By Ben Cox
High School Football
Jacksonville High School won its first playoff game in over a decade in true David vs. Goliath fashion in the Class 4A playoffs on November 1 on the road in Olney.
The Crimsons defeated Richland County 41-39 for their first playoff game as a 4A team. Sophomore Jeremiah Jackson led the scoring attack with two touchdowns. The Crimsons built a large first half lead, broke down in the third quarter but were able to pull together and hold off a charge by Olney late in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Jacksonville was rated #16 in the south bracket in 4A while Olney was rated #1. The Crimsons move on to play Cahokia who defeated Centralia in round 1. The Jacksonville fans will once again hit the road when they battle in Cahokia on November 8 starting at 2 p.m.
Class 1A was dominated by WIVC team wins — five, as a matter of fact. It was the most wins by WIVC conference teams in the opening round of the playoffs in more than a decade.
The #1 seed in the south Calhoun battered #16 Villa Grove 48-6. The #8 seed Greenfield-Northwestern smashed #9 Sesser-Valier 42-14 and #11 seed Carrollton upset #6 seed Fithian-Oakwood 28-14. In the north bracket, #2 Camp Point Central shutout #15 West Central 44-0 and #7 Brown County blanked #10 Athens 48-0.
WIVC South foes Calhoun and GNW will play in Hardin on November 8 at 1 p.m. for a chance to move on. Carrollton will battle at Dupo at 2 p.m. on November 8.
The kings of the WIVC North Camp Point Central will give Brown County a second shot at 1 p.m. on November 8. Looks to be an amazing second round of football on the road to the state championship.
High School Volleyball
Triopia’s historic volleyball season came to a dramatic conclusion in the regional championship in Bluffs last week. The Lady Trojans pushed volleyball Augusta-Southeastern to the brink in a three-set match.
The Lady Trojans had a late lead in the decisive third set, but fell after a pair of errors gave the Lady Suns the title. Triopia ended with a record of 27-11, which is a school season record for wins in volleyball.
Jacksonville’s season also came to an end in their own regional final last week. The Crimsons also took Springfield to the brink of elimination in the decisive third set. A pair of late errors ended the Lady Crimsons’ season as well. The Crimsons finished the year 16-20.
High School Cross Country
Cross country runners competed in Sectional competition this past week. In 2A, the Jacksonville girls nearly made the state meet as a team, falling just seconds short.
Individuals qualifying for the state meet on November 8 include sophomore Millie Schumacher who finished 8th overall with a time of 18:30.4 and freshman Zorina Bohannon who finished 23rd overall with a time of 19:22.9.
Illinois College
It was a rough week in Iowa for the Illinois College women’s volleyball team. The squad dropped a pair of matches at the Central Tri meet on October 28 in Pella, Iowa. The Lady Blues then fell in straight sets on October 31 to top Midwest Conference team Cornell in straight sets in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
Then, they visited Wisconsin to turn the calendar and took home a win over Beloit three games to one. IC is now 10-19 overall and 5-2 in MWC play. The Lady Blues close out the 2025 regular season on November 8 when they travel to Lawrence.
The Illinois College football team outlasted Grinnell, posting a 14-7 win over the Pioneers on Senior Day on November 1 at England Stadium.
IC scored what would be the winning points early in the second quarter when Tyson Elliott found Kyle Leonard on a 29-yard touchdown pass. Leonard led the receiving corps with 4 catches for 69 yards and the score. IC will be back on the road with a game at Cornell on November 8.
The Illinois College men’s swimming team got three victories and used that to win the Monmouth Invite on November 1 in Monmouth.
The Blueboys make their 2025-26 home debut when they welcome Monmouth to the Coultas Natatorium on November 8.
The Illinois College women’s swimming team got two victories from freshman Jadyn Gismert of Woodstock, Illinois for a third place finish in Monmouth. The ladies also make their home debut this coming weekend.
