Central's Wright wins IHSA Class 1A 400-meter dash title

05/19/2012, 7:34 pm

CHARLESTON — The season-ending hamstring injury is officially a thing of the past.

Rayanne Wright is the 2012 IHSA Class 1A 400-meter dash state champion.

And after entering as the No. 1 seed in the finals of

HS Boys Track: State meet qualifiers

05/19/2012, 9:38 am

Central and Tri-Point had members advance to the state meet at the Class 1A Paxton-Buckley-Loda Sectional on Friday.

Central's Zach Wainwright came in second in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles with a time of 42.05 seconds. The Comets came

College Softball: Verdun leads DePaul, Lagesse falls

05/19/2012, 9:36 am

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Coal City graduate Kirsten Verdun turned in yet another oustanding performance as DePaul knocked off Massachusetts 3-0 in an NCAA Regional contest Friday.

The Blue Demons, behind the two-hit pitching of Verdun (27-13) and a

Youth Track: Swanepoel strong showing

05/19/2012, 9:35 am

Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center's Lisa Swanepoel had a strong showing on the first day of the IESA Class 2A Track and Field State Meet in East Peoria.

The eighth grader finished the 400-meter dash in 1 minute, .35

Trot Topics: Miller will try to beat an old horse

05/19/2012, 9:24 am

New Sleazy Does It driver will try to take down MJ's Bid

Sunday's first major Illinois-bred stake race of the year, the $43,400 Violet Pace, has brought about a unique situation for driver Marcus Miller. It involves Sleazy

Kyle Nabors: Time for tweaking softball playoffs

05/19/2012, 9:20 am

There's a big problem with the Illinois High School Association state tournaments.

A pair of scouts discussed the issues in softball as they sat under perfectly blue skies Wednesday as Bishop McNamara beat Beecher 9-0 for the right

KCC Baseball: Cavs fall to Black Hawk

05/19/2012, 9:21 am

Kankakee Community College had chances to score more runs and didn't.

It came back to haunt the Cavaliers in Friday's 7-2 loss to Black Hawk at the Region IV Tournament in Madison, Wis.

KCC (39-21) tallied a

Kankakee County Speedway: Weaver survives wrecks

05/19/2012, 9:17 am

Gibson City's Kevin Weaver ranks 10th on the list of all-time feature winners at the Kankakee County Speedway. Still, Friday night was one for the ages.

The drivers came from Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Michigan, Wisconsin -- even Ontario,

HS Basketball: Dwight's Gibson resigns

05/19/2012, 9:29 am

Dwight boys coach Chris Gibson recently resigned his position.

Gibson, who led Dwight for three seasons, took the same job at Clinton High School. Gibson will teach at the school with the possibility of becoming an athletic administrator

Girls' State Track: 5 Kays make finals

05/19/2012, 9:12 am

CHARLESTON -- Since arriving Thursday in Charleston, Kankakee coach Benny Phillips has pushed one message to his Kays.

He just hoped they would listen.

"It's all about getting to the finals on Saturday," Phillips said. "That's what

Girls' Soccer: Manteno moves to Elite 8

05/19/2012, 9:11 am

PALOS HEIGHTS -- It didn't take long for Manteno to pick up right where it left off after a big win over Herscher on Tuesday.

And that was terrible news for University (Chicago) on Friday at the Class

Frontier League: Slammers win

05/19/2012, 9:18 am

Zach Mandelblatt hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and the Joliet Slammers knocked off the Gateway Grizzlies 7-1 Friday.

The Slammers (1-1) wasted no time getting to Gateway starter Cale Johnson (0-1). With one out in

Basketball: Youth camp schedules

05/19/2012, 9:30 am

Hall of Fame coach Denny Lehnus will host the 4th annual High Point Basketball Camp from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 11-15 at King Middle School.

The camp is open to all fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade boys

Sports: White Sox beat Cubs 3-2 in likely Wood finale

05/18/2012, 4:32 pm

CHICAGO — Gordon Beckham hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning Friday and the Chicago White Sox overcame the loss of star Paul Konerko to beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 in what was likely the final major

Sports: Cubs P Kerry Wood plans to retire

05/18/2012, 12:26 pm

CHICAGO — Kerry Wood, who electrified baseball with a 20-strikeout game as a rookie in 1998 and then became a reliever after his career was slowed by injuries, is expected to retire after pitching one more time for the

High school track and field: Herscher's Long lives up to his name

05/18/2012, 10:47 am

NEW LENOX -- It seems only fitting that Herscher's Patrick Long would be a thrower.

Long won the discus competition with a throw of 167 feet, 3 inches and finished second in the shot put with a throw

High school track and field: 9 area athletes qualify for Class 1A finals

05/18/2012, 10:45 am

CHARLESTON -- A senior jumper continued to fulfill her dream, a sprinter made a triumphant return from an injury, and a virtual lock for the finals failed to get past the preliminary round.

It just wouldn't be the

Semipro basketball: Soldiers send Chismark out on top

05/18/2012, 10:43 am

The Kankakee County Soldiers sent Stan Chismark out in style in front of his home crowd at Hidden Cove Sportsplex Thursday.

In Chismark's last home game with the team, the Soldiers beat Battle Creek 125-120. Chismark, who played

Local auto racing: Knee problem ends Steinke's on-track career

05/18/2012, 10:49 am

Sports has no shortage of stories on season-ending -- and sometimes, career-ending -- knee injuries.

So, maybe Lucinda Steinke, of Limestone, deserves no more than a mention. She's just another athlete leaving the field of action and taking

Kankakee County Speedway: Racers talk (about) a good game

05/18/2012, 10:40 am

Some are faster and some are slower, but an average lap at the Kankakee County Speedway takes about 17 seconds.

So, let's get around the pits with a 10-lap heat race of 17-second interviews.

Jay Hamilton, of

Kankakee County Speedway: National racers on track tonight

05/18/2012, 10:37 am

The traveling stars of the nation's Super Late Model Division will converge on the Kankakee County Speedway on Friday for the $2,000-to-win Sunoco American Late Model Series 40-lap feature.

"This is a great series, but I think we'll

High school softball: Kankakee claims Southland title

05/18/2012, 10:32 am

Kankakee won its fourth-straight Southland Conference title Thursday with a 19-0 pasting of Rich Central on senior night.

Kourtnee Thompson homered and drove in a pair of runs for the Kays (23-11, 13-2) in support of Lanie Thompson,

High school baseball: Wilmington squeaks by Corliss

05/18/2012, 10:30 am

WILMINGTON -- The game was tight throughout, so it was fitting that its ending came down to a few inches Thursday.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Wilmington junior Sean Liaromatis bounced a grounder

High school girls soccer: Manteno looks for sectional title

05/18/2012, 10:27 am

The Manteno train was rolling Tuesday. And now, despite a key cog likely missing, the Panthers will look to plow through University (Chicago) on their way to another trip to the round of eight in the Class 1A state

Corrections: Qualifiers omitted; schedule incorrect

05/18/2012, 10:25 am

Several schools and athletes were omitted from a story and the Scoreboard page Thursday on the Illinois Elementary School Association track and field state meet, which starts today in East Peoria. A full list of qualifiers is listed on

College softball: Olivet drops NAIA opener

05/18/2012, 10:24 am

Olivet Nazarene ran into a buzzsaw at the NAIA National Tournament Thursday in Gulf Shores, Ala. And the buzzsaw was named Brandi Richards.

Richards pitched three scoreless innings for Auburn Montgomery, collected the only RBI and threw out

College softball: KCC season ends abruptly at tournament

05/18/2012, 10:22 am

Kankakee Community College coach Dennis Clark is not one to mince words.

He summed up his Cavaliers' effort Thursday at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Clinton, Miss., succinctly -- "We laid an egg."

KCC, seeded

College baseball: Olivet wins at NCCAA World Series

05/18/2012, 10:21 am

Olivet Nazarene had to hold its breath but the Tigers held on for a 6-5 win over Cedarville at the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series Thursday in Mason, Ohio.

ONU held a 6-1 lead in the

High school boys tennis: Kang eyes postseason revenge

05/18/2012, 10:19 am

Bradley-Bourbonnais' Calvin Kang has some unfinished business to take care of at this weekend's Lincoln-Way East Sectional tournament.

Kang, the No. 2 seed in the singles bracket, lost just twice in conference division play all season - with

High school baseball: Manteno's bats wake up to pound Beecher

05/18/2012, 10:17 am

MOMENCE -- The word "postseason" must have been the wake-up call Manteno needed.

Reeling from a stretch of games that saw them lose five of their last six entering the postseason, the Panthers woke up in a big

High school baseball: Iroquois West guts out playoff win over Woodland

05/18/2012, 10:13 am

Iroquois West put a gutsy performance together to advance to the regional final with a 5-3 win over Woodland on Thursday at the Class 1A Dwight Regional.

Pitcher Henry Gerritson (5-3) got himself in and out of trouble

Youth sports: Kankakee's Wilson named coach of the year

05/17/2012, 10:01 am

Kankakee resident Keith Wilson was recognized recently as the Illinois Elementary School Association's District 9 coach of the year.

Wilson and his seventh-grade boys basketball team from Washington Junior High and Academy in Joliet qualified for the state

High school softball: Bishop McNamara ends Beecher's season

05/17/2012, 10:12 am

MOMENCE -- Bishop McNamara isn't known for the long ball, but the Fightin' Irish displayed plenty of power at Wednesday's Class 2A Momence Regional semifinal.

Jaelen Hull homered twice, and Bailee Porter added another as third-seeded Bishop McNamara

Semipro basketball: Soldiers to face Battle Creek

05/17/2012, 10:01 am

The Kankakee County Soldiers look to wrap up the home portion of their spring schedule strong when they take on the Battle Creek Knights at 7:15 p.m. tonight at Hidden Cove Sportsplex.

The Soldiers (9-2) have won seven

College baseball: Olivet starts off strong at NCCAA World Series

05/17/2012, 10:00 am

Olivet Nazarene got off to a hot start at the NCCAA World Series on Wednesday in Mason, Ohio. The Tigers opened tournament play with two victories, beating Southeastern University in the first game 3-2, and Nyack College in the

IESA: Track state meet set to start

05/17/2012, 9:59 am

Representatives from 10 local schools will participate in the Illinois Elementary School Association Class AA State Final Track and Field Meet, which starts Friday at the EastSide Centre in Peoria.

Beecher, Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center, Bradley Central, Clifton

High school baseball: Dwight disposes of Donovan in regional

05/17/2012, 9:57 am

Dwight made short work of Donovan on Wednesday, taking the Wildcats out 12-2 in six innings in a Class 1A Dwight Regional semifinal.

Jake Wardell led the Trojans' offense, going 2 for 4 with six RBIs while teammate

Harness acing: Sky keeper rallies for win

05/17/2012, 9:54 am

Sky Keeper came roaring down the stretch to capture Wednesday's feature conditioned trot at Balmoral Park race to give his 18-year-old driver Jared Seekman his first pari-mutuel victory.

The second choice in the wagering, Sky Keeper ($5.80) overtook

College baseball: Schultz lifts St. Francis

05/17/2012, 9:56 am

Corey Schultz, a Kankakee High School graduate, helped lead the University of St. Francis back to the NAIA National Tournament. The Fighting Saints swept the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament earlier this month, going 4-0 to take the title

High school baseball: Herscher advances to another regional title game

05/17/2012, 10:09 am

MOMENCE -- While addressing his team following a 6-3 victory over Bishop McNamara in the semifinal round of the Class 2A Momence Regional on Wednesday, Herscher coach Eric Regez stated: "Some people might say it's easy to get to

Badminton: Bradley-Bourbonnais lived up to expectations

05/18/2012, 9:04 pm

Coming off a record-setting showing at last year's state tournament, expectations were sky high for Bradley-Bourbonnais coming into this season. But coach Kathy Colclasure was confident, telling her team that they were among the most talented she had ever

High school track and field: IHSA State Meet qualifiers

05/16/2012, 10:40 am

CLASS 1A

Name, school Year Events

Emily Frerichs, Central SR Triple Jump

Abby Rosenboom, Central SR Discus

Rayanne Wright, Central JR 200M Dash, 400M Dash

Jenna Taylor, Donovan SR High Jump

Chelsea Schultz,

High school track and field: Area well-represented at IHSA State Meet

05/16/2012, 10:39 am

It's no secret that Janae Cox has been a pleasant surprise for Bradley-Bourbonnais this season.

And it's no shock that Cox qualified for the IHSA State Track and Field Meet, which begins Thursday at Eastern Illinois University in

High school softball: Manteno collects just 3 hits, still downs Peotone

05/16/2012, 10:07 am

MOMENCE -- It's not always about the quantity of hits.

Sometimes it's all about the timing.

Manteno only compiled three hits off Peotone starter Daniel Liberatore on Tuesday, but a pair of key fifth-inning hits lifted the

High school softball: Dwight blows past Iroquois West in regional

05/16/2012, 10:37 am

Dwight, the No. 1 ranked team in Class 1A, according to the latest Illinois Coaches Association poll, kicked off its postseason with a 16-0, five-inning victory over Iroquois West at the Class 1A Dwight Regional semifinals on Tuesday.

College softball: Olivet ready to keep progress going at NAIA Tournament

05/16/2012, 10:35 am

Olivet Nazarene softball coach Ritchie Richardson doesn't shy away from talking about who the best player he has coached in his 17 years at the school.

"It's got to be Jordan Reynolds," Richardson said. "We have had some

High school girls soccer: Normal ends Boilers' season

05/16/2012, 10:28 am

Bradley-Bourbonnais' season came to an end Tuesday, losing 6-3 to top-seeded Normal in the Class 3A Normal Regional.

Taylor Markanich, Johnna Boatright and Sara Gray scored a goal apiece, with Markanich assisting on Gray's goal. Goalkeeper Danielle Callanan

High school girls soccer: Manteno outshines Herscher

05/16/2012, 10:08 am

PALOS HEIGHTS - This was simply Manteno's day. There was no denying it.

And if there was any doubt, sophomore forward Emily Gaither and the rest of the Panthers erased it early in the second half.

Gaither

Harness racing: Beecher drivers receive national rank

05/16/2012, 10:16 am

Two Beecher drivers, Mike Oosting and Marcus Miller, are now ranked among the best nationally in season winners.

Oosting will go into tonight's Balmoral Park card with 192 victories, good for seventh place throughout all of North America.

College softball: KCC heads to national tournament

05/16/2012, 10:14 am

It didn't take Brandi Coy long to realize the college game was a little different from what she was used to at Kankakee High School.

"I think it was the first couple of times that I kept the

High school boys tennis: Boilermakers sweep through All-City matchup

05/16/2012, 10:13 am

There were three teams playing Tuesday at Cobb Park, but you wouldn't have known that from the finals.

Bradley-Bourbonnais dominated the annual All-City Tennis Tournament, advancing both singles players and both doubles teams to the finals and accumulating

Soriano, Cubs lose 7-6 to Cardinals

05/15/2012, 8:49 pm

Women's water polo: BBCHS grad Caise earns honors

05/15/2012, 10:27 am

Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School graduate Emily Caise earned player of the game honors during Lindenwood's 10-6 victory over Oregon in the opening round of the recent National Collegiate Club Championship in Tallahassee, Fla.

Caise scored three goals to

Irish Relays: Parsons leads young Warriors

05/15/2012, 10:28 am

Watseka's Caleb Parsons put his personal goals aside this season to help lead and improve a young Warriors squad.

But that doesn't mean the senior has taken a break from winning.

Parsons nabbed another win in the

High school track: Watseka closes strong at Champaign meet

05/15/2012, 10:26 am

Watseka finished its regular season on a strong note at The News-Gazette All-Area Meet on Monday night.

The 1,600-meter relay team of Austin Kidwell, Zak Ellrick, Daulton DePatis and Caleb Parsons took first place with a season-best time

High school softball: Peotone puts away pesky Momence

05/15/2012, 10:23 am

PEOTONE -- Peotone coach Bob Santella went with youth Monday, and it all worked out for his Blue Devils in their Class 2A Momence Regional opener against Momence.

In her first high school postseason start, freshman pitcher Emily

High school softball: Iroquois West advances in regional play

05/15/2012, 10:24 am

Class 1A Dwight Regional

Iroquois West ended Tri-Point's season in an opening-round game of the Dwight Regional with a 9-8 win over the Chargers.

With the victory, the Raiders will face Dwight today at 4:30 p.m..

High school baseball: Irish sophomore shuts out Peotone

05/15/2012, 10:18 am

PEOTONE -- Bishop McNamara pitcher Drew Nichols was well aware that he needed to bring his "A" game to Monday's Class 2A Momence Regional first round game against host Peotone.

After all, Nichols was locking horns with Peotone's

High school baseball: Beecher wins on walk-off walk

05/15/2012, 10:05 am

Class 2A Momence Regional

A bases-loaded walk is a tough way to end a season, but that's exactly what happened to Momence, which lost its regional opener to host Beecher 3-2 in eight innings on Monday.

Matt

High school girls soccer: Manteno meets Herscher with Sweet 16 trip on line

05/15/2012, 10:03 am

It's a clash of old friends: Herscher vs. Manteno, with a spot in a sectional final on the line.

No strangers to each other, the two will meet up in the sectional round of the postseason for the

High school baseball: Showtime for Peotone

05/14/2012, 11:32 am

PEOTONE -- The real show begins today for Peotone.

Saturday the Blue Devils had a dress rehearsal of sorts, and there were signs they might be able to make some noise when the postseason curtain opens.

Splitting

High school baseball: Herscher responds with win

05/14/2012, 11:33 am

MANTENO -- The mark of a good team is the ability to respond when challenged.

Herscher has that mark and demonstrated it clearly Saturday morning. The Tigers rolled to a 10-3 victory over Manteno to clinch the Interstate

High school badminton: Bradley duo finish 2nd at state

05/18/2012, 9:04 pm

CHARLESTON -- Bradley-Bourbonnais headed to the IHSA State Tournament at Eastern Illinois University looking to not only improve on last year's school-record point total, but gain a top-six individual finish and a spot in the medal ceremony.

The

College baseball: Splash Lanning

05/14/2012, 11:29 am

Needing two wins against Elgin on Sunday at home to keep its sectional championship streak alive, Kankakee Community College was in survival mode in the opening game. Then it turned to freshman Jake Lanning in the championship game.

High school softball: Manteno gets back on track

05/14/2012, 11:35 am

Manteno rebounded from its first loss of the season in Coal City on Friday with a resounding six-inning 10-0 win over Interstate Eight Conference rival Herscher at home on Saturday.

Brooke Stulga hit three doubles and drove in

Harness racing: Gregory leads gelding to 5th win of season

05/14/2012, 11:28 am

After more than a month absence, Bet On Him regained the top spot as the season's best Balmoral Park aged pacer with a come-from-behind victory in Saturday's $17,000 Invitational for his Monee owners Bruce and Linda Pacitti.

Adeptly

Badminton: Bradley-Bourbonnais pair take 2nd at state

05/13/2012, 5:30 pm

The Bradley-Bourbonnais girls' badminton team headed to state this season looking to not only improve on last year's school-record point total, but also for a top-six finish and a spot in the medal ceremony. 

And while they did

MLB: Braves beat Cardinals 7-4, complete sweep

05/13/2012, 5:26 pm

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jason Heyward ended a 10-pitch at-bat with a bases-clearing double in third inning, helping the Atlanta Braves give rookie Lance Lynn his first loss and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4 Sunday to complete a

MLB: Stewart, Cubs beat Brewers 8-2 to avoid sweep

05/13/2012, 4:58 pm

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ian Stewart hit a solo homer and scored the go-ahead run on an error, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-2 Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep by their division rivals.

It was

MLB: Surging Royals beat White Sox 9-1

05/13/2012, 4:57 pm

CHICAGO (AP) — Jeff Francoeur hit his first homer of the season, pinch-hitter Johnny Giavotella had a big, two-run double and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 9-1 on Sunday.

Alcides Escobar went 3 for