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.

fred@mahometnews.com

We unveiled our winter-sport all-decade teams on Monday.

Today, we check in for the fall-sport all-decade teams.

Two of the Heritage/Villa Grove girls listed for fall-sport recognition received similar honors for the winter-sport season.

They are Aliya Holloman and Micaela Childress.

Keep reading, however, because there are plenty of other Hawks or Blue Devils joining the elite squads.

HERITAGE/VILLA GROVE FOOTBALL

NAME                     POS. GRAD YR.

Gavin Arnold           DL 2015
Cole Beesley           OL 2014
Zach Champagne    LB 2019
Jacob Coffin            OL 2015
Manny Crafton   WR    2018
Max Daly                 RB 2016
Spenser Eversole    LB 2016
Kenny Guerrero      DB 2016
Gavin Gunter          QB 2016
John Henderson     QB 2014
Austin Hubbart        DB 2014
Dalton James          DB 2015
Cole Lemmon          DB 2016
Cole Mohr                WR 2017
Skylur Orwick           LB 2015
Cody Patterson   OL     2017
Terrion Price           LB 2014
Zayzen Price       LB 2020
Kaleb Robertson     OL 2016
Ierik Sorenson        WR         2020
Blake Smith            QB 2020
Carter Smith           OL 2020

Player of the Decade – Zayzen Price, who was the area’s No. 1 tackler as a senior with 128 stops.

HERITAGE/VILLA GROVE BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

NAME                              GRAD YR.

Adam Crutchley            2012
Rowan Denmark-Collins   2022
Jacob Griffith                 2012
Gage Knoll                      2017
Alex Mitsdarfer             2011
Ian Price                         2020

Runner of the Decade – Adam Crutchley, the only state-placer in program history was 11th in Class 1A as a senior with a 3-mile time of 15 minutes, 31 seconds.

HERITAGE/VILLA GROVE GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

NAME                GRAD YR.

Isabella Caceres       2021
Celeste Cler              2012
Kyleigh Price             2023
Tara Rentfro              2016
Sage Soper               2013

Runner of the Decade – Tara Rentfro, who was a sectional qualifier and posted the school’s fastest 3-mile time at regional during the decade.

HERITAGE/VILLA GROVE BOYS’ GOLF

NAME                      GRAD YR.

Zach Buesing               2021
Tristan Harrison           2019
Elijah Richards             2018
Jackson Vandeventer  2019

Golfer of the  Decade – Zach Buesing, who is a two-time sectional qualifier.

HERITAGE VOLLEYBALL

NAME                       POS. GRAD YR.

Gracyn Allen             OH 2019
Micaela Childress OH      2015
Mariah Coleman MH      2012
Aliya Holloman         OH 2020
Cedar Richardson    OH 2014
Katie Rutledge          S 2011
Stephanie Sanderson OH       2013
Erin Wienke               L 2011
Taylor Wienke           S 2014
Jenna Wyant             OH 2012

Player of the Decade – Mariah Coleman, who earned a scholarship to Indiana after setting the school’s career (949), season (380) and match (22) records for kills.

The post Kroner’s Picks: Heritage (VGH) All-Decade Team (Fall) first appeared on SJO Daily.

Villa Grove/Heritage Football

The Blue Devils were limited to 104 total yards and went scoreless in a first-round Class 2A playoff game at 10th-ranked Nashville (9-1) and dropped a 35-0 decision on Saturday.

Nashville, which registered 453 total yards (including 291 via passing), built a 28-0 lead at halftime.

The Villa Grove/Heritage ground game was stymied. The team ended with minus-20 yards on the ground, on 26 attempts. Chase Burwell gained a team-high 11 yards rushing and Zayzen Price finished with five yards on the ground.

Quarterback Blake Smith completed 9 of 20 passes and totaled 123 yards through the air.

Ierik Sorenson and Carson Howard each snagged four passes. Sorenson ended with 75 receiving yards to go with another 32 on two kickoff returns. Howard’s receiving total was 47 yards. Keagan Patterson also caught a pass.

VG/H concludes the season with a 5-5 record for the second year in a row. The Blue Devils were shut out in their final two games.

Villa Grove/Heritage Girls’ cross-country

Freshman Kyleigh Price made her sectional debut on Saturday in a Class 1A meet hosted by Effingham St. Anthony.

She was time in 26 minutes, 9.25 seconds for the 3-mile course.

Price placed 123rd.

The post VGH Football and Cross Country seasons come to end, Freshmen Price ends season strong first appeared on SJO Daily.

Villa Grove/Heritage Football

Despite an edge in total yards (270 to 231), the Blue Devils ended the regular season on Friday with a 23-0 loss at Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond.

The game was 0-0 at halftime.

VG/H was undone by four turnovers.

Finishing the regular season with a 5-4 record, the Blue Devils had ample points to qualify for the playoffs. VG/H will trek to Nashville (8-1) for a 1:30 p.m. first-round game in Class 2A on Saturday.

In last week’s Associated Press state poll, Nashville was ranked 11th, but in Class 3A. With an enrollment of 405, Nashville is the largest school assigned to Class 2A.

“It’s great to be playing another week,” VG/H head coach Heath Wilson said. “There are a lot of teams not playing right now.”

The Blue Devils are one of six teams from the Lincoln Prairie Conference that advanced into the playoffs.

“It was a very competitive conference,” Wilson said.

Against the Knights, Blake Smith completed 16 of 37 passes for 180 yards. Carson Howard had five receptions for 96 yards. Ierik Sorenson caught six passes for 51 yards. Keagan Patterson and Kehm Shirley each hauled in two passes and Issac Mahoe had one reception.

Shirley was the team’s top rusher with 57 yards on 12 carries. Ezra Ely gained 18 yards and Smith ran for 12 yards.

“We got banged up Friday, but we’ll get evaluated and hopefully Saturday will be ready to go,” Wilson said.

The playoff berth is the 21st overall for the program, which has now qualified three straight years.

VGH Girls’ cross-country

Freshman Kyleigh Price will represent the Blue Devils at the sectional meet.

In Saturday’s Class 1A Tuscola Regional, Price placed 43rd overall and secured an individual berth at the sectional, which will be on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Effingham St. Anthony. The girls’ race will start at 10 a.m.

Price’s 3-mile time was 23 minutes, 27.32 seconds.

Monticello won team honors at the regional with 37 points. VG/H placed eighth in the nine-team field with 223 points.

The team’s other regional runners were: Emma Buesing (44th in 23:34.51), Allison Kneer (49th in 24:04.93), Madison Logan (53rd in 24:42.35), Kate Eisenmenger (59th in 25:31.25) and Regan Blanton (63rd in 26:56.81).

VGH Boys’ cross-country

The Villa Grove/Heritage season concluded at Saturday’s Tuscola Class 1A Regional.

The Blue Devils ended 12th in the 13-team field. VG/H totaled 329 points. Meet champion Monticello had 28 points.

The team was represented by five runners. Rowan Denmark-Collins led the way, finishing 53rd in 19 minutes, 21.77 seconds for the 3-mile course.

Daniel Olson placed 65th in 21:00.04, Caleb Wiessing was 70th in 21:21.48, Kylee Witte was 77th in 22:20.04 and Isaac Horen was 87th in 24:55.24.

Villa Grove Volleyball

The Blue Devils dropped their regular-season finale on Thursday, 25-16, 25-22 to Tri-County (20-8). Reagan Cheely handed out 10 assists for VG (11-13).

The team’s postseason opener will be tonight in the Kansas Class 1A Regional with a first-round match against Arcola (7-16).

The post VGH Football heads into third consecutive playoff, Price to represent VGH in cross country Sectionals first appeared on SJO Daily.

Heritage Volleyball

The Hawks concluded their home season on Thursday with a 25-12, 25-10 win against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond.

It was a memorable victory for the school.

The win was No. 25 for the year and broke the school record for most wins in a single season.

The previous mark of 24 was set by the 1994 team and tied by the 2011 squad.

The current squad is also a part of the most volleyball wins at Heritage over a two-year span (48). The previous standard was 45 held by the 2011 and 2012 teams.

Bri Struck swatted eight kills and Bree Buck added seven kills in Thursday’s historic triumph.

Olivia Sorensen put up 17 assists while Anna Sanders had nine digs.

Kiley Knoll chipped in with five digs and two aces.

Heritage is 7-3 in Lincoln Prairie Conference games. The team returns to action tonight in Champaign against Judah Christian (15-8) and will close out the regular season on Tuesday at Villa Grove.

Villa Grove/Heritage Football

Ierik Sorenson hauled in three touchdown passes from Blake Smith – including one with two seconds left in the first half – as the Blue Devils shutout Decatur Lutheran 40-0 on Friday.

In all, Sorenson caught six passes for 103 yards. Smith hit 12 of 17 passes for 205 yards and four TDs.  He also teamed up with Carson Howard for a 14-yard TD.

The scoring tosses to Sorenson were for 9 yards, 38 yards and 8 yards.

Ezra Ely, who kicked two extra-points and ran in one two-point conversion, scored the other first-half VG/H touchdown on a 45-yard second-quarter run. Kehm Shirley ended the game’s scoring with a 3-yard run at the 6:02 mark of the third period.

Ely rushed for a team-high 66 yards. Shirley gained 57, Elijah Kiesel ran for 16 yards and Nick Coffin contributed 18 yards rushing.

Howard, Shirley and Issac Mahoe each had two pass receptions.

VG/Heritage (5-3) became playoff-eligible with the win. The Blue Devils return to action on Friday at Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond (also 5-3). The winner will guarantee themselves of a playoff appearance.

The post Hawks Volleyball breaks school record, Sorenson and Smith lead VGH over Decatur Lutheran first appeared on SJO Daily.

Heritage Volleyball

Heritage players pounded 37 kills Thursday night and avenged a loss to Okaw Valley with a 25-13, 21-25, 25-17 victory in the championship match of the first Lincoln Prairie Conference tournament at Kansas.

The Hawks (24-4) have won 11 matches in a row. During that time, they have beaten three teams they had lost to previously.

Bri Struck was one of the offensive weapons against Okaw Valley. She delivered 16 kills. Olivia Sorensen had six kills, Bree Buck and Kiley Knoll each notched five kills and Torie Rothermel contributed four kills.

Sorensen handed out 29 assists and Buck led all Hawks with three aces.

Anna Sanders had a team-high 11 digs. Struck ended with eight digs, Knoll had seven, Malani Smithenry had six and Sorensen chipped in with five.

Heritage returns to action on Tuesday at Broadlands against Decatur Lutheran.

Villa Grove/Heritage Football

The Blue Devils and Cumberland combined for one touchdown and 10 total points in the first 47 minutes of Friday night’s Lincoln Prairie Conference football game in Toledo.

And then, thanks to two touchdowns – and two lead changes – in the final 44 seconds, Villa Grove/Heritage rallied for a 14-10 triumph that put the team to within one win of playoff eligibility entering the season’s final two weeks.

VG/H (4-3) scored its first points with 3 minutes, 22 seconds to play when Ezra Ely raced three yards to the end zone. He also converted the extra-point kick, putting the Blue Devils in front, 7-3.

Cumberland regrouped, and scored a go-ahead TD with 44 seconds to play, taking command 10-7.

Four offensive plays later, VG/H faced a fourth-and-50 from its own 34 when Liam Barr – who was 0-for-3 on his passes – connected with Keagan Patterson on a 66-yard TD strike. Patterson caught two passes in the game, but the first one was thrown by Cumberland.

The points were put on the board with seven seconds remaining. Ely’s kick created the final 14-10 margin.

Thanks to the late offensive blitz, the Blue Devils held a 193-143 edge in total yards.

Blake Smith rushed for a team-high 68 yards and passed for 31 yards on four completions. He also intercepted two passes.

Carson Howard had three pass receptions for 32 yards.

VG/H returns to action on Friday at home for its Senior Night contest against Decatur Lutheran (1-6).

The post Heritage Volleyball wins Lincoln Prairie Conference tournament, VGH Football playoff eligible first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Hawks reached the 20-win mark for the second year in a row, overpowering Argenta-Oreana 25-21, 25-11 on Thursday in Argenta.

Heritage is 20-4 overall and 6-2 in Lincoln Prairie Conference action.

Bri Struck collected seven kills and four digs.

Olivia Sorensen contributed 13 assists, nine digs and two kills.

Anna Sanders had five digs, Kiley Knoll had four digs, Bree Buck had three kills and Malani Smithenry had two aces for the Hawks.

Heritage returns to action in the Lincoln Prairie Conference Tournament, which starts tonight in Kansas.

Villa Grove Volleyball

Jordyn Ray delivered three aces and two kills on Thursday as the Blue Devils (9-8) topped Decatur Lutheran 25-19, 25-21.

Villa Grove/Heritage Football

Blake Smith rushed for two touchdowns and passed for more two scores on Friday, but the Blue Devils had their two-game winning streak snapped by visiting Argenta-Oreana, 48-34.

Ierik Sorensen hauled in five passes, totaling 90 yards, and scored three TDs. Two were on passes from Smith and the other was on a completion by Liam Barr.

Smith connected on 7 of 9 passes for 108 yards. He also rushed for a team-high 67 yards on 18 carries.

Barr complete 1 of 3 passes for 29 yards.

Ezra Ely had 52 rushing yards and 33 yards on two pass receptions. He also kicked two extra points, including one to create a 27-27 tie with 9 minutes, 29 seconds left in the third quarter.

VG/H (3-3) returns to action on Friday at Toledo Cumberland (4-2). The Blue Devils need wins in two of their last three games to become playoff-eligible.

The post Heritage Volleyball reaches 20-win mark, VGH Football falls to Argenta-Oreana first appeared on SJO Daily.

Heritage Volleyball

Bri Struck reached double figures in kills and Anna Sanders had double figures in digs, but the Hawks were decisioned at home on Thursday by Cumberland 25-17, 25-22.

Struck had a team-high 10 kills. Sanders led the way with 10 digs, three more than Struck.

Olivia Sorensen handed out 21 assists. Bree Buck added four kills and Kiley Knoll contributed three kills.

The Hawks rebounded from the loss to Cumberland by sweeping four opponents to capture the championship in Saturday’s Arcola Invitational.

Heritage had multiple contributors for the day.

Sorensen delivered 78 assists and added 18 digs, six kills and four aces.

Struck pounded 38 kills and chipped in with 15 digs and five aces.

Buck was the leader in blocks (seven) and also registered 15 kills and five aces.

Malanie Smithenry had 15 kills and nine digs. Anna Sanders had 14 digs.

Knoll finished with 14 kills and 21 digs. Torie Rothermel had three blocks and two aces.

For the day, Heritage topped Arcola 25-23, 25-22, Sullivan 25-12, 25-6, Marshall 25-16, 25-21 and, in the championship match, Central A&M 25-22, 25-20.

Heritage (17-4) returns to action tonight at home against Tuscola.

In Lincoln Prairie Conference matches, the Hawks are 4-2.

Villa Grove Volleyball

The Blue Devils (7-8) on Thursday dropped their second consecutive match, losing to Blue Ridge, 25-17, 25-22.

Villa Grove/Heritage Football

Blake Smith completed 4 of 5 passes – three going for touchdowns – and also ran for a TD on Friday as the Blue Devils won their homecoming game, 55-7 over Cerro Gordo/Bement.

Smith passed for 148 yards. He hooked up with Ierik Sorensen on a 66-yard score less than 2 ½ minutes into the game.

Before the first period had ended, Smith passed 19 yards to Ezra Ely for a TD.

VG/H added four second-quarter TDs and led 41-0 at the break. The entire second half was played with a running clock. Carson Howard caught a 33-yard scoring strike from Smith.

Luke Zimmerman rushed for two second-half scores. Ely also had a TD run in addition to booting three extra points. Smith and Logan Nohren scored two-point conversions.

Nine Blue Devils carried the ball. The rushing leaders were Elijah Kiesel (66 yards), Ely (49 yards) and Kehm Shirley (40 yards).

VG/H (3-2) has a two-game winning streak and has collected 109 points in the last two weeks.

“Blake Smith has stepped into the quarterback role quite nicely,” VG/H coach Heath Wilson said. “He was all-conference defensive back last year, and this year we asked him to play quarterback.

“He is probably our fastest athlete we have. Dual threat for sure. He can throw and can run.”

The Blue Devils have an assortment of options in their running game.

“We have Ezra Ely, Kehm Shirley, Nick Coffin and Chase Burwell,” Wilson said. “Nice to have many guys that can step in that role. Up front, we have senior heavy offensive lineman. Ierik Sorensen and Carson Howard are big targets for us at wide receiver.”

The lone Cerro Gordo/Bement score on Friday came on an 82-yard kickoff return.

“Defensively Zayzon Price and Logan Nohren run the linebackers, and our defense lineman are a load to deal with: Carson Howard, Clayton Knierim, Tanner Clodfelter and Christian Ziemisky. 

This team is building confidence and should be fun the next five weeks and hopefully many weeks after.”

VG/H returns to action on Friday at home against Argenta-Oreana (4-1) in a Lincoln Prairie Conference game. The Blue Devils are 2-1 in league counters.

The post Heritage Volleyball wins Arcola Invitational, VGH football captures homecoming win first appeared on SJO Daily.

Heritage Volleyball

Bri Struck and Bree Buck were the catalysts on Thursday as Heritage dispatched visiting Cerro Gordo 25-16, 27-25 in a Lincoln Prairie Conference match.

Struck piled up seven kills, six digs and five aces. Buck’s stat line included six kills, four digs and three blocks.

Olivia Sorensen handed out 14 assists. Anna Sanders contributed seven digs and Malani Smithenry finished with four digs.

Heritage (11-3 overall, 3-1 conference) plays at Chrisman tonight.

Villa Grove Volleyball

Madison Burwell delivered six kills and teammate Kyleigh Block had three kills and three aces on Thursday as the Blue Devils (7-6) topped visiting Sangamon Valley 25-14, 26-24.

VGH Football

Blake Smith accounted for five touchdowns on Friday – three on passes and two on quarterback runs – as Villa Grove/Heritage reached the .500 mark with a 54-14 win over Sangamon Valley in Niantic.

VG/H (2-2) led 27-6 after the first quarter and 40-6 at halftime.

Shirley opened the scoring with a 1-yard TD scamper.

He completed 4 of 4 passes for 73 yards and hooked up with Carson Howard twice for TDs, covering 24 and 32 yards. Lerik Sorenson also had a 15-yard TD reception.

Kehm Shirley, who rushed for a team-high 106 yards, scored one TD.  As a team, VG/H rolled up 310 yards o the ground.

Ezra Ely scored one TD and converted six extra-point placements. The Blue Devils’ other TD was by Luke Zimmerman on a 31-yard run.

Villa Grove/Heritage returns to action at home on Friday against Cerro Gordo/Bement (2-2)

VGH Golf

Zach Buesing shot a 39 on Thursday at Tri-City Country Club to lead the Blue Devils in a three-school meet. VG/H did not have enough players to post a team score.

VGH Boys’ cross-country

The Blue Devils placed 19th in Saturday’s 42nd Tuscola Invitational at Wimple Park.

The team-leader, with a 3-mile time of 18:52.88, was freshman Rowan Denmark-Collins.

All five of the VG/H participants are freshmen or sophomores.

Teammates following Denmark-Collins were sophomore Kylee Witte (129th in 22:04.37), sophomore Kaleb Miller (144th in 23:45.5), freshman Fletcher Hannah (158th in 26:17.88) and sophomore Konner Pearman (160th in 26:28.04).

Meet champion Urbana Uni High had a team s core of 26. VG/H’s point total was 497.

The team returns to action on Tuesday against Urbana Uni High at the UI Arboretum.

VGH Girls’ cross-country

Kyleigh Price was the Villa Grove/Heritage leader in Saturday’s 42nd-annual Tuscola Invitational at Wimple Park.

Her 3-mile time was 24 minutes, 31.95 seconds.

Other top teammates were Emma Buesing (80th in 24:41.01), Madison Logan (106th in 27:21.80) and Kate Eisenmenger (114th in 29:07.47).

Price, Buesing and Logan are all freshmen. Eisenmenger is a junior.

The Blue Devils did not have enough runners to be scored as a team. The meet champion was Unity with 32 points.

VG/H returns to action on Tuesday at the UI Arboretum against Urbana Uni High.

The post Buck and Struck lead Hawks past Cerro Gordo, Burwell and Block lead Blue devils past Sangamon Valley first appeared on SJO Daily.

Heritage Volleyball

The Hawks won their 10th match in their last 11 outings on Thursday, sweeping DeLand-Weldon on the Eagles’ court, 25-18, 25-23.

Olivia Sorensen had 24 assists and two aces.

Bri Struck pounded 14 kills and added seven digs. Anna Sanders had seven digs. Teammate Malani Smithhenry had matching totals for kills and digs with six apiece.

Heritage (10-2) returns to action on Tuesday at home against Okaw Valley.

Villa Grove/Heritage Football

Blake Smith’s touchdown pass to Lerik Sorenson in the final minute of the first half on Friday accounted for the only points for Villa Grove/Heritage in a 41-6 loss to state-ranked Arcola in Villa Grove.

Smith completed 8 of 17 passes for 90 yards. Kehm Shirley had three receptions. Sorenson caught two passes as did Carson Howard.  Shirley rushed for a team-high 65 yards on 11 carries.

Sorenson had 90 yards on kickoff returns.

Arcola is ranked eight in Class 1A.

VG/H (1-2) returns to action on Friday at Sangamon Valley.

Heritage Golf

Zach Buesing finished in fourth place, two strokes behind the medalist in Saturday’s Blue Ridge Invitational at Woodlawn Country Club.

Buesing fired an 80 for VG/Heritage, which didn’t have enough competitors to be scored as a team.

Villa Grove Volleyball

The Blue Devils (6-4) completed a comeback on Thursday and handed Okaw Valley a 16-25, 25-14, 25-21 loss.

Jordyn Ray led the way with three kills and three aces for VG, which is unbeaten in Lincoln Prairie Conference matches.

The win snapped a three-match losing streak.

The post Heritage Volleyball continues to win, Villa Grove Volleyball defeats Oakhaw, Buesing medals at Blue Ridge first appeared on SJO Daily.