By Ben Cox
High School Football
The high school football regular season wrapped up this past week. At this point, it’s always a point of the playoff-bound teams and those who are turning their sights to next season.
A few area teams were on the bubble for postseason play, entering the final week with 4 wins. One team in the area on the bubble was West Central. The Cougars had a disappointing loss to Carrollton in week 4 that had placed their season on edge for the second half. The Cougars eked out a win over Mendon Unity in week 8 to put them on the cusp. They made it over the hump with a resounding 46-13 victory at Beardstown this past week.
Now, they get the stout task of facing WIVC North champs Camp Point Central in the first round of the playoffs in Camp Point (9-0). The Panthers drew a 2-seed in the south bracket in 1A this year behind
Calhoun, the WIVC South champions, despite being ranked #2 most of the year in the AP Coaches’ Poll. These seed pairs may set up a WIVC North vs. WIVC South matchup in the 1A semifinals if things play out.
Another area team that was on the cusp of the playoffs but did not make it was Triopia. With wins against North Greene, Routt, Beardstown and Mendon Unity, the Trojans improved upon their 1-8 record from a year ago. Sadly, weeks 8 and 9 held two playoff bound WIVC South teams. Greenfield-Northwestern and Carrollton sealed the Trojans’ fate of sitting out another year of postseason football. Look for this relatively young team to cause a stir in 2026.
Routt’s season ended on a disappointing note with a loss 22-14 to Pleasant Hill-Western at home on senior day.
The Jacksonville Crimsons stamped their ticket to the playoffs with a 77-0 win against Lincoln in the final week. The blowout came with some controversy as Lincoln Head Coach Matt Silkowski told WLCN radio on the Saturday following the game that JHS Head Coach Mark Grounds should resign for showing “classlessness.”
Coach Grounds has refused to comment on the accusations that he left his varsity starters in too long. Silkowski announced ahead of the season this one would be his last because he was moving with his family to Texas.
Silkowski and Grounds have an alleged history of dislike dating back to 2016. Despite the controversy, there is still a playoff game in the Crimsons’ future. They get the tough test of heading to Olney to face #1 seed Richland County (9-0) in the opening round of the 4A playoffs.
High School Volleyball
The high school volleyball season concluded this past week. Here are the final records of area teams:
Jacksonville went 15-19 overall and 4-6 in the Central State 8, finishing 7th in the conference. They open the playoffs on October 28 at home against Sacred Heart-Griffin.
Routt finished 13-20 overall and 4-5 in the WIVC, finishing 5th in the conference. The Lady Rockets begin 1A playoff action against Rushville-Industry in Rushville on October 28.
Triopia finished 24-10 overall and 8-1 in the WIVC, finishing 2nd in the conference. The Lady Trojans also begin 1A playoff action on October 28 in Bluffs against Camp Point Central.
West Central finished the season 3-29 overall and 1-7 in the WIVC, placing 8th in the conference. The Lady Cougars host the 1A playoff regionals in Bluffs. They begin play on October 27 against #1 seed Augusta-Southeastern.
The Illinois School for the Deaf played an abbreviated schedule this year. They finished with a record of 2-9. They are unaffiliated with the IHSA and will not compete in the playoffs.
South County finished with a record of 16-17 overall and 3-6 in the MSM Conference, good enough for 8th in the conference. They begin play in the 1A regional at Rushville-Industry on October 27 against Brown County.
High School Cross Country
The Jacksonville High School Girls Cross Country team finished 5th overall at the Taylorville Regional competition on October 25. The team will now move on to the Mattoon Sectional to compete on November 1. Two individual runners finished in the top 20: Millie Schumacher finished 10th overall with a time of 18:37 and
Zorina Bohannon finished 12th overall with a time of 19:09.
The Jacksonville High School Boys Cross Country team finished 8th out of 10 teams at the Taylorville Regional. Only Tyler Butler has qualified for the Mattoon Sectional on November 1. Butler finished 36th overall with a time of 16:51, making him the 5th individual qualifier for the meet.
The West Central Girls Cross Country team finished 3rd at the Rushville-Industry Regional this past week. They qualified for the Elmwood Sectional on November 1. Izzy Wellenreiter finished 9th overall with a time of 21:08 and Mae Rueter finished 12th overall with a time of 21:34.
Two young men also qualified as individuals at the Rushville-Industry Regional this past week. Virginia’s Brennan Beck finished 7th overall with a time of 16:41 and Routt’s Cooper Fritz finished 8th overall with a time of 16:43.
Illinois College
The Illinois College football team held Ripon to just 122 yards of offense and blanked the Red Hawks, 31-0, in a Midwest Conference contest on October 25. IC is now 5-2 overall and 4-2 in
Midwest Conference action. Greenfield High School graduate Drake Stuart was the standout defensively, posting seven total tackles, including a tackle for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, an interception and a pass breakup.
On the offensive side of the ball, Carrollton High School grad Kyle Leonard grabbed 5 passes for 102 yards as quarterback Tyson Elliott’s favorite target on the day. The Blueboys return to the home confines of England Stadium for the final time in 2025 when they host Grinnell on November 1 for senior day.
The Illinois College volleyball team wrapped up a competitive day on their home court on October 25, taking on Monmouth College in a Midwest Conference matchup before facing off against Wisconsin-Platteville in non-conference play. Despite strong efforts throughout both contests, the Lady Blues came up just short, falling in five sets to Monmouth and in straight sets to Platteville.
The loss to Monmouth was IC’s first conference loss of the season. The Lady Blues are now 9-16 overall and 4-1 in conference action. Jacksonville High School alumni Riley Drake had a big day in the two losses with a total of 22 kills, 5 aces and 17 digs. The Lady Blues are on the road for the remainder of the season as they travel to Pella, Iowa for the Central Tri taking on Simpson and Central on October 28.
Lawrence struck for two early goals and posted a 3-0 win over the Illinois College women’s soccer team in the regular season finale on October 25 at England Stadium. IC finished the regular season 10-7-2 overall and 6-2-0 in MWC play.
The 6-2-0 record in Midwest Conference play is the best league record in program history. IC’s six league wins are a school record. The Lady Blues’ 10 overall wins are the second-most in program history, which is tied with last year’s team. IC ventures to the Midwest Conference Tournament for the first time in program history on Friday, November 7.
The site of the tournament, along with the pairings and start times, will be announced after the conclusion of the regular season on Saturday, November 1.
The Illinois College men’s soccer team celebrated senior day with a 2-1 victory over Lawrence in the regular season finale on October 25 at England Stadium. The Blueboys have completed their regular season and will wait to learn their fate for the Midwest Conference Tournament with the announcement of pairings on November 1.
