Herrin beats downs Benton with first-half surge

September 16, 2017 By Leave a Comment

http://www.bentoneveningnews.com/sports/20170915/herrin-beats-downs-benton-with-first-half-surge

HERRIN, IL – (Rick Hayes, Benton Evening News.  Please click on the link for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below)

Herrin senior running back Jase Gosha scored four touchdowns and rushed for over 100 yards in leading the Tigers to a 52-22 beatdown of River to River Conference foe, Benton, Friday night.

Gosha scored on runs of 5, 8, 25 and 9 yards — the first three coming in the first half — as Herrin rushed out to a 31-0 halftime lead.

Herrin improves to 3-1 while the Rangers fell to 2-2. Benton will travel to West Frankfort at noon next Saturday for Franklin County bragging rights. The Redbirds upset Harrisburg 37-21 on Friday.

The Tigers play host to Murphysboro Friday

Filed Under: Benton High School Sports, High School Sports, Sports

Week 4 High School Football Scoreboard

September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Southern Illinois River to River Ohio Division

West Frankfort 37 (3-1)(1-0)  Harrisburg 21 (2-2)(1-0)

Herrin 52 (3-1)(1-0)  Benton 22 (2-2)(0-1)

Murphysboro 42 (1-3)(1-0)  Massac County 20 (0-4)(0-1)

Black Diamond

Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn 46 (4-0)  Johnston City 8 (1-3)

Edwards County 42 (2-2)  Christopher-Zeigler-Royalton 6 (0-4)

Eldorado 38 (3-1)  Carmi-White County 14 (2-2)

Chester 43 (2-2)  Vienna Goreville 13 (2-2)

Fairfield 40 (4-0)  Hamilton County 0 (0-4)

Southern Illinois River to River Mississippi Division

Carterville 20 (3-1)(1-0)  DuQuoin (3-1)(0-1)

Anna Jonesboro 71 (4-0)(1-0) Nashville 41 (1-3)(0-1)

Sparta 28 (1-3)(1-0)  Pinckneyville 7 (0-4)(0-1)

South Seven

Centralia 42 (3-1)(1-0)  Carbondale 21 (1-3)(0-4)

Belleville Altoff  55 (4-0)(1-0)  Mt. Vernon 6 (0-4)(0-1)

Marion at Cahokia 2pm Saturday

Filed Under: Benton High School Sports, Christopher High School Sports, High School Sports, Sesser-Valier High School Sports, Sports, West Frankfort High School Sports, Zeigler-Royalton High School Sports

West Frankfort (2-1) at Harrisburg (2-1)

September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

by Steve Dunford

I will feature all the cheerleaders in each preview throughout the year. (Thank you Amy Johnson for the use of the picture)

The West Frankfort Redbirds open Ohio division play tonight against the Harrisburg Bulldogs.

The Redbirds were on the road last week and beat Sparta, 33-16.  The Bulldogs picked up their second win of the season, 21-14 over Boonville, IN.  It was their second win in three weeks from a team from the Big 8 Conference, which is made up of Indiana schools except Mt. Carmel.

Here is what West Frankfort Coach Brian Beery had to say about the Bulldogs coming into tonight’s matchup, “Harrisburg is a very good football team. They have depth, and some very good running backs. Defensively we will have to contain speed backs, and stop #44 (Jordan Bartok)  in the middle. I expect this to be a very physical game, and the team that is the most physical will win, plain and simple.”

I spoke to new Harrisburg Coach Gabe Angelly had to say about facing the Redbirds tonight.  He is a long time assistant that took over after long-time Harrisburg Coach Al Way ended his third tour of duty with the Bulldogs.  He said, “(West Frankfort QB) Connor Eaton is a tough kid, and creates a lot of opportunities for them. We will have to play well to contain him. 

He also said with Bartok, that Hunter Smith and Carl Russ are their biggest threats in the backfield.  He also mentioned how Chandler Bowling and Hunter Jackson has stepped up on the defensive end.   He also said that two sophomores, QB Isaac Crabb and RB Carl Russ are maturing more every game.

I watched film this week from Harrisburg’s week one game with Mt. Carmel.  The Bulldogs have four very good linebackers in Jackson, Bartok, Kent Cletcher, and Presley Gauch.  This might cause the Redbirds some problems tonight with their running game.

I know there could be some changes since week one, but Mt. Carmel had a tough time on the ground, but when they went to the air in the second half, that could be the weak link.

Eaton has been hooking up more and more with WR’s Kyle Hammers and Mason Clay.  For the Redbirds to stay with the ball game, they will have to throw the football.

The win over Harrisburg last year was a turn around to the program for the Redbirds.  I expect a very close hard fought game.  I am going to be rooting hard for WF tonight, but I have to go with the Bulldogs at home by seven.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: High School Sports, Slider, Sports, West Frankfort High School Sports

Benton (2-1) at Herrin (2-1)

September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

by Steve Dunford

I am going to feature the cheerleaders for each of the four schools in each photo. (Thank you Lana Smothers for letting me use the photos.)

The Benton Rangers pitched a shutout last week against Pinckneyville 41-0.  Quarterback Hamilton Page passed for five touchdowns.

Herrin went into VanMater field in DuQuoin and fell to the Herrin Tigers 21-17.

This is what Ranger coach Bob Pankey has to say about tonight’s matchup, “Herrin will play a ground and pound style of offense and will attempt to control the clock. They will get their yards but we have to find opportunities to get their offense off the field.

Offensively, they are bigger than we are upfront so we have to utilize our athleticism and quickness to our advantage and get in space as much as possible.”

I watched the Herrin-Carterville game on film.  Here were a few things I picked up on.  Herrin did not go to the air too much, but have three outstanding guys in the backfield in Kyle Matusczak, Tate Johnson, and Jake Gosha, who seems like he has been in high school eight years.

I was impressed with Herrin’s offensive line, they kept Luke Ford in check, as he is a DE on defense.  I have not watched DuQuoin play yet, but Herrin so far is the best all around team that I have watched play this year. I am setting my DVR to watch Carterville-DuQuoin tonight on WPSD gridiron glory.

Carterville had a tough time getting their passing game going against Herrin.  They kept Ford under control on the offensive side of the ball.

The Rangers will be playing in Week 10.  This is a game that will help them come playoff time.  Benton is a very good football team.  However, I am going with the Tigers by 10.  I will be rooting for the Rangers down at Taylor Field.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Benton High School Sports, High School Sports, Slider

Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn (3-0) at Johnston City (1-2)

September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

by Steve Dunford

The Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn Red Devils will be going on the road this evening to face the Johnston City Indians.

The Devils made themselves one of the favorites to win the Black Diamond after defeating the Eldorado Eagles.  Johnston City lost a heartbreaker down at Vienna last Saturday afternoon 20-14 in double overtime.

Devils Coach John Shadowens had this to say about the Indians.   Johnston City is a team and program that we greatly respect, and they’ve had their way with us for the better part of 15 years.  Luca Gualdoni is a D1 prospect and maybe the best athlete in the conference, so they’re quite dangerous.”

I asked Coach Shadowens after pulling off such a win if there was fear of a letdown, and he said in practice the kids are taking them serious, and there will not be one.

I watched Gauldoni play as a sophomore, and he did a little bit of everything for the Indians.

I have only been to Ralph Davidson II once.  I have been to the old field a few times.  I don’t know if the Indian runs out on a horse with a flaming torch since they have turf in the new field.

Even going to a hostile environment, I can see the Devils running the table in the conference until week 9.  I know I will be covering them playing Fairfield in Week 9 from the NewsChannel 15 out of Mt. Carmel feed.

I am going with the Red Devils by 14 tonight.

 

Filed Under: High School Sports, Sesser-Valier High School Sports, Sports

WEEK 4 PREVIEW: Christopher-Zeigler-Royalton (0-3) at Edwards County (1-2)

September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

by Steve Dunford

The Bearcats in action in Week 2 against Carmi White County

The C-Z-R Bearcats go on the road to face the Edwards County Lions.  The Bearcats fell at Fairfield last Friday night 60-0.  The Lions lost at Carmi-White County 52-21 last Friday night.  Here is a link to the story from that game from the Albion-Navagator Journal

http://www.navigatorjournal.com/sports/image_eef53818-9961-11e7-b69a-cb38704ca038.html

The Bearcats had a big win earlier in the week at the JV level over Fairfield to improve to 2-1 on the season.  The only loss the Bearcats were in the red zone and the first game of the seasons was called 8-6,

From reading the article from the Albion paper, as well as being home on week two listening to the game with S-V-W-W, the Lions seem to have trouble holding onto the football.

The first three weeks, the Bearcats had to play the cream of the crop in the BDC. Vienna-Goreville has surprised some teams this year.  The Lions, by far is their weakest opponent.

Bryce Pratt was in triple digits passing the ball over the last two weeks.  The momentum could carry over from the JV’s big win Monday night.

I am going with Edwards County by seven tonight.  I would not be one bit surprised to hear a score throughout the night that Harrisburg would pull the victory.

Filed Under: Christopher High School Sports, High School Sports, Sports, Zeigler-Royalton High School Sports

High school football schedule for tonight

September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Black Diamond

Christopher-Zeigler-Royalton (0-3) at Edwards County (1-2)

Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn (3-0) at Johnston City (1-2)

Carmi-White County (2-1) at Eldorado (2-1)

Vienna-Goreville (2-1) at Chester (1-2)

Fairfield (3-0) at Hamilton County (0-3)

Southern Illinois River-to-River Ohio Division

Benton (2-1) at Herrin (2-1)

West Frankfort (2-1) at Harrisburg (2-1)

Massac County (0-3) at Murphysboro (0-3)

Southern Illinois River-to-River Mississippi Division

DuQuoin (3-0) at Carterville (2-1)

Anna-Jonesboro (3-0) at Nashville (1-2)

Sparta (0-3) at Pinckneyville (0-3)

South Seven

Belleville Altoff (3-0) at Mt. Vernon (0-3)

Marion (1-2) at Cahokia (1-2)

Carbondale (1-2) at Centralia (2-1)

 

Filed Under: Benton High School Sports, Christopher High School Sports, High School Sports, Sesser-Valier High School Sports, Sports, West Frankfort High School Sports, Zeigler-Royalton High School Sports

Latest AP Illinois High School Football poll

September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

http://www.bnd.com/sports/high-school/prep-football/article173116516.html

Here is a link to the latest Associated Press Illinois High School football poll, from the Belleville News-Democrat

The only ranked teams in the 618 is Highland is ranked 3rd in 5A, and Centralia is 9th.  Altoff is ranked 2nd in 4A, and Herrin received votes.

Carlyle received votes in Class 1A.

Filed Under: High School Sports, Sports

Saluki Volleyball Wins Five-Set Thriller over SEMO

September 14, 2017 By Leave a Comment

By Will Becque, siusalukis.com

CARBONDALE, IL – The Southern Illinois volleyball team used a balanced offensive attack and a stout defense to defeat the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, 3-2 (20-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13) Tuesday inside SIU Arena.

The win for the Salukis marked the first under first-year head coach Kari Thompson. Southern rallied after a first set defeat to take set two, 25-21, and overcame a third set loss by hitting .500 in set four to force a decisive fifth set. SIU trailed 5-1 in the fifth frame, but wasn’t to be denied, as they tied the score, 7-7, and went on to win, 15-13.

 

“It’s nice to get a win so that the team can see all their hard work is paying off,” said Thompson. “Its been a tough preseason and we knew there weren’t going to be any easy ones, but to get a win now gives us the belief that we can put it all together.”

Four Salukis finished with double-digit kills led by Abby Barrow’s second career double-double. The Metamora, Ill. native did it all for the Salukis, as she finished with 16 kills, 12 digs and a career-best four service aces. Her eighth kill of the match, which came in the third set, was the 900th of her career.

“It felt like we just won a championship because that’s how much it meant to us,” said Barrow. “We’ve been working so hard and things just haven’t gone our way. Honestly, its a relief. This win gives us a lot of confidence as a team because we know we’re good.”

Maggie Nedoma tallied 13 kills on 32 attempts, which marked her fourth match in her last five that the Brook Park, Ohio native has recorded at least 10 kills. Nellie Fredriksson hit. 364 and had 10 kills, while Kolby Meeks hit a career-high .625, as she put down 10 kills on 16 attempts without a hitting error. It marked the fifth time in her career that the Norcross, Ga. native has recorded at least 10 attacks without committing an error.

Alayna Martin dished out 32 assists to go along with three digs, while Rachel Maguire added a career-best 29 assists and 10 digs for her first career double-double.

The Salukis got out to a quick start in set one, as they pulled ahead 5-1 with Patience Brown serving. A kill by Andrea Estrada held SIU’s lead at five, 9-4, but the Redhawks began to chip away. SEMO took its first lead of the set, 19-18, on a kill by Mikayla Kuhlmann. It was a lead that the Redhawks never relinquished.

“After the first set we knew we had to settle down and play a little bit better defense against their middle attack,” said Thompson. “(SEMO) also changed a little bit of what they were doing, compared to what we saw on film.”

Back-to-back aces by Barrow broke a 14-14 tie in set two and gave Southern a four-point cushion, 18-14. The Redhawks got to within one, 20-19, but back-to-back kills by Nedoma pushed Southern’s advantage to three (22-19). SEMO again cut the deficit down to one, 22-21, but a kill by Nedoma coupled with a solo block by Meeks and an ace by Brown propelled Southern to a 25-21 set two win.

The Redhawks hit .333 to take set three, 25-21 and go ahead, 2-1.

“Going into the fourth set, we needed to make sure we stuck with our system of volleyball,” said Thompson. “In the third set, we had a lot of people making changes that weren’t part of our game plan. So we went back to our plan in the fourth set and made some defensive plays, which, in turn, sparked our offense.”

Southern recorded an astounding 20 kills and hit an even .500 in set four. The Saluki defense, meanwhile, tallied four blocks to hold SEMO to a .235 hitting percentage and force a decisive fifth set.

In the fifth set, Southern rallied from an early 5-1 hole to take its first lead at 10-9. SEMO finally wrestled the lead back from SIU at 13-12, but a sideout kill by Meeks and a kill by Barrow gave Southern set and match point. An attack error by the Redhawks on the ensuing serve sealed the victory for the Salukis.

The Salukis hit a season-best .311 and recorded 11.0 blocks, which marked the second time in their last four matches that Southern has recorded 10-plus blocks.

SIU will next travel to the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational, beginning Friday, Sept. 15. Southern will take on Central Michigan on Friday, Sept. 15, before tangling with Notre Dame (12:30 p.m.) and Michigan State (4:30 p.m.) on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Filed Under: College Sports, Sports

Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Notebook

September 13, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Players of the Week

Offense
QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota Sr., 6-3, 215, Crystal Lake (Ill.) Marian Central Catholic High / Minnesota

Streveler passed for 306 yards, ran for a game-high 119 yards, and accounted for four of South Dakota’s five touchdowns in a 35-27 win at Bowling Green. It was the program’s second win against a FBS program (Minnesota, 2010).

Streveler passed for 300 yards for the second time in 12 games as a Coyote, and surpassed 100 yards rushing for the sixth time. His three rushing scores are a career best, and he hooked up with Kody Case on a 72-yard bomb in the middle of the first quarter.

Streveler has accounted for 10 touchdowns in two games this season.

Defense

SS Robbie Grimsley, North Dakota State Jr., 6-0, 191, Hutchinson (Minn.) High

Grimsley recorded his eighth and ninth career interceptions in North Dakota State’s 40-13 win at Eastern Washington.  Grimsley had two other pass breakups and totaled four tackles for the Bison, who slowed the Eagles to 54 plays and allowed just 73 yards in the final three quarters.

LB Jared Farley, UNI Sr., 5-11, 224, Cedar Falls (Iowa) High With Saturday’s game vs. Cal Poly tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, Farley scooped up a fumble and took it 48 yards for the score.

The touchdown return was Farley’s first of his career, while the fumble recovery was Farley’s
fifth at UNI. Farley finished the game with 11 total tackles, with four solos and seven assists.

Special Teams

PK Chase Vinatieri, South Dakota State So., 6-1, 210, Sioux Falls (S.D.) Roosevelt High
Vinatieri booted a career-long 47-yard field goal and scored what proved to be the decisive
touchdown on a fake field goal to lift the fourth-ranked Jackrabbits to a 31-27 victory at
Montana State.

He also recorded touchbacks on five of his six kickoffs to limit the Montana State return game.

Newcomer

DE Justus Reed, Youngstown State Jr., 6-3, 250, Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic

Reed had three sacks and three quarterback hurries in the Penguins’ 30-0 win over
Robert Morris. It was the first shutout win for the program in exactly five years – Sept. 9,
2012. He had five total tackles in the game.

Offensive Lineman LT Nick Jensen, South Dakota Jr., Vermillion (S.D.) High

Graded out at 78 percent in leading the Coyotes to a 35-27 win against Bowling Green. It
was the program’s second win against an FBS program. The Coyotes racked up 520 yards of
total offense against the Falcons including 214 on the ground and 306 through the air. Three
of USD five TD drives spanned 74 yards or more, including a 99-yard touchdown drive to
open the game that gave USD a 7-0 lead.

SIU defense leads the nation in the least rushing yards gained

The MVFC holds the top four spots in the NCAA FCS statistics for rushing yards allowed
per game. Last week, Southern Illinois held Mississippi Valley State to minus-8 rush
yards, and the Salukis currently lead the nation (having played just one game).
FCS Leaders – Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed
Rank, Team (Conf.) Rush Yds. YPG
1. Southern Illinois (MVFC) 29 -8 -8.0
2. Illinois State (MVFC) 21 0 0.0
3. North Dakota State (MVFC) 51 39 19.5
4. Western Illinois (MVFC) 46 57 28.5
5. Sacred Heart (Northeast) 61 58 29.0
6.. N.C. A&T (Mid-Eastern) 69 87 43.5
7. Monmouth (Big South) 54 107 53.5

Running Away With It

Six MVFC schools rank among the Top 20 in the FCS in rushing yards per game, led
by North Dakota State’s 436.5-yard figure.  Three MVFC schools rank in the Top 8.

FCS Leaders – Rushing Yards Per Game
Rank, Team (Conf.) Rush Yds. YPG
1. North Dakota St. (MVFC) 116 873 436.5
2. The Citadel (Southern) 140 809 404.5
3. Western Caro. (Southern) 97 695 347.5
4. Illinois State (MVFC) 48 320 320.0
5. Kennesaw St. (Big South) 106 602 301.0
6. Prairie View (Southwestern) 45 297 297.0
7. Sacred Heart (Northeast) 104 588 294.0
8. Southern Illinois (MVFC) 54 285 285.0
9. Wofford (Southern) 109 543 271.5

7 MVFC Teams in Top 25

For the 12th time in league history, seven MVFC teams are ranked in the same
week. Notably, 3 teams are in the Top 5 for the second time in history (9-28-15:
NDSU-2; ILS-3; SDSU-5). HERO Sports’ BennettRank is also listed and is a computer
predictive metric that ranks all FCS teams. The Sagarin ranking ranks all 254 Division I teams, but the number listed is each team’s position within the FCS.

Team FCS STATS HERO SAG.
North Dakota State 2 2 1 1
South Dakota State 4 4 4 3
Youngstown State 5 6 3 4
Illinois State 14 18 13 9
UNI 18 21 16 6
Western Illinois 22 20 19 12
South Dakota 23 23 22 13
Southern Illinois — rv 32 21
Indiana State — — 51 56
Missouri State — — 73 60

Sagarin Rankings, Conference Leaders (FCS)
1. MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL
2. CAA Football
3. Southern
4. Big Sky
5. Big South

 

Filed Under: College Sports, Sports
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