It was an emotional Saturday as the Clinton High School boy's and girl's cross country teams punched their tickets to this weekend's state tournament meet in Peoria.

Coach Rachel Anderson-Lyons indicates each team was aware of the projections going into the event in Decatur and knew they had to run extremely well to make the cut. 

Coach Anderson-Lyson gives top-runner Makayla Koeppel props for setting the tone on the girl's side but says her other runners quote - "ran out of their minds".

On the boy's side, Drew Moser led the way but Coach Anderson-Lyons gives Colin Jameson a lot of credit as he was tripped up at the start-finish line and was still able to recover and finish where he was projected, a huge victory that helped the boys.

After waiting to find out whether they made the State meet, Coach Anderson-Lyons says there were a lot of tears of joy once they found out they made it to Peoria.

Coach Anderson-Lyons reached out to her team at the start of the day yesterday (Monday) letting them know how she was proud and thankful for the kids.

While going into the meet, rain was forecast, she says they lucked out and didn't have to deal with too many elements.

The girls run at 9 am and the boys run at 10 am Saturday morning. 

No. 25 Illinois never trailed in the second half en route to an 82-75 victory over No. 1 Kansas in the Maui Strong Relief Matchup exhibition at State Farm Center on Sunday night. 

The victory came in the team's final exhibition tuneup before next week's regular-season opener. Illinois' last victory over a top-ranked team in a regular-season matchup came against No. 1 Indiana in 2013.

Terrence Shannon, Jr. once again led the way with a game-high 28 points, and he knocked down a team-high five 3-pointers and grabbed two steals in the victory.

Coleman Hawkins knocked down four 3-pointers en route to finishing with 14 points, while he also tallied five rebounds, two steals, and one block.

Quincy Guerrier recorded 11 of his 13 points in the second half, accounting for eight straight Illini points late in the final period of play. He also notched a team-high nine boards.

Marcus Domask finished with 11 points and five rebounds, two of which came on the offensive glass.

Justin Harmon ended his night with six points and six rebounds while posting a team-high plus-minus rating of +11 during his time on the floor.

The Illini knocked down 11 3-pointers and shot 41% from behind the arc. The Orange and Blue also scored 14 points off of their 13 offensive boards, out-rebounding Kansas, 39-32.

Neither side led by more than three points during the first minutes of play, though Ty Rodgers led the scoring charge with six of the Illini's first 11 points. 

With the game tied at 19 just over halfway through the opening half, Illinois used a 12-4 run to take an 8-point advantage, its largest of the first 20 minutes. Hawkins played a big role in the run, knocking down two 3-pointers to put the Orange and Blue in front, 31-23, with just under five minutes to play. Shannon took over down the stretch, hitting three triples, including one with a hand in his face to close the half.

Illinois held a 43-37 edge heading into the locker room, led by Shannon's 16 points. The Illini shot 50% from the field and 44% from deep in the opening half, while they also established themselves on the glass.

After the Illini used a 6-2 run to retake an 8-point advantage, the Jayhawks responded with an 8-0 run to even the game at 49 with just over 15 minutes to play. The tie did not last long, though, as five points from Domask and a Shannon layup fueled a 7-0 run from the Orange and Blue to put the home side back in front. 

Kansas tied the game at 68 via an 8-1 run, but the Illini went back in front with under five minutes to play. Guerrier accounted for eight straight Illinois points, including a trey to retake the lead, to put the Illini back in front. When the Jayhawks cut their deficit to one, the Illini responded with a 5-0 run, capped off by a Hawkins triple, to extend the home side's advantage to six. Illinois locked down on the defensive end, forcing five straight Kansas misses and holding the visitors without a basket for the final three minutes to secure the victory.

Illinois will return to State Farm Center on Nov. 6 for its regular-season opener against Eastern Illinois. 

Information courtesy of fightingillini.com.

It'll be a first for Clinton High School next weekend when the boy's and girl's cross country teams compete for a state championship next week in Peoria.

Saturday both the boy's and girl's teams advanced to the State finals.

It's the first time the boys have qualified for state since 2001 and the first time for the girls since 1993. 

Drew Moser paced the boy's runners with an eighth-place finish while Makayla Koeppel finished tenth on the girl's side.

FRIDAY:

Aurora Christian 38

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 7

Casey-Westfield 49

Toledo-Cumberland0 7

SATURDAY

Belleville Althoff Catholic 76

Tuscola 41

Heyworth 14

Hardin-Calhoun 42

Kewanee-Wethersfield 41

Dee-Mack 6

LeRoy 45

Villa Grove 14

Class 2A

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 14

Quincy Notre Dame 21

Bloomington Central Catholic 47

Mendon Unity 0

Maroa-Forsyth 42

Chicago Christian 6

Shelbyville 48

Trenton-Wesclin 0

Class 3A

FRIDAY

Lombard Montini 48

Eureka 6

SATURDAY

Chicago North Lawndale 6

Prairie Central 48

Princeton 44

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 7

St. Joseph-Ogden 38

Carlinville 15

Olympia 20

Litchfield 17

Williamsville 21

Tolono Unity 35

Class 4A

FRIDAY

Kewanee 13

Peoria Notre Dame 28

Coal City 44

Normal U-High 0

Rochester 59

Lincoln 14

SATURDAY

Mt. Zion 21

Effingham 2

Murphysboro 49

Taylorville 13

Class 5A

Mahomet-Seymour 19

Troy Triad 20

Peoria 16

Joliet Catholic 40

SATURDAY

Thornton Fractional North 0

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 23

Metamora 36

Decatur MacArthur 14

Morton 14

Providence Catholic 21

Class 6A

FRIDAY

Washington 59

Danville 14

SATURDAY

Crete-Monee 47

Champaign Centennial 13

Chatham-Glenwood 63

Bloomington 28

Normal West) 37

Chicago Simeon 6

Class 7A

Normal Community 43

Summit Argo 0

In a game heard on WEZC, a late turnover allowed DuQuoin to run out the clock and hold off Monticello 28-21 in a first-round Class 3A high school football playoff football game in DuQuoin Saturday afternoon.

The Sages controlled most of the game with the top-seeded and no. 4 team in 3A.

After a 44-yard halfback pass from Ike Young to Nolan Buehnerkekmper on the opening play from scrimmage, Monticello punched it in on a Sages one-yard run from Luke Teschke. 

The Indians answered but had their extra point blocked to make it 7-6 Monticello.

Colbert picked off a halfback pass in the end zone from Du Quoin to keep the Indians off the board and set up his own halfback throwback pass from Teschke in the second quarter to make it 14-6 Monticello.

The Indians again answered back and converted the two-point conversion to tie the score at 14. 

The score remained tied until Du Quoin went ahead 20-14 on a short two-yard touchdown pass from Camden Waller to Luke Bauman. 

Monticello kept the back-and-forth going when Teschke hit Young on a wheel route that the junior punched in on a dive for the pylon to go up 21-20.

On an incomplete pass that Waller threw away trying to get out of a sack after Waller turned to handoff to a tailback on his other side, his throw away was borderline intentional grounding and obvious illegal man downfield was missed. 

On fourth down after the incompletion, Waller found PJ Winters for the go-ahead score to go up 28-21.

From there, the Indians forced Monticello into a turnover on the ensuing drive and they were able to run out the clock.

There were only two flags against Du Quoin for the game.

Bauman had 40 carries for 176 yards and two touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. Waller finished 7-for-14 with 96 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

Winters had two receptions with two touchdowns for 64 yards.

Teschke finished 15-for-21 with 160 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception. He also had 11 carries for 47 yards with a touchdown. 

Young had seven receptions for 77 yards with a touchdown and had four carries for eight yards.

Colbert finished three receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown. Colbert earned the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties player of the game as he also had a fumble recovery late in the first half that helped keep the score tied at 14 each.

The Sages end their season 5-5 overall for a second straight year. Du Quoin advances to take on Tolono Unity next week. 

In a game heard Saturday afternoon on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons fell on the road to the Sullivan-Okaw Valley Redskins, 14-13, in Class 3A high school football playoff action.  
 

The Maroons defense started the game strong pushing the Redskins backwards, and forcing a punt. However, that punt would bounce off a Maroon and be recovered by the Redskins.  The very next play saw SOV quarterback Cooper Christensen find Hayden Moody for a 69-yard touchdown pass to put the Redskins up 6-0.  
 

The Maroons would answer with a minute left in the first quarter when backup quarterback Keaton Graves' tipped pass was pulled in by Ryan Stapleton in the endzone for a 7-yard touchdown grab.  The missed extra point put the score at 6 to 6.  Graves piloted the Maroons offense due to starter Mason Walker being sidelined by an IHSA suspension. 

Neither team would score until the Maroons used a halfback pass to find the endzone with under a minute to play in the half.  Graves tossed the snap to running back Tristin Potts, who then found Colton Walker for a 32-yard score.  Clinton converted the extra point to lead 13-6 at the halftime break. 
 

The second half was a back and forth defensive battle.  Sullivan would score the game's final touchdown with 1:38 to play in the third quarter when Christensen found Moody from 12-yards out to make it 13-12.  The Redskins converted a two point conversion to go up 14-13.  
 

Both teams had chances to score in the fourth, but neither could punch it in, as the Redskins held on to the 14-13 win.  
 

Christensen led Sullivan going 16 of 29 thru the air for 228 yards, and two scores.  He also ran 15 times for 84 yards.  Aiden Ballinger had 9 catches for 123 yards.  Moody caught 3 passes for 91 yards, and two touchdowns.  The Redskins improve to 9-1 on the season. 
 

Clinton was led by Tristin Potts who had 22 carries for 148 yards, and a 32-yard touchdown pass. Potts was named the Serv Pro of Piatt/Dewitt County Player of the Game.   Keaton Graves was 4 of 16 passing for 44 yards, and a touchdown. He ran 9 times for 27 yards. Colton Walker had 4 catches for 68 yards, and a touchdown. 
 

The Maroons end the season with a 6-4 record. 

It'll be a rekindling of an old Okaw Valley rivalry this Saturday when Clinton travels to Sullivan to battle Sullivan-Okaw Valley in the first round of the Class 3A high school football playoffs.

It's been an eventful week for the Maroons, who found out Tuesday they will be without senior quarterback Mason Walker. While disappointed, Coach Ron Bass says the IHSA rules are the rules and so they'll move forward this week without their captain.

Coach Bass says the Redskins have several weapons a big quarterback that can get the football to them. 

As Coach Bass mentioned, it would be the first playoff win in Clinton football history.

Game time is 1:30 pm Saturday afternoon in Sullivan. Hear the action on WHOW and its many digital platforms.

For the second time in four years, the Monticello Sages will travel to Du Quoin for a first-round high school football playoff matchup.

The Sages are in the postseason for the 13th time in the Cully Welter era. Coach Welter says it's always the goal to make the postseason because it is a special thing to make the postseason. 

Du Quoin offers a challenge for Monticello that should be interesting. The Sages struggle to stop the run and that is something Du Quoin does very well.

Game time Saturday is 2 pm. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Class 3A first round matchups

#15 Paxton-Buckley-Loda (5-4) at #2 Princeton (8-1) Sat. 1:00 pm

#14 Prairie Central (5-4) vs. #3 Chicago North Lawndale Charter (8-1) Sat. noon

 #9 Tolono Unity (7-2) at #8 Williamsville (7-2), Sat. 2:00 pm

#10 Litchfield (6-3) at #7 Olympia (7-2), Sat. 1:00 pm

#11 Carlinville (6-3) at #6 St. Joseph-Ogden (7-2), Sat. 2:00 pm

Class 1A

#13 Dee-Mack (5-4) at #4 Kewanee-Wethersfield (8-1), Sat. 1:00 pm

#11 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (6-3) at #6 Aurora Christian (7-2), Fri. 7:00 pm

#9 Hardin (Calhoun) [Coop] (6-3) at #8 Heyworth (7-2), Sat. Oct. 28, 2:00 pm

#13 Tuscola (5-4) at #4 Belleville Althoff Catholic (8-1), Sat.3:00 pm

#12 Villa Grove (6-3) at #5 LeRoy (8-1), Sat. 1:00 pm

Class 2A

#13 El Paso-Gridley (6-3) at #4 Tri-Valley (9-0), Sat. 1:00 pm

#15 Palos Heights Chicago Christian (5-4) at #2 Maroa-Forsyth (9-0), Sat. 2:00 pm

#14 Mendon Unity (6-3) at #3 Bloomington Central Catholic (9-0), Sat. 7:00 pm

#16 Quincy Notre Dame (4-5) at #1 Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond (9-0), Sat. 1:00 pm

#15 Trenton-Wesclin (5-4) at #2 Shelbyville (8-1), Sat. 1:00 pm

Class 4A

16 Lincoln (5-4) at #1 Rochester (9-0), Fri. 7:00 pm

#9 Normal U-High (7-2) at #8 Coal City (7-2), Fri. 7:00 pm

#12 Effingham (5-4) at #5 Mt. Zion (7-2), Sat. 2:30 pm

#15 Taylorville (5-4) at #2 Murphysboro (8-1), Sat. 3:00 pm

#10 Freeburg (6-3) at #7 Charleston (7-2), Sat. 2:00 pm

#14 Peoria Notre Dame (5-4) at #3 Kewanee (8-1), Fri. 7:00 pm

Class 5A

 #9 Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (6-3) at #8 Calumet City Thornton Fractional North (7-2), Sat. 1:00 pm

#13 Troy (Triad (6-3) at #4 Mahomet-Seymour (7-2), Fri. 7:00 pm

#12 Joliet Catholic Academy (6-3) at #5 Peoria (7-2), Fri. 7:00 pm

#15 Providence Catholic (5-4) at #2 Morton (8-1), Sat. 2:00 pm

#11 Decatur MacArthur (6-3) at #6 Metamora (7-2), Sat. 1:00 pm

Class 6A

#9 Dunlap (6-3) at #8 Blue Island Eisenhower (6-3), Fri. 6:30 pm

#12 Chicago Simeon (5-4) at #5 Normal West (7-2), Sat. 1:00 pm

#15 Danville (5-4) at #2 Washington (8-1), Fri. 7:00 pm

#10 Champaign Centennial (6-3) at #7 Crete-Monee (6-3), Sat. 1:00 pm

#11 Bloomington (5-4) at #6 Chatham-Glenwood (6-3), Sat. 1:00 pm

Class 7A

#32 Summit-Argo (5-4) at #1 Normal Community (9-0), Fri. 7:00 pm

Another week, another huge game with playoff implications for Illinois State as it hosts Northern Iowa on Saturday at Hancock Stadium. 

The Redbirds (4-3, 2-2 MVFC) and the No. 23 ranked Panthers (4-3, 3-1 MVFC) both sit in the middle of the crowded MVFC standings needing to stay near the top to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The tandem of quarterback Zack Annexstad and Daniel Sobkowicz has become of the most prolific in recent memory for the Redbirds and one of the best in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The pair connected for three touchdowns and 170 yards against Youngstown State, with Annexstad targeting his No. 1 wideout a season-high 19 times.

The Panthers head into the game with an 4-3 overall record and a 3-1 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. 

Defense and a dominant running performance was the name of the game for the Panthers last weekend, as they recorded their first shutout of the season in a 27-0 victory against the No. 11 North Dakota inside the UNI-Dome.

Game time is noon Saturday in Normal.

The Minnesota Vikings (3-4) will try to build off the momentum of a Monday night triumph over the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers (2-4) will attempt to snap a three-game skid when these two NFC North foes face off Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Although these teams have combined to win 11 of the last 12 NFC North titles, both are below .500 this season. The Vikings at least have given themselves reason for hope by winning their last two games and handing San Francisco just its second loss of the season.

The Packers would like to put these last few weeks behind them. Their slump includes narrow road defeats at Las Vegas and Denver, who both have losing records.

Sunday will mark the Packers’ first home game in over a month. They haven’t played at Lambeau Field since a 34-20 loss to the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Sept. 28.

Green Bay followed the Lions game with a 17-13 loss at Las Vegas, then had a week off before falling 19-17 at Denver.

The Packers have emphasized the importance of handling the Vikings’ frequent blitzes. Minnesota has blitzed the most often of any NFL defense, according to Sportradar.

Green Bay’s offensive line has done a better job of pass protection than run blocking this season. The Packers didn’t allow a sack against the Broncos.

The Packers have been outscored 63-6 in the first half of their last four game and haven’t scored a first-half touchdown in any of them. Green Bay ranks last in the league in first-half points per game (4.3) but leads the NFL in second-half points per game (17.3).

Minnesota struggles to take care of the football, while Green Bay has had trouble forcing turnovers.

The Vikings have committed 14 turnovers this season to match the Cleveland Browns for the second-highest total of any team, behind only Las Vegas (15). The Packers have just five takeaways to match the lowest output for any team.

Game time is noon Sunday.

Tyson Bagent and the Bears travel to Southern California to face the reeling Los Angeles Chargers Sunday night. Chicago (2-5) has won two of three since a 14-game losing streak while Los Angeles (2-4) has dropped two straight.

Bagent - who went 21 of 29 for 162 yards a touchdown in last week's 30-12 win over the Raiders - gets the start again with Justin Fields sidelined due to a dislocated thumb. He will face a Chargers defense ranked last against the pass at 310 yards per game.

Chicago has not won two straight since the 2021 regular-season finale, while Los Angeles is looking to avoid its first three-game skid since 2020.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is looking to rebound after struggling in his last two starts, during which he has completed only 58.3% of his passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Herbert, who is still dealing with a broken middle finger on his left, non-throwing hand, will face a Bears defense that is allowing the league's fourth-most passing yards at 257.1 per game.

The Bears have gone with six different combinations on their offensive line. And it looks like things could be in flux again.

That’s because right tackle Darnell Wright missed practice Wednesday with a shoulder injury that he tried to play through last week as well as a toe issue. Chicago also opened the 21-day window on Wednesday for starting left tackle Braxton Jones (neck) to return from injured reserve.

The line actually had one of its best performances last week, giving up just two sacks after allowing 25 in the first six games. The Bears had Cody Whitehair at left guard after Lucas Patrick replaced him at center during the Week 6 loss to Minnesota and moved Teven Jenkins to right guard from the left side.

If they stuck with that arrangement, they could have more juggling to do when right guard Nate Davis - out for the second week in a row - returns from a high ankle sprain.

Linebacker Khalil Mack faces the Bears for the first time since he was traded to the Chargers last March. The last time Mack faced one of his former teams who was starting a rookie quarterback, he set a franchise record for sacks in a game.

Mack spent four seasons with the Bears (2018-21). He is tied for the fourth-most sacks in the league with seven.

Bears running back D’Onta Foreman is taking advantage of his opportunity with Khalil Herbert (ankle) on injured reserve and rookie Roschon Johnson (concussion) sidelined the past two games.

The sixth-year pro ran for 89 yards on 16 attempts last week and tied a career-high with three touchdowns - his first as a member of the Bears. He ran for two and caught a TD pass.

Foreman, who signed with Chicago in the offseason, had 65 yards on 15 carries against Minnesota.

Bell took the lead with 15 laps to go and held off Ryan Blaney at Homestead-Miami Speedway to clinch a spot in next month’s championship finale. The penultimate race in the NASCAR season is this Sunday at Martinsville, the final chance for drivers in the round of eight to punch their tickets to the final four.

Bell and Kyle Larson are the only drivers locked into the Championship 4 with one race left for six drivers to vie for two spots. 

Bell led only 26 of 267 laps in a chaotic race that featured 25 lead changes. ... Three playoff drivers — Larson, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. — did not finish. 

William Byron is third in the standings, 30 points clear of the top-four cutoff, and race runner-up Blaney is 10 points clear. Tyler Reddick is fifth, Truex and Hamlin are both 17 points back and Chris Buescher is 43 points off the pace.

Bell is the defending race winner at Martinsville. Practice and qualifying is at 11:30 am Saturday and race time is 1 pm Sunday afternoon.

Sam Mayer held off Riley Herbst and became the first driver to claim a spot in the championship finale with a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the XFinity Series. 

The victory was Mayer’s fourth of the season, all in the last 12 races, and first on an oval. 

John Hunter Nemechek is second in the standings, 44 points above the cutline, with Cole Custer and Austin Hill each 13 points clear. Justin Allgaier is within three points of Custer and Hill with one race remaining to earn a berth in the championship 4 while Sammy Smith (49 back), Chandler Smith (54 back) and Sheldon Creed (65 back) all need to win to advance.

Practice and qualifying is 4 pm Friday afternoon. Race time is 2:30 pm Saturday afternoon.

The Craftsman Truck Series final four is seet. Carson Hocevar earned his fourth career victory — all this season — and first NASCAR Truck Series Championship appearance with a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He joins regular-season champion Corey Heim, Grant Enfinger and 2021 series champion Ben Rhodes in the Championship 4.

The series heads to Phoenix next weekend for its championship race. 

Clinton cross country has advanced both its boys' and girl's teams to this weekend's Sectional meet.

Coach Rachel Anderson-Lyons feels this group has put in the most miles she's ever had and is proud of their accomplishment to make it to the Sectional meet.

The boys' team is led by senior Drew Moser and the girls are led by senior Makayla Koeppel. Coach Anderson-Lyons says both can elevate themselves amid competition. 

Coach Anderson-Lyons credits Moser and Koeppel for their leadership and the entire team's will to put the team first. 

With rain in the forecast for Saturday's Sectional meet, many athletes or teams may see that as concerning, but for Clinton - Coach Anderson-Lyons says 'bring it on'.

This Saturday's meet is at South Shores Park in Decatur. 

Coach Anderson-Lyons says this weekend's focus for her runners is placements and making sure they have the points to advance to the State meet in Peoria. 

The Big 12 champion Normal Community Ironmen have used strangling defense and a high-powered offense to roll through its regular season 9-0 and a top seed in the Class 7A playoffs.

Coach Jason Drengwitz credits the work his team put in during the offseason to the success they experienced this year on the football field.

Because the Ironmen have practiced so well all year, Coach Drengwitz believes that has allowed his team to improve in all three phases of the game all season long.

One of the strengths of the Ironmen this year has been their ability to not turn the football over and Coach Drengwitz says they need to continue to do that throughout the playoffs.

Normal Community opens the postseason with Summit-Argo Friday night at Normal Community High School at 7 pm. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Oklahoma City beat the Chicago Bulls 124-104 in their season opener Wednesday night.

Fourth in the NBA in scoring last season, Gilgeous-Alexander keyed a 12-0 run late in the third quarter that broke open a one-point game. He also had 10 of Oklahoma City's 30 assists.

Williams and Josh Giddey each scored 16 for the Thunder.

Chet Holmgren had 11 points in his long-awaited NBA debut. Selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, the 7-foot-1 forward/center from Gonzaga missed last season because of a foot injury.

All five starters hit two 3-pointers while attempting at least three, and the Thunder made 19 of 39 from beyond the arc. Led by Isaiah Joe's 14 points, Oklahoma City’s reserves outscored Chicago’s 42-34.

DeMar DeRozan scored 20 for the Bulls, who decided to have a players meeting after the game.

Zach LaVine scored all of his 16 points in the second half. He finished 4 of 16 from the field after missing all five shots while committing four turnovers and three fouls through the first two quarters.

Coby White scored 15, and Vucevic added 11 points and nine rebounds.

Gilgeous-Alexander had seven points in a 12-0 run late in the third quarter. He finished it with a reverse layup to make it 91-78. Cason Wallace nailed a pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer during the spurt.

It was 91-84 early in the fourth before the Thunder reeled off 11 straight points. Joe made back-to-back 3s and - after Wallace connected from beyond the arc - scored on a layup to make it 102-84 with about 10 minutes remaining.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 and Williams added 14 points as Oklahoma City grabbed a 61-55 halftime lead.

The Thunder led 50-49 late in the second quarter when the Bulls' Torrey Craig hit the side of the backboard on a wide-open corner 3. Giddey made a layup and a 3, and after a free throw by White, Holmgren nailed a 3 to make it an eight-point game with about a minute left in the half.

The Bulls' Andre Drummond had a poster-worthy dunk over Holmgren in the second quarter and made him go down to his knees moments later with a wicked crossover on a fast-break layup.

The Bulls host the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

The Clinton varsity football team will be without QB Mason Walker on Saturday against Sullivan-Okaw Valley.

The IHSA made its decision Tuesday to uphold its policy of a one-game suspension for Walker's action in a late-game altercation with Pontiac Friday night in the regular season finale.

Walker - the speaking captain for Clinton - left the bench as a small scuffle broke out along the Clinton sideline after a kickoff by the Maroons. Walker was trying to break up a scuffle after the play. 

Walker's infraction was the fact he left the bench without a helmet and was disqualified from the contest that was well out of hand by that time, as Clinton had just gone up over 40 points after a late game score.

By IHSA rules, Walker has to serve a one-game suspension. Clinton appealed to the IHSA Monday to reduce the suspension but that appeal was denied.

Coach Ron Bass tells Regional Radio his team is trying out a few options at quarterback as Clinton prepares for its first playoff game since 2019.

The Tri-Valley Vikings and Washington Panthers football programs may be far apart in not only geography but also school size, however the two couldn't be more similar in their aspirations as the high school football postseason nears.

Tri-Valley, coming off a state runner-up in 2022, was thought to have been good, but maybe not as good as last year. Coach Josh Roop says he has another good group of seniors as the Vikings flexed its muscle again with a powerful run game to run the table in the Heart of Illinois.

Washington loaded up its non-conference portion of its schedule, dropping only a 7-3 decision to Kankakee in week 2. Otherwise, Coach Darrell Crouch was extremely pleased with his team's overall play this year, including a Mid-Illini clinching win over Morton in week nine. 

For the Vikings, their non-conference slate ended up being very strong. Coach Roop points to its week one matchup with Warrensburg-Latham as a good test for his team and then its week three win over Clinton as well.

Coach Crouch came away from his team's 1-1 start feeling very good about what he had for the season ahead as he had most of his defense back from last season.

This is Coach Crouch's final year at Washington High School. He is hoping for a nice run with this group to finish his high school coaching career.

The Vikings finished No. 2 in the final Class 2A state rankings while the Panthers concluded the season No. 3 in the last Class 6A rankings.

Tri-Valley hosts El Paso-Gridley in round one Saturday afternoon at 1 pm while Washington hosts Danville at 7 pm Friday night. 

Matthew Poitras and Trent Frederic scored 56 seconds apart in the third period, and the Bruins beat the Blackhawks 3-0 on Tuesday night to match the best start in franchise history.

Pavel Zacha also scored for Boston, which began the trip with wins at San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves in his 10th career shutout.

The Bruins moved to 6-0 in the franchise's centennial season. Boston also won its first six games of the 1937-38 season.

Petr Mrazek made 40 stops for Chicago in its third consecutive loss. The Blackhawks also lost to the Bruins on Oct. 11, falling 3-1 in Boston.

Chicago appeared to jump in front on Connor Bedard's power-play goal with 6:45 left in the first period. Boston defenseman Charlie Coyle passed the puck right to Bedard, who beat Swayman with a rocket from the slot.

But it was waved off after an offside challenge by Montgomery. The United Center crowd of 19,370 booed when the ruling was announced.

The Blackhawks placed forward Taylor Hall (left shoulder) on injured reserve. The move was made retroactive to Saturday. Hall has no goals and two assists in five games after he was acquired in a June trade with Boston.

The Blackhawks are at the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 18 of 20 shots to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

Kyle Connor, Mason Appleton and David Gustafsson scored for the Jets and Morgan Barrons added an empty-netter with 1:10 left.

Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich scored for St. Louis. Netminder Jordan Binnington made 26 saves on 29 shots for St. Louis.

Thomas pulled St. Louis to within one goal with Binnington pulled for an extra attacker with 3:33 left in the game.

The Blues are at Calgary Flames on Thursday in the second game of a four-game trip.

Last season, the Heart of Illinois Small Division had zero playoff teams - now they have three.

The resurgence has been led by the turnaround at LeRoy and Heyworth. LeRoy football coach BJ Zeleznik felt coming into the season, they were cautiously optimistic they could return to the postseason.

Last year, Heyworth nearly didn't have the numbers to even field a team and this year they've turned it around. The Hornets are 7-2 and will host a first-round playoff game. Coach Nate Albaugh credits the kids for staying with things through all the adversity of last season.

For Coach Zeleznik, the energy his team has has been a catalyst to their success. He also credits the group for being very close.

For Coach Albaugh, there were a couple of moments in the midst of the season he knew he could have a playoff team on his hands. He felt their week nine victory of GCMS provided the confidence to his team they could consistently win and compete with good teams. 

Heyworth will host Hardin-Calhoun Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. LeRoy draws Villa Grove Saturday at 1 pm.

Two central Illinois high schools with limited success in football are in the postseason for the first time together in each school's history.

Lincoln High School football dates back to the fall of 1899 while Clinton High School football dates back to the fall of 1911. In the history of the two central Illinois communities with deep ties to Abe Lincoln, the two schools have never made the football playoffs in the same season - ever.

The Maroons have eight playoff appearances to Lincoln's two. Lincoln Coach Matt Silkowsi says it's been a heck of a season for his football team.

According to Clinton football Coach Ron Bass, he felt his team was a playoff team coming into the year and to be 6-3 is about where they thought they'd be.

Coach Silkowski has two incredibly dynamic tailbacks that have been record-setters for his Railsplitters but he notes, they have a terrific offensive line to run behind.

For Coach Bass, he feels his Maroons are on the right trajectory in his third year having made the playoffs.

The Railsplitters had to take advantage of the early schedule and Coach Silkowski felt his team knew they had a path to the playoffs.

Coach Bass calls his Maroons a very tight-knit group with eight sets of brothers on his roster this year, he feels this is a group that plays for each other.

Lincoln will travel to undefeated Rochester for its first playoff appearance since 1984. 

Clinton travels to 8-1 Sullivan for its first playoff game since 2019. Game time is 1:30 pm Saturday in Sullivan. Hear all the action on WHOW and all its WHOW platforms. 

Clinton senior quarterback Mason Walker faces a one-game suspension for his involvement in a Friday night altercation at Pontiac that saw him ejected.

By IHSA rules, Walker faces a one-game suspension for leaving the bench in a late-game scrum at Pontiac Friday night. Brian Ennis and Tim Holl had the call on WHOW...

Coach Ron Bass tells Regional Radio, Clinton is set to speak to the IHSA today regarding Walker's status for Saturday's first-round 3A playoff game at Sullivan.

Unofficial reports indicate Walker entered the field of play to simply break up the incident on the field.

Pontiac had a player ejected last year at Monticello High School for multiple personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. The Maroons also had a player ejected earlier in the season this year for an unsportsmanlike penalty as well.

Game time for the Maroons first round contest has been set for 1:30 pm. You can hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 

Tyson Bagent led three touchdown drives in his first start with Justin Fields sidelined, D’Onta Foreman ran for two scores and caught a TD pass, and the Chicago Bears beat the Las Vegas Raiders 30-12 on Sunday.

The Bears (2-5) won for the second time in three games after dropping 14 in a row. They came out on top in a showdown of backup quarterbacks after both teams' starters were injured the previous week. Fields dislocated his right thumb in a loss to Minnesota, while Las Vegas’ Jimmy Garoppolo exited a win over New England with a back problem.

Brian Hoyer threw for 129 yards and two interceptions, and the Raiders (3-4) got blown out after winning back to back games.

The Bears simplified the game plan and relied on short throws and handoffs with an undrafted rookie behind center.

Bagent - who debuted last week after Fields got knocked out of that game early in the second half - had family and friends at the game. He put on a steady performance for them, completing 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a TD, helping Chicago stop a 10-game home losing streak.

Foreman ran for 89 yards on 16 attempts and his first two touchdowns since signing with Chicago in March. He scored from the 2 in the first quarter and the 3 early in the second as the Bears grabbed a 14-0 lead, then caught a 5-yard TD in the third to make it 21-3.

DJ Moore caught eight passes for 54 yards.

Cairo Santos kicked a 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Tremaine Edmunds had an interception that led to a touchdown run for Foreman, and Jaylon Johnson picked off two passes late in the game. He returned one against Hoyer 39 yards for a touchdown to make it 30-6 and then intercepted Chicago-area product Aidan O’Connell.

The offensive line held up for the most part against star edge rusher Maxx Crosby, who had one sack. The defense took the ball away three times while limiting Las Vegas to 235 yards, and the Bears secured their first victory at Soldier Field since Week 3 last season against Houston.

Hoyer completed 17 of 32 passes and posted a 37.1 passer rating after McDaniels opted to go with a 15-year veteran rather than a rookie. O’Connell was 10 of 13 for 75 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Davante Adams, usually a thorn in the Bears’ side, caught seven passes for 57 yards. The three-time All-Pro came in with 81 catches for 1,024 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games against Chicago.

Josh Jacobs ran for just 35 yards on 11 attempts.

The Bears visit the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.

ackup safety P.J. Locke saved the Broncos from another second-half meltdown, intercepting Jordan Love's deep pass in the closing minutes to preserve a 19-17 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Locke - subbing for safety Kareem Jackson, who was ejected for the second time this season following an illegal high hit earlier in the fourth quarter on tight end Luke Musgrave - picked off the throw intended for Samori Toure just after the two-minute warning.

On the play, running back A.J. Dillon was wide open for what would have been a big gain underneath, but Love was looking to go deep on third-and-20 from midfield.

The Broncos (2-5) then ran out the clock with Russell Wilson launching a deep heave on fourth-and-9 from his own 26 after taking the shotgun snap with 6 seconds remaining and the Packers (2-4) out of timeouts.

That gave Coach Sean Payton his first win at home in four tries and snapped the Broncos' streak of losing 10 consecutive games in which they'd taken a lead into halftime.

Three of those blown halftime leads came on Payton's watch, and the Broncos frittered away a 9-0 advantage at the midpoint Sunday before Wil Lutz's fourth field goal, from 52 yards out, with 3:50 remaining put Denver back in front for good.

The Packers quickly approached field-goal range for rookie kicker Anders Carlson, but after A.J. Dillon's 29-yard catch-and-run, things went sideways for Green Bay. Love was facing third-and-20 from his own 46 when his deep pass was picked off.

The Packers took a 17-16 lead on Love's 4-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed midway through the fourth quarter that went off Romeo Doubs' hands.

Doubs had pulled the Packers within 16-10 in the third quarter on a 16-yard touchdown catch that both he and cornerback Patrick Surtain II corralled as they tumbled to the ground.

Locke's interception rendered it a moot point as far as the outcome was concerned.

Wilson rebounded from his worst game as a Bronco a week earlier to throw for 195 yards on 20-of-29 passing with one touchdown, an 18-yarder to Courtland Sutton that gave Denver a 16-3 lead.

Four Packers were injured in the second quarter: DL Devonte Wyatt (knee), S Darnell Savage (calf), CB Eric Stokes (hamstring) and WR Jayden Reed (shin). Musgrave (ankle) left after the illegal hit by Jackson.

The Packers host Minnesota next Sunday.

Balance issues with his Toyota caused him to fall to 22nd after Stage 2 on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway - but Christopher Bell took advantage of a late caution in Stage 3 and stormed from behind for his second win of the season.

Bell took the lead with 15 laps to go and held off Ryan Blaney for a win that locked him into next month’s NASCAR Championship finale.

Bell, who entered the race below the playoff cutline, will compete in his second straight championship race. He beat Blaney by 1.651 seconds Sunday and only led 26 of 267 laps in a chaotic race in which three playoff drivers did not finish.

There were 25 lead changes — one fewer than the track’s record of 26 set in 2011.

Blaney, who led for 53 laps, moved above the cutline — up from seventh. Tyler Reddick and William Byron finished third and fourth and are still vying for a spot in the Nov. 5 title-deciding finale.

Six drivers will compete for the remaining two spots next week in the final race of the round of eight at Martinsville Speedway.

Kyle Larson, last year’s Homestead winner, was out of the race at Lap 214 after he slammed into the pit road barriers trying to overtake Blaney for the lead. Larson was going too fast after heading into pit lane and said he didn’t expect Blaney to slow down as early as he did.

Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet clipped the rear of Blaney’s Ford, but Blaney was able to pit as the caution flag came out and continued.

Larson had been dominating the race, in which he was a favorite to win. He led for 96 laps before Blaney nudged ahead of him late in Stage 2 for the lead. That ending is largely inconsequential for Larson as far as the playoff goes. He is already locked into the finale with his victory in the opening race of the round of eight in Las Vegas.

The crash briefly made it a race between Blaney and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who took the lead on the restart. But JJ Yeley, Brad Keselowski and Ross Chastain were all involved in a wreck seconds later, causing the caution flag to come out for the fifth time in the race, which ultimately gave Bell room to stage a comeback.

After the restart, Hamlin slammed into the wall on Turn 1 and radioed that something broke in the steering and sent him into the wall. He was out of the race with 32 laps to go in an unfortunate turn of events for Joe Gibbs Racing — Hamlin’s teammate Martin Truex Jr., another playoff driver, left with an engine issue moments later.

Both playoff drivers will look for a better outcome next week.

RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, who entered the race at eighth in the playoff field, had trouble with his No. 17 Ford from the start. Buescher was the only playoff driver Sunday without Stage 1 points, and his 21st-place finish puts him in a must-win situation next week at Martinsville.

Buescher dropped from seventh to eighth in the playoff standings entering the race after Blaney’s disqualification from the Las Vegas race was reversed. Buescher said Saturday that the reversal didn’t change much for him.

NASCAR goes to Martinsville Speedway next Sunday for the final race in the round of eight. Bell is the defending race winner.

Class 1A

#13 Dee-Mack (5-4) at #4 Kewanee-Wethersfield (8-1)
#11 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (6-3) at #6 Aurora Christian (7-2)
#9 Hardin-Calhoun (6-3) at #8 Heyworth (7-2)
#13 Tuscola (5-4) at #4 Belleville Althoff Catholic (8-1)
#12 Villa Grove (6-3) at #5 LeRoy (8-1)
#11 Toledo-Cumberland (6-3) at #6 Casey-Westfield (8-1)

Class 2A

13 El Paso-Gridley (6-3) at #4 Tri-Valley (9-0)
#15 Chicago Christian (5-4) at #2 Maroa-Forsyth (9-0)
 #16 Quincy Notre Dame (4-5) at #1 Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond (9-0)
 #15 Trenton-Wesclin (5-4) at #2 Shelbyville (8-1)

Class 3A

#15 Paxton-Buckley-Loda (5-4) at #2 Princeton (8-1)
#14 Prairie Central (5-4) vs. #3 Chicago North Lawndale (8-1)
#11 Eureka (5-4) at #6 Lombard Montini (6-3)
#16 Monticello (5-4) at #1 DuQuoin (9-0)
#9 Tolono (Unity) (7-2) at #8 Williamsville (7-2)
#12 Clinton (6-3) at #5 Sullivan-Okaw Valley (8-1)
#10 Litchfield (6-3) at #7 Olympia
#11 Carlinville (6-3) at #6 St. Joseph-Ogden (7-2)

Class 4A

#16 Lincoln (5-4) at #1 Rochester (9-0)
#9 Normal U-High (7-2) at #8 Coal City (7-2)
#12 Effingham (5-4) at #5 Mt. Zion (7-2)
#15 Taylorville (5-4) at #2 Murphysboro (8-1)
 #14 Peoria Notre Dame (5-4) at #3 Kewanee

Class 5A

#9 Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (6-3) at #8 Calumet City Thornton Fractional North (7-2)
#13 Troy (Triad) (6-3) at #4 Mahomet-Seymour (7-2)
#12 Joliet Catholic (6-3) at #5 Peoria
#15 Providence Catholic (5-4) at #2 Morton (8-1)
#11 Decatur MacArthur (6-3) at #6 Metamora (7-2)

Class 6A

#9 Dunlap (6-3) at #8 Blue Island Eisenhower (6-3)
#12 Chicago Simeon (5-4) at #5 Normal West (7-2)
#15 Danville (5-4) at #2 Washington (8-1)
#10 Champaign Centennial (6-3) at #7 Crete-Monee (6-3)
#11 Bloomington (5-4) at #6 Chatham-Glenwood (6-3)

Class 7A

#32 Summit Argo (5-4) at #1 Normal Community

Illini Praire:

Chillicothe Illinois Valley Central 60, Rantoul 26
Bloomington Central Catholic 22, Fairbury Prairie Central 15
St. Joseph-Ogden 50, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 21

Big 12:

Normal West 40, Champaign Centennial 24
Peoria Richwoods 18, Champaign Central 15
Danville 71, Urbana 0
Normal Community 42, Peoria Manual 0
Peoria 44, Peoria Notre Dame 40

Central State 8:

Springfield Southeast 64, Decatur Eisenhower 0
Normal University 49, Jacksonville 35
Chatham Glenwood 42, Lincoln 14
Rochester 31, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 21
Springfield 73, Springfield Lanphier 0

Heart of Illinois:

Downs Tri-Valley 52, Eureka 26
El Paso-Gridley 35, Tremont 12
Deer Creek-Mackinaw 22, Colfax Ridgeview-Lexington 20
Heyworth 16, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 6
LeRoy 56, Minonk Fieldcrest 28

Lincoln Praire:

Arcola 62, Cerro Gordo-Bement 12
Toledo Cumberland 40, Argenta-Oreana 0
Nokomis 41, Sangamon Valley/Tri-City 23
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 42, Sullivan-Okaw Valley 13
Villa Grove 60, Oakland Tri-County 20

Sangamo:

Maroa-Forsyth 28, Athens 21
New Berlin 25, Pleasant Plains 22
Pittsfield 47, Riverton 7
Stanford Olympia 49, Petersburg PORTA 14
Williamsville 51, Auburn 22

Non-Conference:

Mt. Zion 41, Breese Mater Dei 6
Moweaqua Central A&M 29, Carthage Illini West 26
Decatur MacArthur 54, Bloomington 10
Highland 60, Decatur St. Teresa 27
Tuscola 80, Oblong 0
Nashville 54, Shelbyville 20
Taylorville 35, Bethalto Civic Memorial 9
Chester 33, Warrensburg-Latham 20

8-Man:

Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland 49, Farmer City Blue Ridge 6

Tolono Unity jumped out early on Monticello thanks to early takeaways and never looked back, rolling to a 47-26 win in Illini Prairie Conference action Friday night in Monticello.

The Rockets wrapped up its regular season 7-2 overall.

Monticello is 5-4. 

Luke Teschke led the Sages finishing 23-for-33 with 243 passing yards. He had two touchdown passes - both to Trey Welter - and threw an interception. 

Welter caught a game-high 11 passes for 135 yards with his two touchdowns. 

Ike Young was named the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game as he had a total of 54 yards and a total of nine touches but ran hard all night when he got his opportunities.

The Sages will await their opponent for week one of the 3A playoffs.

Tune in to the WHOW/WEZC playoff preview show Saturday night from 7 pm to 9 pm then hear Sages postseason football action on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

As heard on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons defeated the Pontiac Indians by a score of 49-8 on Friday night.

The Maroons were led by Mason Walker who was 4 of 6 passing for 122 yards and 123 yards rushing. Walker also had 1 rushing and 1 passing touchdown. Tristin Potts had 16 carries for 176 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Colton Walker was named the ServPro DeWitt-Piatt Counties Player of the Game with 2 interceptions and 1 receiving touchdown. Walker set the school record for interceptions in a season with 7. Logan Thoms had 1 interception for a touchdown.

Pontiac was led by Alvin Delong who was 7 of 15 passing for 74 yards. Amare Curtis has 21 carries for 76 yards. Curtis also had a 2 yard touchdown run for Pontiac's lone score.

With the win, the Maroons improve to 6-3 overall guaranteeing a postseason appearance. With the loss, Pontiac drops to 2-7. 

Tune in tomorrow night (Saturday)  from 7-9pm for the annual Pigskin Preview Show to hear who the Maroons will faceoff in first round playoffs. You can hear it live on all of WHOW's platforms and on Your Easy Choice 95.9 FM WEZC.

The Clinton Maroons will look to officially lock in that post-season berth tonight when the travel to Pontiac to wrap up the regular in high school football non-conference action.

Clinton fell in its chance to win the Central Illinois Conference regular season title last Friday night against Shelbyville, 28-12. Pontiac comes into action 2-6 overall but he stresses to his team each week, you have to respect your opponent and not take anything for granted.

The Pontiac offense starts with 6-2 wideout Kerr Bauman and Coach Bass says they are definitely going to have to know where he's at on the field at all times.

Game time tonight is 7 pm from Pontiac. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

The Monticello Sages got a big win last Friday night over Prairie Central and became eligible for the postseason. Tonight, they'll host Tolono Unity in the regular season finale.

Coach Cully Welter says even though Unity lost quite a bit from their team last year they're a program that's always loaded and this year is no exception.

A traditional power run team with a capable passing game, Coach Welter says the Rockets are throwing the ball around a lot more this year, adding a whole new dynamic to an already dangerous offense.

Game time tonight is 7 pm from Monticello High School. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Illini Prairie

Illinois Valley Central at Rantoul

Prairie Central at Bloomington Central Catholic

St. Joseph-Ogden at Paxton-Buckley-Loda

Tolono Unity at Monticello

Big Twelve

Champaign Centennial at Normal West

Champaign Central at Peoria Richwoods

Danville at Urbana 

Normal Community at Peoria Manual

Peoria at Peoria Notre Dame

Central State Eight

Decatur Eisenhower at Springfield Southeast

Jacksonville at Normal U-High

Lincoln at Chatham-Glenwood

Rochester at Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin

Springfield Lanphier at Springfield

Heart of Illinois

Tri-Valley at Eureka

El Paso-Gridley at Tremont

Dee-Mack vs. Ridgeview-Lexington

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley at Heyworth

Fieldcrest at LeRoy

Lincoln Prairie

Arcola at Cerro Gordo-Bement 

Argenta-Oreana at Toledo-Cumberland

Nokomis at Sangamon Valley

Sullivan-Okaw Valley at Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond

Villa Grove at Oakland Tri-County 

Mid-Illini

Limestone at Canton

Dunlap at Metamora

East Peoria at Pekin

Washington at Morton

Sangamo

Athens at Maroa-Forsyth

New Berlin at Pleasant Plains

Pittsfield at Riverton

Olympia at Petersburg-PORTA

Williamsville at Auburn

Non-Conference

Breese Mater Dei at Mt. Zion

Illini West at Central A & M

Decatur MacArthur at Bloomington 

Fisher at Meridian (Sat.)

Highland at Decatur St. Teresa

Oblong at Tuscola

Shelbyville at Nashville

Taylorville at Bethalto Civic Memorial

Warrensburg-Latham at Chester

If Wisconsin hopes to remain in the Big Ten West race, it will have to do so without its starting quarterback as it heads to Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on Saturday.

The Badgers (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) are coming off a 15-6 loss to Iowa, losing signal-caller Tanner Mordecai in the process. Mordecai sustained a broken right (throwing) hand late in the first half and underwent surgery on Sunday. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said that Mordecai would be out indefinitely.

Redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke, a transfer from Mississippi State, replaced Mordecai against the Hawkeyes and completed 15 of 30 passes for 122 yards. Locke directed two second-half field goal drives but lost one fumble and threw an interception.

Braelon Allen is averaging a team-high 93.2 rushing yards per game. Wisconsin lost its other top running back, Chez Mellusi, to a season-ending injury on Sept. 22 in a win over Purdue.

Meanwhile, Illinois (3-4, 1-3) picked up its first conference victory last weekend, defeating Maryland 27-24 thanks to a 43-yard field goal from Caleb Griffin on the final play of the game.

Luke Altmyer threw for 206 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He is completing 63.3 percent of his passes this season. Reggie Love III leads the team in rushing yards with 257.

Wisconsin has won 11 of the past 13 games against Illinois, including a 24-0 victory at Champaign in 2021.

The rivalry still resonates with coaching ramifications. Illinois coach Bret Bielema coached Wisconsin for seven seasons, posting a 68-24 mark from 2006-12.

Last season, Illinois routed Wisconsin 34-10 in Madison, Wis., and Badgers coach Paul Chryst was fired the next day. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard finished the season as interim coach but was passed over for Fickell. In the offseason, Bielema hired Leonhard as a senior football analyst.

Eastern Illinois returns home to face Bryant for the Panthers Hall of Fame Game on Saturday afternoon.  

The Panthers lost at Southeast Missouri on Saturday as a pass was knocked down in the end zone on the final play of the game.  It marked the second straight week EIU's game has come down to the final play of the contest as the Panthers fell to 4-3 overall, 0-2 in the Big South-OVC Football Association.  

Bryant enters at 3-3, 1-0 in the Big South-OVC after a win over Robert Morris last weekend.  

Pierce Holley passed for 346 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday at Southeast Missouri putting up his second straight 300-yard passing performance.  Last week against UT Martin he passed for 359 yards and four touchdowns earning Big South-OVC Football Offensive Player of the Week honors. 

Holley was dialed in to not one but two receivers on Saturday at Southeast Missouri as Justin Thomas and DeAirious Smith both finished with more than 100 yards receiving in the game.  Thomas had five catches for 103 yards and a touchdown with a long reception of 43 yards.  Smith hauled in four passes for 118 yards with a long reception of 46 yards. 

Game time is 2 pm Saturday afternoon. Hear all the action on WHOW starting with the pregame show at 1:30 pm. 

It's halfway through the season and the games only continue to get more important starting with this weekend's matchup between No. 25 Illinois State (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) and Youngstown State where future playoff implications loom large for both the Redbirds and the Penguins.

Youngstown State dropped a heart breaking 34-31 decision to No. 10 South Dakota at the DakotaDome last weekend. YSU trailed 31-10 in the second half before scoring three unanswered touchdowns to tie the contest. Will Leyland kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired to pull out the win for the Coyotes.

Redbird quarterback Zack Annexstad set career highs with four touchdown passes and 79 yards rushing. He threw touchdown passes to four different receivers, but also picked up several key first downs with his legs including a career-long 41-yard run that set up a Redbird score.

Game time is 1 pm local time.

Russell Wilson and Jordan Love are the latest examples of how quickly quarterbacks can go from sizzle to fizzle in the NFL.

Wilson started out the season looking nothing like the QB who struggled so mightily last year for the Broncos, and from the get-go Love looked every bit like a worthy successor to Aaron Rodgers with the Packers.

After throwing for six touchdown passes without an interception in Green Bay’s first two games, Love has thrown six interceptions and two TD passes over his last three and is coming off a three-interception dud against the Raiders before the Packers' bye week.

The Broncos (1-5) and Packers (2-3) play Sunday at Empower Field, where the loser could see a swelling of the “ Collapse for Caleb ” sentiment as their fans further espouse the notion of stinking so badly that Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams will come to their rescue in 2024.

That would take a season-long slide and some leapfrogging of other struggling teams, but both of these storied franchises are squarely in the mix for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner as the weather begins to turn.

There are still plenty of games left to bounce back and salvage this season, but the Halloween trade deadline is approaching and teams are taking a hard look at being sellers if they deem the cellar a real possibility.

The Broncos have lost all three of their home games to underdogs, something that won't be an issue Sunday because the Packers were installed as 1 1/2-point road favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Packers are hopeful their early bye will allow one of their top playmakers to return to form. Running back Aaron Jones scored twice on opening weekend but has missed three of the last four games with a pulled hamstring.

The Packers have been outscored 54-6 in the first half of their last three games. Not only are they dawdling, they've been mostly idle of late. Due to scheduling quirks, the Packers return to action Sunday having played just one game in a 23-day stretch.

The Packers hosted the Lions in a Thursday night game on Sept. 28, then didn’t play again until a Monday night matchup at Las Vegas on Oct. 9 ahead of their bye week.

Game time is 3:25 Sunday afternoon.

he Chicago Bears were working under the assumption rookie Tyson Bagent would start at quarterback with Justin Fields injured.

The Las Vegas Raiders weren't quite as sure who would be behind center for them. Jimmy Garoppolo is out, meaning veteran Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell will get the call.

Be prepared for a heavy dose of backups when the Bears host the Raiders on Sunday after both starters left games last week.

Fields dislocated his right thumb when he was sacked early in the third quarter against Minnesota. Chicago (1-5) lost for the 15th time in 16 games, falling 19-13 to the Vikings. Garoppolo missed the second half of a 21-17 win over New England with a back injury.

Bagent, who went undrafted last spring after a record-setting career at Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia, is ready for his opportunity. He said he and his dad, Travis, had a feeling early on that he would play in the NFL. But he wasn't sure he would get a chance to start again after his final college game.

Bagent took over for Fields last week and completed 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards in his debut. He ran for a 1-yard touchdown. But he also committed two turnovers.

In college, Bagent put up huge numbers.

He set the NCAA’s all-division record with 159 career touchdown passes, and finished with more completions (1,400) and yards passing (17,034) than any other Division II quarterback. In 2021, he won the Harlon Hill Trophy, Division II’s equivalent of the Heisman.

As for the Raiders, Hoyer came off the bench last week to throw for 102 yards on 6-of-10 passing. O'Connell, a rookie from Purdue, started in a Week 4 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers when Garoppolo was sidelined with a concussion. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 238 yards, but lost two fumbles, threw an interception and was sacked seven times.

Chicago's Cody Whitehair has started all 113 games he has played in over eight seasons, be it at left guard or center, and has a Pro Bowl selection on his resume.

But after struggling with snaps last week in a move back to center from left guard, he could be in a backup role. Coach Matt Eberflus hinted at changes this week, saying, “We’re working through those things right now.”

Whitehair was penciled in as the starting center this year, only to move to left guard when Teven Jenkins suffered a leg injury a few weeks before the opener. Jenkins returned last week and Whitehair was back at center. But he got benched in favor of Lucas Patrick in the second half after several bad snaps.

Game time is noon Sunday.

Kyle Larson became the first driver locked into NASCAR’s title-deciding finale in the opening playoff race of the round of eight, winning at Las Vegas and keeping him in contention for a second Cup title in three years.

Larson will look to defend his win at Homestead-Miami Sunday and continue to make his impact on the final four in Phoenix.

Larson, the 2021 champ, moved to the top of the playoff standings, followed by William Byron, 2017 champ Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin. 

The four on the outside looking in with two races left to jumble things are Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher. 

Blaney was disqualified after the race for an illegal front shock, but the penalty was later overturned. He finished sixth. Truex won the regular-season title but has had a terrible playoffs and is barely hanging on to a shot to win a second Cup title. His ninth-place finish Sunday was his best through seven playoff races.

Practice and qualifying is 8 am Saturday morning. Race time is 1:30 pm Sunday afternoon.

Riley Herbst raced his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, a dominating 14.9-second win at Las Vegas. The Xfinity Series takes to Homestead-Miami in its next leg of the playoffs.

Herbst led 103 of the 201 laps. It was the most significant margin of victory in the series this season and nearly seven seconds better than the previous best margin of victory for an Xfinity Series race at the track in his hometown. 

Championship points leader John Hunter Nemechek was second, followed by Herbst’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Cole Custer, Chandler Smith and Sam Mayer. Justin Allgaier was sixth, followed by Austin Hill. Allgaier and Hill stand second and third in the playoffs with Hill four points ahead of Custer.

Practice and qualifying is 5 pm this evening. Race time is 2 pm Saturday afternoon.

2018 series champion Brett Moffitt turned his first race of the season in the series into his first superspeedway victory, prevailing in a three-wide overtime battle to win at Talladega as the Craftsman Truck Series returns from a three-week break to take on Homestead-Miami.

Corey Heim is the only driver to have secured a spot in the championship finale with one race remaining for the seven other contenders. Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes and Nicholas Sanchez hold the next three spots heading into the final race before the championship finale, with Grant Enfinger three points back, 2021 champion Ben Rhodes five back, Majeski 19 back and defending champion Zane Smith 36 behind.

Race time is 3 pm this afternoon. Race time is 11 am Saturday morning.

Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz each had a goal and an assist, sparking the Arizona Coyotes to a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

Jakub Vrana and Sammy Blais scored for St. Louis, which slipped to 1-1-1 with the regulation loss after going to shootouts in its first two games.

The Blues' Joel Hofer made first start of the season and his first career start against Arizona. He stopped 36 shots. Last season, Hofer made six starts, going 3-1-1 with a .905 save percentage and 3.22 goals against average.

The Blues have not scored in nine power-play attempts this season. 

The St. Louis Blues announced during the first period that Pavol Demitra, Mike Luit, and Keith Tkachuk have been voted as the Class of 2024 for the Blues Hall of Fame. 

The team will officially induct the players into the team’s hall on Jan. 19, 2024, during a ceremonial dinner at the downtown Missouri Athletic Club. The inductees will then be honored prior to the Jan. 20 game, when the Blues host the Washington Capitals.

The Blues host Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Logan O’Connor used his speed to score a short-handed goal for the second straight game, Alexandar Georgiev stopped 18 shots and the Avalanche cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Blackhawks on Thursday night in their home opener.

Ryan Johansen, Devon Toews and Nathan MacKinnon also scored to help the Avalanche improve to 4-0.

Colorado kept Bedard in check as the smooth-skating teenager and top pick in the most recent draft didn’t record a shot on goal. He averaged five entering the game.

Part of the learning curve, Chicago coach Luke Richardson acknowledged. And it will only benefit Bedard, Richardson said, to see the speed of MacKinnon and Cale Makar up close.

Chicago returns home after finishing a five-game trip 2-3. Petr Mrazek was under constant pressure and finished with 37 saves.

The Blackhawks host Vegas on Saturday night in their home opener.

The Clinton Maroons football team is playoff eligible for the first time since 2019 and perhaps a good deal of the success can be attributed to the family within the program.

No - it's not a cheesy, oft-overused cliche being thrown around by the coaches but instead, it is an underlying theme of the overall roster of players this year. Eight sets of siblings comprise this year's Maroons' total roster of 53.

Coach Ron Bass, who's been around small-town football most of his coaching career, says it's unlike anything he's ever seen.

Interestingly enough, all four captains this year have younger siblings on the varsity roster. Senior quarterback Mason Walker and younger brother - junior Colton Walker - work together on and off the football field.

Sophomore Keaton Graves says he and big brother, senior Dawson Graves, would get a little rough at home playing sports but the two say it made them better and now he tries to keep little brother in line and doing the right things. 

Tristin Potts has been showing little brother Zack how it's done off the field. The elder Potts has been making sure younger brother knows it takes dedication when you're not on the field to stand out when you're on the field.

Noah Bass and little brother Josh Bass say they get along just fine both on the field and at home. 

Bryant Gundy, a junior this year, and little brother Blake, a sophomore, say they are probably the most likely to get in trouble for fighting with each other during practice. They say it's still fun to play alongside each other at the varsity level this year.

Senior offensive lineman Densil Wheeler has been a good example for little brother Micah who is a freshman getting reps with the varsity this year. The elder Wheeler says while they still have their quarrels but find ways to keep from getting into trouble. 

Coach Bass gives this group a lot of praise saying it has been an enjoyable group to coach and notes while you might think with ten to sixteen siblings on the field at a given time, they rarely have any issues.

Having been around the small school football scene for many years, Coach Bass says it's the families of the schools and the close-knit nature of the community that makes it something special.

The Maroons will wrap up the regular season Friday night in Pontiac with its eyes set on its first playoff appearance since 2019. 

Hear Friday's action on WHOW and its many digital platforms. Then tune in Saturday night for the playoff show and hear from Coach Bass later in the 8 pm hour. 

Clinton football coach Ron Bass is calling his team's 28-12 loss to Shelbyville last Friday night a learning experience.

The unofficial Central Illinois Conference championship game was back and forth and much closer than the final score would indicate. Coach Bass liked the way his team responded at points during the night.

Part of the learning experience for Coach Bass was the championship-caliber plays Shelbyville made at crucial points in the game and his team not making enough of them.

Coach Bass' message to his team: he's proud of them and earned the right to be playing for a conference championship in week eight of the high school football season.

It's off to Pontiac Friday night for Clinton to wrap up the regular season. Pontiac is 2-6 overall. An advantage the Maroons might have is John Johnson - the previous head coach at Pontiac - is the co-offensive coordinator for Clinton.

Game time is 7 pm Friday night. Hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

You won't find Monticello football coach Cully Welter down too much these days but after week seven's disappointing 22-17 loss to Paxton-Buckley-Loda, the Hall of Fame coach was really beating himself up and nearly at a loss for words.

Those feelings of disappointment and even a bit of despair turned to elation after his team picked up a crucial 21-13 win over Prairie Central on a wet and windy night in Fairbury Friday - bringing the Sages to playoff eligibility again in 2023.

Senior quarterback Luke Teschke put his team on his back and played a near-flawless game in the win Friday, picking touch yards for first downs and making smart decisions in the passing game. Coach Welter felt his first-year quarterback trusted himself more Friday and it paid for him.

On the second play from scrimmage, Prairie Central ripped off a 64-yard run that set them up at the one-yard line but the Sages forced a fumble and the Hawks did not get inside the red zone again until late in the fourth quarter. Coach Welter says plays like that are why you always play hard.

Coach Welter was also very pleased with how his team methodically moved the ball on a couple of drives, keeping the Prairie Central offense off the field.

The Sages wrap up its regular season with a home game against rival Tolono Unity Friday night at 7 pm. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello rebounded from a slow start and took home a win over Olympia in three sets, 25-27, 25-23, and 25-17 in non-conference high school girl's volleyball from the Sievers Center in Monticello.

After a rough weekend at the Champaign St. Thomas Moore tournament, Coach Kim Allison was very pleased with how her team showed the fight they have had all season.

For Coach Allison, this team is different from teams of the past as they don't seem to get down on themselves even if they fall behind. She calls beating Olympia a very good win.

Junior Sierrah Downey was named the game's ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game for leading a mid-second set rally and for her play at the net.

Monticello wraps up the regular season Thursday at IVC. They then head to Regional action next Monday at the Tolono Unity Regional taking on Meridian. If they advance, they will play Tuesday night against Champaign St. Thomas More.

Hear all the postseason action on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Kyle Larson in the span of six days won a sprint car championship, met the requirements to enter the Indianapolis 500, then became the first driver locked into NASCAR’s title-deciding finale. His victory Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the opening playoff race of the round of eight kept Larson in contention for a second Cup title in three years.

He has no intention of getting off the gas the next two races, which are meaningless to Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team now that he’s claimed one of the four spots in the Nov. 5 finale at Phoenix.

Larson plans to run both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 next May and on Thursday completed the rookie orientation program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s entering the Indy 500 in a joint entry between Hendrick Motorsports and McLaren and with boss Rick Hendrick looking on, Larson turned 72 laps with a fast lap of 217.898 mph.

Larson led 133 laps and beat Christopher Bell by 0.082 seconds.

He needed a pretty remarkable save in the second stage when his Chevy wiggled and Larson somehow escaped with only denting the rear corner of the car into the wall. It was a save that Daniels believes only Larson could pull off.

It kept him in contention and Larson claimed the lead on pit road when his crew had the fastest stop following a caution with 57 laps remaining. Bell had control of the race at that point but Larson was first off pit road.

Bell, who started on the pole in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, was third after the pit stop. Passing seemed particularly difficult Sunday at Las Vegas, and Bell was sort of stuck following Larson for the rest of the race.

But he made a run at Larson over the final handful of laps, closing the gap each time by the flagstand. As they closed in on the checkered flag, Bell gave it one furious push inside of Larson but couldn’t beat him to the line.

Kyle Busch, a Las Vegas native, finished third in a Chevrolet. He was followed by Brad Keselowski in a Ford and Ross Chastain in a Chevrolet. All three were eliminated from the playoffs last Sunday at Charlotte.

The next five spots went to playoff drivers as Ryan Blaney was sixth for Team Penske but was disqualified after the race because the left front shock on his Ford did not meet the overall specified length.

That moved Larson teammate William Byron to sixth and he was followed by Tyler Reddick in a Toyota for 23XI Racing, JGR drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin. Chris Buescher, in a Ford for RFK Racing, was the lowest-finishing playoff driver in 10th.

Blaney dropped to last in the race.

A win in any of the three playoff races this round earns an automatic berth into the championship finale. The remaining slots are filled based on the points standings.

Bell, Reddick, Blaney and Buescher are the four drivers below the cutline.

NASCAR races next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Larson is the defending race winner. NASCAR also races at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia before the Phoenix finale.

Kirk Cousins threw for a touchdown, Jordan Hicks returned a fumble 42 yards for a score and Minnesota knocked Justin Fields out of the game in beating the Chicago Bears 19-13 on Sunday.

The Vikings (2-4) made enough plays without injured star receiver Justin Jefferson to shake off a loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and win for the second time in three games.

Fields was sacked four times and exited with a right hand injury early in the third quarter, and the Bears (1-5) lost again after stopping a 14-game slide at Washington last week.

Fields seemed to be favoring his hand following a third-down sack by Danielle Hunter on Chicago’s first possession of the second half. The Bears punted, and Fields headed to the locker room. Coach Matt Eberflus said afterward his quarterback's hand was not broken, though he was unable to grip the ball.

Rookie Tyson Bagent came in and got strip-sacked by safety Josh Metellus on Chicago’s next drive. Jordan Hicks, who also had an interception, scooped up the loose ball near the left sideline and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown, making it 19-6.

Bagent - undrafted out of Division II Shepherd University - cut it to 19-13 midway through the fourth when he scored from the 1 for his first touchdown, capping a 77-yard drive.

The Bears were at the Minnesota 35 with about two minutes left in the game when Bagent underthrew DJ Moore on a deep pass. Byron Murphy Jr. picked it off at the 8, returned the ball 30 yards and recovered his fumble at the Vikings 45.

Cousins completed 21 of 31 passes for 181 yards. The four-time Pro Bowler threw a 10-yard touchdown to Jordan Addison near the end of the first half.

T.J. Hockenson caught six passes for 50 yards.

Addison, who figures to have a bigger role with Jefferson sidelined by a hamstring injury, had three receptions for 28 yards.

The Bears host the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 22. 

In a game heard on WHOW, Geno Hess rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns, Ryan Flournoy had 98 yards receiving and a touchdown and Southeast Missouri State beat Eastern Illinois 35-28 on Saturday.

SEMO trailed 21-14 midway through the third quarter before scoring 21 straight points to take a 35-21 lead with 8:06 remaining on Keveon Robbins’ 1-yard touchdown.

Eastern Illinois answered with a three-play, 71-yard drive ending in Justin Thomas’ 21-yard touchdown grab with 6:52 left. The Panthers forced a punt after SEMO’s 11-play drive to get it back with 1:22 remaining.

Pierce Holley lead Eastern Illinois to the SEMO 26-yard line before three straight incompletions ended the game. Holley was pressured on the last play and his off-balance heave to the end zone was batted down by Joedrick Lewis.

Paxton DeLaurent completed 19 of 31 for 257 yards with one touchdown and one interception for SEMO (2-4, 2-0 Big South-OVC Association). DeLaurent also opened the scoring with a 21-yard sneak. Hess scored from 3 and 44 yards out.

Holley was 22 of 40 for 346 yards passing and two touchdowns for Eastern Illinois (4-3, 0-2). DeAirious Smith and Justin Thomas each had over 100 yards receiving.

After an auspicious start that saw Indiana State take an early lead on an interception return for a touchdown off a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage, Illinois State rallied with 44 unanswered points as the Redbirds (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) rolled to a 44-7 victory over the Sycamores (0-6, 0-3 MVFC) at Hancock Stadium on Saturday.

The Sycamores took the early lead, as a Zack Annexstad pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and returned 27 yards for a touchdown by Garret Ollendieck to make the score 7-0 less than a minute into the contest.

Illinois State tied the score at 7-7 with 1:44 left in the first quarter, with the Redbirds facing a 4th-and-5 situation Annexstad connected with Jalen Carr for a 30-yard score to knot things up.

The Redbirds took the lead with 8:55 left in the second quarter, thanks to a 30-yard field goal by Ian Wagner that made the score 10-7 in favor of the Redbirds. Illinois State extended the lead to 17-7 with 3:31 left before halftime, following a 13-yard touchdown run by Mason Blakemore that capped off an 8-play, 55-yard scoring drive that took 3:02 off the clock.

After a blocked punt attempt by the Sycamores went off the hand of Cole Mueller, the Redbirds took over and wasted little time in finding the endzone again as Annexstad connected with Cam Grandy on a 10-yard shovel pass to make the score 23-7 with 16 seconds left before halftime.

The four touchdown passes by Annexstad set a career-high, as did his 79 rushing yards in the win over the Sycamores.

Illinois State will travel to Youngstown, Ohio, next Saturday for a matchup with the Youngstown State Penguins, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. CT at Stambaugh Stadium.

Caleb Griffin kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give Illinois its first Big Ten victory of the season, a 27-24 upset of Maryland on Saturday.

Luke Altmyer threw two touchdown passes and then guided the Illini (3-4, 1-3) into field-goal range after Maryland's Jack Howes tied it with a 48-yard kick with 1:31 remaining. Seth Coleman had three sacks for Illinois.

Kaden Feagin ran for a TD for the Illini, who reached the end zone on both sides of halftime to take the lead. Maryland (5-2, 2-2) was coming off its first loss of the season. The Terrapins acquitted themselves well for much of that game at Ohio State, but they followed it with a performance as dreary as the grey sky on what was a drizzly day in Maryland.

Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns and even caught a pass on a trick play, but the Terps had a hard time sustaining drives against a solid Illinois defensive front.

The Illini host Wisconsin next Saturday.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Luke Teschke came up with big play after big play, willing the Monticello Sages to a 21-13 win over Prairie Central Friday night in Illini Prairie Conference high school football action from Fairbury.

After a tough loss last Friday night to Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Monticello came into Friday night's game needing a win in the final two weeks against two quality opponents in the conference.

After Hudson Ault ripped off an 84-yard run inside the Monticello five-yard line on the third play from scrimmage, the Sages forced a turnover and the Hawks never got inside the red zone again until under a minute to play in the fourth quarter.

With 2:07 left in the first, Monticello drove 76 yards and finished a methodical drive with a two-yard touchdown run from Ike Young on an option play that was well executed by Teschke.

Neither team scored again in the first half. 

With 3:38 to play in the third quarter, Teschke faked a quarterback run, then dropped back a step and hit Carter Foran in stride for a 67-yard touchdown that put the Sages up 14-0.

The Hawks appeared to have gotten the score back on a 55-yard touchdown from Ault but the play was called back after a holding penalty on Prairie Central. Ault would find the end zone though as senior quarterback Avery Elder hit Ault in stride who lined up as a receiver for a 28-yard touchdown.

Monticello got the football back early in the fourth quarter and took up nearly eight minutes of game clock, finishing another methodical drive with a Teschke three-yard run. 

The Hawks got a late score after a generous pass interference call in the end zone on a third down and 15 with under a minute to go but missed the two-point conversion. The ensuing kickoff trickled through the Monticello front line before the Sages were just able to fall on the ball 25 yards up the field. 

Teschke finished 12-for-18 passing on a wet and windy night for 197 yards and a touchdown. He also had 25 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown.

With the 67-yard touchdown reception, Foran went over the century mark with five catches and 112 yards with the touchdown. Trey Welter had several big catches finishing with five receptions and 38 yards. 

Young had two catches for 29 yards, including a big 29-yard screen pass that got Monticello out of the shadow of its own end zone in the third quarter after a masterful special teams play by Prairie Central pinned the Sages at their own one-yard line.

Young also had five carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.

Teschke's efforts for the game earned him the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game. 

Monticello achieved playoff eligibility with its fifth win of the season to go 5-3 overall. They will host Tolono Unity next Friday in the regular season finale. 

In a game heard on WHOW Friday night, the Clinton Maroons fell to the Shelbyville Rams, 28-12, on Senior Night at Clinton High School.  The win gave the Rams the Central Illinois Conference title.  
 

Shelbyville got on the board first with a 48-yard Landon Wallis touchdown run halfway through the first quarter.  Clinton would answer back just before the end of the first when Dawson Graves broke off a 65-yard score to tie the game at 6-6.  
 

Wallis would find the end zone from 3-yards out midway through the second to put the Rams up 14-6.  Shelbyville would then score with no time left in the half on a 10-yard Brody Boehm run to go up 22-6 at the break.  
 

The Maroons came out throwing in the third quarter as Mason Walker hit Keaton Graves for a big 57-yard play that would lead to a 34-yard touchdown pass from Walker to Dawson Graves.  That brought the score to 22-12 Shelbyville.  The Rams would add a final score with two minutes to go in the third when Caden Shasteen plunged in from two yards out.  The fourth quarter was scoreless as the Rams held on for the 28-12 win. 
 

Boehm led Shelbyville's ground attack with 146 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.  He was 2 of 6 passing for 60 yards.  Shasteen carried the ball 18 times for 96 yards and a touchdown.  Wallis scored twice with 83 yards on 9 carries.  The Rams improve to 8-0, and 5-0 in conference.  They travel to Nashville to wrap up the regular season next week. 
 

Clinton was led by Dawson Graves, who carried the ball 3 times for 86 yards and a score.  He also had two catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.  Mason Walker was 7 of 15 passing for 104 yards and a touchdown.  Tristin Potts carried the ball 12 times for 38 yards for the Maroons.  Logan Thoms was named the Maroons WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game for his outstanding defensive performance. 
 

Clinton falls to 5-3 on the season, and they finish 4-1 for second place in the CIC. They'll travel to Pontiac next week to wrap up the regular season.  Hear the action Friday on all WHOW platforms. 

The Clinton Maroons have a chance to do something tonight that hasn't been done in years in Clinton - win a football conference championship.

Tonight Clinton and Shelbyville enter play with unblemished marks in the Central Illinois Conference. Coach Ron Bass liked the way his team set the tone early to get out to a big lead on Warrensburg-Latham last week.

Tonight, the Maroons will have their hands full with a high-powered Shelbyville offense that can really spread the football and make plays starting with their second-year quarterback.

The Maroons have qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2019. Coach Bass says its nice to have that benchmark reached and his team is looking forward to the matchup ahead.

Game time tonight is 7 pm. Hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Central Illinois Conference matchups tonight:

Central A & M at Meridian

Tuscola at Warrensburg-Latham (Sat.)

Monticello dropped a disappointing 22-17 decision to Paxton-Buckley-Loda on the road last Friday night and now heads to Prairie Central needing just one win in the final two weeks of the season to qualify for a postseason spot.

Coach Cully Welter took last week's loss pretty hard but indicated he was pleased with his team's effort, especially on defense.

Prairie Central has been a run first offense the last several years but with a first year head coach, the Hawks are spreading things out this fall. Coach Welter says its a balanced offense with a lot of playmakers.

Game time tonight from Fairbury is 7 pm. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Illini Prairie matchups tonight

Paxton-Buckley-Loda at Tolono Unity

Pontiac at Illinois Valley Central

Rantoul at St. Joseph-Ogden

8-Man football

Champaign St. Thomas More at St. Anne (Sat.)

Blue Ridge at Danville Schlarman (Sat.)

Apollo

Charleston at Taylorville

Mahomet-Seymour at Mattoon

Mt. Zion at Effingham 

Big Twelve

Bloomington at Champaign Central

Normal West at Peoria 

Peoria Manual at Urbana 

Peoria Notre Dame at Normal Community

Peoria Richwoods at Danville

Central State Eight

Chatham-Glenwood at Rochester

Lincoln at Normal U-High

Springfield at Jacksonville 

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin at Decatur MacArthur

Springfield Southeast at Springfield Lanphier (Sat.)

Heart of Illinois

Eureka vs. Ridgeview-Lexington 

Dee-Mack at El Paso-Gridley

Tremont at Tri-Valley

Heyworth at Fisher

LeRoy at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley

Lincoln Prairie

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at Arcola

Cerro Gordo-Bement at Argenta-Oreana (Sat.)

Sangamon Valley at Villa Grove

Oakland Tri-County at Sullivan-Okaw Valley 

Toledo-Cumberland at Nokomis

Mid-Illini

Canton at Washington

Metamora at East Peoria

Morton at Dunlap

Pekin at Limestone

Sangamo

Auburn at Olympia

Maroa-Forsyth at New Berlin (Sat.)

Petersburg-PORTA at Pittsfield

Pleasant Plains at Williamsville

Riverton at Athens

Non-conference

Bloomington Central Catholic at Madison (Sat.)

Champaign Centennial at Decatur Eisenhower

Decatur St. Teresa at Breese Mater Dei

Maryland and Illinois will look to atone for last week's missed opportunities when the Big Ten foes meet on Saturday in College Park, Md.

The Terrapins (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) return for their homecoming game after stumbling in a 37-17 loss to then-No. 4 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday.

Maryland, Illinois attempt to cleanse systems after ugly losses

FLM Oct 09, 2023

Maryland, Illinois attempt to cleanse systems after ugly losses

Maryland and Illinois will look to atone for last week's missed opportunities when the Big Ten foes meet on Saturday in College Park, Md.

The Terrapins (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) return for their homecoming game after stumbling in a 37-17 loss to then-No. 4 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday.

Maryland flirted with an upset by scoring the game's first 10 points and held a 17-10 advantage in the third quarter, but a slew of costly throws from quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa ultimately kept the Terps from their first 6-0 start since 2001.

The Illini (2-4, 0-3) left a bevy of points on the field in their 20-7 loss to Nebraska last Friday.

Illinois faced third-and-goal from the 1-yard line on its opening drive but was stuffed on back-to-back plays as the Cornhuskers took over on downs. The offense failed on fourth down again on its final drive of the game to cap a frustrating night that featured an interception, a fumble, three turnovers on downs and a missed field goal.

The Illini's woeful offense spoiled their sturdy defensive showing. Illinois held Nebraska to three points in the second half and forced three straight turnovers in the fourth quarter, but the Illini offense converted none of those takeaways into points.

Game tims is 2:30 pm Saturday.

Illinois State (3-2, 1-1 MVFC) will continue its homestand this weekend against longtime foe Indiana State (0-5, 0-2 MVFC), as the Redbirds welcome the Sycamores to Hancock Stadium for a Homecoming matchup as both squads look to pick up wins after losses last weekend.

Illinois State quarterback Zack Annexstad's performance against South Dakota State was particularly eye-opening, as he completed 26-of-33 pass attempts (78.7 percent) for 162 yards with a touchdown.

Mason Blakemore was back for the game against the No. 1 ranked Jackrabbits.

Getting the start in the backfield, the transfer from Northern Illinois ran well early and finally found the big-play he had been waiting for when he broke off tackle for a 37-yard touchdown run. He finished the game with 57 yards on six carries

The Sycamores head into the game with an 0-5 overall record and a 0-2 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. 

Game time is 2 pm Saturday. 

Now that their 14-game slide is over, it sure seems like a good time for the Chicago Bears to start a different kind of streak.

After all, they won't have to worry about containing one of the NFL's most electrifying players when they host Minnesota on Sunday. That's because Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is out with a hamstring injury.

The Bears (1-4) won 40-20 at Washington behind another solid performance by the offense to stop a skid that dated to a Week 7 victory at New England last year.

They haven't won two in a row since Weeks 16 and 17 of the 2021 season, when they beat Seattle and the New York Giants. They went 3-14 last year, the worst record in the NFL.

The Bears' chance of putting together back-to-back wins seems significantly better with Jefferson on injured reserve. The 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year slipped on the U.S. Bank Stadium turf last week while trying to make a cut on his route during a third-down pass deep in Kansas City territory. He grabbed the back of his right leg and limped slowly to the sideline in the fourth quarter of a 27-20 loss.

Jefferson hasn't missed a game since the Vikings (1-4) drafted him with the No. 22 overall pick in 2020. He has 36 catches for 571 yards and three touchdowns this season, and his absence for at least the next four games figures to have a profound impact.

Chicago's Justin Fields is coming off two of his best games as a passer, and the offense as a whole appears to be on the rise.

The Bears had 451 yards against the Commanders after setting a season high with 471 the previous week against Denver. The offense has jumped from 29th overall to 14th in that span.

Fields has thrown for 617 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception in that stretch, compared to three TDs and and four INTs in the first three weeks.

While Fields has been putting up bigger numbers the past two games, so has receiver DJ Moore. No coincidence there.

The two seem to be developing the connection the Bears envisioned when they traded the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft to Carolina for Moore and other draft picks. Moore has 16 catches for 361 yards and four TDs the past two games.

Moore's 230 yards receiving against Washington was the second-most by a Bears player in a game. Alshon Jeffery had 249 yards in an overtime loss at Minnesota on Dec. 1, 2013.

The Bears are bracing for blitzes. No team does it as often as Minnesota.

The Vikings have blitzed 113 times and on 56.2% of opponents' drop-backs. New England is second in both attempts (81) and percentage (45.3).

The good news for the Bears is that their offensive line is coming off arguably its best game.

Game time is noon Sunday.

Despite a player of the week quality performance from its quarterback, Eastern Illinois fell short last week in overtime and looks to bounce back on the road this week at Southeast Missouri State in action coming your way on WHOW. 

Quarterback Pierce Holley passed for a season-high 359 yards on Saturday in the Panthers overtime loss to UT-Martin. Holley was named the Big South-OVC Football Association Player of the Week on Monday. 

Eastern Illinois added to its team takeaway total on Saturday forcing four turnovers against UT-Martin. 

SEMO enters action at 1-4 overall. 

Game time is 2 pm Saturday afternoon. Pregame is at 1:30 pm and can be heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs takes to Las Vegas Motorspeedway this weekend with first of the three legs in the round of eight playoffs. 

A.J. Allmendinger led a race-best 46 laps, including the last 33, on The Roval at Charlotte to win for the third time in his career in NASCAR’s top series.

Two-time champion Kyle Busch (2015, 2019) was eliminated from the playoffs along with Ross Chastain, last year’s title runner-up, 2012 champion Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace. 

The eight remaining are William Byron, who finished second, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, 2021 champion Kyle Larson and 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. 

Byron leads Truex by five points, Hamlin by nine and Larson by 17. The second four in the standings with four races remaining are all within 10 points of the top four.

Practice and qualifying is at 11:30 am Saturday morning. Race time is 1:30 pm Sunday.

In the XFinity series, Sam Mayer rallied from the verge of elimination into the next round of the playoffs with a dominating win on The Roval at Charlotte.

XFinity racers will also head to Las Vegas this weekend as its playoff run continues.

Mayer was last among the 12 drivers contending for spots in the round of eight at the start of the race. He led 51 of the 67 laps in his third career victory, all this season and all on road courses. 

Defending series champion Daniel Hemric, Parker Kligerman, Berry and Jeb Burton were eliminated from the playoffs. Mayer is joined by Justin Allgaier, John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Sheldon Creed and Sammy Smith in the round of eight.

Practice and qualifying is 6 pm tonight. Race time is 2:30 pm Saturday afternoon.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns next weekend at Homestead Miami on Saturday night.

A shot at winning the Central Illinois Conference is something the Clinton Maroons varsity football team has worked for and earned this fall.

It's all been a part of the learning process for Clinton football coach Ron Bass who was very pleased his team did not look past Warrensburg-Latham Friday night and rolled its way to a 48-24 win.

For Coach Bass, the Maroons are playing with house money Friday night when they host Shelbyville for what will be the Central Illinois Conference championship.

Cut: clintonlearn2 :41 CUE: play our game

At 5-2, the Maroons can only improve their seeding with wins the rest of the way. After they host Shelbyville Friday, they travel to Pontiac to wrap up the regular season. 

Hear Friday night's game on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Coming into this high school golf season, Clinton High School golfer Brooks Cluver had two goals - be more mentally tough and make the state tournament.

This weekend, Cluver can check both of those boxes from this season. The senior credits his ability to be better mentally to make the state tournament this weekend and make the cut for day two of the state finals.

Cluver's state tournament started strong but then the weather got bad Friday - however - he credits that mental fortitude to rebound finishing just outside the top 10 and making the cut for Saturday.

Cluver has committed to play golf at Illinois Central College in Peoria. He also participates in basketball and baseball at Clinton High School. 

He is the son of Rennie and Stephanie Cluver in Clinton. 

Green Bay has had extra time to think about its 34-20 loss to Detroit, a Thursday night game that gave the Packers last weekend off.

The Packers, who are 2-2, certainly don't want to spend extra time stewing over another defeat should they lose Monday night at Las Vegas. But that's exactly what will happen if the Raiders properly defend their home field.

This is the Packers' only game in a 23-day span.

Las Vegas is off to a 1-3 start, having lost three games in a row after opening with a 17-16 victory at Denver. If the Raiders win, they have a stretch of games that includes New England, Chicago and both New York teams where they have a shot of success.

If the Raiders lose, then memories of last season's 6-11 record truly begin to hang over this team.

Both the Packers and Raiders have struggled to run the ball, even though both teams feature an accomplished running back.

Josh Jacobs, the NFL’s rushing leader last season, has run for only 166 yards while gaining just 2.7 yards per carry. The Raiders found other ways to use him Sunday against the Chargers. Jacobs caught eight passes for 81 yards to go with his 58 yards on the ground.

As a team, the Raiders are last in the league in yards rushing per game (65.3) and 31st in yards per carry (3.0).

The Packers haven’t been much better. They’re 30th in yards rushing per game (74.5) and 29th in yards per carry (3.3). Aaron Jones missed two games with a hamstring injury and had just five carries when he returned to action in the Packers loss to Detroit on Sept. 28.

The Packers have been outscored 44-3 in the first half of their last two games.

They erased a 17-0 halftime deficit by scoring 18 points in the final 11 minutes of an 18-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints. They couldn’t come all the way back after falling behind 27-3 in the first 30 minutes of the loss to the Lions.

AJ Allmendinger spoiled NASCAR’s playoffs by refusing to cede track position even though he’s not part of the championship field. 

Back in the Cup Series full time for the first time since 2018, Allmendinger led 46 laps for Kaulig Racing to win for the first time in NASCAR’s top series since Indianapolis in 2021.

Allmendinger isn’t racing for a NASCAR championship and knew very well that Kyle Busch’s entire season rested on the outcome of Sunday’s playoff elimination race.

Busch could only stave off elimination by winning on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Allmendinger figured he knows Busch well enough that Busch would understand if Allmendinger raced for the win.

Allmendinger won four consecutive Xfinity Series races on the hybrid road course/oval but wasn’t entered Saturday for Kaulig because he’s already exhausted his allotted five starts in the second-tier series. Allmendinger won twice this year in the Xfinity Series, and it’s unclear if he’ll be in the Cup Series or return to Xfinity next year.

Either way, his win was pivotal in the playoff elimination of Busch, the two-time series champion who had to win Sunday to advance to the round of eight. Busch gave it a few tries but couldn’t get into second place — William Byron finished second — and Busch settled for third.

Also eliminated was Ross Chastain, last year’s title runner-up, 2012 champion Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace, whose first playoff appearance ended in the round of 12 on his 30th birthday with 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan watching from Wallace’s pit stand.

The remaining eight drivers in the championship race are led by Byron and Ryan Blaney, who both won in the three-race round of 12 to earn automatic berths into the next three races.

Denny Hamlin advanced in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, as did Tyler Reddick, who drives for Hamlin and Jordan at 23XI Racing. Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr., the regular season champion, advanced with Hamlin for Gibbs to get three cars through.

Kyle Larson drove a backup car to a 13th-place finish to join Byron, who has a series-best six wins this season, representing Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet in the next round. Larson crashed in Saturday practice and Hendrick Motorsports, which is located about a mile from the speedway, had to work into the night to get a car through Sunday morning inspection.

Ford has Blaney of Team Penske and Chris Buescher of RFK Racing, which didn’t advance Keselowski through but still has one driver racing for the championship.

Hamlin had already locked himself into the round of eight earlier in the race via stage points, so his last-place finish Sunday was irrelevant.

The round of eight of NASCAR’s playoffs opens Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Joey Logano is the defending race winner and Byron scored his first win of the season at Las Vegas in March.

Heinrich Haarberg threw for 154 yards and rushed for a team-leading 82 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska beat Illinois 20-7 on Friday night.

Seven receivers caught passes from Haarberg, who was 12-of-24 passing. His 25-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was Nebraska’s second TD in 10 seconds.

Nebraska (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten Conference) stopped Illinois twice inside the Huskers’ 1 on the Illini’s first drive of the game, as Luke Altmyer and Reggie Love III each failed to get into the end zone.

Nebraska took a 17-0 lead with its two quick second-quarter touchdowns.

Anthony Grant leaped into the end zone from one yard out, completing a 14-play, 79-yard drive that took 6:38.

After Nebraska recovered the ensuing kickoff, a short kick into a strong wind that Illinois mishandled, Haarberg ran untouched into the end zone.

The Illini scored their only touchdown with 1:31 left in the first half when Pat Bryant fought off Quinton Newsome and caught a perfectly thrown 46-yard touchdown pass from Altmyer.

A 55-yard field goal attempt by Illinois’ Caleb Griffin in the waning seconds of the half fell far short even with a stiff breeze at his back.

Nebraska’s Phelan Sanford forced a fumble by Griffin Moore after a pass reception early in the third quarter and Tommi Hill recovered and ran to the Illinois 13, setting up a 32-yard field goal by Alvano, the only scoring in a turnover-filled second half.

A blocked punt by Nebraska’s Blaise Gunnerson on Illinois’ next possession gave the Huskers the ball at the Illinois 18, but Alvano missed a 36-yard field goal.

Newsome avenged giving up Bryant’s TD when he intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 39 yards. A fumble by Grant ended Nebraska’s drive on the Illinois 15.

Altmyer was 29-for-47 passing for 288 yards and a touchdown.

CIC:

Tuscola 52, Meridian 33
Shelbyville 39, Central A&M 13

Illini Prairie:

Bloomington Central Catholic 33, Chillicothe Illinois Valley Central 0
St. Joseph-Ogden 54, Pontiac 14
Tolono Unity 63, Rantoul 6

Apollo:

Mt. Zion 28, Charleston 14
Mahomet-Seymour 47, Effingham 0
Taylorville 28, Mattoon 21

Big 12:

Peoria 52, Bloomington 12
Champaign Centennial 40, Peoria Notre Dame 20
Peoria Richwoods 21, Peoria Manual 0
Normal Community 66, Urbana 0

Central State 8:

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 64, Decatur Eisenhower 6
Jacksonville 35, Springfield Southeast 8
Chatham Glenwood 35, Normal University 0
Rochester 55, Lincoln 0
Decatur MacArthur 54, Springfield Lanphier 0

Heart of Illinois:

Downs Tri-Valley 50, Colfax Ridgeview-Lexington 6
El Paso-Gridley 28, Eureka 7
Deer Creek-Mackinaw 46, Tremont 0
Minonk Fieldcrest 40, Fisher 0
LeRoy 40, Heyworth 19

Lincoln Prairie:

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 49, Cerro Gordo-Bement 7
Arcola 35, Sangamon Valley/Tri-City 14
Sullivan-Okaw Valley 30, Nokomis 22
Villa Grove 27, Argenta-Oreana 26

Sangamo:

Athens 55, New Berlin 20
Auburn 33, Pittsfield 13
Petersburg PORTA 48, Riverton 6
Stanford Olympia 61, Pleasant Plains 21
Maroa-Forsyth 25, Williamsville 21

Non-conference:

Quincy Notre Dame 55, Decatur St. Teresa 6
Normal West 35, Springfield 7

A late score by Paxton-Buckley-Loda allowed the Panthers to topple Monticello 22-17 in Illini Prairie Conference high school football Friday night in Paxton.

Both teams started slow on a windy night in Paxton. The Panthers got on the board first on a short touchdown run by Robert Boyd-Meents (mints) to go up 8-0.

The Sages would answer with 17 unanswered in the second quarter on a five-yard touchdown run from Luke Teschke and an 11-yard touchdown pass from Teschke to Carter Foran which sandwiched a 38-yard field goal by Cole Sowinski.

But PBL shut down the Sages offense in the second half and scored a touchdown off a Monticello turnover in the third quarter to get within 17-16 and then scored again late in the fourth quarter off another Sages turnover to go up 22-17.

The Sages threatened by getting inside the red zone thanks to a 45-yard hookup between Teschke and Foran but penalties and negative plays set Monticello back to fourth and 30 and Teschke was sacked and fumbled on the fourth down play and PBL was able to run out the clock from there.

Teschke threw for 199 yards with a touchdown and interception. He ran for another score but was sacked three times in the second half and lost two fumbles for the game. 

Monticello had five turnovers. 

While junior Ike Young recorded just 55 total yards of offense, the tailback was named the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game for his effort blocking and protecting Teschke in the passing game and run game. 

PBL moves to 5-2 overall while Monticello drops to 4-3. 

The Sages need to win one of its last two games to qualify for the postseason. They visit Prairie Central next Friday night. Game time is 7 pm. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard Friday night on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons traveled to Warrensburg-Latham, and picked up a 48-24 Central Illinois Conference win. 
 

The Maroons' Colton Walker picked off the Cardinals' Brayden Hickey's first pass of the game, and from there proceeded to jump out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter. Clinton scored in the first with two touchdown runs from Tristin Potts, and another from Dawson Graves.  Graves was also on the receiving end of a 20-yard Mason Walker touchdown pass. 
 

Potts would find the end zone again halfway through the second quarter, putting the Maroons up 35-0.  However, Hickey would lead Warrensburg to two second quarter scores.  He found Kaden Gardner from 21 yards out, and then Andrew Tuttle from 46 yards.  The Maroons used the final 46-seconds of the half to drive down the field for Walker to find Colton Walker from 9-yards out to end the half up 42-12. 
 

The second half saw the offenses slow down.  Clinton's only score was another Potts run from 4-yards out with just under three minutes to go in the third. The Cardinals would add two more Hickey touchdown passes, both to Cartell Lee, to bring the final to 48-24. 
 

Tristin Potts was the Maroons workhorse, carrying the ball 24 times for 189 yards and four touchdowns to earn the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.  Mason Walker was 10 of 18 passing for 100 yards, and two touchdowns.  He also ran 12 times for 82 yards.  Dawson Graves had four catches for 53 yards, and a touchdown.  He carried the ball 7 times for 18 yards and a score.  Colton Walker also had three catches for 47 yards, and a TD for Clinton.  
 

Hickey led Warrensburg going 10 of 27 through the air for 160 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception.  Catrell Lee had 8 catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns.  
 

Warrensburg sees their playoff hopes take a hit as they drop to 3-4 overall, and 2-2 in conference.  The Cardinals host Tuscola next week. 
 

Clinton becomes playoff eligible with their fifth win of the season.  The Maroons are now 5-2 overall, and 4-0 in the CIC.  They'll host Shelbyville for Senior Night next Friday night.  The winner of that matchup will be the conference champion in the final year of the present day Central Illinois Conference.  Hear all of next week's contest on all WHOW platforms!
 

The Maroons will look to keep rolling tonight when they travel to Warrensburg-Latham in week seven of the high school football season.

The 4-2 Maroons have won three straight and will look to keep pace with Shelbyville in the Central Illinois Conference. The Rams await next week and Coach Ron Bass is preaching to his team to not look past the Cardinals who are coming off an impressive win of their own last week over Central A&M.

Warrensburg-Latham offers good size up front and good skill position players. Coach Bass says his team will have a good test this week going back on the road.

Game time tonight is 7 pm. Hear the action on WHOW and on all its digital platforms. 

Central Illinois Conference matchups tonight

Meridian at Tuscola

Shelbyville at Central A & M

A playoff spot will on the line tonight when Monticello visits Paxton-Buckley-Loda in week seven action of the high school football season.

The Sages and Panthers each enter play 4-2 overall and Monticello football Coach Cully Welter says it is all about stopping the PBL run game.

Coach Welter says defensively they like to bring pressure and so it will be imperative his improving offensive line be able to stand up to it.

Game time tonight is 7 pm. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Illini Prairie Conference games tonight...

Illinois Valley Central at Bloomington Central Catholic

St. Joseph-Ogden at Pontiac

Tolono Unity at Rantoul

Apollo

Charleston at Mt. Zion

Effingham at Mahomet-Seymour

Mattoon at Taylorville

Big Twelve

Danville at Champaign Central (Sat.)

Peoria at Bloomington 

Peoria Notre Dame at Champaign Centennial

Peoria Richwoods at Peoria(Manual

Urbana at Normal Community

Central State Eight

Decatur Eisenhower at Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin

Jacksonville at Springfield Southeast

Normal U-High at Chatham-Glenwood

Rochester at Lincoln

Springfield Lanphier at Decatur MacArthur

Heart of Illinois 

Ridgeview-Lexington at Tri-Valley

El Paso-Gridley at Eureka

Tremont at Dee-Mack

Fisher at MiFieldcrest

Heyworth at LeRoy

Lincoln Prairie

Arthur -Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at Cerro Gordo-Bement 

Sangamon Valley at Arcola

Nokomis at Sullivan-Okaw Valley 

Toledo-Cumberland at Oakland Tri-County (Sat.)

Villa Grove at Argenta-Oreana

Mid-Illini

Limestone at Metamora

Canton at Pekin

East Peoria at Morton

Washington at Dunlap

Sangamo

Athens at New Berlin 

Pittsfield at Auburn

Riverton at Petersburg PORTA

Olympia at Pleasant Plains

Williamsville at Maroa-Forsyth

Non-Conference matchups tonight

Prairie Central at Herrin (Sat.)

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley at Forreston (Sat.)

Quincy Notre Dame at Decatur St. Teresa

Springfield at Normal West

Justin Fields and DJ Moore connected eight times for 230 yards and three touchdowns to give the embattled Bears their first win of the season, beating the Washington Commanders 40-20 Thursday night, hours after word emerged of the death of franchise great Dick Butkus.

Relief was palpable at the end of a 14-game skid dating to last season - since Oct. 24, 2022, the last time they won a game. All the off-field drama the organization has been mired in for weeks melted away in the moments of celebration.

Fields had four touchdown passes to match his career high set last week, this time coming in a winning effort as Chicago (1-4) jumped out to a 24-point halftime lead and, unlike Sunday, held on.

Fields threw for 282 yards and ran for 57 yards, including a rush for a first down late in the third quarter after tipping the ball to himself following a high snap. Moore had 137 yards receiving in the first half alone, becoming the first Bears player to surpass 125 before halftime since at least 2000 and eventually reaching a career high.

The Bears also got a defensive performance that felt like a fitting way to honor Butkus, the fearsome Hall of Fame linebacker who died at age 80 earlier Thursday. They forced two turnovers and sacked Sam Howell five times in bouncing back from blowing a 21-point lead and losing to Denver.

Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds received medical attention late and walked off the field. Center Lucas Patrick and rookie running back Roschon Johnson underwent concussion evaluation during the second quarter and were quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. 

Receiver Equanimeous St. Brown and running back Travis Homer each left with a hamstring injury.

The Bears host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday.

Nebraska and host Illinois, each coming off blowout losses in Big Ten Conference play, face off on a short week on Friday night in Champaign, Ill.

Illinois (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) fell 44-19 at Purdue, while Nebraska (2-3, 0-2) was crushed 45-7 at home by No. 2 Michigan. Each is trying to avoid a 0-3 start in the conference for the first time since 2020 (for Illinois) and 2018 (for Nebraska), respectively.

The Fighting Illini allowed a season-low 406 yards to Purdue but gave up 31 points on five red-zone possessions. For the season Illinois has yielded 23 scores on 26 trips inside its 20-yard line, compared to 23 on 31 all of 2022.

Nebraska came up scoreless in its two red-zone possessions against Michigan and has been inside the opposing 20 on only 12 occasions this season.

The Cornhuskers will continue to go with sophomore Heinrich Haarberg at quarterback, even with Jeff Sims getting closer to 100 percent following a high ankle sprain. Haarberg is Nebraska's leading rusher (270 yards), but had minus-2 against Michigan, so there could be a splitting of snaps.

Illinois may again be without leading rusher Reggie Love III (44 carries, 248 yards), who sat out the last game with an ankle injury.

The Illini have won the last three meetings, including a 26-9 victory at Nebraska last October, but the Cornhuskers hold a 13-6-1 lead in the series. Nebraska's last win in Champaign came in 2019.

Dick Butkus, a middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears whose speed and ferocity set the standards for the position in the modern era, died Thursday, the team announced. He was 80.

According to a statement released by the team, Butkus’ family confirmed that he died in his sleep at his home in Malibu, California.

Butkus was a first-team All-Pro five times and made the Pro Bowl in eight of his nine seasons before a knee injury forced him to retire at 31. He was the quintessential Monster of the Midway and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. He is still considered one of the greatest defensive players in league history.

A moment of silence honoring Butkus was held before the Bears played at the Washington Commanders on Thursday night.

Butkus was the rare pro athlete who played his entire career close to home. He was a star linebacker, fullback and kicker at Chicago Vocational High who went on to play at the University of Illinois. Born on Dec. 9, 1942 as the youngest of eight children, he grew up on the city’s South Side as a fan of the Chicago Cardinals, the Bears’ crosstown rivals.

But after being drafted in the first round in 1965 by both the Bears and Denver Broncos (at the time, a member of the now-defunct American Football League), Butkus chose to remain in Chicago and play for NFL founder and coach George Halas. The Bears also added future Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers to the roster that year with another first-round pick.

Butkus inherited the middle linebacker job from Bill George, a Hall of Famer credited with popularizing the position in the NFL. In 1954, George abandoned his three-point stance in the middle of the defensive line and started each play several paces removed, a vantage point that allowed him to watch plays unfold and then race to the ball.

Butkus, however, brought speed, agility and a scorched-Earth attitude to the job that his predecessors only imagined. He intercepted five passes, recovered six fumbles and was unofficially credited with forcing six more in his rookie year, topping it off with the first of eight straight Pro Bowl appearances. But his reputation as a disruptor extended well past the ability to take away the football.

Butkus, like Sayers, never reached the postseason. The Bears won the 1963 championship and by the time they made the playoffs again in 1977, Butkus and Sayers were long gone.

The Bears climbed back to the top in the 1985 season with their lone Super Bowl championship. But they have been back to the title game only one time since. Butkus couldn’t understand why.

After leaving football, Butkus became an instant celebrity. He appeared in “Brian’s Song” in 1971 and a dozen feature films over the next 15 years, as well as the sitcoms “My Two Dads” and “Hang Time.” He also returned to the Bears as a radio analyst in 1985, and replaced Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder on CBS’ “The NFL Today” pregame show in 1988.

Through the Butkus Foundation, he helped establish a program at a Southern California hospital to encourage early screenings to detect heart disease. He promoted a campaign to encourage high school athletes to train and eat well and avoid performance-enhancing drugs.

The foundation oversees the Butkus Award, established in 1985 to honor college football’s best linebacker. It was expanded in 2008 to include pros and high school players.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame lowered its flags to half-staff in Butkus’ honor.

Butkus is survived by his wife, Helen, and children Ricky, Matt and Nikki. Nephew Luke Butkus has coached in college and the NFL, including time with the Bears.

It will be a battle of ranked teams on Saturday night at Hancock Stadium, as the defending FCS national champion and No. 1 ranked South Dakota State Jackrabbits (4-0, 1-0 MVFC) travel to Normal to take on the No. 22 ranked Illinois State Redbirds (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) for a game under the lights at 6 p.m.

Last week, South Dakota State rolled to a 42-21 victory over No. 11 North Dakota in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams at a sold-out Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The victory for the Jackrabbits was their 18th consecutive dating back to last season.

Despite not playing last weekend on a bye, the Illinois State football team has found itself back in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll at No. 22 heading into week six of the regular season. The Redbirds are one of six MVFC teams ranked, joining South Dakota State (1), Southern Illinois (5), North Dakota State (8), North Dakota (15), South Dakota (21).

Game time is 6 pm and it is Homecoming weekend at ISU.

Eastern Illinois football is off to its best start since the 2013 season as the Panthers improved to 4-1 with a road win at Northwestern State.  It marked the third straight win for EIU, something that had not happened since the 2016 season.  

Also not happening since late in the 2016 season was Eastern Illinois appearing in the national rankings, but that changed this week with the Panthers landing at No.25 in the FCS Coaches poll.   It marks the 26th different season that EIU has been ranked in the national polls for at least one week. 

Eastern Illinois hosts UT Martin for homecoming on Saturday. 

Safety Blake Ruffin played a big part in Eastern Illinois road win at Northwestern State on Saturday night.  On Monday he was named the Big South-OVC Football co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Running back MJ Flowers had his second consecutive start for the Panthers offense as he finished with 64 all-purpose yards in the road win at Northwestern State.  On Monday Flowers was named the Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week for the third consecutive week. 

Game time is 2 pm Saturday afternoon. Hear all the action starting with the pre-game at 1:30 pm on WHOW.

Eastern Illinois football is off to its best start since the 2013 season as the Panthers improved to 4-1 with a road win at Northwestern State.  It marked the third straight win for EIU, something that had not happened since the 2016 season.  

Also not happening since late in the 2016 season was Eastern Illinois appearing in the national rankings, but that changed this week with the Panthers landing at No.25 in the FCS Coaches poll.   It marks the 26th different season that EIU has been ranked in the national polls for at least one week. 

Eastern Illinois hosts UT Martin for homecoming on Saturday. 

Safety Blake Ruffin played a big part in Eastern Illinois road win at Northwestern State on Saturday night.  On Monday he was named the Big South-OVC Football co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Running back MJ Flowers had his second consecutive start for the Panthers offense as he finished with 64 all-purpose yards in the road win at Northwestern State.  On Monday Flowers was named the Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week for the third consecutive week. 

Game time is 2 pm Saturday afternoon. Hear all the action starting with the pre-game at 1:30 pm on WHOW.

Ryan Blaney used a crossover move to nudge ahead of Kevin Harvick with two laps remaining and won at Talladega by 0.012 seconds to advance into the round of eight of NASCAR’s playoffs.

Now the playoffs head to the cutoff race for the round of 12 at the Charlotte Roval.

Blaney, who has two wins but just five top-five finishes this season, joined William Byron as drivers locked into the next playoff round. ... Harvick was later disqualified after failing post-race inspection. He remains winless this season, which will end with his retirement. 

Harvick’s DQ gave second place to Byron with Denny Hamlin third. 

The field of 12 drivers will be pared to eight following Sunday’s race on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski remained two points above the round of eight cutline; the four drivers behind him are Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, and two-time series champion Kyle Busch. Busch must win at Charlotte to advance.

Christopher Bell won after starting eighth.

Practice and qualifying is at 11 am Saturday. Race time is 1 pm Sunday afternoon. 

John Hunter Nemechek won at Texas Motor Speedway for his series-best seventh win of the year in the Xfinity Series two weeks ago.

Nemechek, Justin Allgaier, and Cole Custer have all clinched berths in the round of eight with the final spots to be set this weekend. 

Sheldon Creed (plus 9) and Daniel Hemric (plus 1) are the last two drivers inside the playoff bubble with Parker Kligerman (minus 1), Jeb Burton (minus 19), Josh Berry (minus 27), and Sam Mayer (minus 34) all hoping to work their way into the next round this weekend.

A.J. Allmendinger won from the pole position.

Practice and qualifying is 9 am on Saturday morning. Race time is 2:30 pm on Saturday. 

The Craftsman Truck Series returns later in October at Homestead-Miami.

The Monticello Sages begin a pivotal stretch of its season as the 2023 fall football schedule heads into the final leg of the regular season.

The 4-2 Sages begin the final third of the regular season visiting Paxton-Buckley-Loda Friday night. Coach Cully Welter felt positively about his team's 63-12 win over Rantoul Friday noting he was working to get more athletes involved.

Like Monticello, PBL will enter Friday night 4-2 overall. Game time is 7 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

The Clinton Maroons slammed through the middle third of its 2023 high school football schedule highlighted by statement wins over Central A&M and Tuscola.

Maroons Coach Ron Bass is telling his kids, the work they have put in in the weight room is starting to pay off, particularly in Friday night's 49-27 Homecoming win over Tuscola with big plays being the theme of the victory.

For a couple of seasons, Coach Bass has been focusing on basic defensive formations and telling his players that as they start to execute basic concepts, they would start implementing more things. That showed up this past week against the Warriors...

Coach Bass reiterated that the work his players put in this offseason is again showing up in that they are a better football team this year from last and believes they can play with anyone - and the players are starting to buy in.

Clinton travels to Warrensburg-Latham Friday night for a 7 pm kickoff. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Clinton High School was well represented at the Class 2A Golf Sectionals Monday, and they're sending two individuals to State this weekend.

Senior Brooks Cluver shot a 76 at Kellogg Golf Course in Peoria to advance as an individual to state.  The cut line was a 76 which Maroons Coach John Reynolds says is a really low number for a 2A sectionals.  Clinton Senior Aiden Toohill shot a 79 for 21st place overall at Sectionals, but did not advance. 

On the girls side, Clinton Senior Sarah Mills shot an 88 Monday at Lakeshore Golf Course in Taylorville to advance as an individual to state.  It's believed Mills is the second Clinton girls golfer to ever make it to state. Junior Carley Earle shot 100 for a tie for 50th.  She did not advance this year.

Cluver will play Weibring Course at ISU in Normal at State Friday and Saturday 10-6 & 10-7.

Mills will play Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur at State Friday and Saturday 10-6 & 10-7.

Hudson Card threw two touchdown passes, Devin Mockobee and Dylan Downing each had TD runs and Purdue used a 21-point third-quarter scoring flurry Saturday to pull away from Illinois 44-19.

The Boilermakers turned a close game into a rout with three third-quarter touchdowns - Card's 28-yard TD pass to Garrett Miller on the first possession of the second half, Mockobee's 3-yard scoring run late in the third quarter and Card's 10-yard TD pass to Deion Burks following a fourth-down stop.

Illinois took a 3-0 lead on the game's first possession, it gave the lead away when quarterback Luke Altmyer fumbled in the end zone and Malik Lagnham recovered it. The extra point was blocked.

Josh McCray's 7-yard TD run gave the Illini a 10-6 lead, but the Boilermakers answered with Downing's 16-yard TD run, a 40-yard field goal and the big third quarter to seal the victory.

Card was 18 of 26 with 217 yards. Tyrone Tracy Jr. ran 21 times for 112 yards and scored the day's final touchdown. Burks had five receptions for 83 yards.

Altmyer finished 16 of 25 with 202 yards and one TD. Isaiah Williams caught six passes for 113 yards.
 

In a game heard on WHOW, Jurickson Profar had two hits and drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th, leading the San Diego Padres over the Chicago White Sox 2-1 on Sunday to complete their season with a sweep after missing the playoffs.

Remember WHOW is your home for Chicago White Sox baseball.