Sophomore Layne Rund caught two touchdown passes and ran for one score on Friday (Oct. 8) as Villa Grove’s football team dealt visiting Tri-County a 55-6 loss.

“He is confident in his routes and is coming on strong at the right time,” Villa Grove coach Heath Wilson said.

Parker Stevens rushed for two touchdowns and ran for a team-high 100 yards.

“He’s a hard runner,” Wilson said.

Daelin Price converted the placekick after seven of the Blue Devils’ scores.

Also reaching the scoring column were Liam Barr (who threw for the two TDs to Rund), Gunner Cline and Brady Clodfelder, on a fumble recovery.

Barr completed 6 of 11 passes for 141 yards.

“Our offensive line did well giving Liam time to pass,” Wilson said.

Rund was the go-to receiver, latching onto four receptions for 106 yards.

His career as a receiver will likely be short-lived. He is projected as the Blue Devils’ quarterback of the future.

Luke Zimmerman rushed for 48 yards. Cline added 35 yards on the ground.

Villa Grove has put 92 points on the board during its current two-game winning streak.

“We made some adjustments,” Wilson said. “They’re firing off the ball and executing better.

“The mentality changed and they believe (in themselves).”

Zimmerman led a defense that held the Titans to 164 total yards. He had a monster game, collecting 24 tackles (three shy of the single-game school record).

“They were keying on him and he was getting frustrated on offense,” Wilson said, “but he was all over the field on defense.”

Tyler Wilson had 10 tackles, Elijah Kiesel had nine tackles. Deandre Reinhart had seven stops. Finishing with six tackles apiece were Price and Stevens.

Villa Grove (5-2) becomes playoff-eligible and returns to action on Friday (Oct. 15) at Arcola (5-2). This week’s winner will be assured of an automatic playoff berth.

Arcola has clinched at least a share of the Illini Prairie Conference title, but Wilson has a message for his team.

“If we win out, we can share the conference title,” Wilson said. “We’re playoff-eligible, but that’s not the end goal. We want to get the sixth (win), to be sure.”

Teams with five wins are not guaranteed a spot in the postseason, though the majority usually make the cut.

The post Villa Grove hands Tri-County loss first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Blue Devils’ football team moved one step closer to becoming playoff-eligible on Friday (Oct. 1) with a 37-14 win at Niantic over Sangamon Valley.

Villa Grove, which led 22-0 at halftime, is 4-2 overall ahead of the Friday (Oct. 8) Senior Night home-finale against Tri-County.

“We didn’t play our best, but we got the job done,” Villa Grove coach Heath Wilson said.

Any momentum that Sangamon Valley had gained by scoring early in the third period was alleviated seconds later when Gunner Cline returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

Luke Zimmerman posted his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, rambling for 165 yards on 13 carries. He scored two touchdowns.

“He’s a play-maker and wants the ball,” Wilson said. “He gets stronger as the game goes on. He and Parker Stevens are a couple of workhorses.”

Liam Barr hooked up with Layne Rund for a 57-yard scoring strike.

Zimmerman had a team-high 10 tackles. Other defensive leaders were Brady Clodfelder (eight tackles), Robert Fancher (five tackles), Elijah Kiesel (five tackles) and Daelin Price (five tackles).

Barr intercepted two passes and Tyler Wilson picked off one Sangamon Valley pass.

“Our defense played well,” Wilson said. “Elijah had three sacks. We told the defensive line they would win or lose the game.”

Joining Kiesel on the defensive front were Deandre Reinhart, Price and Parker Knierim.

“From last week to this week, they got back to hard-nosed football,” Wilson said. “We stressed defense, defense, defense.”

Villa Grove gained 242 total yards and held Sangamon Valley to 196 yards, the first opponent it kept under 200 yards this season.

Price converted three conversion kicks for the Blue Devils.

The post Blue Devils get fourth win over Sangamon Valley first appeared on SJO Daily.

Villa Grove’s football team bounced back from a loss the previous week to record a season’s high for points scored on Friday (Sept. 10) in a 42-35 win at home over Cerro Gordo/Bement in the Lincoln Prairie Conference opener.

The Blue Devils amassed a season-high 460 yards of total offense, including 185 rushing yards by Luke Zimmerman and 186 passing yards by Liam Barr.

“Our offensive line did a great job giving Liam time to throw,” Villa Grove coach Heath Wilson said.

Barr tossed two touchdown strikes to Elijah Kiesel (who had 106 receiving yards) and one to Brady Clodfelder.

“Kiesel was a playmaker,” Wilson said. “We put him at the slot and it worked to our benefit, and then Luke took over in the fourth quarter.”

Zimmerman had two rushing touchdowns and Barr ran for one score. Daelin Price converted 4 of 5 extra-point placements.

Zimmerman’s final score, on a 75-yard romp with 2 minutes and 20 seconds remaining, created the game’s final score and gave VG extra breathing room.

The coach had to make an adjustment in the offensive line unit after an injury a week earlier sidelined tackle Connor Black.

Sophomore Alex Jensen – who didn’t play as a freshman – stepped in at right tackle.

He joins a veteran group that features two seniors (left guard Price and left tackle Deandre Reinhart) along with junior center Carson Block and sophomore right guard Zach Wells.

VG built leads of 14-0 and 28-13, which was narrowed to 28-27.

The visiting Broncos also pulled within 36-35 in the final 6 minutes.

“The poise of my team was very good,” Wilson said. “Our kids had a fight in them.

“Our defense gave up some big plays, but when they had a chance to drive, the defense stepped up and got the job done.

“It was a nerve-wracking game. The crowd loved it, but as a coach, it gives you a heart attack.”

Zimmerman recorded a season-high 15 tackles. Other defensive leaders were Price (six tackles), Reinhart (six tackles), Clodfelder (six tackles) and Tyler Wilson (five tackles).

The Blue Devils were scheduled to return to action on Friday (Sept. 17) for their third consecutive home game, a contest against Argenta-Oreana (0-3). However, the Bombers have forfeited due to COVID-19 cases within the program.

The post Villa Grove football bounces back to defeat Cerro Gordo/Bement first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Blue Devils were held to 217 total yards in their football home opener on Friday (Sept. 3) and dropped a 40-14 decision to Ridgeview/Lexington.

Liam Barr scored both of the Villa Grove touchdowns and also passed for 196 yards, completing 16 of 32 attempts.

Brady Clodfelder had 70 receiving yards, Layne Rund had 49 receiving yards and Robert Fancher had four receptions.

Barr was the team’s rushing leader with eight yards.

“Their offense was not the same that we saw on film,” VG coach Heath Wilson said. “They ran the spread Week 1, but ran a double tight I-formation and overpowered us.

“Their offensive line won the game. They got a good push.”

The Blue Devils’ aerial attack came out of necessity.

“They shut down the run so quickly, and we passed more than we intended,” Wilson said. “I was not unhappy with our effort.”

Daelin Price had six tackles and also returned a fumble recovery to the 1-yard line, setting up Barr’s first quarterback sneak.

Tyler Wilson had a team-high nine tackles in the second game. Clodfelder (seven), Price (six), Luke Zimmerman (six), Gunner Cline (five) and Deandre Reinhart (five) were other team leaders.

“We can’t do anything about last week,” Wilson added. “All we can do is prepare for Cerro Gordo/Bement (1-1) and get better. We hope to get back on track.”

The upcoming home game will be played on Friday (Sept. 10) and will serve as the opener for the Lincoln Prairie Conference teams.

The post Ridgeview/Lexington defeats Villa Grove in home opener first appeared on SJO Daily.

Either the current Villa Grove football team or a former Villa Grove athlete was going to wind up a winner in the season-opener on Friday (Aug. 27).

The first-game football win went to the current Villa Grove team, which rallied in the second half to register a 26-14 victory at Fisher over a team coached by VG graduate Jake Palmer.

Fisher led 14-13 at halftime, but Luke Zimmerman and Liam Barr scored second-half TDs for the visiting Blue Devils.

The first half ended with a wild final 2 minutes. VG scored with 1 minute, 22 seconds left in the second quarter to garner a 13-8 lead, but Fisher responded and collected its one-point lead with a quick scoring drive.

The Bunnies received the second-half kickoff, but were unable to build on their momentum.

“They fumbled, and we recovered,” VG coach Heath Wilson said. “We stress that games are won or lost by who wins the turnover battle.”

Zimmerman made the hit and the recovery. He is one of nine two-way players for VG, many of whom also play on special teams.

Once the Blue Devils regained the lead (19-14) after a 22-yard scoring march in the first minute of the third period, Wilson’s game plan was simple.

“From there, we wanted to control the clock,” he said.

Zimmerman was the offensive workhorse, carrying the ball 29 times for 148 yards. Barr rushed for 38 yards in 13 attempts.

Barr completed 7 of 15 passes for 101 yards. His favorite target was Brady Clodfelder (four receptions for 68 yards and one TD). Zimmerman hauled in two passes for 29 yards.

The offense did its job, not losing possession of the ball at all, and the VG defense was up for the challenge in the second half, keeping the Bunnies off the scoreboard during the final two quarters.

“The defense kept us in the game,” Wilson said. “Our defense played well.”

Notable catalysts were middle linebacker Zimmerman, defensive end Daelin Price and defensive tackle Elijah Kiesel. Price was in on 17 tackles, Zimmerman had 14 and Kiesel ended with nine stops.

Tyler Wilson totaled seven tackles.

“We thought if we were in better shape, we’d win the game,” Wilson said. “Our guys are in great shape. If you don’t cramp (from the heat), you can stay in the game.”

Villa Grove held a 302-223 edge in total yards.

Fisher was a new opponent for the Blue Devils (1-0) as is their upcoming foe on Friday (Sept. 3), Ridgeview/Lexington (0-1), which lost a 20-12 decision in Week 1 to Deer Creek-Mackinaw. This week’s game will be the first of four in a row at home for VG.

“We don’t know a lot about them, but we do know it will be a dogfight,” Wilson said.

The post Villa Grove football opens season with win over Fisher first appeared on SJO Daily.

fred@mahometnews.com

Area high schools are in the process of preparing their athletes to return to competition.

The IHSA permitted limited participation last week, allowing districts to conduct conditioning, agility and strength training exercises in small groups.

Oakwood chose to wait until this week in order to get its plan in place.

“We are taking a cautious approach for right now,” Oakwood football coach Al Craig said. “We are making sure all the ducks are in a row before we start.

“We have been meeting with the athletes once a week on Zoom and going over things we would have normally gone over. It has gone well.”

Craig fears the repercussions of doing too much too soon.

“I am just concerned with health and safety,” he said. “I don’t ever want our student-athletes or coaches in danger.

 “I’m also worried that too much at the beginning gets everything closed down again, then we lose August. We don’t want that. Nobody wants that.”

St. Joseph-Ogden and Villa Grove/Heritage began the process of restarting workouts last week.

Throughout the area, slow steps are the norm.

“Right now, they are student-athletes who we haven’t seen for multiple weeks,” SJ-O football coach Shawn Skinner said. “We are working on getting them in shape.

“Their core, legs and lungs are what we want to ensure are getting ready as we progress at this time.”

SJ-O athletes are at the school in shifts, taking advantage of the weight room.

“We have eight groups and those groups have six to eight kids,” Skinner said. “We have some groups going at 7 a.m., another set at 11 a.m. and another round at 5 p.m.

“Prior to working out, we have to check the kids in with a series of questions and we record their temperatures. We will do that every time we work out, at least during this stage of our return-to-play plan.

“We have essentially created small weight rooms outside on and around our track and sports fields. The workouts incorporate speed improvement, flexibility, strength and conditioning.”

The workout takes about an hour and the athletes remain with the same group every day. Sixty-five Spartan football prospects, from freshmen through seniors, worked out last week.

Skinner said his program is not far behind where he originally expected to be by mid-June.

“Our summer plan was to always be in the weight room three days a week, so from that standpoint we are moving forward with that plan,” Skinner said. “We have lost only about two weeks of summer workouts, so we are trying to stay positive from that standpoint.”

He said the school’s staff is doing everything possible to not put anyone at risk.

“Obviously we want everyone to be as safe and healthy as can be,” Skinner said, “so we’re being cognizant of spacing and what we touch; wiping down and cleaning equipment after every athlete uses that.

“For the athletes, we want to avoid over-taxing them early. Some of them have been working out at home, but several of them have not. It’s not a race to get back in shape in one week.

“This will be a process and we have to ensure we avoid injuries, especially soft tissue injuries, as that could linger all season.”

Unless athletes were working out on their own, most had been away from regimented practices for more than 80 days. Skinner didn’t know what level of conditioning and fitness to expect from his returnees.

“I was really concerned with what shape we would be in,” he said. “Honestly, it’s better than I thought. It’s not good, but it’s not bad either.”

Villa Grove/Heritage football coach Heath Wilson has about 50 potential football players working out.

“At this point, I am just excited,” Wilson said. “Excited to get to start working with the players and coaches.

“A lot of our players are out of shape due to the stay-at-home order, so it’s time to do the work and get ready for the season.”

The staff at VG/Heritage is adhering to recommendations.

“First and foremost, we are making sure we understand and implement the guidelines appropriately,” Wilson said. “The safety of these athletes is very important. We have worked quickly to survey our players, break them into groups and get them in the weight room. 

“With seven coaches, we are able to divide and conquer. We have six groups that are working out three days a week. During this phase, we are focused on lifting and conditioning.”

The emphasis is not the same for coaches in cross-country and soccer as it is in football.

“The great thing about our sport, although it’s better to be together, it can be done solo,” SJ-O cross-country coach Jason Retz said. “Every athlete has the same ability to improve.

“We are simply going to control what we can control and enjoy each day as it comes.”

Retz expects a turnout between 40 and 50, including both the boys’ and girls’ programs.

“We meet once a week and have four groups right now,” Retz said. “They already have their own schedules they are working off, so we get together and they get it done.”

Bill DeJarnette is returning to the SJ-O soccer program he helped to implement. He has about 15 potential players thus far and they are divided into two groups.

“We plan to continue to add (groups) as we expand our recruitment,” DeJarnette said. “The workouts will vary within cycles.

“Cycle examples are Plyo, Long Slow, Intervals, fast twitch, strength and visualization, with constant evaluation of strengths and weaknesses so we can tune the workouts to address issues as needed.”

Conditioning is generally not an activity that teen-agers look forward to. This month could be an exception.

“We are excited to be back together, even if only for conditioning,” Villa Grove coach Jeanine Block said. “The girls are excited to see one another and are anxious for the next phase.”

Oakwood volleyball coach Lynn Anderson said the starting point is to make clear that the guidelines in place must be followed.

“My main concern is getting the players to understand we have regulations we have to follow,” Anderson said. “That is foreign to them, in a sense, especially with the sport.”

Block said she tries to keep things fresh and not repeat the same routine.

“Kids get bored without sport-specific activities,” Block said. “We are doing our best to make the workouts ‘competitive,’ but these girls are anxious to play volleyball.”

The unexpected break, which was mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic, took away from the ongoing changes around the SJ-O facilities.

“Prior to the virus shutting everything down, we were having a very good offseason,” Skinner said. “We had really built up some momentum in our weight room.

“Casey Hug, our athletic trainer, has assisted us in changing our strength and conditioning program and you could really see the kids’ bodies starting to change.”

A booster support group was helping to implement other additions and improvements,

“Our SJO Fan Club had purchased new equipment and Mr. Hug had updated our weight room,” Skinner said. “If we had returned from Spring Break, it would have been an entirely new facility for our kids.

“I can’t wait to get to use it in the manner we really want to soon. We hope that happens in early July as we enter the next stage in the return-to-play.”

The coaches have mixed feelings about what is in store in the weeks and months ahead.

“We will plan and work with the assumption that the fall season is a go,” DeJarnette said. “Even if not, there are no downsides to working together as a team every opportunity you get.”

Added Retz: “The opportunity to help student-athletes grow will continue to happen regardless of what the season looks like.

“Our goal is to help make better people. That will happen regardless if we get to race against other schools or not.”

Craig sees many issues that need to be resolved before games can again take place. He isn’t convinced that everything can fall into place.

“I would love to say I’m really confident, but I’m not,” Craig said. “I would say I’m somewhere between pessimist and optimist.

“I just need to see the logistics of games and locker room usage before I can become really confident.”

Block said now is the time to plan for the possibilities of what a new-normal may look like.

“I can see us playing, with precautions and possibly no fans,” she said. “We are looking at options to live stream games in case the parents/fans are not allowed to attend games.”

Anderson, too, wonders what athletic competition will look like once the games resume.

“My concern is whether we can just relax and play eventually,” Anderson said. “If we have to wear masks, wipe down balls, not touch each other, etc.

“Where is the consistency of just playing, when we have to worry with everything else? Hopefully, it won’t come to that. How confident about whether we have a season or not depends on the day and who I listen to.”

Skinner said this is a time of many questions, but few answers.

“Obviously, the threat of the virus is going to remain and it’s not going to change anytime soon,” he said. “What do we do if one of our players or coaches gets it? What will that look like? Also, how do we advance the workouts in the best/safest way; safe from a physical and spacial standpoint, but also an emotional and mental standpoint?

“These are real concerns that we need to be aware of and observe. We have a tendency as Midwesterners to have a blue color, tough-it-out, mentality. I think that we need to really reflect on that.

“If you’re feeling sick, if you have a sore throat, cough, etc., then maybe stay home a day or two. That goes against our mentality, but maybe we need to take a step back and realize it’s OK to miss a day of work, school, practice, if that means in the long run you’re healthier for it.”

He realizes that is easier said than done.

“That would require a huge change in our perception, and I am probably as guilty of this attitude as anyone,” Skinner said. “But it may be time to acknowledge we can take better care of ourselves and in the process take better care of those around us.”

Like others, Skinner knows it’s merely speculation as to whether there will be a season and – if so – when it would start and how it will look different from previous years.

“What we know is that at this time there is a strong desire and intention for there to be a return to school in August and with that a fall-sport season,” he said. “I’m working with that in mind.

“That’s all I can do at this point. If/when that changes, we will adjust.”

Retz said in one respect this year will be like all others:  There will be a need to deal with the unexpected.

“Each year brings different challenges and it will be fun to take these on one day at a time,” Retz said. “Distance running takes time.

“We’ll deal with any bump in the road there may be, but those bumps only help us learn and grow.”

The key word, Wilson said, is optimism.

“I have to stay positive and say there will be a season,” Wilson said. “I can’t imagine a fall without football.”

If the green light is given for competition, Anderson knows one fact for certain.

“We will be ready to play,” she said. “All athletes just want to get started, which might be a positive out of this whole deal.

“They will not take for granted anymore that things just always happen how they want it to. They know their lives can change that quickly now.”

The post High school athletes return for team workouts with coronavirus guidelines in place first appeared on SJO Daily.