a game heard on WEZC, Nolan Buehnerkemper ran for over 200 yards, scored three touchdowns, and added a field goal, leading Monticello to a 39-20 win over Decatur St. Teresa Friday night in a non-conference high school football matchup on Homecoming in Monticello.

The senior quarterback was surgical in his 23 carries for 208 yards while adding three scores. A 40-yard touchdown run got the Sages on the board with 2:08 to play in the first quarter and put Monticello ahead 7-0. 

Buehnerkemper added an 11-yard run to open the second quarter and put the Sages up 15-0. 

After St. T got on the board thanks to a 90-yard touchdown strike to get within 15-7, a 58-yard run by Buehnerkemper set up his 22-yard field goal late in the first half, making the score 18-7, and the Bulldogs would not get closer than 11 the rest of the night.

Coming out of the half, St. T went 3-and-out, setting up the Sages' next score when Maddux Utley scored his first of two second-half touchdowns on a 16-yard run to make the score 25-7 Sages.

Another big pass play of 81 yards brought St. T back within 12, at 25-13. 

But Monticello answered again when Utley scored his second touchdown on an 11-yard run to put the game out of reach at 32-13. 

Buehnerkemper's final score made it 39-13 on a three-yard run after the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs at the 22-yard line in the fourth.

A garbage time touchdown by Tyllin Davis was the final score, making it 39-20.

Junior Gavin Paul led St. T, finishing 10-of-14 for 248 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Brett Cleary added two touchdown receptions of 90 and 81 yards for his only receptions, but racked up 171 yards. 

Buehnerkemper finished with 286 yards of total offense - including 76 through the air. Utley finished with 59 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns for the Sages.

Zeke Young finished with 73 yards of total offense after 39 yards on three receptions and 34 yards on three carries. 

Monticello and St. T were once a deep rivalry in the former Okaw Valley Conference, but after the Okaw Valley disbanded a few years ago, and a handful of schools left the conference after the 2013 season, the two sides had not met in over a decade, the last matchup being in 2013. 

The Bulldogs drop to 1-3 overall.

Monticello goes to 3-1. They will host Bloomington Central Catholic next Friday night. 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 Maroons' defense kept the game tied through the first quarter, but couldn’t hold on long enough, and Clinton fell to the Tuscola Warriors by a final score of 39-0. 

The Maroons’ defense performed well through the first quarter, keeping the score tied at zero through 12 minutes; however, they slid in the second quarter due to turnovers and two blocked punts, allowing 32 unanswered points. 

After halftime, the Maroons put in much of the secondary and allowed the Warriors to put on one more score to make the score 39-0. 

The Maroons struggled offensively, but were led by Josh Bass, who posted 6 passing yards and 9 rushing yards. Liam Wilson added eight rushing yards, all of which came in the second half. Keaton Graves picked up 4 receiving yards. 

Tuscola was led by QB John Pettry, who scored two passing touchdowns, with 90 passing yards and 17 rushing yards. Senior RB Dylan Graves scored two rushing touchdowns with 72 yards while Evan Vearil posted 95 receiving yards and a touchdown. 

With the loss, the Maroons fall to 0-4 while Tuscola improves to 3-1. 

Tune in next week when Clinton heads back on the road to take on Eureka. Kick off is at 7 PM, and you can hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 
 

Despite the lopsided score, Clinton is hoping the positive things they did last week will carry over into tonight’s Heart of Central Illinois Conference tilt with Tuscola. 

Coming off a 55-0 loss to state-ranked Seneca, Coach Ron Bass says he was pleased with some of the things he saw from his defense and believes some of the offensive issues will be worked out over the next weeks. 

The Maroons made a change at quarterback before last week’s game - Josh Bass took over under center and Keaton Graves moved to the receiver position. Coach Bass says the decision to make the switch was to improve their perimeter game. 

With the first third of the regular season in the books, Coach Bass is focusing on the improvement his kids have made - not their record.

The 0-3 Maroons will stick with the change at quarterback when they travel to Tuscola. Coach Bass says the defense will be challenged by the Warriors' size. 

Tuscola is 2-1 on the season - coming off a one-point loss to Tri-Valley. 

Kick off tonight is at 7 PM. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 

Heart of Central Illinois matchups tonight

Eureka @ Ridgeview-Lexington

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley @ El Paso-Gridley

Tremont @ Heyworth

Tri-Valley @ Dee-Mack

LeRoy @ Fieldcrest

Madison @ Central A & M

Shelbyville @ Warrensburg-Latham

Off a 36-14 win last week over Rantoul on the road, Monticello football Coach Cully Welter wasn't pleased with his team's performance.

Coming into tonight's Homecoming matchup with Decatur St. Teresda, the Hall of Fame Coach challenged his team to work to get better this week.

While St. T has been down - relative to their standards - the last few years, Coach Welter says they have some talent and good athletes. The 2-1 Sages can't take anyone for granted right now.

Homecoming week can often be filled with distractions for a young football team, from the activities throughout the week, the parade on Friday before the game, and all the weekend festivities. Coach Welter has been pleased with his team's focus this week.

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

Illini Prairie Conference action tonight

Rantoul @ Bloomington Central Catholic

Paxton-Buckley-Loda @ Prairie Central

Illinois Valley Central @ Pontiac

Tolono Unity @ St. Joseph-Ogden

Apollo Conference action this week

Effingham @ Charleston

Taylorville @ Mahomet-Seymour

Mattoon @ Mt. Zion

Big 12 Conference action this week

Normal West @ Bloomington

Danville @ Champaign Centennial

Peoria @ Peoria Manual

Peoria Richwoods @ Peoria Notre Dame

Champaign Central @ Urbana

Central State Eight action this week

Jacksonville @ Springfield Lanphier

Quincy Notre Dame @ Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin

Springfield Southeast @ Springfield (SAT)

Decatur Eisenhower @ Decatur MacArthur

Normal U-High @ Lincoln

Chatham-Glenwood @ Rochester

Lincoln Prairie action this week

Sangamon Valley @ Arcola

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond @ Argenta-Oreana

Sullivan @ Cerro Gordo

Villa Grove @ Nokomis

Oakland Tri-County @ Toledo-Cumberland

Sangamo Conference action this week

Petersburg PORTA @ Maroa-Forsyth

Riverton @ New Berlin

Auburn @ Pleasant Plains

Athens @ Olympia

Pittsfield @ Williamsville

Mid-Illini Conference action this week

Limestone @ Dunlap

Canton @ East Peoria

Metamora @ Morton

Pekin @ Washington

Non-Conference action this week

Westmont @ Fisher

Kankakee @ Normal Community

8-Man football this week

Decatur Unity Christian @ Pawnee

Blue Ridge @ Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran

Meridian @ Palestine

Champaign St. Thomas More @ South Fork

Illinois is coming off a 38-0 blanking last week against Western Michigan as they prepare for a showdown with the 19th-ranked Hoosiers (3-0) on Saturday night in Bloomington, Ind.

The Illini turned a 10-0 lead into the predicted beatdown by scoring on their first three possessions of the second half.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has it, too. He's completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 709 yards and eight touchdowns this season, with no interceptions.

Meanwhile, Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza has been even more accurate for Indiana, at 72.4 percent, and checks in at 708 yards with nine scores and no picks. But he'll have to do without a key offensive weapon for the year's remainder as running back Lee Beebe Jr. injured his right knee against Indiana State.

The basics of winning football don't change for Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, regardless of whether his team is preparing to hammer Indiana State 73-0, as it did last week, or girding for a Big Ten Conference showdown.

Game time is 6:30 pm on Saturday.

The non-conference portion of the 2025 schedule comes to a close this weekend, when fourth-ranked Illinois State (2-1) welcomes in North Alabama (1-2) to Hancock Stadium.

UNA is off to a 1-2 start to the year, as the Lions picked up their first win of the season last week against Northeastern State 49-21 at home. North Alabama has been hard to stop on the ground, as the Lions average 244.7 yards per game rushing and have scored six of their nine touchdowns on the season via the ground.

The Redbirds (2-1) need two touchdowns in the final six minutes to defeat the Eastern Illinois (1-2) on last week at O'Brien Field in Charleston. Luke Mailander finished with a career-high 109 yards and a score on five receptions.

Tye Niekamp recorded a career-high 14 tackles in the win over the Panthers and was credited with two tackles-for-loss to lead the way for the Redbird defense. Three touchdowns for Wenkers Wright were a career-high and the senior finished with 94 yards on 14 carries against EIU.

Game time is noon Saturday.

After a 50-0 loss to state-ranked Seneca Friday night, Clinton is looking to find a way to play well for four quarters.

Coach Ron Bass felt his team played well early Friday night, particularly in the first quarter; however, his team struggles in a couple of areas, and that may be preventing them from playing that complete game they are looking for.

The Maroons made a change at quarterback Friday night, switching Keaton Graves and Josh Bass. Coach Bass says that was more a byproduct of trying to establish the perimeter in his new offensive scheme this year.

While Clinton starts 0-3 on the season and has had its struggles, Coach Bass is preaching effort.

The road through the Heart of Central Illinois resumes Friday night when the Maroons visit Tuscola. Hear the action starting at 7 pm on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Despite a 36-14 win, Monticello football Coach Cully Welter was overall disappointed with his team's performance on Friday night in an Illini Prairie Conference win over Rantoul in Rantoul.

The Sages started strong with two scoring plays on their first two possessions, but the game turned sloppy after that. Coach Welter says there are a lot of things to reflect on despite the easy win.

Coach Welter simplified the game plan after he used his third time out of the half early in the second quarter and noted even at halftime, they simplified what they were doing.

Monticello gets set to renew the rivalry with Decatur St. Teresa this Friday for the Homecoming game. Coach Welter is looking for his team to have a solid week of practice despite all the distractions of Homecoming week.

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

In a game heard on WHOW, Colton Cowser hit a three-run home run, Kyle Bradish pitched five strong innings and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Monday night to extend Chicago's skid to four games.

Hear the Sox tonight on WHOW.

Jameson Taillon allowed two hits in six innings, and Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong homered as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 on Monday night and got closer to clinching a postseason berth.

Chicago(86-64) opened a four-game lead over San Diego for the top NL wild card and trails NL Central-leading Milwaukee by five games with 12 games remaining. The Cubs won for the fifth time in six games and sent the Pirates to their ninth loss in 10 games.

Taillon (10-6) struck out three and walked two, retiring 15 of 16 batters during a stretch from the first until the sixth. He is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA since returning Aug. 18 from a strained left groin.

Michael Soroka, Porter Hodge, and Brad Keller finished a three-hitter, the Cubs’ 14th shutout, with Keller getting one out for his second save this season.

Busch homered in the second, his 28th this season, and Nico Hoerner scored on a wild pitch later in the inning by Braxton Ashcraft (4-3), who gave up three runs and six hits in four innings.

Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson hit consecutive doubles in the fourth, and Crow-Armstrong connected for his 29th homer in the sixth against Cam Sanders.

Keller reliever with the bases loaded and struck out Jared Triolo.

Chicago is 13-9 in a stretch of 24 consecutive games against teams with sub-.500 records.

Cubs rookie RHP Cade Horton (10-4, 2.70 ERA) faces RHP Paul Skenes (10-9, 1.92), the major league ERA leader, on Tuesday night.

Tyler Stephenson hit a bases-clearing double in the ninth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-6 on Monday night to close within two games of the New York Mets for the last NL wild card.

Cincinnati scored eight runs in the final three innings and ended a three-game losing streak, getting back to .500 at 75-75.

St. Louis has lost six of seven, falling to 73-78 and 4 1/2 games behind the Mets.

Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, recovered from a strained right shoulder that had sidelined him since July 30, singled on the first pitch he saw and added his first double at home since April 14. First baseman Willson Contreras was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning because of tightness in his right biceps.

St. Louis led 4-3 in the seventh before Matt McLain hit a two-run double and scored on TJ Friedl's single. The Cardinals tied the score 6-6 in the bottom half on RBI singles by Brendan Donovan and Iván Herrera.

Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (9-6, 2.79 ERA) and Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (6-3, 4.44) start Tuesday.

Jared Goff threw for 334 yards and matched a career high with five touchdown passes, including a career-high three scores to Amon-Ra St. Brown, to help Detroit bounce back with a 52-21 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Detroit had more than 500 yards on offense with five passing touchdowns and two scores on the ground for the first time in franchise history, and averaged a team-record 8.8 yards per play with offensive coordinator John Morton calling plays.

The Bears (0-2) turned the ball over twice in the first half, leading to a 28-14 deficit that was too large to overcome in Johnson's return to the city where he became an offensive coordinator and one of the NFL's top coaching candidates.

Chicago turned it over on downs in each half, had eight penalties and gave up four sacks.

The Lions were three points from matching a franchise record for points in a game in the regular season, and the Bears were three points from tying the most they've allowed.

Chicago’s Caleb Williams was 19 of 30 for 207 yards with two touchdowns to Rome Odunze, a 28-yard pass to answer Detroit’s game-opening touchdown and a 6-yard throw to make it 21-14 late in the first half.

Williams, selected No. 1 overall last year when the NFL draft was in Detroit, also threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted and was taken out midway through the fourth quarter because Johnson said the game was out of reach.

Bears starting DB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) was inactive. Starting LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) and DB Jaylon Johnson (groin) left the game with injuries.

The Bears host Dallas on Sept. 21.

In a game heard on WHOW, Bo Naylor drove in all three Cleveland Guardians runs, including a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, and Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 Sunday for a series sweep.

Hear the Sox tonight on WHOW.

Nico Hoerner had three RBIs, including a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh inning that sparked the Chicago Cubs over the fading Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Sunday.

Ian Happ homered and Michael Busch doubled for the Cubs, who have won four of five and lead for the top NL wild card.

Tampa Bay has lost seven of nine, dropping to 73-76.

Junior Caminero, the Rays' 22-year-old emerging star, hit his 44th homer.

Javier Assad (3-1) scattered two hits in 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Chicago and Andrew Kittredge struck out Junior Caminero with a runner on first for his fifth save in six chances..

Ian Happ cut Chicago's deficit to 3-2 in the sixth with his 22nd homer.

Hoerner had a two-out double off Edwin Uceta (9-3) for a 4-3 lead in the seventh after Willi Castro and Matt Shaw singled.

Yandy Díaz and Caminero hit back-to-back home runs for the Rays starting the game off Shota Imanaga, who allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings with nine strikeouts and no walks.

Christopher Morel, who played for the Cubs from 2022 to 2024, exited in the sixth with an abdominal bruise after he was hit by a foul ball.

Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (9-6, 4.15 ERA) starts Monday at the Pirates and RHP Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.47).

Luke Altmyer threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini shut out Western Michigan Broncos 38-0 on Saturday night.

Kaden Feagin rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown and Ca’Lil Valentine ran for 63 yards and a TD. Hank Beatty caught six passes for 53 yards and a TD.

It was the seventh consecutive victory dating to last season for Illinois (3-0), its longest winning streak since it won seven in a row in 2011.

Illinois led just 10-0 at halftime, preserving the shutout with a goal-line stand in the final seconds. The Illini stopped the Broncos twice at the 1-yard line.

The Illini opened the season with decisive victories over three teams (Western Illinois, Duke and Western Michigan) with a combined record of 2-7, outscoring them 128-22. Now Illinois has an opportunity to show it deserves its No. 9 AP ranking - the team’s highest since 2001 and best September ranking since 1964 - with games coming up against No. 22 Indiana and USC.

In a game heard on WHOW, Luke Mailander hauled in five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, Wenkers Wright scored three on the ground with 94 rushing yards, and Illinois State Redbirds defeated Eastern Illinois Panthers 42-30 on Saturday afternoon.

Illinois State (2-1) opened on a 14-0 run and never trailed as they captured the Mid-America Classic Trophy in the 112th edition of the in-state rivalry game. They are 61-43-9 all-time in the series played since 1901.

Senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Mailander on a 46-yard score that put Illinois State up 20-10 to end the second quarter.

Tye Niekamp had 14 total tackles, with two for a loss. Jack Dwyer and Shadwel Nkuba II each had interceptions.

The fourth quarter featured five combined touchdowns, with freshman Connor Wolf throwing three of his four touchdown passes in the frame, but Eastern Illinois (1-2) could not complete the comeback.

Wolf completed 28 of his 44 passes for 411 yards for the Panthers in his first career start. CJ Nelson reeled in two long touchdowns of 51 and 75 yards as the longest plays of the day.

Heart of Central Illinois non-conference

Tuscola 28 
Downs Tri-Valley 27

Eureka 0 
Farmington 38

Colfax Ridgeview-Lexington 43 
Fisher 7

LeRoy 12 
Gibson City Melvin-Sibley 21

El Paso Gridley 41 
Mackinaw Deer Creek 0

Heyworth 48
Carlyle 0

Dwight 48
Shelbyville 51

Illini Prairie Conference

St. Joseph Ogden 51 
Chillicothe Illinois Valley Central 16

Pontiac 22 
Paxton Buckley-Loda 48

Bloomington Central Catholic 34 
Tolono Unity 27

Big 12 Conference

Peoria Notre Dame 58 
Champaign Central 26

Bloomington 48 
Peoria Manual 6

Champaign Centennial 46 
Peoria Richwoods 0

Normal Community 55 
Urbana  7

Central State Eight Conference

Normal University 27 
Decatur MacArthur 28

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 55 
Jacksonville  20

Springfield Lanphier 0 
Springfield 56

Lincoln Prairie Conference

Arcola 7 
Argenta A.-Oreana 45

Toledo Cumberland 20 
Arthur A.-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 35

Sullivan 42 
Niantic Sangamon Valley 29

Sangamo Conference

Maroa M.-Forsyth 48 
Auburn 14

Mid-Illini Conference

East Peoria 35 
Bartonville Limestone 7

Washington 24 
Metamora 0

Dunlap 28 
Pekin 27

Non-Conference

Breese Central 28 
Mt. Zion 38

Freeburg 22 
Taylorville 14

Mahomet Seymour 45 
Sycamore 16

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello built a 22-0 lead early and rolled to a 36-14 win over Rantoul in Illini Prairie Conference high school football action on Friday in Rantoul.

Nolan Buehnerkemper accounted for three touchdowns for Monticello. The senior hit Maddux Utley for a 45-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage for the Sages, then ran in another score about a minute later, establishing a 15-0 lead early in the first quarter.

The Sages sputtered to the finish, but Buehnerkemper would find Zeke Young from 18 yards out in the third quarter to make the score 29-0.

Beuhnerkemper finished 12-of-25 for 215 yards passing with two touchdowns and ran for another. He was the State Bank of Bement player of the game.

Jake Robinson had 68 receiving yards on three receptions in his return to action from a high ankle sprain. Utley finished with 46 yards receiving while Heyden Romano had 44 yards receiving on three receptions. Young added 23 yards receiving, and Will Osborne had 37 yards on three receptions. 

Junior quarterback Jordyn Rice finished with two touchdowns for the Eagles with a 19-yard run and a 47-yard pass. 

The Eagles fall to 0-3 overall.

Monticello is 2-1. They will host Decatur St. Teresa next Friday night. Game time is 7 pm. 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 Maroons switched up their quarterback play, but it wasn't enough, and Clinton fell to the Seneca Fighting Irish by a final score of 50-0.

The Maroons were led by Josh Bass, who filled in for the quarterback position this week and put up 104 rushing yards and an interception. Keaton Graves was the primary receiver of the night and contributed 69 receiving yards and 14 rushing yards. Jaxon Reynolds and Lucas Baker added 18 and 13 receiving yards, respectively. 

The Maroons otherwise struggled in the run game, with Zach Potts posting 4 yards and Bass ending with a total of -12 rushing yards. 

Seneca was led by RB Cam Shriey, who boasted 174 rushing yards, highlighted by a 93 rushing touchdown. Quarterback Gunner Varland only completed two passes, both on two-point conversions. Otherwise, he went 0-1 on passing attempts, but contributed 80 rushing yards and a touchdown. Ethan Othan and Liam Knoebel also scored touchdowns. 

With the loss, Clinton falls to 0-3 while the Fighting Irish improve to 3-0. 

The Maroons will make the hour-long trip Southeast to take on Tuscola next week. Kickoff is set for 7 PM, and you can hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 
 

Monticello will look to get back in the win column tonight when they visit Rantoul for Illini Prairie Conference high school football action.

The Sages lost 34-7 last week to Tolono Unity. Coach Cully Welter says his team did a lot of things well, but the Rockets are a very talented bunch.

This week, Coach Welter channeled his inner Kevin Roy - the Sage's varsity boys basketball coach who often says his teams focus on them throughout the season. He indicates his team has to be a gritty team if they're going to be successful this season.

Despite a long string of losing seasons, Coach Welter says you can never take Rantoul lightly, and after perhaps looking past IVC a bit in the opener, he wants his team dialed in this week.

Coach Welter is looking forward to getting TE Jake Robinson back this week. He left the opener at IVC with a high ankle sprain. His absence has put a couple of kids in positions they do not usually play.

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

The Clinton Maroons are back at home this week, preparing to take on the 2-0 Seneca Fighting Irish in non-conference high school football action. 

Clinton Head Coach Ron Bass explains that Seneca does a great job of hiding the football, which, paired with their size, means the Maroons will have to perform well on the defensive side of the ball. 

With two weeks of football under the team's belt, Coach Bass says they are focusing on getting better every day and setting attainable goals. 

The Maroons are sitting at 0-2 after a 49-12 loss at Warrensburg-Latham last week. Coach Bass is focusing on the positives of that game, like the offensive performance in the first half, and the turnovers that the Maroons took advantage of. 

The Maroons return to Sprague Field this week when they host the Seneca Fighting Irish. Kickoff is at 7 PM, and you can hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 

Monticello football coach Cully Welter is taking a page out of the book of one of his peers this week. 

After the Sages' 34-7 loss to Tolono Unity Friday night, Coach Welter was overall disappointed with the loss but felt his team did a lot of good things.

Coach Welter noted his team's struggles to find a rhythm offensively on Friday night. Unity's defense is exceptional - returning a lot of starters from last year's state semifinal team - but Coach Welter hopes the timing of his offense will get better as the season moves along.

This week, Coach Welter took a page out of the playbook - pun intended - of his colleague and friend in basketball Coach Kevin Roy, and is going to focus on themselves for now.

Monticello visits Rantoul this Friday night. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Tolono Unity jumped out early and never let Monticello back in the game in a 34-7 win in Illini Prairie Conference high school football action Friday in Monticello. 

The Rockets were efficient on offense early, scoring on their first two drives of the game.

They opened the scoring less than two minutes in when senior quarterback Dane Eisenmenger hit Trey Hoggard from 35 yards out for a touchdown.

The very next series, Michael Hardin scored from five yards out to make the score 13-0.

The Rockets stifled the Sages' offense, holding them to just 103 yards of total offense.

Maddox Utley led Monticello with 43 yards rushing and made several spectacular defensive plays to earn the First State Bank of Bement player of the Game. 

Eisenmenger finished 21 of 30 passing for 233 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for another score. 

Crew Eckstein ran for 106 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown for Unity. 

Eisenmenger spread the football around to four different receivers. Tyler Henry led the way with six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Hoggard finished with four receptions and 58 yards - including his 35-yard touchdown reception. Mason O'Neill finished with five catches for 52 yards, and Maddix Sutherland finished with four catches for 44 yards. 

Monticello's only score started the fourth quarter when Utley rumbled his way to a 14-yard score to cut the Unity lead to 27-7. 

The Rockets improve to 2-0 on the season.

Monticello falls to 1-1 overall. They travel to Rantoul next Friday night. Kickoff is 7 pm. 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 Clinton Maroons took advantage of turnovers, but it wasn’t enough, and they were defeated by the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals by a final score of 49-12.

The Maroons were led by Keaton Graves, who posted 78 passing yards and 51 rushing yards. He scored the team’s only rushing touchdown of the game. Jaeden Bell had 14 receiving yards and scored a touchdown. Zach Potts added 23 rushing yards while Marshawn Fitch contributed 18. Lucas Baker amassed 49 receiving yards on a single reception in the Maroons’ first drive. Spencer Collins added a takeaway and a blocked extra point on defense. 

The Cardinals were led by Brennon Bonds, who scored five of the team’s seven touchdowns while posting 153 rushing yards and 37 receiving yards. QB Jayden Peck had 108 passing yards, while Joey Dominick received 70 yards. Drew Czajkowski contributed 7 receiving yards and a scoop-and-score in the third quarter. 

In total, the game featured seven fumbles and two interceptions between the teams. 

With the win, Warrensburg-Latham improves to 1-1 while Clinton falls to 0-2. 

Tune in next week as the Maroons take on Seneca at 7 PM in Clinton. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 
 

The Clinton Maroons travel to Warrensburg-Latham for week two Central Illinois Conference high school football action. 

Last week, Clinton suffered a 42-6 home-opening loss to Central A&M. Head Coach Ron Bass felt he struggled as much as his offense, noting he needs to do a better job of giving his quarterback opportunities to make plays and find a rhythm.

Coach Bass says they are still doing a lot of teaching during practice and hopes going up against Warrensburg-Latham on Friday will be a good opportunity for his team to put one in the win column.

The Maroons will go on the road for the first time this season, and Coach Bass says you never know how a young team will react to playing on the road until it happens. 

Clinton and Warrensburg-Latham both enter play 0-1. Kickoff is at 7 PM. Hear tonight's action on WHOW and its digital platforms.

Non-Conference Heart of Central Illinois Conference matchups

Heyworth @ Ridgeview-Lexington

LeRoy @ Tri-Valley

Fieldcrest @ El Paso-Gridley

Peru St. Bede @ Eureka

Fisher @ Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley

Shelbyville @ Central A & M

Dee-Mack @ Tremont

Casey-Westfield @ Tuscola

The Monticello Sages will host rival Tolono Unity in Illini Prairie Conference high school football week two action tonight in Monticello.

The Sages opened the season with 21-6 win over IVC and Coach Cully Welter says his team was possibly humbled after its win over the Grey Ghosts on Friday night and realized there are a lot of areas they can improve on.

Coach Welter says last week's practices weren't the best for his team but has felt better with what he saw from his team this week. He feels he has a group that will take to heart the things they need to do to get better.

The Sages will have its hands full with Tolono Unity this week. The Rockets made a State semifinal appearance last year, where they were knocked off by Monticello, and return a good number of players from that team.

Tonight's action kicks at 7 pm. Hear it all on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Illini Prairie matchups tonight:

Illinois Valley Central @ Bloomington Central Catholic

Prairie Central @ Pontiac

Paxton-Buckley-Loda @ St. Joseph-Ogden

Big 12 Conference games tonight:

Champaign Centennial @ Champaign Central

Urbana @ Danville

Normal Community @ Normal West

Peoria Notre Dame @ Peoria

Peoria Manual @ Peoria Richwoods

Lincoln Prairie Conference games tonight:

Villa Grove @ Arcola

Nokomis @ Sullivan

Argenta-Oreana) @ Toledo-Cumberland

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond @ Oakland Tri-County

Sangamo Conference action tonight

Pittsfield @ Athens

Pleasant Plains @ Maroa-Forsyth

Auburn @ New Berlin

Riverton @ Olympia

Petersburg PORTA @ Williamsville

Non-Conference games tonight:

Galesburg @ Limestone

Decatur St. Teresa @ Illini West

North County (MO) @ Chatham-Glenwood

Morton @ Chicago Heights Marian

Jacksonville @ Decatur Eisenhower

Springfield Lanphier @ East Peoria

Rock Island @ Dunlap

Springfield Southeast @ Lincoln

Morris @ Mahomet-Seymour

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin @ Mascoutah

Rantoul @ Mattoon

Rochester @ Mt. Zion

Seneca @ Sangamon Valley

Bloomington @ Normal U-High

Decatur MacArthur @ Springfield

Canton @ Taylorville

Troy Triad @ Washington

Polo @ Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland

8-Man Football

Blue Ridge @ Decatur Unity Christian

Champaign St. Thomas More @ Milford

Meridian @ St. Anne

Illinois' record when hitting the road to face a high-major non-conference foe isn't pretty.

Here's the hefty historical burden No. 11 Illinois (1-0) carries into Saturday afternoon's visit to Duke (1-0): In 2023, the Bret Bielema-coached Illini lost at Kansas by 11. Two years before that, they got beaten by 28 at Virginia.

But the woes go back much further than the Bielema era.

In 2015, Tim Beckman's bunch lost by 34 at North Carolina. The year before that, they took a 25-point whipping at Washington. And don't forget the 45-14 defeat in 2012 at Arizona State. Even Ron Zook contributed to this streak with a 49-36 loss in 2009 at fifth-ranked Cincinnati.

You need to rewind the calendar back to Sept. 15, 2007, to find a road win against a power-conference non-league opponent: Illinois' 41-20 victory at Syracuse. That Zook team went on to play in the Rose Bowl.

This Illinois squad has similar dreams of postseason grandeur -- and a win over a Duke crew that has won 17 of its last 20 games at home would go a decent way to making the Illini real.

Neither Illinois nor Duke was truly tested in Week 1 by its FCS opponents. The Illini built a 31-0 halftime lead on the way to a 52-3 win over Western Illinois while the Blue Devils shrugged off a 10-10 halftime knot to wallop Elon 45-17.

The Elon game served as Darian Mensah's Duke debut -- and his performance suggested his multimillion-dollar NIL payday was well-deserved. The Tulane transfer drilled 27 of 34 passes for 389 yards and three scores.

Illinois senior quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for 217 yards and three scores in just 21 attempts against Western Illinois last week. It helped that Altmyer and nearly all of the other contributors on the offensive side of the ball -- save a few transfer portal receivers and tight ends -- have been together for two or three years.

Game time is noon central time on Saturday.

After playing in front of the largest crowd in program history last Saturday against No. 18 ranked Oklahoma, the home opener at Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium awaits Illinois State (0-1) this Saturday as the Redbirds welcome in the Morehead State Eagles (1-0) to begin the FCS portion of their 2025 schedule.

The Redbird defense forced a pair of turnovers in the game - a forced fumble by Jack Dwyer that was recovered by Tye Niekamp and the interception Nkuba in the third quarter. Niekamp led the Redbird defense with 10 tackles, including a half a tackle for loss. 

Wenkers Wright was the leading rusher for the Redbirds, with 50 yards on seven carries with a long run of 24 yards.

Highlighted by 414 offensive yards and an electric 83-yard yard kickoff return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Morehead State opened its 2025 season with a 38-31 victory over visiting Division II program Allen (S.C.) at Jayne Stadium last Saturday night.

Redshirt senior quarterback Carter Cravens threw for 219 yards, and he also rushed for 71 yards and two more scores. In his first game as an Eagle, Tennessee State transfer running back Craig Cunningham showed flashes of brilliance, leading MSU with 94 yards on the ground and a 31-yard touchdown run. Graduate student wide receiver Ryan Upp caught a team-best eight passes for 90 yards and moved above the 100-catch plateau for his career.

Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.

Eastern Illinois and Indiana State will both be looking to get off to a 2-0 start to the season when the programs meet on Saturday in Terre Haute.

EIU beat Dayton 24-14 in its 2025 season opener while Indiana State beat McKendree 41-24.  EIU's last 2-0 start to a season was in 2013.  

Quarterback Cole LaCrue made a memorable debut for the Panthers as the Wisconsin transfer rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns leading EIU to a season opening win over Dayton.  The 193 yards on the ground set an EIU single season rushing record by a quarterback (previously set by Jalen Whitlow with 142 in 2015). 

LaCrue added 129 yards passing through the air going 9-of-17 with one interception. 

Transfer running back Charles Kellom rushed for 133 yards on 30 carries for the Panthers as Eastern Illinois churned out 336 total yards on the ground.  It was the second career 100-yard rushing game for the Akron transfer after he had 104 yards and a touchdown last season against Kent State.  

LaCrue and Charles Kellom both went over the 100-yard rushing mark in the season opening win over Dayton. 

Game time is noon on Saturday. Hear the game, starting with the 11:30 am pregame, on WHOW.

Edge rusher Micah Parsons is preparing to make his Packers debut on Sunday, just over a week after Green Bay acquired him from the Dallas Cowboys, though it's not certain he'll play because he's been limited in practice with a back issue.

Another All-Pro pass rusher, Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson, will be making his comeback after breaking his left leg in two places last October during that 47-9 blowout of the Cowboys.

The Packers sent two first-round picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark for the right to acquire Parsons and make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.

Just how much Parsons will be able to contribute right away remains uncertain.

The Lions are the two-time defending NFC North champions, winning consecutive division titles for the first time since they won a franchise-best three in a row from 1952-54. Detroit is 35-9 over the last 2 1/2 seasons.

The Lions, though, have slipped behind the Packers as favorites to win the division, according to BetMGM.

The Packers figured to have trouble slowing Detroit's running back tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who combined to rush for 2,187 yards and 28 touchdowns last season.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love had surgery on his left (non-throwing) thumb last month. He's been wearing tape and a brace.

The Lions have won in each of their last three trips to Lambeau Field, a streak that started when they eliminated the Packers from playoff contention in four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers' final game with Green Bay.

Game time Sunday is 3:25 pm.

Kyle Teel hit a three-run home run, Colson Montgomery homered and drove in three, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 11-8 on Thursday night.

Chase Meidroth had four hits, as the White Sox came back from three runs down for the second consecutive night against Minnesota to win their season-high fifth straight game.

Teel and Edgar Quero each had three hits.

Teel got all of an Adams cutter, sending it 413 feet to right and tying the game at 7-all in the seventh inning. 

Two batters later, Andrew Benintendi hit a sacrifice fly that scored Lenyn Sosa for the go-ahead run.

The White Sox jumped out to an early lead. After Teel scored Edgar Quero with a base hit, Mead doubled to deep right center, scoring Montgomery and Teel.

Montgomery scored on a balk.

Montgomery added to the Sox lead in the ninth with a two-run home run.

Chicago continues a seven-game road trip in Detroit, as RHP Shane Smith (4-7, 3.81) starts opposite Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (7-13, 4.74).

A high school football team's improvement often shows the most from week 1 of the season to week 2. 

For Monticello, Coach Cully Welter hopes his team realizes how much improvement they need to make after a 21-6 over IVC in week 1 in Chillicothe last Friday night.

Monticello will be a very young team to start the season. Coach Welter says a few things during their win went their way that allowed them to get IVC away from what they wanted to do offensively.

At 1-0, Monticello hosts rival Tolono Unity. The Sages upset the Rockets in the Class 2A State semifinal last fall. Unity boasts a lot of talent that returns from that team.

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