By Ben Cox
Football
With our early deadline last week, we weren’t able to give you the Week 1 and Week 2 football scores. Jacksonville split their first two games, falling to Highland in the opener 50-27 and then defeating Decatur-Eisenhower on the road 47-12. The Crimsons return home this week to face powerhouse Sacred Heart-Griffin.
The Routt Rockets have gotten off to a disappointing 0-2 start. The Rockets have yet to score this season. They were shut out by Greenfield-Northwestern on the road 19-0 in Week 1. Then, they were upended by West Central in Week 2 by a score of 30-0. The Rockets start their WIVC North schedule this week, and it doesn’t get any easier as they face one of the top Class 1A teams in the state, the Brown County Hornets at home on September 13.
Speaking of West Central, they got clobbered in Week 1 against the top ranked Camp Point Central Panthers 50-8. After the win in Week 2 over Routt, the Cougars take on the North Greene Spartans this week.
Triopia faced a similar dilemma. They got smashed by Calhoun in Week 1 with
a shutout loss 42-0. Then, the Trojans turned around and shut out North Greene in Week 2 with a 65-0 drubbing. Triopia gets the tough task of Camp Point Central in Week 3.
Volleyball
The Triopia Trojans volleyball team has been impressive this past week. The Lady Trojans went undefeated at the Meredosia Tournament to take home some early season hardware. They currently sit at 7-0 and are fast becoming one of the top teams in the area.
Meanwhile, several other area teams appear to be struggling. Jacksonville has had some close calls for victory, but appears to have trouble finishing wins. The Lady Crimsons lost at home on September 1 to Quincy Notre Dame 26-24, 12-25, 14-25. They lost again at home on September 2 to Springfield 20-25, 24-26. They were able to turn it on for a two-set sweep of Lanphier on the road on September 4.
After a game against Pleasant Plains late this week, the Crimsons host a tournament.
Routt volleyball struggled at the Springfield-Lutheran Varsity Invitational, going 1-4. Their lone victory came against Metro East Lutheran on the final day of the tournament. They returned to action on September 2 with a three-set win over
Porta A/C, but fell to WIVC rival Calhoun the following night in three sets.
South County and West Central had up-and-down results at the Meredosia Tournament, but the Lady Vipers were able to collect more wins in a row for a runner-up finish. Both teams get into their conference schedules this week.
Golf
The JHS girls and boys’ golf teams both won smaller meets over the last week. JHS hosted a quad meet at the Links on September 5 and took home the win. Maddux Moore was the medalist with a 36. The ladies have a tough test ahead early in the week as they head to the Lincoln Scramble. The boys get to relax at home at The Links for a pair of smaller meets.
Illinois College
Some Illinois College sports history was made in the football season opener on September 4 versus Greenville. Freshman Mia Gerger hit an extra point with 7:25 left to go in the fourth quarter after a Tyson Elliott to Kyle Leonard touchdown reception. Gerger became the first woman to score a point for the Illinois College football team in the program’s history. Gerger was a star kicker for the Chatham-Glenwood football team in high school.
The Illinois College football team used a balanced offense and a stingy defense to post a 28-9 victory over Greenville overall. Elliott, making his first career start, went 22-for-30 for 252 yards and four touchdowns. Rushville high graduate Tanner Spencer led the rushing game with 15 carries for 54 yards. The Blueboys continue the current homestand when they open Midwest Conference play against Lake Forest on September 13.
