By Ben Cox
Photos Submitted
High School Football
Jacksonville High School’s football playoff chances got a little dimmer this week after a 28-0 shutout loss to Quincy-Notre Dame. The loss moved the Crimsons to 3-4 on the season. They have must-win games at Decatur-MacArthur this week and Lincoln next week if they hope to be playoff eligible.
Triopia (4-3) defeated Mendon Unity 6-0 this week in a true defensive slugfest. The Trojans are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive, but they have two tough WIVC-South opponents over the next two weeks. Greenfield-Northwestern is trying to become playoff eligible and Carrollton is one win away from playoff eligibility. The Trojans will have to find a win against either one in the next two weeks to be in the hunt.
The Routt Rockets (1-6) keep searching for another win after a loss against state-ranked Camp Point Central this week 46-3. The Rockets welcome another state ranked opponent this week to Freesen Field in the form of the Calhoun Warriors.
West Central’s (3-4) playoff hopes also got dimmer this week after falling to Greenfield-Northwestern on the road 36-6 this week. The Cougars have must-win games at home against Mendon Unity this week and Beardstown next week if they wish to be playoff eligible.
Volleyball
The Jacksonville High School Lady Crimsons (13-15) had a tough time at the 49th annual Quincy Invitational Tournament this past weekend. They went 1-4, pulling out a lone 2-set victory against 1A opponent Camp Point Central on the final day of the tournament. They started off last week well with a two-set win against Routt in the Volley For the Cure match and a victory over Springfield-Southeast on October 7. The Lady Crimsons head to Bethalto to play at Civic Memorial this week.
Routt (11-15) finished this past week with a pair of wins against four losses. The Lady Rockets lost all three matches in their visit to the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints Fall Classic Tournament at Illini Elite. They played mostly 2A and 3A opponents at the tournament. Despite the rough go, senior hitter Meaghan Marshall [photo provided] was selected to the all-tournament team, finishing the three games with 4 points, 1 ace, 22 kills, 15 blocks and 21 digs.
The Triopia Lady Trojans (22-8) finished last week 6-2. They capped off the week with a third place finish at the Monmouth United Tournament. They have one match scheduled this week on October 13 against Pittsfield.
The South County Lady Vipers (12-12) went 2-1 on the week. They have a busy week ahead, starting off with two matches against the WIVC’s Routt and Carrollton before they head to an out-of-town tournament this coming weekend.
Regional and Sectional tournament sites and seeding was announced by the IHSA this past week. In Class 1A, all the area teams will play at the New Berlin Sectional. West Central will begin postseason play at home in Bluffs on October 27 as a 15 seed against #1 seed Augusta-Southeastern. The following night, October 28, #4 seed Triopia will take on #13 seed Camp Point Central in Bluffs. In the other part of the sectional bracket, #7 seed South County takes on #10 seed Brown County at Rushville-Industry on October 27. The following night, October 28, #6 seed Routt will meet #11 seed and regional host Rushville-Industry. In 3A, Jacksonville draws a 5-seed and will play #3 seed Sacred Heart-Griffin at Springfield-Southeast on October 28.
Boys Golf
Area state boys golf qualifiers wrapped up their season this week. Jacksonville High School senior A.J. Charpentier wrapped up his prep career tied for 42nd with a +15, 157. In Class 1A, Palmyra-Northwestern junior Ty Bowman finished tied for 41st with a +21, 165. Bowman’s feat is somewhat remarkable considering he shot the first round on Friday morning in Bloomington, high-tailed it back to Greenfield to play football and then shot the final round at 8:30 a.m. this past Saturday morning.
Boys Soccer
Jacksonville (15-3-1) finished the week 3-1 with three straight wins at the Jacksonville Kick For the Tournament against Danville, Lincoln and Bloomington. The Crimsons wrap up their season on October 15 on the road at Mt. Zion. The Crimsons begin postseason play on October 21 in Jerseyville. They drew a #5 seed. They will play #4 seed Springfield High for a chance to move on to the Regional final.
JHS Girls Tennis
The JHS girls finished third overall at the Central State 8 Conference meet on October 11. The Crimsons finished behind Chatham-Glenwood and Normal-U High in the meet. Singles’ players Finley York won her last match to place third and Olivia Dobson won her last two matches to place fifth. Sectional play begins this week in Mt. Zion.
Illinois College
Monmouth remained unbeaten in the Midwest Conference by handing the Illinois College football team a 48-15 defeat on Saturday at April Zorn Memorial Stadium. IC is now 3-2 overall and 2-2 in Midwest Conference action. Local wideout Kyle Leonard caught seven balls for 111 yards, while local linebacker was one of three Blueboys with 7 tackles on the day. IC returns home this week to face Knox College.
The Illinois College men’s soccer team played Cornell to a 1-1 draw in a Midwest Conference match on Saturday evening at England Stadium. IC is now 6-3-4 overall and 1-2-2 in conference action. They hit the road this week to Monmouth.
The Illinois College women’s soccer team exploded for five goals in the first half and then cruised to a 5-0 victory over Cornell in a Midwest Conference (MWC) match on Saturday afternoon at England Stadium. IC, which is off to the best conference start in school history, is now 8-6-2 overall and 4-1-0 in MWC play. The women honored the senior class prior to the start of the match on Saturday. The women also hit the road this week to Monmouth.
The Illinois College volleyball team wrapped up its East Coast trip on Saturday with a pair of matches at Kean University. The Lady Blues went the distance in a five-set battle with Kean before falling in four sets to Misericordia later in the day. They return home this week for a pair of MWC matchups with Ripon and Lake Forest.
The Illinois College women’s tennis squad swept a pair of Midwest Conference duals on Saturday. IC opened the day by beating Lawrence, 5-2, and then came back in the afternoon to post a 7-0 shutout of Ripon. The Lady Blues are now 11-7 overall and 3-3 in Midwest Conference action. The Lady Blues will compete in the Midwest Conference Individual Tournament this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin.
