A New Meyers Leonard

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

CHAMPAIGN — The line of critics on how Illinois big man Meyers Leonard handled his freshman year of college, surprisingly, has Leonard at the front.

The joke-first, get-jabs-in-second and be-serious later kind of guy might have gone through a life-changing couple months this summer — a complete transformation is uncertain at this point because the 7-footer from Robinson has been able to only talk about the new Leonard, not prove he’s different. Different from the guy who expected minutes to be handed to him when he showed up on campus. Different from the selfish player who didn’t value his body by not sleeping enough or spending extra time in the gym. Different from the freshman with an attitude.

“I almost thought I had already made it,” Leonard admitted last week before a practice for a 10-day trip toItalyin August. “Obviously, I didn’t really reach my expectations, you would say, for most people and for myself.”

With an unmemorable season of 8.2 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds behind him, Leonard started figuring it out in spring workouts. The USA Basketball U19 trials inColorado Springs,Colo., were nearing and Leonard realized it was time to stop expecting success and put in some work. A challenge from Illini coach Bruce Weber to “step up and be the guy,” along with Brandon Paul and D.J.Richardsonhelped, too.

He was plenty good enough to earn one of the 12 roster spots on the U19 team competing at the FIBA U19 World Championships inLatviafrom June 30-July 10.

“I was in here two or three times a day conditioning weights and taking shots,” Leonard said about his preparation for the trials. “I felt like I got a lot better.”

The overseas trip wasn’t all glitz, glamour and wins.

It began with a couple beat downs at the hands of Lithuania, first 101-72 then 108-75, that involved staying in some seedy hotels and five-hour trips to and from games. The team’s play improved, finishing 5-1 in tournament pool play, including a 107-105 revenge win against Lithuania, but the accommodations didn’t.

The team lived off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips and granola bars.

“Matured a lot,” Leonard said about trip. “Understood how lucky I am to live inAmerica.”

He also got drilled on how to approach the game. Whether it was stretching, a basic drill, weight lifting, Leonard was repeatedly told to “be a pro.” The mantra came from George Mason coach Paul Hewitt and it struck a chord with Leonard, who’s projected in the first round of next year’s NBA Draft.

Granted, that means Leonard actually makes a difference on the floor this season for the Illini.

“I’ve made a complete turn-around, made a complete 180,” Leonard said. “I’m in the gym a lot more, caring about myself, just caring about everything a lot more and really trying to step up my game.

“Got my head on straight, I’m just ready for this year.”

Weber and the Illini need Leonard to be set for big-time minutes. With post mainstays Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale gone, Leonard, who’s now up to 7-foot-1, is the only real option at center. That’s unless Leonard proves he’s not ready again, and 6-foot-11 freshman Nnanna Egwu continues to play at a high level once Big Ten season rolls around.

What’s more likely is that Leonard and Egwu spend a good amount of time playing alongside each other, pushing one another. Leonard showed that’s doable at a recent practice in which he was all business as Weber instructed. What Weber saw was Leonard running the floor, as he did forUSAbasketball. It put a smile on his face, as the new Leonard has done for everyone who’s gotten glimpses.

“He did a couple post moves in practice the other day that got me excited,”Richardsonsaid. “It’s great to see that. With Meyers showing he can bang down low, it’s going to get the others to want to get down there and do that, too.”

Sounds a bit like leadership, something the new Leonard is ready to tackle.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in July 2011.

Drawing Motivation

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
MAROA - His all-out smile that charms in an instant, jovial personality and polite "Yes, sir" response helps Jante Newbern fit right in at Maroa-Forsyth. His desire to attack the opposition on the football field with reckless abandon helps, too.
But it hasn't always been that simple.
Newbern, a senior, doesn't give away the struggles he's been through that most at Maroa never think about. That doesn't mean he's forgotten how he and his mom, Carmen Jackson, outran homelessness during his childhood. Or how he's fought to stay on pace to graduate in four years.
For Newbern, who has finally become a starting defensive end for one of the best Class 2A teams in the state, it's all motivation.
‘The ups and downs'
Long before Jackson made the decision to move to Forsyth from Decatur four years ago, she and Newbern had lived everywhere but the streets. As a single mom fighting to find and maintain a job, Jackson struggled to keep her and Newbern in one place for very long.
Lack of financial stability forced abrupt moves for the family, always bringing to mind the possibility of not having a place to sleep.
"We've been through a lot. We've experienced the ups and downs," Jackson said. "When he was an only child, he went through a lot. We have lived in some ratty places and it wasn't always the best living situation.
"Anything a single parent could go through, we've been through."
Newbern remembers the bouncing around, but he also recalls his mom always finding a way to keep a roof over their heads. He's not sure how she did it, but they "always pulled through."
Life has improved for the family since moving to Forsyth, but that does not mean it's easy. Jackson is juggling three kids, an unreliable car and classes for a radiology degree. For now, she is unemployed, but prays every day one of the hundreds of jobs she has applied for will materialize.
The combination of those things clashed with Newbern's first couple years of football and academics at his new high school.
"We've got some kids who grow up here who don't have a silver spoon, but they can walk home from practice," Jostes said. "It's a different case for us. It'll probably make all of us better, all of our coaches, and it's good for our kids to see what this kid has to deal with compared to ..."
When he first began at Maroa, Newbern was upset he wasn't headed to MacArthur with people he knew, he was helping to care for his younger siblings and he did not take his classes seriously. Even though he was kicked off the football team for ineligibility and missing too many practices his freshman and sophomore years, Newbern was happy to be helping his mom wherever he could.
"She just been carrying a heavy load and I totally give her props for that," Newbern said. "Our trip to Maroa was rocky at first."
‘He's always been ours'
When Newbern finished the first half against Sullivan-Okaw Valley in Week 1 with 14 tackles and four sacks, the whispers throughout the Okaw Valley Conference were already circulating.
"Who'd Jostes recruit now?"
That was an easy one for the long-time Maroa coach, who always gets grief when a new player appears on his roster. Newbern had been there all along. In fact, Jostes knew three years ago when he saw him on the freshman team he could be a disruptive player for opponents.
"Even at that point he was always throwing his head in there wherever the ball was and was going to go hard," Jostes said. "He caused a lot of problems as a freshman for our freshman team down there trying to run."
Newbern had the motor and the "God-given ability," but he didn't have the means to stay eligible or get to practice consistently. So, every year when Newbern showed up, he was relegated to the scout team.
"His consistency on being able to count on a kid like that is what has held him back a little bit," Jostes said.
As a junior, it looked like Newbern might break through and be a contributor. But a cruel twist of fate struck when he broke his hand on the first day of contact. Newbern planned to play with it black-and-blue, calling the injury "just a bump." But once the trainers found out, he had to sit a handful of weeks. The lack of football crushed Newbern's motivation academically.
Now, with three years of trying to play and failing behind him and just one opportunity left, Newbern understands the situation. With his younger siblings now in daycare, he has more freedom to fulfill his commitment to Maroa's football program. Even though transportation from Forsyth to Maroa is still an issue, Newbern now has teammates and friends to help out.
During three-a-days, Newbern spent the entire week at fellow defensive lineman Tyler Cisco's house. Newbern and Cisco, who was new to Maroa last fall, hit it off last year in English and immediately became friends. The two have each other's backs.
"He needed help, so I was there," Cisco said. "He said he needed someone to push him to get to practice, so I do.
"He's the friend I trust the most."
So far, Newbern has missed just one practice, a morning workout he slept through, which he paid for with a healthy dose of running.
The help Newbern's getting from friends and teammates is all part of a plan Jostes and others have put in place to keep Newbern on the field and on pace to graduate. The Trojans have someone they can plug in on the defensive line, but it's no one as explosive as Newbern. Against a much better and bigger Week 2 opponent in Tolono Unity, he finished with 11 tackles and three sacks. That's 25 tackles and seven sacks in just two games.
"He's not intimidated or afraid of anyone," Jostes said. "He's going to go as hard as he can. He's one of the few high school kids who truly goes until the whistle is blown.
"I don't know that anybody that we have is going to beat him, ‘Go get the ball until you hear a whistle. Go.' I mean, he's only got one speed. We've got to shut him down in practice."
Newbern's hitting ability separates him from other special athletes who have come through Jostes' program. And it would be hard to find someone who has been as up-and-down as Newbern that gets such high praise for his play and character.
"This kid's special," Jostes said. "He hits. This kid's not afraid to run through that wall with really no reward.
"I say, ‘You got the quarterback?' ‘I'm gonna' hurt him.' Go get him, big boy!"
Newbern said he will go through anybody to get the ball and that comes from watching his favorite football players, Texans defensive end Mario Williams and the Redskins' Brian Orakpo. But that didn't mean he expected to be such a force.
Newbern's strength was on display over the summer when he earned the team's lifting award. He made only 58 percent of workouts, which isn't committed but Newbern's highest ever, and saw his bench press increase from 235 pounds to 290.
His speed became evident when he tracked down one of Unity's fastest athletes Michael Lafenhagen in the open field and made a tackle. The play sent Maroa's sidelines into a frenzy.
"Man, it's been amazing," Newbern said. "I never thought I would come through with that many tackles.
"I've just been blowing my team away with how many tackles I've been getting. I'm just so happy to be playing with this team right now."
Jackson's happy, too. She's been to both games this season and will be in the stands tonight when Maroa plays host to Clinton.
"It's wonderful," Jackson said. "You hear his name get called. Come on now, you're going to have me crying.
"It's a beautiful thing. You hear so much about kids getting involved in other stuff and I'm just glad he's doing something positive."
‘I knew I was going to pull through'
Newbern struggles to put his academics during his junior year into words at first then settles on calling it "a big mess." After suffering the broken hand, he stopped putting in the necessary work in the classroom and started failing a couple classes.
Now, that's not an option.
Jackson, Jostes and Newbern all echoed the same sentiment that this is Newbern's last chance to play football and he sincerely wants to graduate on time, which means a significant credit difference from the city schools.
Plus, Newbern is putting in extra time after school several days a week before he has to join the defense on the practice field.
"It's just been a work in process that we to have figured out," Jostes said. "I'm confident that he has a big enough support system and he's a good enough kid and he truly appreciates any help he gets that it will be taken care of."
Newbern legitimizes Jostes' stance. The senior is taking school more seriously and doesn't expect the grades to be handed to him. He also wants to try and reach the next level playing football or pursue an art career.
Newbern even went as far as saying he thinks he has straight As right now. Even through all the academic problems, he never doubted pulling through it.
"I always had my faith in God and just believed in myself and always had a point where I knew I was going to pull through," Newbern said. "It was always like if I just keep trying and I stay devoted that I'm going to make it."
Going full circle to make it through a football season and graduate in the spring would make Jostes happier than any number of tackles and sacks.
"That's what I'm going to be most proud of," Jostes said. "He's a good boy."
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in September 2011.

Kreps Positioning Himself To Play In Europe

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

Living just six blocks from the University of Illinois-Chicago, Mike Naiditch knew what kind of competitor and player Robo Kreps was on the basketball court.

What Naiditch didn’t realize was just how passionate Kreps was for the game. When the two finally crossed paths during the agent and player process after Kreps graduated this spring, Naiditch found out what drives the Maroa-Forsyth product every day.

It’s not dollar signs.

“He just wants a job to play basketball,” Naiditch said. “He has a passion for the game that I haven’t seen from a lot of guys. He didn’t bring up money, not one time. I can tell you that’s not his motivation. He really is doing this because he loves it.”

Kreps’ dedication to getting better in order to live as a professional has backed that up. He’s in the middle of a two-month stint at Attack Athletic, one of the country’s elite training facilities under the direction of Tim Grover. Grover’s spent time with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, just to name a few.

When Kreps showed up with his swollen physique after living the majority of his college career in the weight room, Grover dubbed him the “fat white kid.”

“In college, I wanted to put on this weight and I knew how to do it,” said Kreps, who graduated with a Kinesiology degree. “I know how to lose the weight, too.”

Kreps has limited his lunch diet to either Subway or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while he’s basically taken up residence at Attack Athletic. The first four days of the week feature five-hour workouts that mix in court work with some lifting. The end of the week is a ligther load, but every day he finds himself in the gym trying to get better, specifically as a guard with the ball in his hands. After making a promise to work extensively on his handles every day, his elbow is even a bit sore.

On a rare day off recently, Kreps relished the day by sleeping in and simply watching a movie. A direct reflection of the amount of work he’s put in to lose 20 pounds and develop ball handling skills he’s never had.

“I’m 10 times quicker,” Kreps said. “I have gotten better in every area.”

The rapid development Naiditch has seen is changing the outlook on Kreps’ options overseas. There’s already one offer on the table to play ball in Germany at one of the highest levels, but Naiditch thinks Kreps can handle even better competition with his new explosiveness and improved point guard skills.

So, Naiditch is exploring every option in Europe in hopes of finding Kreps the perfect fit.

“I want to push as hard as I can because I believe he can surprise some people at a high level,” Naiditch said about Kreps. “Losing that weight and adding some tools has really changed things.

“Germany in the second division is a safe start but I think we could make a shot at the first division.”

One of the challenges for Kreps when it comes to attaining his dream of playing in the NBA is figuring out what guard position he fits best. He’s a natural scorer, but doesn’t possess the needed size to play at the two in the League.

In Europe, he doesn’t run into that issue. He can be a score-first point guard who enjoys a long career, which is fine by him — even if it means adapting to a life half a world away from his family, which is already making his a bit nervous.

“It flew by, but I feel like I played in college forever. I’m ready to move on,” Kreps said. “If you want to be good in the game, you have to put the time in. I’ve always said if I stop having the drive that I do right now to get better, that’s when I’m done.”

For now, Kreps has another couple weeks in Chicago before he finally finds out where he’s going to be playing next.

“Mid-august I would like to have him off and running wherever that may be,” Naiditch said.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in July 2011.

Adams Ready To Overcome, Again

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

If Darius Adams has proved anything the past four years, he’s more than ready to overcome a far from ideal situation this summer.

After being one of the best players in Division II this year, the MacArthur and soon-to-be University of Indianapolis graduate is prepping for a new stage in his life — professional basketball. But with a looming lockout for the NBA, most potential professional basketball players are in for a grueling and unpredictable couple months.

Unlike most high-profile guys, Adams has been through the struggles. He went from being a bench player for the Generals to a two-year college before becoming the nation’s seventh-best scorer in D II. Now, he’s going to have to shake the D-II label and prove he’s worthy of a workout for NBA teams that are going to be limited given the likely work stoppage.

“There are a lot of people who start at the bottom and come up,” Adams said. “The main thing is proving yourself. I know if I just keep going hard and putting in the work that’s where I want to be.”

In normal years, teams bring in a host of potential draftees before the draft then evaluate undrafted free agents during mini camps and the summer league. With none of that set to happen, Adams is going to have to make a quick impression in the few opportunities he might get.

“The timing is terrible,” Eric Fleisher, Adams’ agent, said about the lockout affecting Adams’ options.

With the draft still almost two months away, Adams’ first chance to start turning heads will be in the middle of May once he’s finished up with classes in Indianapolis. Then, Adams will hopefully hit up a couple workouts across the country.

His 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists a game, along with being named a second-team Daktronics All-American, are evident the basketball side comes easy.

The lifestyle side isn’t as simple. As a kid growing up in Decatur, Adams watched his mother, Michelle, work two jobs just to get by, so he hasn’t traveled much. He’s flown just three times in his life, including his first solo trip, which came in late March when he played in the Reese’s NCAA Division II College Basketball All-Star Game in Springfield, Mass.

“I’m about to start a new part of my life,” Adams said. “Being from Decatur, you can only dream of stuff like this. I’m just taking it all in. I’m blessed to be in a position like this.”

While Adams couldn’t get Indianapolis coach Stan Gouard to fly with him to Massachusetts, Gouard has been with him every other step of the way. Gouard isn’t too far removed from the hectic scene of trying to make to professional basketball one’s career. After starring at Southern Indiana in the mid-90s, Gouard transitioned to a life playing ball in Europe. But the inconsistency of work, turned Gouard away from it and into coaching.

“I’ll be stupid to say that was one of my goals,” Gouard said about playing in the NBA. “That was another conversation we had. You can spend your time trying to make it in the NBADL or you can go to Europe and make a couple $100,000 a year.

“It hit home with him.”

Like many, Adams’ ultimate goal is reaching the NBA and he won’t stop until he gets there. If Europe is his first stop, so be it. He will take the opportunity and turn it into valuable experience to make The League.

In the mean time, he wants to provide financial relief for his mom and daughter.

“My mom has been working for so long, I’m getting tired of seeing her work two jobs,” Adams said. “And I don’t want my daughter to worry about anything. I want her to be able to go on and do whatever she wants to do in life.”

Even with incredible competition to find a place to make some money, whether it’s here or in Europe, Fleischer is confident his client will get it done.

“Do I think he will have an opportunity? I believe so,” Fleisher said.

And if the past says anything about Adams, one chance is all he needs to spark his professional basketball career.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in April 2011.

Illini Showcase Fresh Attitude

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

CHAMPAIGN – A new and improved Illinois men's basketball team attitude was on full display before Tuesday's rare July practice.

With preparation for a 10-day August trip to Italy continuing, players and coach Bruce Weber talked about a more mature and coachable roster for this season.

After a couple years of turbulence with personalities, D.J. Richardson said the team is listening to Weber and staying together as a team even if it is months before the season begins.

"The chemistry is just way different," Richardson said. "Everybody's on the same page. No one has a bad attitude. Everybody comes to practice every day to get better."

A big step in that direction came when all six freshmen showed up on campus without attitudes. Robinson product Meyers Leonard said individual agendas, including his own, caused issues with last year's team. Now, with a more mature Leonard and juniors Brandon Paul and Richardson, the team's mojo has changed.

The team also lost four starting seniors, including Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey, as well as freshman Jereme Richmond.

"I think we'll be really solid and surprise people because we play really hard and we're willing to listen to coach," Leonard said.

Tuesday was the fourth of 10 practices Weber can use to prepare the Illini for the trip. He introduced all of the newbies with one practice back in June and the team is beginning a four-practice stretch.

They will go another five times before leaving for the trip, which will include at least four games in Rome, Florence, Venice and Como against professional Italian club teams.

"It's a great opportunity for us to have with all these new guys to go through the practices," Weber said. "The games are the icing on the cake when it comes down to it; more value in the teaching and learning, so when we get to the fall with these guys, whether it's terminology or how hard we want to go or part of our system, hopefully, we'll have an advantage."

Given the amount of roster changes, especially the addition of Sam Maniscalco, who transferred from Bradley in the offseason, the timing of the trip couldn't be any better. Maniscalco sees the perfect opportunity for the seven fresh faces to mesh with the six returners. For him, the likely season-opening starter at point guard, bonding time is immeasurable. Throw in the fact that he's still recovering from major ankle surgery and the trip's bonuses keep stacking up.

"I'm just getting back into the swing of things and having the opportunity to play against some competition of that level and speed will pay dividends down the road," Maniscalco said.

Maniscalco estimated he's at about 70-80 percent of basketball-playing shape and he's still taking it slow at times by listening to his body. He just started playing basketball again after taking eight months off.

"It's taken a little longer than we had thought," Weber said. "But Sunday, he kind of showed us the things we thought he was going to do. He's very crafty. He's got some toughness. He understands the game.

"I hope he ends up being a very good player for us."

Weber said he hopes to split the minutes evenly throughout the roster on the trip but it's certainly an opportunity for players to prove they should be in the rotation come the beginning of the season.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in July 2011.

Brooks Working His Way Toward Olympics

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
It’s 6 a.m. when Lance Brooks rolls out of bed and immediately thinks about the gym. He won’t be there for at least another 8 hours, but Brooks is addicted to it. June is the heart of track & field season, so a heavier, less-toned Brooks is in the middle of the biggest month of his career. The 20 extra pounds he carries makes him more intimidating. Today, the 27-year-old is headed 60 miles north of Denver to Turner Oil and Gas Co., to put in four hours of work before his focus turns to his real job. Despite having to spend two hours commuting for the little time he puts in, the part-time gig helps ease the financial worries of an athlete trying to reach the pinnacle of a sport without a ball.
Fortunately for him, he’s almost there.
The 2006 Millikin graduate took an important step toward competing on the world’s biggest stage by proving he’s one of the country’s best discus throwers last week. It was a third-place throw of 63.42 meters at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The performance means he can represent the United States at the World Championships, if he notches a 65-meter throw (the A-standard) before Aug. 8.
“It was surreal waking up the next morning having 40 text messages from other throwers, athletes, friends and family,” Brooks said. “It’s big time now.”
Soon after finishing his shift, Brooks passes the time on his drive home by mentally mapping out his workout. It’s always a two-and-a-half hour session with his roommate, Doug Goldstein, also a Millikin grad, who doubles as his physical therapist, but the routine is never the same.
The two former Millikin athletes bonded over an obsession for exercise. This isn’t the type of exercise most can relate too. The YouTube video of Brooks jumping from a stand-still onto a 57-inch stack of boxes (that’s 4-feet-9) made former Olympian hammer thrower Steve Deautremont fall out of his chair. There’s also the one with Brooks showcasing his upper body strength by hoisting 455 pounds twice.
“What I saw was an amazing human specimen that had size, explosiveness and quickness,” said DeAutremont, who was the 1974U.S.hammer throw champion, about seeing Brooks throw for the first time.
Some who watched Brooks run the floor for Millikin’s basketball team remember those qualities, too. Despite not possessing the most skill, he was known for throwing down vicious dunks. More than half a decade later, it’s Brooks’ freakish athleticism that’s helped him grasp a technique-driven field event. Up until weeks before the national championships, Brooks was ranked No. 1 in country and eighth in the world. Then he pulled a chest muscle and a couple others threw well, but Brooks’ third place was striking considering he missed a lot of training.
“To do what he did at that meet without being able to train hard in the past 6 weeks, that’s pretty amazing,” Deautremont said.
When his agent signed him up for the competition he still hadn’t inked a sponsorship deal. That changed with Nike backed him just before he put his name in mix for the World Championships, which are in Korea in late August, and potentially the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Now, the size 17 shoes he always struggled to find are piling up in his bedroom. Instead of paying his way to meets around the states or internationally, Brooks gets invited, which takes care of the financial burden (flight, hotel, food, etc.). That makes the looming three-week trek to Europe to bring home his A-standard throw do-able.
“A lot has changed in the last three years,” Brooks said. “I thought four years (until the Olympics) would take forever, but it’s gone by so fast. A lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
All of the sacrifice Brooks and his supporters have gone through since he began his dizzying journey is inspiring Brooks. He wants to compete in Korea then make the Olympic team and position himself for a gold medal, whether that is next summer or 2016. All of that, combined with making a trip back to New Berlin with hardware makes it all worth it.
“A little bit of everything,” Brooks said about why he continues his quest. “Making the world championship team, Olympic team, bringing everything back to the hometown, showing everybody I appreciate them.
“You have to have a loving and sacrificing family.”
When Brooks leaves Tuesday for Madrid he begins a stretch where he could wind up on the road seven out of eight weeks. Stops could include Champaign, Sweden and Korea. The final one won’t become a possibility until that 65-meter throw is in hand. Once he gets it, he will head home to rest his body, which still means ridiculous amounts of training.
Brooks wouldn’t have it any other way.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in July 2011.

With Heavy Hearts, Shelbyville Advances

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

EAST PEORIA – Josh Maxwell couldn’t hold in the emotion any longer.

Minutes after his Shelbyville softball team advanced to the IHSA Class 2A state championship game in grinding fashion on Friday night, the joy of victory and sorrow of death merged.

Just an hour before the Rams (33-7) began their march toward a 1-0 victory against Alton Marquette, Maxwell’s mother, Jane, lost a 7-year battle with cancer. Then his team went out and continued the school’s best season ever.

“It’s more than a roller coaster of emotion right now,” Maxwell said through tears. “She was all ready to watch the game online. She was with us though. She watched it.”

Shelbyville’s standout pitcher Grace Moll said Maxwell’s resilience throughout the day inspired the team to position itself for the state title.

“He’s been so strong today,” Moll said. “I think our motivation was him being so strong out there. We saw him at the hotel and he was pretty low and we’ve never seen him like that before. So we were like ‘We’ve got to go out, we’ve got to play our game.’

“And when we play our game things like that happen.”

The win puts the Rams in the 2A title game at around 7 tonight in East Peoria.

Leroy’s take

Turning point

With two of the state’s best pitchers dueling, the difference was razor thin. It came in the top of the third with Katelyn Coleman at the plate and the game scoreless.

A push bunt by Coleman forced Marquette pitcher Alexis Silkwood into a tough play and her hurried throw to first was off line. Coleman reached second on the error and moved to third on a dropped-third strike to the next batter, Hollie Schultz.

After Hannah Dudley walked and Taylor Rhodes struck out, Shannon Boone came through. Boone dropped in an RBI single behind the second baseman, giving the Rams the lead and Moll all the run support she needed.

“The big play was the push bunt that we didn’t make the play on and that kind of started the inning,” Marquette coach Dan Wiedman said. “Like we say, ‘They’ve got a bat in their hands at the plate, they’re dangerous.’ You’ve got to give them credit.”

Players of the game

Shelbyville’s defense. Normally, Moll would take home this honor, but her pitching combined with stellar defense was the difference. Moll struck out six, walked just one and gave up only one hit, plus she had quality support.

Marquette put 16 balls in play and the Rams committed just one error – a dropped flyball in left that didn’t lead to any damage. On top of that, the infield made all the routine plays and Schultz made a not-so routine catch in right to back up Moll.

“I have so much confidence in my defense right now,” Moll said. “It’s awesome to have a defense behind you because a lot of times you just have a pitcher or stud third or stud hitter and when everyone one your team is a stud, it’s exciting.”

Pitchers' duel

As expected, Silkwood and Moll were stingy.

Silkwood was the best pitcher Shelbyville faced all season, according to Moll, and the stats backed that up. Silkwood finished with 14 strikeouts and didn’t allow an earned run. Unfortunately for the lefty, the runner who reached on her error ended up scoring the winning run.

“Her movement was great,” Moll said.

Okaw love

The Okaw Valley Conference had plenty of non-Shelbyville fans in attendance cheering on the Rams. At least one St. Teresa fan, along with a host of Maroa-Forsyth followers made the trek to cheer on their conference member.

After all, Shelbyville is hoping to help make the Okaw’s case for the best small-conference softball league in the state. After knocking off Carterville (who’s from the powerhouse Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference) earlier in the postseason and now playing for the state title, the Rams are making a tough argument.

“From 1-12, I don’t think they can hang with us,” Maxwell said. “The Okaw is just tough. They make us better by playing us every night.”

Quotable

“We’re going to the state title game. We hadn’t won a regional before this year and it’s a lot fun. These girls work their tails off. They deserve a lot of credit. They’re just awesome. They’re awesome.” – Shelbyville coach Josh Maxwell

Looking ahead

Just Morrison (30-7) stands between Shelbyville and a state title.

The Fillies outlasted Lisle 9-4 in eight innings before the Rams won to advance. The two teams don’t have a common opponent given that the two schools are separated by more than 4 hours.

A glance at the stats gives an edge to Shelbyville because of Moll. Morrison has two pitchers it uses equally demonstrating it doesn’t have someone as dominant as Moll.

Last season, Morrison took third place at state.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in June 2011

Volpe Overcomes Defeat, Advances To State

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

MAHOMET – The sweat dripped from Lucas Volpe’s face as he stared Jay Lanning in the face. The Mount Zion junior had been here before.

Just a week prior, Volpe had to look up to Lanning who stood atop the podium at the Champaign Central Regional after beating Volpe 12-9 at 140 pounds.

Now, the senior from Pontiac stood between Volpe and the state tournament. With a determination seen from the first time he set foot on a mat when he was 7 years old, Volpe jumped out in front of Lanning and controlled the match on his way to a 9-6 win.

The entire time his grandfather Richard Goetz moved back and forth, and side to side as the match progressed. And when Volpe’s hand was raised signaling a trip to Champaign, Goetz let out a couple emphatic fist pumps.

It was a special moment for the two who have put in 10 years of work together to reach the top of high school wrestling.

“This means everything for me and for him,” said Volpe (26-8), who went straight to Goetz for a hug after the win. “He’s helped me get to where I am and to beat a kid who beat me last week, this feels great.”

Getting Volpe into wrestling when he moved to Decatur a decade ago was an obvious choice for Goetz, a two-time state runner-up in Iowa and collegiate grappler at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The surprise was how quickly the 7-year-old Volpe picked up the sport. After about 10 days at the kids club wrestling program, Roy Johnson, father of Volpe’s current coach Justin, said Volpe needed to be moved up because of his ability.

“I saw a little bit of anger in the boy,” said Goetz, who helped raise Volpe after his parents divorced. “I heard about the kids club, got involved and he took the anger out on the mat.”

Practice three nights a week and weekend trips all across the Midwest followed.

Goetz would wake up at 3 a.m., wrap Volpe in a blanket, throw him in the backseat and the two would be at weigh-ins by 7 a.m. in Chicago.

Now, the two will be headed to Champaign for state, which begins Friday morning.

“I’m so pleased and so proud because he’s worked so hard and that’s what it takes in the sport of wrestling,” Goetz said. “We have established a great relationship and wrestling’s always been involved.”

Volpe ranks No. 12 in his class, and faces No. 4 Connor Bass from Yorkville in his first match at state. If he tops Bass, fifth-ranked Brandon Rice (Washington) is waiting. The final chapter could be written if Volpe makes an incredible run through his bracket toward a state title, but Goetz and Volpe both know that’s a lot to ask.

“It will be a very special moment for me if they can raise his hand as a champion,” Goetz said. “But we have another year, too. We had a rough beginning to this season, but we’re finishing very strong.

“Regardless of what he does, I will be a proud grandpa shooting my mouth that he’s my grandson.”

Joining Volpe at state are five of his teammates. Joe Butler and Grant Naylor are making their return to state after a disappointing experience a year ago, while three others are making their debuts at state.

In all, the H&R area is represented by 24 (16 in Class 1A and eight in Class 2A) wrestlers at state.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in February 2011.

The Man Behind The Bombers

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

ARGENTA – It doesn’t take long to recognize wrestling’s place at Argenta-Oreana.

It’s not like most high schools.

Wrestling garb is a constant in every classroom and the sport doesn’t take a backseat to football or basketball. The pristine wrestling room nestled deep inside the building is proof, too.

“The wrestling team has always been the No. 1 program,” Argenta wrestler Trent Trudeau said. “Basketball players at times get jealous because of how much success we have.

“It’s definitely a special program.”

Aaron Ford, who’s sitting on the mat next to his training partner, laughs thinking about where wrestling would fit in at his high school, Maroa-Forsyth. There, football is king and everyone knows it.

“I don’t want to touch that one,” said Ford, who wrestles for Argenta through a co-op.

It’s been this way for a long time, but not forever.

One man’s responsible for that.

When Gary Cook was hired 34 years ago, he was a young guy eyeing the coaching jobs with football and wresting as a stepping stone. He wanted to be on to the next great thing in less than five years.

Turns out, he had already started building that at Argenta. No one can point to a single moment that made the program into one of the state’s best, but Cook’s personality is quickly mentioned by those around the school.

“Gary has a heart of gold, I really believe that,” long-time friend and coach at Argenta Tom Saunches said.

It’s that heart of gold that has led to kids following Cook.

Freshman state qualifier Zach Whitsel couldn’t stop watching his teacher and coach as he strolled through his classroom providing students with assistance on an assignment. Every chance Whitsel got to talk with Cook, he jumped at it.

“I remember him coming over in the summer to see what’s going on,” Cook said about Whitsel, who was giddy to be included in Cook’s conversation.

Cook’s attention quickly turned to a window in the classroom to see three of his wrestlers roaming the hallway. It was seniors Trudeau, Danny Ball and Kyle Johnson searching out a “drink of water.” Ball is a state qualifier in just his third year of wrestling after quitting basketball. He’s also the best athlete in the school and makes the basketball team mad when he dunks.

“I think we could beat the basketball team,” Johnson said.

“They wouldn’t play us in basketball,” Cook responded before reminding the three they don’t give degrees for hall wandering.

The 5-minute encounter is exactly why Cook finds himself in his 35th year at one school. It’s also why the kids love him.

Cook has nearly 30 kids actively participating in a sport most shy away from. While just five of them are wrestling at state this weekend, plenty more go through the hardest workouts of their life every day to have a place in something special.

Take Brandon Monney. He’s a 103-pounder stuck behind Whitsel and has wrestled just a handful of varsity matches all year. But Monney, who’s unassuming and wouldn’t quite fit on a basketball court, shows up to practice every day after school and proudly wears his Argenta-Oreana hoody.

It’s kids like Monney who help Cook field the only team in the Okaw Valley Conference with someone in every weight class.

“He’s able to recruit kids out of the hallway and the classes,” said Art Bartges, who hired Cook at Argenta and is one of just two paid assistants Cook’s ever had. “He gets those kids who really don’t have a niche in a sport, gets them in there and gets them wrestling four years and by the end they’ve become a decent wrestler and improved a lot.

“They find a spot in their life where they’re needed and fit in with the scene. That’s one thing that’s been good about him is to get those kids in there to fill his lineup, which is important and another reason he was so successful because he has sent out 14 guys every match.”

That success can’t be matched by anyone in the area and few in the state.

Cook eclipsed the 500-win mark three weeks ago when the Bombers hosted the Okaw Duals. Just four other coaches in state history have more wins than Cook, who’s now at 502. A week later, Cook picked up his fifth regional title at home when Argenta hosted the meet, an event in place because Cook has established a fine-tuned machine to play host.

That’s when his life gets consumed with preparing mats, organizing programs and lineups, lining up officials and volunteers, but little coaching because he’s being pulled in every direction. With his recent milestone, though, Cook was relieved of being the answer man for the regional and allowed to coach every match.

His wrestlers didn’t disappoint.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s special for the kids to be able to wrestle in front of family and friends,” Cook said.

In the end, that’s all Cook is concerned about. Not 500 career wins, not the next great thing, but the opportunity to be part of moments like the pair of photos with Kevin and Kris Powars in his office. They are a father-son combo who both won sectional titles as wrestlers for Cook.

Or it is the opportunity to give kids a reason to pass their classes and stay out of jail.

“Everyone tries to do what he does, but it’s not easy,” said Cindy Fitzgerald, who’s taught gym classes for more than 20 years with Cook. “I’ve seen him turn wrestler’s lives around and given them an opportunity to do something special. He’s just a great guy.”

Fitzgerald’s a bit nervous about the future because Cook’s retiring from teaching at the end of the school year.

She’s not the only one antsy about the change.

Argenta athletic director Dan Sheehan knows retirement means the end of Cook’s coaching career is close. That’s why he’s been joking around about signing Cook to a 10-year contract to get him to stay around longer than he’s going to.

With no firm answer on how long, he ends his day by cleaning the mats in his wrestling room - his favorite part of every day because it’s peaceful - Cook simply says “There won’t be a 600.”

And for that, Argenta wrestling won’t forever be the same.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in February 2011.

All The Right Moves

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
MAROA — Escaping a bad situation with hopes of success doesn’t always work how people envision. A change in environment can be underestimated, expectations can be too much and acceptance from a new set of peers can be a struggle.
Gary Scott embraced it all.
The one-time Eisenhower athlete first thought about transferring to another school after his freshman year, but with a new coach entering the program, Gary’s father encouraged his son to stick it out. After two seasons that included one win and little use of him at running back, the Scotts decided to invest in their son’s future and move to Maroa.
A year after making that decision, Scott became the most complete running back Maroa has had recently, and it led to Scott winning the 2010 H&R Macon County Player of the Year award.
“I knew it was probably going to be a better situation than I was already in, even if I didn’t start or play much,” Scott said. “I just wanted to do anything I could to help out the team and the program.”
That humble approach is what sold Maroa-Forsyth’s entire football program on Scott when he enrolled before last January.
Scott knew there were a handful of guys who had spent their entire lives playing football for Maroa and were in line to start at running back. So, he didn’t show up with any demands. Rather, he proved in the weight room that he was willing to work for a spot on the team.
It didn’t take long before Maroa coach Josh Jostes and the players took notice.
“He was a good kid and came in with a great work ethic,” Jostes said. “He just came in and wanted to be successful. It worked out great and when you have parents who are committed, that’s just great to see.”
When Scott’s father told Jostes the move was being made, Jostes didn’t know a lot about the 5-foot-9, 190-pound back. All of his knowledge came from playing against Eisenhower in 7-on-7s during the previous two summers when he noticed Scott’s size. Considering the stature of Toby Propst and Dustin Hoffman — the two backs who would have shared most of the rushing load this season — Jostes was happy to add a bigger kid to the position.
It wasn’t until summer camp and practice in pads rolled around that Jostes knew just how good of a player he had.
“He brought a bit of an edge,” Jostes said. “He was bringing it once the season started.”
The rest of the area got a good glimpse of Scott’s ability in Week 1 when he helped Maroa trounce Clinton 49-7 with scoring runs of 40 and 5 yards. He finished with 112 yards for the first 100-yard game of his career.
After getting his second 100-yard game in Game 2, the normally quiet Scott spoke up in Week 3 against Shelbyville. With the Trojans up 33-0 at halftime and Scott sitting at 168 yards, he reminded Jostes he had never rushed for 200 yards.
“We’ll get 200 when it matters,” Jostes replied.
Sure enough, against undefeated Tuscola four weeks later, Scott punished the Warriors for 233 yards as Maroa pounded the defending Class 1A state champs 39-17.
“I made sure to grab him and say ‘Enjoy that one,’ ” Jostes said.
As the season progressed, Scott kept enjoying career firsts. In the first playoff game of his career, Scott helped bring Maroa from behind against Marshall with 172 yards and two TDs. And every week, Scott was one of the first in line to pick up the Trojans’ newest playoff shirt as they finished second in Class 2A.
“It was anything you could wish for,” Scott said. “The opportunity to actually just go out there and compete every game was worth it.”
Scott did more than just compete. He was far and way the most productive back in the area with 1,943 yards on 232 carries (8.4 yards per carry) and 21 TDs. He also caught 18 passes for 194 yards and a score. On defense, he finished with 70 tackles.
While his production might have surprised some people, Jostes knew that Scott’s mentality and mid-year enrollment at Maroa would eliminated any transition period academically and athletically.
“I am really happy for him,” Jostes said. “He was an honor roll student coming in and it’s going to be an adjustment and he’s had to adjust. He’s taking advanced placement tests and has had to adjust and he’s been willing to make that effort.”
With all of Scott’s success coming late in the game recruiting wise, he’s still holding out hope for a couple big programs. His electric season piqued the interest of Illinois State, Eastern Illinois, Drake and Murray State, but with other scholarship offers out to players they’ve recruited long before, it’s a waiting game for Scott.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in December 2010.

Taking Over

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
TUSCOLA - The thought of a former Little Okaw Valley Conference team running the table in the Okaw five years back would have been irrational.
The Okaw was steeped in tradition and stacked with larger schools that played better football.
Even when the LOVC talked about banishing mighty Tuscola and the Warriors joined the Okaw, it looked like another team that could compete, but not dominate. The 83-10 record Tuscola piled up in 12 years competing in the LOVC was going to be a thing of the past.
Tonight, Tuscola, the smallest school in the conference, has one final major hurdle - Class 2A No. 6 Maroa-Forsyth - on its way to a 9-0 mark against the Okaw. The Warriors finish the season with Meridian and Argenta-Oreana, teams that are a combined 1-11 so far.
That would be 9-0 with arguably the state's toughest Class 1A schedule. Wins would include Class 3A No. 3 Tolono Unity, then top-five Class 3A St. Teresa, then top-10 Class 1A Central A&M and the highly-regarded Trojans.
It would be something not even last year's state championship team or 2007's runner-up group could do.
"Quite honestly, it would be an amazing thing," Tuscola coach Rick Reinhart said of an undefeated season in the Okaw. "But at the start of every scouting report, it's business as usual. We have our toughest test coming (tonight)."
When Reinhart took over at Tuscola in 2008, he saw the level of competition the Okaw brought. He also saw the high level of training the Warriors were putting in during the offseason to position itself for success.
Just this past summer, Reinhart had 50 guys participating in summer workouts, which is the foundation for any successful season regardless of the league.
"I have always been at a small school in a big conference," Reinhart said. "It's not how many numbers you have; it's about having the right numbers.
"I just thought it was a situation that we would win. To dominate and win it all, no, not year-in and year-out."
Since joining the conference, Tuscola has the fourth-best regular-season record. It's had no less than six wins each season. Against the larger schools in the Black division, the Warriors are an impressive 13-3 with wins against every school.
"I knew when we went in we would be solid, but we happened to be blessed with a lot of kids who can play football and sometimes that doesn't happen in 1A," said Tuscola assistant Stan Wienke, who coached the Warriors during their first season in the Okaw. "But you didn't know how much of a beating you would take and if that would neutralize the talent we had.
"Luckily, we've been able to dodge that and kids have been able to step up into positions we need them to."
Maroa-Forsyth coach Josh Jostes was the first Okaw coach to lead his team past the Warriors. It pitted two spread teams and two highly ranked squads against each other in 2007. The Trojans outlasted Tuscola 35-28.
Up until a 28-0 beating last season, Jostes was one of just two coaches not to lose to Tuscola since it joined the conference.
"I am not surprised," Jostes said of Tuscola's success in the Okaw. "They are well coached and have some tradition. They continue to get the kids and work hard year round."
Any number of intangibles takes a team only so far. Sustaining success in one of the best football confer-ences in the state takes talent.
Throughout the past decade and certainly since Tuscola joined the Okaw, the Warriors have been ripe with athletes, and Reinhart's the first to bring that up.
"We have had a great run of talent," Reinhart said. "Let's be honest, it all starts with talent. That's the main thing."
The playoff run the Warriors are enjoying started in 1994 with the likes of NFLer Fred Wakefield. Then Dusty Burk, an Illinois State player, came through. During that first year of Okaw play, current Iowa quar-terback John Wienke was around.
"We knew the teams were bigger, but it was high school football," Wienke said about that first year in the Okaw. "The success isn't surprising because it's just a good situation.
"We want to win at all costs, and that's just how it goes at Tuscola. They put it in their mind that they al-ways want to win."
There's also a quality coaching staff that guides that talent every day on the field. The familiarity of the staff is a big plus that Stan pointed out. A lot of the same guys who were on his staff in the early '90s are still roaming the sideline for Reinhart.
"We have a pot-load of athletes, and the coaches are so consistent it makes it a lot easier," Wienke said. "Every time we graduate between nine and 20 players, the next guys take their spots and there isn't much of a difference.
"And this has been going on since the early '90s."
Even in that '07 season, when Tuscola fell in its seventh game of the season to the same opponent it faces tonight, Wienke made sure his team knew what was important - the postseason.
Just the same, Reinhart has his team hungry for another Okaw win, but understanding that the ultimate goal is taking home another trophy from Champaign as a Thanksgiving celebration.
"We're going to be as good as we can be," Reinhart said. "If that's good enough to win conference or state, and you have to be lucky to do that, then so be it."
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in October, 2010.

Far From Bitter Coaching Rivals

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR — It’s easy to see why Scott Davis and Josh Jostes would be adversaries.
Old school vs. new school. Tradition vs. innovation. Run vs. pass.
Throw in the fact that they lead two of area’s best football programs, St. Teresa and Maroa-Forsyth, in the premiere rivalry of the county and it’s an easy fire to stoke, right?
Not exactly.
“I think that’s a real misconception,” Maroa-Forsyth athletic director Dana Dale said. “When they’re on the field, they’re both competitors, but when it’s all said and done, they speak to each other and are great friends.”
Dale knows.
When Jostes applied for the head coaching job at Maroa back in 2000, Davis was at the top of Jostes’ references — something that might shock people given the intensity of the St. T-Maroa rivalry nowadays.
“Scott and I have no qualms with each other,” Jostes said. “He helped me get the (Maroa) job.”
Fresh out of Millikin, Jostes knew that getting into coaching had an element of who you know — especially local coaching successes. So, he didn’t hesitate to turn to an already-established Davis, who can be intimidating, for some help.
“I was pretty confident he would give me a reference because there was a lot of history between our families,” Jostes said.
Josh’s grandfather was on the Macon school board that gave Davis his first coaching gig. It was 1980 and Josh was a wide-eyed 7-year-old soaking up everything Ironman football, while his uncle, Reed, coached with Davis.
“I would say he was the same guy, but a lot younger and a lot tougher than he is now,” Jostes said of Davis. “The whole family loved him.”
Davis had a favorable opinion of Jostes, too. After years of relying on Reed as a player and a coach and spending time with his grandparents, Davis had no problem recommending Jostes for any coaching position.
“I thought he would do a good job,” Davis said of vouching for Jostes. “Yeah, I think (it was a good reference).
“They’ve had some good football tradition and Josh has been able to build on it and continue to keep it moving.”
It wasn’t easy-going at first.
The first four seasons Jostes led the Trojans into battle against Davis and St. Teresa, it was a death march. The new Maroa coach had heard all about a heated match-up with St. Teresa, but several bad losses to the Bulldogs soured Jostes on the showdown.
That was until Jostes ditched his run-first offense, adapted to the skill guys the Trojans annually have and started winning games.
“When you get killed every week, I wasn’t so sure about a rivalry,” Jostes said. “It’s not a rivalry until we win games and when it goes back and forth. We’ve been fortunate enough to do that.”
In 10 years at Maroa, Jostes has validated Davis’ recommendation by going 78-27. Couple the rise of Jostes with Davis’ continued success and the Maroa-St. T showdown has taken off.
But each school’s success has come a bit differently.
When Davis went 16-20 in his first four years at St. T, the hard-nosed coach never waivered from his power run game. Jostes’ 10-26 start at Maroa forced his hand to adapt to his personnel and the younger mind turned it into an offense predicated on skill guys.
But dig a little deeper and both programs are built on the same principals of hard work and discipline.
“(Davis) expects the most out of his kids and that’s what Josh does, too,” said Tony Klein, who played under Davis at Macon and coached with Jostes at Maroa. “They just go about it different ways. A lot of people see that.
“They’re both great guys and great teachers. They’re the same but in different ways.”
Klein has noticed the increased chatter about Davis and Jostes not liking each other through the years. He chalks it up to the growth of a great rivalry and a product of the Trojans’ success.
“You didn’t hear any of that in the first four years,” Klein said. “It’s just the rivalry.”
The height of competitiveness in both men is staggering, so when there’s not much of a pregame conversation or a postgame handshake, don’t read into it.
These two go back 30 years.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in October, 2010.

The Face of a Rivalry

New Preps Recap Videos

Here are links to the Preps Recap Videos I have done at the Herald & Review. These are from August 2010 and on.

Aug. 27, 2010
Sept. 4, 2010
Sept. 11, 2010
Sept. 18, 2010
Sept. 26, 2010
Oct. 9, 2010
Jan. 15, 2011
Jan. 21, 2011
Jan. 25, 2011

New Preps Preview Videos

Here are links to the weekly Preps Preview vodcast I take part in at the Herald & Review. These are from August 2010 and on.

Aug. 25, 2010
Sept. 1, 2010
Sept. 8, 2010
Sept. 15, 2010
Sept. 29, 2010
Oct. 6, 2010
Oct. 13, 2010
Oct. 21, 2010
Jan. 4, 2011
Jan. 13, 2011
Jan. 26, 2011

A Handle On The Game

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
OLNEY - Sara Stevenson never remembers dictating defenses with her ball handling the way her sister Taylor does.
Eight years removed from being H&R's Area Player of the Year and four years since playing at Illinois State, Sara sees that Taylor's taken her game beyond what she ever did in high school.
It's the "total package," according to Sara, who admitted she was more of a shooter.
Taylor's all-around game that features the area's best point guard abilities helped another Stevenson win Herald & Review Area Player of the Year honors this season.
"She is very unselfish and can pass the ball, and her ball handling skills are great," said Sara, who watched Taylor and Olney East Richland play against Bloomington Central Catholic in the super-sectional. "You can tell she has developed her ball handling skills, and that's what you need to be a great point guard."
As a junior, Taylor is the cornerstone of one of the area's best programs.
Olney coach Brent McKinney points to Stevenson as the common denominator between back-to-back super-sectional runs for the Tigers. In 2009, they reached the state tournament with her in the starting lineup as a sophomore, averaging 11.5 points and the second-most assists behind a senior. In 2010, Olney's state tournament run was cut short by No. 1 Bloomington Central Catholic, the eventual Class 2A state champ. The season did include 25 wins, including one against state-ranked Teutopolis to win a sectional.
But Stevenson's role on the team grew as she averaged a team-high 15 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.7 assists a game. All of that came while running the show and committing only 1.5 turnovers a contest.
"It makes the coaches look that much better when you have a girl who can handle the ball," McKinney said about the value of Stevenson on the floor. "Maybe some teams like to press, and now they have to change their game plan because of what she can do in the open court with the ball.
"She's a special kid, and I love having her in the program."
When McKinney took over three years ago, he saw Stevenson had the potential to be something special.
That's because Stevenson hit the court as a freshman who grew up in gyms. She first played competitively in fourth grade and hit the AAU circuit as an eighth-grader. She was busy looking up to her two older sisters, who both got Division I scholarship offers.
"I always wanted to practice and be as good as them," said Stevenson, who talks like a seasoned basketball veteran. "I always followed basketball and I knew it took a lot of hard work, and I enjoyed that."
Often times, high school players plateau after a season or two at the varsity level, but that hasn't happened with Stevenson. McKinney has seen her put in enough work to reach her potential and redefine what her capabilities are.
"It's been nice to see her progress, and to her credit, she's done a great job to get in this situation," McKinney said. "She lived in the gym and was going to put the time in it."
With both her sisters being D-I athletes, Stevenson knows her career won't end after her senior season. That's why she'll be found in the gym working on her mid-range jumper during the summer and showcasing her talent in AAU.
So far, she's gotten interest from Lipscomb (Division I), Penn (D-I), University of Maryland-Baltimore (D-I), Indiana University-South Bend (NAIA) and Missouri Western State (D-II)
"I do think she can play D-I," Sara said. "It's huge for her this summer to get exposure while playing AAU."
Stevenson is the third player from Olney in the past nine years to win area honors. Sara won it in 2002, and Brittany Johnson, now playing at Ohio State, was a four-time winner from 2004-07.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in March 2010.

Small In Stature, Gordon Showcases Talent

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
TOLONO — Picking out the area’s most successful athlete at the Tolono Unity Sectional on Friday would have been a challenge.
It wasn’t a 6-foot plus kid. It wasn’t an upperclassman who had dominated the area plenty of times before. It wasn’t even someone who competed last year.
It was Monticello sophomore D.J. Gordon, a 5-10 kid sporting glasses, who opponents likely underestimated. There’s no doubt after the meet, the opposition will remember him.
He advanced to state in four events after winning the long jump (21-9) and 400 meter (52.04), helping win the 4x400 relay (3:28.73) and taking second in the 100 (11.33).
“When he came into track he didn’t have any idea of how to utilize his talents,” Monticello coach Jeff Butler said. “He has come so far and has let his talent blossom.”
Gordon’s had an impressive season for someone who last competed in track as an eighth-grader. He made state then in the long jump, but took his freshman year off to focus on transitioning to high school.
Despite playing some summer baseball, he was admittedly lazy.
“I took the year off almost,” said Gordon, who has become more coachable since working with assistant track coach Cullen Welter. “I had a streak where I just didn’t do anything. I kinda’ gained a little weight.”
With that behind him, he returned to the track and even surprised himself with his results on Friday.
“Wow, I had no idea this would happen at all,” Gordon said.
Gordon was a big reason why Monticello dominated the sectional.
The Sages, who had their streak of seven straight sectional titles snapped last year, won the meet with 118 points, 41 more than Tolono Unity. St. Joeseph-Ogden came in third with 76 points and Sangamon Valley finished in fourth at 69.
“These guys knew that last year was a down year and was a bummer and that was on their mind going in,” Butler said. “It feels good to get another one.”
Monticello senior Brett Winterbottom advanced to state in three events. Winterbottom ran in the 4x4, finished second in pole vault and won the 300 hurdles. Sophomore Steve Schroeder moved on in two events. Schroeder crushed the field in the 3,200 (9:48.25) and finished third in the 1,600 (4:36.00).
The Sages advanced five individuals and a relay to next weekend’s state meet.
“The mind is always a tougher place to conquer than another person,” Schroeder said about running alone ahead of the pack in the 3,200. “It’s a lot tougher than running with other guys, so it makes for good preparation for when you get to run against guys who are faster than you who will push you.”
Sangamon Valley fares well
Sangamon Valley notched fourth place behind a record performance by its 4x800-meter relay team.
The Storm added Tyler Ramsey to the mix and re-arranged the order and the result was a school record 8:16.27. The entire bunch had season-best splits, including the fastest 800 junior Casey Acree has ever run.
“We were just doing it for each other,” said Acree, who won the 1,600. “It was good competition and we knew we’d be able to get a good time.”
Along with Acree and the 4x8 team, Sangamon Valley advances three other athletes (Eric Leonard, Jordan McCall and Dan Rentschler).
Warrensburg advances a couple
Warrensburg-Latham nearly advanced three relay teams to state.
The Cardinals’ 4x1 team got edged by .01, but their 4x2 and 4x4 teams took second and moved on. Senior Eric Gibbs, who helped on the 4x4, won the 800 and senior Dejay Salmons took second in the shot put.
“We’re happy to get that team in,” Binkley said about the 4x2 after the same group got bad news in the 4x1. “We’re getting a few out (to state), so we’re happy.”
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in May 2010.

Hartman Set To Sign With Cubs

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR — It’s been 17 years since Mount Zion’s last athlete signed to play professional baseball.
Ryan Hartman’s ending that drought today.
Three days before the Arizona Rookie League begins, the 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher is signing a contract to play for the Chicago Cubs, who drafted Hartman in the 16th round two weeks ago.
“I am still kind of speechless,” Hartman said. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Jeremy Current knows exactly what Hartman’s feeling.
Current was the last Mount Zion product drafted and still remembers the day vividly. He went on to play a couple years in the minors before returning to the area.
Fittingly, Hartman and Current have grown close during the past two years after Hartman joined the Decatur Commodores. On draft day, Hartman spent all morning and afternoon on Current’s pond trying to put the process out of his mind. Throughout the whole way, Current was there providing support and advice.
“We got to have some good conversations out there on what to expect on signing a contract and what it’s going to be like shipping out 2,000 miles away from home,” said Current, who knew Hartman was going to be a pro the first time he saw him throw. “I’m very excited for him. He’s got a great opportunity.”
Current emphasized that Hartman has to be prepared for some failure on what is an up-hill battle.
Most players make between $1,000-1,500 a month and the competition includes everything from high school studs to college graduates. The players lucky enough to make the bigs — or even make a living playing — go through a lot of growing pains.
“You’re going to struggle; it’s going to happen,” Current told Hartman. “You’re facing the best and half your team won’t speak English. You’re not pitching in the Apollo Conference anymore and it’s a lot different than Macon County.
“It’s baseball 8 hours a day. If you don’t love it, you’re going to learn to love it.
Even so, Current knows with the maturation that Hartman’s gone through during the past year will help him through the rough patches. And there’s always family and friends to lean on, too.
“He’s made some hurdles of bearing down mentally,” Current said. “He’s matured a ton in a year. Some may have doubted his maturity level, but they can’t now.”
Hartman finished his senior season 8-2 with a 1.28 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 60 innings. He was slated to play baseball at Eastern Illinois, but was going to entertain an offer to play professional ball depending on the money.
The Cubs’ offer was good enough.
Hartman and the Arizona Rookie League Cubs start play on Tuesday in Mesa and the season runs through August 29.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in June 2010.

Connor Torches First Round Of Futures

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR — Forgive Rachel Connor for thinking about shooting below 60 after nine holes on Thursday.
The 19-year-old rookie on the Duramed Futures Tour was having the round of her life at the Tate & Lyle Players Championship and wanted to stay aggressive after five early birdies.
Connor didn’t quite make enough shots for the 59 she wanted, but after five more birdies on her final nine holes the Brit opened up a healthy lead thanks to 9-under, 61.
Chelsea Curtis and Jenny Shin sit four strokes back at 5-under.
“I feel really confident playing here,” Connor said about Hickory Point Golf Course. “It’s similar to an English golf course, so I think that’s why I feel comfortable playing it, but my game just felt solid today.
“I felt like I was in my own little world. I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it.”
Connor started her day off unlike she normally does.
She ignored the leaderboard and convinced herself to shoot for pins while trying to win the event. She was rewarded early and often for that approach.
Her day started with a birdie thanks to a 15-foot putt, which was a sign of things to come. After a bogey on her fourth hole, where the putt was only five feet, she reeled off three straight birdies with putts of 17, 10 and 16 feet. After another par on her eighth hole, she hit the turn after a 15-foot birdie putt on 18, too.
She didn’t slow down, either. After a “terrible” second shot, Connor sunk a 20-foot putt to start her 5-under final nine holes.
“I’m usually playing it a bit safe, but it’s not been working lately,” said Connor, who had trouble remembering each birdie as they blurred together. “So, I was like ‘you know what? I’m just going to do it, see what happens,’ and this is what came out.”
It’s a pleasant change of pace for Connor, who’s missed the cut in the past three tournaments she’s played in. After switching from a draw shot to a fade, she struggled, but she handled her new swing well in Round 1.
“I’ve been said Connor, who finished with a round-best 24 putts. “My coach said ‘just go for everything, you’ve got the game, just believe in it’ and that’s what I did today.
Heading into the second day, Connor has no plans to change her aggressive approach that helped her beat her previous career round by six strokes.
“I’m going to just go out with the same thought process really,” said Connor, who was hopeful her parents back home in England stayed awake for a phone call at 1 a.m. “It’s more just believing in my swing
“If I can trust it, I can do this again. That would be pretty cool.”
It wasn’t until Connor came along late in the day that Curtis, a rookie from Georgetown, lost her lead.
Curtis also used an efficient putter to position herself well, including a 50-foot birdie on her seventh hole, with her 5-under, 65. Along with the 50-footer, Curtis had three more birdies in the first nine holes and didn’t have a bogey all day.
“I definitely hit the ball close and gave myself a lot of opportunities,” said Curtis, who’s best finish on Tour this year is third. “I just had everything kinda going for me today.”
Jenny Shin also fired a 65 without having any trouble. She used birdies on two of her final four holes to put herself in a tie for second.
Esther Choe and Elisa Serramia sit in fourth at 4-under with four players locked at 3-under.
A total of 38 players shot under par in Round 1.
Action gets under way at 8:30 a.m. today. Connor is in the first group off tournament hole No. 1, while Shin goes off at 10:20 on No. 1 and Curtis at 1:20 p.m. on one.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in June 2010.

Moll Possesses Impressive Ability

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
SHELBYVILLE — All it took was one pitch from his 9-year-old daughter for Tony Moll to know she could be special.
Forget that the ball went over his head and the backstop; Grace’s ball possessed the “snap” to get your attention.
It was enough to send her new instructor, Stephanie Fitzpatrick, raving to her dad about the new girl she worked with. Fitzpatrick saw the wildness, too, but that was nothing new for a kid Grace’s age who possessed enough raw power to impress a former college pitcher.
The area got its first taste of Grace in high school this season with Shelbyville and hitters were in awe, too. She allowed only 54 hits in 22 games on her way to a 21-1 record, a 0.98 ERA and 291 strikeouts in 135 innings. All of that success earned her 2010 Herald & Review Area Player of the Year honors as a freshman.
“You can never judge how good you are going to be and you never want to go into it thinking you’re going to be great,” Moll said. “Have a positive and under control attitude. I would have never gotten that many wins without my teammates behind me.”
Moll has been able to keep her career in perspective, but plenty of people knew she would terrorize batters this year. There was talk about her long before she ever threw her first pitch in high school and Fitzpatrick had a good idea of what to expect.
“I think we all knew that she was going to have an outstanding season,” said Fitzpatrick, who’s a Stephen Decatur grad who played college softball in Evansville, Ind. “The 43 feet has made a big difference in high school ball and her movement and velocity kept her in games. You have to have both to be outstanding at 43 feet and she was.”
Just like that first pitch she threw to her dad, Grace always had plenty of movement and speed.
Thanks to Fitzpatrick and Moll’s willingness to work, Moll has been able to harness that wildness into a gift inside the circle. During Fitzpatrick’s first year of working with Moll, the 10-year-old progressed unlike most kids her age. Moll went from throwing 50 mph to 56 right away.
“The thing that sets her apart is that she has a drive, intensity and competitiveness that other girls her age don’t have,” Fitzpatrick said. “She’s a smart girl, too, and you pick that up right away.
“It’s hard to think about her as just a freshman.”
Moll’s maturity is evident throughout conversation. Moll doesn’t hesitate when detailing how important the other eight players on the field are or why consistent preparation for every opponent is important.
Her words mirror those of a coach or an upperclassman who’s been leading a team for a couple years.
“Where she is at today is with a lot of folks’ help,” said Tony, who started up a travel softball team when Grace was 9. “She’s wise beyond her years and I don’t think you can put a value on it.”
There have been some tangible results so far.
The year round competition and every day practice helped her hit .459 and drive in 29 runs this season, too. She’s also competing on a the Midland Magic ’94s, which is a 16-under, A-ball travel softball team that features some of the best players from the Midwest.
“We travel around and I have fun and enjoy it,” Moll said. “It’s never been about being good, it’s about having fun and just playing the sport I love.”
Moll is still eligible to play 14-under, but she’s playing up two years, which is something she’s familiar with.
She’s also seen her velocity increase to the high 60s and recently hit 72 on a gun, which is the fastest she’s thrown. That speed came after a couple weeks off, which had to come at a terrible time for Shelbyville.
The combination of throwing three games in four days back in early May, which was capped by a 4-0 win against Effingham St. Anthony, and lifting weights in P.E. irritated her ulnar nerve in her throwing elbow. The irritation caused pain, so she wasn’t available late in the season.
“The timing was horrible for the regionals,” Tony said. “For her it was the first time she had experienced any type of pain, so we decided to shut it down.”
St. Anthony coach Crystal Tipton was completely impressed with Moll when the Bulldogs faced her thanks to — you guessed it — the velocity and movement. Tipton was just appreciative the umpire measured the mound that day because the alternate field after rain was only 40 feet.
“Grace brought the heat,” said Tipton, who played with pitchers in junior college who topped out at 65 mph. “I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like at 40.”
Fitzpatrick said Moll’s already heard from plenty of college coaches and there’s no doubt in her mind she’s a Division I talent, mostly because she possesses great leadership qualities that include a strong work ethic.
“The possibilities are endless for her,” Fitzpatrick said. “Any program would be floored with her leadership in the circle. She’s a gamer. She will play 110 percent and any program would be ecstatic to have her.”
Despite plenty of talk that Moll is leaving Shelbyville, Tony emphasized his family wouldn’t relocate for softball and Grace is excited about what the next three years have to offer.
“I hope it’s bright, but it just depends on our motivation the next couple years,” Grace said about the next couple years. “It’s a team sport, not just a pitcher and catcher. There are nine players on the field and without those nine you can’t win games.”
Again, Moll proving she’s not your typical freshman.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in June 2010.