11/21/11
11/20/11
Blue Ridge Girls Basketball Loses to Milford, Shiloh in Comet Classic
Updated November 21 at 11:21 a.m.
FITHIAN, Ill. -- Jacquelyn O'Neal and Jamison Brandt scored double-digit points in a losing effort, as the Lady Knights lost to the Lady Bearcats 47-40.
Each team made 18 field goals, but Milford made 11-of-22 free-throw attempts compared to Blue Ridge's 4-of-6. The Lady Knights outscored the Lady Bearcats 21-17 in the second and third quarters combined.
Milford, however, took an 16-8 first-quarter lead and outscored Blue Ridge 14-11 in the fourth quarter.
O'Neal and Brandt scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, to lead the Lady Knights. Melinda Wilson had five points, Bailey Clancy recorded four points and Jeana Cheek and Liz Cordes each finished with two points.
Blue Ridge also lost to Shiloh 59-34. Wilson was the leading scorer with nine points while O'Neal grabbed eight rebounds.
The Lady Knights (1-3) will continue playing in the Comet Classic on Wednesday, when it faces Georgetown-Ridge Farm at 5 p.m.
11/19/11
Blue Ridge Girls Basketball Picks Up Victory in Comet Classic
Updated November 21 at 11:19 a.m.
FITHIAN, Ill. -- The Lady Knights outscored Westville 17-2 in the first quarter en route to a 42-23 victory.
After getting outscored 10-5 in the second quarter, Blue Ridge gained 12-6 and 8-5 advantages in the third and fourth quarter, respectively.
Jamison Brandt led the Lady Knights with 15 points. Jacquelyn O'Neal contributed 12 points while Melinda Wilson scored 11.
O'Neal also grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three shots. Blue Ridge had a total of 30 steals as a team.
Jeana Cheek and Bailey Clancy each finished with two points.
With the win, Blue Ridge improves to 1-1. The Lady Knights will continue playing in the Comet Classic with a doubleheader today.
They will face Shiloh at 4:30 p.m. and play against Milford at 7:30 p.m.
11/18/11
Blue Ridge Boys Basketball Scrimmage: Blue 40, White 35
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- Three days before their season opener, the Knights held a Blue and White scrimmage for one last tune-up.
In a game that Blue Ridge coach Kyle Watson said was "a bit shaky at times," Tucker Johnson (pictured below in black jersey) led the Blue team with 15 points en route to a 40-35 victory over the White team.
"You want to have a game like tonight, so you can get the kinks worked out a little bit," Watson said. "We did some good things tonight; we also had some things we need to work on. We'll have practice tomorrow. We'll come get those things corrected, and hopefully be ready to go by Monday night."
Johnson, a 6-foot-4 senior forward who is the Knights' only returning varsity player from last year, scored the first of his 15 points via 3-pointer. He also hit a shot from the perimeter in the first half to give the Blue team a 21-10 lead.
"He's going to be a guy, hopefully this year, [who will] have some mismatches," Watson said. "When he came up as a sophomore, he was more of an outside player. [Johnson] had a great run in the postseason [last year] during the three-point contest. He really showed that he can hit that shot, and he's worked hard on that shot this summer, so he's doing a great job."
Johnson also showed his ability to score in the paint, giving the Blue team a 15-10 lead by driving to the lane for a left-handed layup and a 17-10 lead with a hook shot.
"Last year, he played inside and had a real nice year for us," Watson said. "If there's a situation where he has some smalls on him, then maybe he can go down and post the small up," Watson said. "If he has some bigs on him, he can take that big out and get a nice shot on it."
For the White team, center Travys Nichols (pictured above) scored 14 points to lead his team. Jon Jones added nine points.
Blue Ridge will open its season on Monday, playing in its first game of the Gibson-City-Melvin-Sibley Thanksgiving Tournament against Tri-Point at 5 p.m.
"I'd much rather see [the mistakes] in a game like this than in a game Monday night," Watson said.
Meanwhile, the Blue team also won the junior varsity scrimmage, beating the White team 41-18.
In a game that Blue Ridge coach Kyle Watson said was "a bit shaky at times," Tucker Johnson (pictured below in black jersey) led the Blue team with 15 points en route to a 40-35 victory over the White team.
Johnson, a 6-foot-4 senior forward who is the Knights' only returning varsity player from last year, scored the first of his 15 points via 3-pointer. He also hit a shot from the perimeter in the first half to give the Blue team a 21-10 lead.
"He's going to be a guy, hopefully this year, [who will] have some mismatches," Watson said. "When he came up as a sophomore, he was more of an outside player. [Johnson] had a great run in the postseason [last year] during the three-point contest. He really showed that he can hit that shot, and he's worked hard on that shot this summer, so he's doing a great job."
Johnson also showed his ability to score in the paint, giving the Blue team a 15-10 lead by driving to the lane for a left-handed layup and a 17-10 lead with a hook shot.
"Last year, he played inside and had a real nice year for us," Watson said. "If there's a situation where he has some smalls on him, then maybe he can go down and post the small up," Watson said. "If he has some bigs on him, he can take that big out and get a nice shot on it."
For the White team, center Travys Nichols (pictured above) scored 14 points to lead his team. Jon Jones added nine points.
Blue Ridge will open its season on Monday, playing in its first game of the Gibson-City-Melvin-Sibley Thanksgiving Tournament against Tri-Point at 5 p.m.
"I'd much rather see [the mistakes] in a game like this than in a game Monday night," Watson said.
Meanwhile, the Blue team also won the junior varsity scrimmage, beating the White team 41-18.
BLUE RIDGE BOYS BASKETBALL ROSTER
No. Name Height Weight Position Year
2 Trenor Hildreth 5'9" 180 Forward 12
4 Michael Plunk 6'2" 155 Guard 10
10 Mark Plunk 6'1" 155 Forward 11
12 Will Duggins 6'0" 160 Guard 10
14 Dylan Grammer 5'10" 145 Guard 9
20 Jon Jones 6'1" 160 Guard 11
22 Johnney Bruden 5'8" 175 Guard 11
30 C.J. Bishop 5'10" 140 Guard 11
32 Daniel Gilbert 6'3" 165 Forward 11
34 Clint O' Neal 6'3" 190 Forward 10
40 Travys Nichols 6'4" 175 Center 11
44 Tucker Johnson 6'4" 170 Forward 12
16 Matt White
11/17/11
Tim Tebow Leads Broncos to Game-Winning Drive over Jets on Thursday Night Football
As I stated in my previous post, Michael Irvin theorized (perhaps jokingly) that the angels from Angels in the Outfield have been helping the Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos.
Well, the angels showed up (perhaps) as Tebow and the Broncos offense took over on their own 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter. And Denver, whether it was helped by angels or whether it performed its own magic, scored a touchdown and beat the New York Jets 17-13.
Prior to the late drive, Tebow produced a total of only 80 yards on offense. On the game-winning drive, the Broncos drove 95 yards on 12 plays, a drive that would have made even John Elway proud.
Many of those yards were gained on Tebow runs. And he finished off the drive by scrambling to the left from the blitzing Jets and running for a 20-yard touchdown with 58 seconds left in the game.
However, the angels (if they were real) were kind to New York as well, giving an offensive lineman the rare opportunity to score some points. Matt Slauson recovered a fumble for a touchdown to give the Jets a 10-3 lead with 10:57 left in the third quarter.
But when it came down to the moment of truth, the angels (again, if they were real) were on Tebow's side.
Well, the angels showed up (perhaps) as Tebow and the Broncos offense took over on their own 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter. And Denver, whether it was helped by angels or whether it performed its own magic, scored a touchdown and beat the New York Jets 17-13.
Prior to the late drive, Tebow produced a total of only 80 yards on offense. On the game-winning drive, the Broncos drove 95 yards on 12 plays, a drive that would have made even John Elway proud.
Many of those yards were gained on Tebow runs. And he finished off the drive by scrambling to the left from the blitzing Jets and running for a 20-yard touchdown with 58 seconds left in the game.
However, the angels (if they were real) were kind to New York as well, giving an offensive lineman the rare opportunity to score some points. Matt Slauson recovered a fumble for a touchdown to give the Jets a 10-3 lead with 10:57 left in the third quarter.
But when it came down to the moment of truth, the angels (again, if they were real) were on Tebow's side.
NFL Thursday Night Football -- Jets 3, Broncos 3 (Halftime)
Some fans of the Denver Broncos wear No. 15 jerseys that, surprisingly, do not have the name Tim Tebow's last name on the back.
Instead, they show the name Jesus on the back.
Regarding the Broncos' 3-1 record with Tebow as the starter, NFL Network's Michael Irvin gave his own theory of divine intervention during Thursday Night Kickoff. He theorized that the angels from the movie Angels in the Outfield are helping Denver.
That may explain some key plays in the first half of this game against the Jets. Matt Prater's 37-yard field goal was set up by good field position when New York punter T.J. Conley shanked a punt.
Perhaps an angel forced the punt out of bounds after it went a mere 13 yards.
Jets placekicker missed two field goals. Perhaps an angel kept those two kicks away from the goalposts.
And there was one Jets drive that was thwarted by a bad snap from Nick Mangold.
It will be interesting to see if any angels show up in the second half. Or if I'm just being crazy.
Instead, they show the name Jesus on the back.
Regarding the Broncos' 3-1 record with Tebow as the starter, NFL Network's Michael Irvin gave his own theory of divine intervention during Thursday Night Kickoff. He theorized that the angels from the movie Angels in the Outfield are helping Denver.
That may explain some key plays in the first half of this game against the Jets. Matt Prater's 37-yard field goal was set up by good field position when New York punter T.J. Conley shanked a punt.
Perhaps an angel forced the punt out of bounds after it went a mere 13 yards.
Jets placekicker missed two field goals. Perhaps an angel kept those two kicks away from the goalposts.
And there was one Jets drive that was thwarted by a bad snap from Nick Mangold.
It will be interesting to see if any angels show up in the second half. Or if I'm just being crazy.
11/16/11
Blue Ridge Girls Basketball Tips Off Season with 15-Point Loss to Maroa-Forsyth
MAROA, Ill. -- Jacquelyn O'Neal and Melinda Wilson each scored double-digit points.
It was not enough, however, as the Lady Trojans' Brenna Finck scored 19 points to lead her team to a 57-42 victory over the Lady Knights.
Blue Ridge ended the first quarter trailing 15-13. Maroa-Forsyth ended the half with a lead of 29-23.
Then the Lady Trojans pulled away with a 15-7 third quarter to build a 44-30 lead.
O'Neal led Blue Ridge with 16 points, 10 of which were scored in the first quarter. She also led her team in rebounds with five.
Wilson picked up 12 points, including the Lady Knights' only 3-pointer of the game, and recorded four rebounds and two steals. Blue Ridge finished the game shooting 1-for-6 from beyond the arc as a team.
The Lady Knights also shot 15-for-35 (42.9%) from the field and 11-for-26 (42.3%) from the free-throw line.
The Lady Trojans' bench outscored Blue Ridge's bench 35-10.
With the loss, Blue Ridge starts its season with an 0-1 record. The Lady Knights will begin playing in the Comet Classic at Oakwood High School on Friday, when they will face Westville at 6:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Maroa-Forsyth improves to 1-1.
It was not enough, however, as the Lady Trojans' Brenna Finck scored 19 points to lead her team to a 57-42 victory over the Lady Knights.
Blue Ridge ended the first quarter trailing 15-13. Maroa-Forsyth ended the half with a lead of 29-23.
Then the Lady Trojans pulled away with a 15-7 third quarter to build a 44-30 lead.
O'Neal led Blue Ridge with 16 points, 10 of which were scored in the first quarter. She also led her team in rebounds with five.
Wilson picked up 12 points, including the Lady Knights' only 3-pointer of the game, and recorded four rebounds and two steals. Blue Ridge finished the game shooting 1-for-6 from beyond the arc as a team.
The Lady Knights also shot 15-for-35 (42.9%) from the field and 11-for-26 (42.3%) from the free-throw line.
The Lady Trojans' bench outscored Blue Ridge's bench 35-10.
With the loss, Blue Ridge starts its season with an 0-1 record. The Lady Knights will begin playing in the Comet Classic at Oakwood High School on Friday, when they will face Westville at 6:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Maroa-Forsyth improves to 1-1.
Maroa-Forsyth 57, Blue Ridge 42
Blue Ridge (42)
Jeana Cheek 0 0-1 0, Jacquelyn O'Neal 8 0-2 16, Melinda Wilson 5 1-2 12, Liz Cordes 0 1-2 1, Bailey Clancy 0 6-11 6, Gabby Pearl 1 2-2 4, Jamison Brandt 1 1-6 3, Breanna Watterson 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 11-26 42.
Maroa-Forsyth (57)
Shae Doolin 0 0-0 0, Devin Greenwell 0 0-0 0, Tarynn Tirpak 3 0-1 6, Gabby Werren 0 0-0 0, Alex Berry 0 0-0 0, Kennedy Flesner 5 0-0 12, Aaliyah Currie 4 1-2 9, Brenna Finck 8 0-0 19, Kaitlin Snyder 1 1-2 3, Breanna Livingood 2 0-0 4, Rachel Hastings 0 0-0 0, Taylor Butler 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 2-5 57.
Blue Ridge 13 10 7 12 -- 42
Maroa-Forsyth 15 14 15 13 -- 57
3-pointers -- Blue Ridge (Wilson), Maroa-Forsyth 5 (Finck 3, Flesner 2). Rebounds -- Blue Ridge 18, Maroa-Forsyth 9. Turnovers -- Blue Ridge 10, Maroa-Forsyth 14. Total Fouls -- Blue Ridge 11, Maroa-Forsyth 21. Points in the Paint -- Blue Ridge 16, Maroa-Forsyth 16.
Kyle Watson, Blue Ridge Boys Basketball Hopes to Build on Successful 2010-11 Season
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- Only a year removed from a 4-22 campaign in 2009-10, the Knights finished last season with a 19-14 record and three points away from a sectional title.
Deer Creek-Mackinaw ended the Cinderella story with a 64-61 victory in the championship game of the Glasford Illini Bluffs Sectional.
Going into this season, Blue Ridge coach Kyle Watson says he hopes to build on last season's success and turn the dream season into a consistent reality for his program.
"Obviously, we want to make it to where 19-14 and the sectional finals is not just once in 10 years," Watson said. "We'd like to make it more often, and hopefully make it an every-year type of deal down the road. That's obviously a key part having the success we had last year and then try build on that success. I'm still hungry, and I hope they're still hungry, to make another nice run again this year as well."
Although he has yet to show the film from the sectional final to his team, Watson said he hopes his players have the game in memory.
"I want them to remember the success we had and remember how close we were," Watson said. "And hopefully that becomes something that happens more often."
For last season's success to be repeated this year will be a challenge, as the Knights are returning only three varsity players from the previous year.
Gone are Jack Plunk, a unanimous choice for the Heart of Illinois Conference first team, and HOIC second-team member Tanner Trent.
Watson said 6-foot-3 forward Tucker Johnson will take over the leadership role in their place.
"He showed this summer, when we go to summer tournaments, when the kids come and play in the gym and come into the weight room to lift, he showed a leadership role there, making sure everybody is doing what they're supposed to be doing," Watson said. "He's been a vocal leader so far in practice. This is his third year being with me, so he knows what I expect now, and he can portray that onto the kids.
"A lot of the kids [are in] their third year with me, so they're more familiar with the program. They're more familiar with the things that I run, and we're having some good success in practice so far with it."
Guards Austin Maxwell and Conner Builta are the two other seniors returning for Blue Ridge. After that, the Knights will bring up talent from a junior varsity team that, according to Watson, finished 16-6 last year.
"Our JV team had a very strong year last year. They had a lot of success, so some of the JV players are going to be counted on to step up into varsity roles," Watson said. "Some of the sophomores are now juniors. Travys Nichols and Jon Jones are going to come in and play big roles for us.
"Michael Plunk was a freshman starting last year on JV, and is going to have to come in and play a strong role for us. Mark Plunk is a junior coming in off the JV team. C.J. Bishop [are juniors] coming in off the JV team to help us out. And then some people that were freshmen on the JV team last year -- Clint O'Neal and Will Duggins -- are going to have to come in and help us out as well.
"Some of the sophomores have been practicing with both JV and varsity right now. Obviously, some of the sophomores [from last year] have to step up into some starting roles this year for us."
Despite the new blood on the 2011-12 varsity team, Watson said he is not worried about the question marks heading into the new season.
"We had some questions coming into last year, and we have some questions coming into this year," Watson said. "The questions got answered last year, so hopefully we can answer those questions again this year."
If Johnson proves to be a reliable leader and the former JV players are able to produce at the varsity level, Watson may be able to turn the Blue Ridge program into a traditional power. Not unlike Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, of which Watson is a former colleague.
"I'd like it to almost come in to where I came from -- Boylan [Catholic] -- where [sectionals] was the expectation," Watson said. "That's what the expectation was year-in and year-out, and not just the farthest in school history, and that's what I try to portray on the kids. Hopefully that's what they'll portray on the floor this year."
The Knights will start the 2011-12 season at the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Thanksgiving Tournament next week. They will begin playing in the tournament against Tri-Point on Monday at 5 p.m.
Blue Ridge will tune up for the tournament with a Blue and White Scrimmage, which will be held on Friday at 6 p.m.
Deer Creek-Mackinaw ended the Cinderella story with a 64-61 victory in the championship game of the Glasford Illini Bluffs Sectional.
Going into this season, Blue Ridge coach Kyle Watson says he hopes to build on last season's success and turn the dream season into a consistent reality for his program.
"Obviously, we want to make it to where 19-14 and the sectional finals is not just once in 10 years," Watson said. "We'd like to make it more often, and hopefully make it an every-year type of deal down the road. That's obviously a key part having the success we had last year and then try build on that success. I'm still hungry, and I hope they're still hungry, to make another nice run again this year as well."
Although he has yet to show the film from the sectional final to his team, Watson said he hopes his players have the game in memory.
"I want them to remember the success we had and remember how close we were," Watson said. "And hopefully that becomes something that happens more often."
For last season's success to be repeated this year will be a challenge, as the Knights are returning only three varsity players from the previous year.
Gone are Jack Plunk, a unanimous choice for the Heart of Illinois Conference first team, and HOIC second-team member Tanner Trent.
Watson said 6-foot-3 forward Tucker Johnson will take over the leadership role in their place.
"He showed this summer, when we go to summer tournaments, when the kids come and play in the gym and come into the weight room to lift, he showed a leadership role there, making sure everybody is doing what they're supposed to be doing," Watson said. "He's been a vocal leader so far in practice. This is his third year being with me, so he knows what I expect now, and he can portray that onto the kids.
"A lot of the kids [are in] their third year with me, so they're more familiar with the program. They're more familiar with the things that I run, and we're having some good success in practice so far with it."
Guards Austin Maxwell and Conner Builta are the two other seniors returning for Blue Ridge. After that, the Knights will bring up talent from a junior varsity team that, according to Watson, finished 16-6 last year.
"Our JV team had a very strong year last year. They had a lot of success, so some of the JV players are going to be counted on to step up into varsity roles," Watson said. "Some of the sophomores are now juniors. Travys Nichols and Jon Jones are going to come in and play big roles for us.
"Michael Plunk was a freshman starting last year on JV, and is going to have to come in and play a strong role for us. Mark Plunk is a junior coming in off the JV team. C.J. Bishop [are juniors] coming in off the JV team to help us out. And then some people that were freshmen on the JV team last year -- Clint O'Neal and Will Duggins -- are going to have to come in and help us out as well.
"Some of the sophomores have been practicing with both JV and varsity right now. Obviously, some of the sophomores [from last year] have to step up into some starting roles this year for us."
Despite the new blood on the 2011-12 varsity team, Watson said he is not worried about the question marks heading into the new season.
"We had some questions coming into last year, and we have some questions coming into this year," Watson said. "The questions got answered last year, so hopefully we can answer those questions again this year."
If Johnson proves to be a reliable leader and the former JV players are able to produce at the varsity level, Watson may be able to turn the Blue Ridge program into a traditional power. Not unlike Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, of which Watson is a former colleague.
"I'd like it to almost come in to where I came from -- Boylan [Catholic] -- where [sectionals] was the expectation," Watson said. "That's what the expectation was year-in and year-out, and not just the farthest in school history, and that's what I try to portray on the kids. Hopefully that's what they'll portray on the floor this year."
The Knights will start the 2011-12 season at the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Thanksgiving Tournament next week. They will begin playing in the tournament against Tri-Point on Monday at 5 p.m.
Blue Ridge will tune up for the tournament with a Blue and White Scrimmage, which will be held on Friday at 6 p.m.
11/15/11
Blue Ridge Girls Golf Team Honored by News-Gazette
The Lady Knights were named the No. 10 team in the News-Gazette area.
Amber Tsevelekos and Kelsey Baker were nominated Honorable Mentions for the best golfers in the area.
Amber Tsevelekos and Kelsey Baker were nominated Honorable Mentions for the best golfers in the area.
ESPN Tip-Off Marathon: Gonzaga's Kevin Pangos Makes School History
From John Stockton to Adam Morrison, Gonzaga is a school that is known for its famous backcourt alums.
Now, the Bulldogs have a freshman who could soon be the next big thing: Kevin Pangos.
In Gonzaga's 89-81 win over Washington State, Pangos scored 33 points and recorded six assists. More impressively, he tied a school record for most 3-pointers made in a single game.
Pangos was 9-for-13 from beyond the arc. He is now tied for the single-game record with Dan Dickau, who made nine 3-pointers on February 22, 2001, against Santa Clara.
Now, the Bulldogs have a freshman who could soon be the next big thing: Kevin Pangos.
In Gonzaga's 89-81 win over Washington State, Pangos scored 33 points and recorded six assists. More impressively, he tied a school record for most 3-pointers made in a single game.
Pangos was 9-for-13 from beyond the arc. He is now tied for the single-game record with Dan Dickau, who made nine 3-pointers on February 22, 2001, against Santa Clara.
11/14/11
Trenor Hildreth Among Blue Ridge Athletes Honored at Fall Sports Awards
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- At Monday's presentation of the fall sports awards, it was announced that Trenor Hildreth was named the No. 1 defensive player on the News-Gazette's All-Area football team.
He was also announced as a Heart of Illinois Conference Honorable Mention (along with Devin Voyles, Johnny Bruden and Jordan Schrock) and presented with a team award for defensive player of the year.
A few years ago, Hildreth seemed a long shot toward any of those achievements. Due to multiple concussions and bouts with head trauma, he was told by doctors that he would never be able to play football again.
However, thanks in part to the mentoring of assistant coach Shane Halcomb, Hildreth strengthened his condition enough to be able to return to the gridiron.
And in 2011, the senior linebacker led the Champaign-Urbana area with 142 tackles and 81 solo tackles. At the award ceremony, Halcomb (as seen in the photo above) presented Hildreth with a framed copy of the area stats that showed him as the leading tackler.
For all his achievements, Hildreth said he would like to thank his team and the doctors at the hospital who helped him recover.
"They were there every step of the way," Hildreth said.
For what head coach Marty Price said was "about two hours," J.J. Malone held the IHSA record for most goals scored in a career with 162.
That record now belongs to Crete-Monee's Carlos Posada, who ended the 2011 season with 177 career goals.
Regardless, J.J. Malone was nominated as a member of the Chicago Fire All-Academic team. He also received the team MVP award.
The Dedication Award was given to Conner Builta (not Nick, as Price accidentally called him). The Most Improved Player Award was awarded to Wes Thompson.
The Defensive Player of the Year award went to goalkeeper Josh Plunk, who led the Champaign-Urbana area with the least amount of goals allowed per match, allowing 21 goals in 25 matches. He also produced 16 shutouts.
He was also announced as a Heart of Illinois Conference Honorable Mention (along with Devin Voyles, Johnny Bruden and Jordan Schrock) and presented with a team award for defensive player of the year.
A few years ago, Hildreth seemed a long shot toward any of those achievements. Due to multiple concussions and bouts with head trauma, he was told by doctors that he would never be able to play football again.
However, thanks in part to the mentoring of assistant coach Shane Halcomb, Hildreth strengthened his condition enough to be able to return to the gridiron.
And in 2011, the senior linebacker led the Champaign-Urbana area with 142 tackles and 81 solo tackles. At the award ceremony, Halcomb (as seen in the photo above) presented Hildreth with a framed copy of the area stats that showed him as the leading tackler.
For all his achievements, Hildreth said he would like to thank his team and the doctors at the hospital who helped him recover.
"They were there every step of the way," Hildreth said.
Soccer
That record now belongs to Crete-Monee's Carlos Posada, who ended the 2011 season with 177 career goals.
Regardless, J.J. Malone was nominated as a member of the Chicago Fire All-Academic team. He also received the team MVP award.
The Dedication Award was given to Conner Builta (not Nick, as Price accidentally called him). The Most Improved Player Award was awarded to Wes Thompson.
The Defensive Player of the Year award went to goalkeeper Josh Plunk, who led the Champaign-Urbana area with the least amount of goals allowed per match, allowing 21 goals in 25 matches. He also produced 16 shutouts.
Volleyball
Kaitlyn Zelhart finished her career with the Lady Knights with a total of 1,105 kills.
She also had 67 blocks, 54 aces, 288 digs and 171 service points. So it was no surprise that Kaitlyn Zelhart received the team award for Most Valuable Player or that she was nominated as a member of the HOIC's First Team.
Her sister, Emily, finished the 2011 season with 411 assists. As a result, she was named as an Honorable Mention in the HOIC.
Jordan Wheeler received the Coach's Award as well as an HOIC Honorable Mention. The Players' Award went to Kasey Sedberry.
Golf
The boys team advanced past regionals for the first time since 2000, and Amber Tsevelekos qualified for sectionals as well for the girls team.
For these achievements, the boys team (Austin Maxwell, Mason Potts, C.J. Bishop, Dylan Weidner and Justin Jamison, among others) and Tsevelekos were recognized at the awards ceremony.
Blue Ridge Athletes of the Month -- October
According to the Blue Ridge High School student announcements, the following were selected as October's Athletes of the Month:
Football -- Trenor Hildreth
Soccer -- Conner Builta
Volleyball -- Kasey Sedberry
Golf -- Amber Tsevelekos and Will Duggins
Football -- Trenor Hildreth
Soccer -- Conner Builta
Volleyball -- Kasey Sedberry
Golf -- Amber Tsevelekos and Will Duggins
11/11/11
Blue Ridge Volleyball's Kaitlyn Zelhart Signs Letter of Intent to Join Jacksonville State
"It shows that there's no going back. It's exciting because it's more official."
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- Before signing her Letter of Intent for Jacksonville State, Kaitlyn Zelhart gave a speech thanking all of her fans for their support during her years with the Blue Ridge volleyball program.
In the middle of her speech, she needed a moment to pause as she broke down in tears. To anyone who has comforted Zelhart after her Lady Knights lost a match, it should have been a familiar sight.
Only this time, she cried tears of joy and appreciation.
"I really didn't want to cry," Zelhart said. "I knew that I would, though, because I'm very emotional. It was really tough to thank all of them like that. It was scary."
Prior to her speech, both of Zelhart's high school coaches (Deb Leisner and Evan Miles, pictured below) got a chance to speak. Leisner, who coached Zelhart in junior high and during her first two years of high school, recalled a story of frustration from when the seventh-grade volleyball team played in regionals.
The team was playing without Jordan Wheeler, who was out with an injury, and could not make much noise in the tournament. That did not sit well with Zelhart.
"I actually ended up crying on the court because I was so frustrated with everyone," Zelhart said. "I knew we were going to lose, and I didn't want to lose. It's just one of those stories."
Leisner went on to talk about how much she enjoyed watching Zelhart grow up through junior high and her first two high school years.
During her high school career with the Lady Knights, she became the first player in school history to record over 1,000 kills. The official game ball with which she got the 1,000th kill was signed by members of the Blue Ridge volleyball team and on the same table where she signed the Letter of Intent.
In Zelhart's senior year, she was named as a member of the Heart of Illinois Conference's first team and nominated an All-Area team member by the News-Gazette.
"It's definitely been an amazing experience, and I could never replace it," Zelhart said. "I thank all my fans and everything because I could never do it without them."
Next year, she will be a freshman for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, who underwent a coaching change since Zelhart's visit to the campus.
Rick Nold left the Gamecocks last spring to take a vacant head coaching position at Auburn. Joseph Goodson replaced him on July 7.
Despite the coaching change, Zelhart said she looks forward to taking her talents to the Jacksonville State campus, where she will study physical therapy. JSU is located in the state of Alabama, nine hours away from the Farmer City, Ill., area.
"When I went down and visited there, I really liked the campus and the coaches and everything," Zelhart said. "I knew I wanted to go there when I got there. It was nice. I think it's going to be really scary just because it's nine hours away, but I think I'll get used to it. I'll definitely have to come home because I'll miss everyone. That's definitely the scariest part."
Zelhart said she will not participate in any elite volleyball clubs prior to her freshman year at Jacksonville State due to concerns over a shoulder injury. She needed to have surgery performed on March 18 for a torn labrum.
"I'm hoping to strengthen it and get back and hopefully make an impact on the [JSU] program when I get there," Zelhart said.
-- Kaitlyn Zelhart
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- Before signing her Letter of Intent for Jacksonville State, Kaitlyn Zelhart gave a speech thanking all of her fans for their support during her years with the Blue Ridge volleyball program.
In the middle of her speech, she needed a moment to pause as she broke down in tears. To anyone who has comforted Zelhart after her Lady Knights lost a match, it should have been a familiar sight.
Only this time, she cried tears of joy and appreciation.
"I really didn't want to cry," Zelhart said. "I knew that I would, though, because I'm very emotional. It was really tough to thank all of them like that. It was scary."
Prior to her speech, both of Zelhart's high school coaches (Deb Leisner and Evan Miles, pictured below) got a chance to speak. Leisner, who coached Zelhart in junior high and during her first two years of high school, recalled a story of frustration from when the seventh-grade volleyball team played in regionals.
The team was playing without Jordan Wheeler, who was out with an injury, and could not make much noise in the tournament. That did not sit well with Zelhart.
"I actually ended up crying on the court because I was so frustrated with everyone," Zelhart said. "I knew we were going to lose, and I didn't want to lose. It's just one of those stories."
Leisner went on to talk about how much she enjoyed watching Zelhart grow up through junior high and her first two high school years.
During her high school career with the Lady Knights, she became the first player in school history to record over 1,000 kills. The official game ball with which she got the 1,000th kill was signed by members of the Blue Ridge volleyball team and on the same table where she signed the Letter of Intent.
In Zelhart's senior year, she was named as a member of the Heart of Illinois Conference's first team and nominated an All-Area team member by the News-Gazette.
"It's definitely been an amazing experience, and I could never replace it," Zelhart said. "I thank all my fans and everything because I could never do it without them."
Next year, she will be a freshman for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, who underwent a coaching change since Zelhart's visit to the campus.
Rick Nold left the Gamecocks last spring to take a vacant head coaching position at Auburn. Joseph Goodson replaced him on July 7.
Despite the coaching change, Zelhart said she looks forward to taking her talents to the Jacksonville State campus, where she will study physical therapy. JSU is located in the state of Alabama, nine hours away from the Farmer City, Ill., area.
"When I went down and visited there, I really liked the campus and the coaches and everything," Zelhart said. "I knew I wanted to go there when I got there. It was nice. I think it's going to be really scary just because it's nine hours away, but I think I'll get used to it. I'll definitely have to come home because I'll miss everyone. That's definitely the scariest part."
Zelhart said she will not participate in any elite volleyball clubs prior to her freshman year at Jacksonville State due to concerns over a shoulder injury. She needed to have surgery performed on March 18 for a torn labrum.
"I'm hoping to strengthen it and get back and hopefully make an impact on the [JSU] program when I get there," Zelhart said.
11/10/11
Blue Ridge Soccer's J.J. Malone Named Player of the Year
The News-Gazette awarded Malone with the honor of being named the All-Area Player of the Year.
Conner Builta was named to the newspaper's All-Area second team.
Josh Plunk received an Honorable Mention.
Conner Builta was named to the newspaper's All-Area second team.
Josh Plunk received an Honorable Mention.
11/9/11
Effective Immediately, Joe Paterno's Historical Tenure as Penn State's Football Coach Ends
Updated November 9 at 9:47 p.m.
"With the benefit of of hindsight, I wish I had done more," JoePa said.
I'm sure that statement was regarding the recent scandal. But as far as his coaching career is concerned, I cannot imagine how much more he could done.
Since taking over as the Nittany Lions' head coach in 1966, he won more games (409) than anyone in Division I college football history and won two national championships.
It is just a shame that it all had to end like this.
It is a shame that it all had to end because, despite all the time he spent building the program, he ultimately did not have total control of it at the end.
It all had to end because he was put into a difficult situation by something another member of his program did.
11/7/11
Blue Ridge Boys Golf Team in Area's Top 10; Austin Maxwell Receives Honorable Mention
The Knights finished the golf season ranked No. 9 in the area.
Meanwhile, Austin Maxwell was awarded an Honorable Mention for the area's best golfer.
Meanwhile, Austin Maxwell was awarded an Honorable Mention for the area's best golfer.
11/3/11
Blue Ridge Sports Roundup: November 3, 2011
Volleyball
Kaitlyn Zelhart was named as a Heart of Illinois Conference first team member and part of the News-Gazette's all-area team.
Jordan Wheeler and Emily Zelhart were named HOIC honorable mentions.
Boys Basketball
There will be a Blue and White Scrimmage on Friday, November 18, at 6 p.m.
Blue Ridge Boys, Girls Basketball Varsity Schedules
Boys Basketball
November 21 -- Blue Ridge at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Thanksgiving Tournament vs. Tri-Point, 5 p.m.
November 22 -- Blue Ridge at GCMS Thanksgiving Tournament vs. Prairie Central, 6:30 p.m.
November 25 -- Blue Ridge at GCMS Thanksgiving Tournament vs. Bismarck-Henning, 4:30 p.m.
November 26 -- Blue Ridge at GCMS Thanksgiving Tournament, TBA
November 29 -- Clinton at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
December 2 -- Blue Ridge at Tremont, 7 p.m.
December 6 -- Heyworth at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
December 9 -- Fisher at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
December 16 -- Blue Ridge at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 7:30 p.m.
December 27-29 -- Blue Ridge at Monticello Tourney with Dwight and other teams TBA
January 3 -- Blue Ridge at Fieldcrest, 7:30 p.m.
January 7 -- Blue Ridge at Maroa-Forsyth, 7:30 p.m.
January 10 -- Lexington at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
January 13 -- LeRoy at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
January 14, 16-18, 20-21 -- Blue Ridge at McLean County Tournament with LeRoy, Tri-Valley and other teams TBA
January 24 -- Flanagan at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
January 31 -- Blue Ridge at Deer Creek-Mackinaw, 7:30 p.m.
February 3 -- Tri-Valley at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
February 7 -- Blue Ridge at Paxton-Buckley-Loda, 7:30 p.m.
February 10 -- Blue Ridge at Ridgeview, 7:30 p.m.
February 14 -- St. Thomas More at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
February 16 -- Blue Ridge at El Paso-Gridley, 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
November 15 -- Blue Ridge at Maroa-Forsyth, 7:30 p.m.
November 18 -- Blue Ridge at Comet Classic in Oakwood vs. Westville, 6:30 p.m.
November 19 -- Blue Ridge at Comet Classic vs. Shiloh, 4:30 p.m.
November 19 -- Blue Ridge at Comet Classic vs. Milford, 7:30 p.m.
November 23 -- Blue Ridge at Comet Classic vs. Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 5 p.m.
November 25 -- Blue Ridge at Comet Classic, TBA
November 28 -- Blue Ridge at Ridgeview, 7:30 p.m.
December 1 -- Blue Ridge at Tremont, 7 p.m.
December 5 -- Heyworth at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
December 8 -- Fisher at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
December 10 -- Blue Ridge at Clinton, 12:30 p.m.
December 12 -- DeLand-Weldon at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
December 15 -- Blue Ridge at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 7:30 p.m.
December 22-23, 27-28 -- Blue Ridge at Okaw Valley Holiday Tournament in Bethany with Argenta-Oreana and other teams TBA
January 2 -- Blue Ridge at Fieldcrest, 7:30 p.m.
January 9 -- Lexington at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
January 12 -- LeRoy at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
January 14, 16-21 -- Blue Ridge at McLean County Tournament vs. Lexington, LeRoy and other teams TBA
January 23 -- Blue Ridge at El Paso-Gridley, 7:30 p.m.
January 24 -- Blue Ridge at Paxton-Buckley-Loda, 7:30 p.m.
January 26 -- Flanagan at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
January 30 -- Blue Ridge at Deer Creek-Mackinaw, 7:30 p.m.
February 2 -- Tri-Valley at Blue Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
10/27/11
Blue Ridge Falls Short in Regional Championship Match, Losing to Mount Pulaski 18-25, 26-24, 25-17
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- After the Lady Knights' season concluded at the Farmer City Blue Ridge Regional championship match, some of their fans stayed in the gymnasium.
As Kasey Sedberry and Courtney Cox were the first Blue Ridge players to come out of the locker room, the fans applauded a team that finished the season with a 23-8 record.
"I’m proud of my team, especially with the blend of youth this season," Blue Ridge coach Evan Miles said. "Good veteran leadership. [To go] 23-8 [with] three seniors, two freshman starters and a lot of sophomores, that’s very good. It’s encouraging."
Within the second game, it looked like the season would extend to the Mount Pulaski Sectional, as the Lady Knights won the first game and led the second one 16-10. However, the Lady Toppers overcame the deficit to earn a trip to sectionals.
"That’s just how it works sometimes," Miles said. "I thought we played well, especially in the first and second set. We had our opportunities to close out those two [other] sets. I think we should have; there were just a couple of hitting errors and service errors down the stretch. We just let them slowly back into it, creep back into it."
Kaitlyn Zelhart (pictured above with parents) led off the first game with two spikes that put Blue Ridge up 2-0. The second of those spikes was set up by a diving assist from Jessica Schrock by the net.
After Mount Pulaski tied the game at 6-6, the Lady Knights went on a 9-2 run to go up 15-8. Two hitting errors, the last of which was committed by Allison Hickey, started the run and gave Blue Ridge an 8-6 lead.
Chandler Morrow (pictured below in blue) gave the Lady Knights a 13-8 lead with a serve. Morrow finished the match with 11 points and one ace.
After Rachel Durchholz gave Mount Pulaski a side-out point to make the score 21-18, Gabby Pearl responded with a left-handed spike on the right side to give Blue Ridge a 22-18 lead. Pearl (pictured below) led her team with 3.5 blocks.
Kaitlyn Zelhart got the next point for the Lady Knights with a spike of her own that deflected off a Lady Topper. From there, Blue Ridge scored the final two points of the first game via hitting errors by Hickey and Durchholz, respectively.
"The first set, [there was] great energy," Miles said. "We were catching them off balance."
In the second game, the Lady Knights fell behind 3-0. Hickey got Mount Pulaski's first point with a spike and the next two via serves.
However, Blue Ridge responded with a 6-1 run. After an Amber Blazek serving error, Kaitlyn Zelhart tied the game at 4-4 with two spikes, the second of which Breanna Howe returned with a hit that landed out of bounds.
Schrock (pictured below) and Pearl were at the net for the block on the next play, giving the Lady Knights a 5-4 lead.
The Lady Toppers tied the game at 10-10 with a hit by Jessica Awe. Blue Ridge scored six unanswered points from there, starting with a hit by Awe that went out of bounds.
Morrow gave the Lady Knights a two-point lead via serve and Blazek (pictured below) got the next point with a diagonal spike that barely landed in bounds on the right side.
After the 6-0 run, Kaitlyn Zelhart started the Mount Pulaski rally with a hit that landed out of bounds on the right side. The Lady Toppers went on to score seven of the next eight points.
Hickey tied the second game at 17-17 with a block. On the ensuing play, Schrock hit the ball out of bounds on the left side to give Mount Pulaski the lead.
The Lady Toppers' next lead was 24-23, the 24th point scored on a Whitney Nichols serve. After Nichols gave Blue Ridge its 24th point with a serving error, Durchholz scored the go-ahead point for Mount Pulaski with a tap shot that deflected off Blazek.
Awe finished the second game with a serve.
"I wouldn’t say we lost our composure, but we started doing little things that kind of manifest themselves," Miles said. "Then we started thinking about it, rather than playing in the game. You have it creeping in your mind. [Mount Pulaski's] a very good team. Talent-wise, they’re pretty good. They never wavered. They didn’t panic or freak out or anything, so you have to credit them for that."
In the third game, the Lady Toppers took a 5-0 lead. Hickey gave Mount Pulaski its second point via serve and Durchholz its fourth point via block.
The fifth point was scored by Howe, whose hit beat a diving Jordan Wheeler.
"Once it went to set three, I was, not real nervous, but it’s never good when you should close it in two," Miles said.
However, Blue Ridge brought the score to within one point, as Wheeler (pictured above) delivered a serve that resulted in a Durchholz hitting error and cut the Lady Knights' deficit to 10-9.
A service ace by Blazek cut the Lady Toppers' lead to 15-14 before Mount Pulaski called a timeout.
However, the Lady Toppers went on a 10-3 run after the timeout, including a 7-1 run to end the game and the match. The 25th point was scored when Blazek hit a diagonal shot that barely sailed out of bounds on the right side.
"When we almost caught them in the third set and they called a timeout, I thought we were getting our momentum," Miles said. "We could see a couple of their girls with their heads down. We just couldn’t tie it and overtake them afterwards, and that was the frustrating part."
Kaitlyn Zelhart finished the match with 15 kills, one ace and six service points. Emily Zelhart (pictured below) had 22 assists and Wheeler was credited with 15 digs.
With Wheeler, Kaitlyn Zelhart and Sedberry the only seniors leaving for college after the 2011-12 school year, Miles said next year's team could have some potential.
"It’s going to suck losing those three seniors by any means, especially their leadership," Miles said. "They’re good girls and are very skilled. It’ll be interesting to see who takes that leadership role. It might be a combination of players next year. A lot of those younger players have varsity experience, which will go into next year. Also, they see what it takes and what you have to do to be good at a high level."
As for the Lady Toppers, they will play in the Mount Pulaski Sectional semifinals on Tuesday. They will face Broadlands Heritage, who defeated Chrisman 25-21, 26-24 in the Chrisman Regional.
NCAA to Pay Stipend to Student Athletes
According to a recent ESPN report, the NCAA Division I board of directors has passed a measure that will allow schools to pay stipends of up to $2,000 to scholarship players.
In other words, schools such as USC are now allowed to break a little bread, if you will, for the athletes.
10/26/11
Blue Ridge Volleyball Wins 25-13, 25-12 in Regional Semifinal Match over DeLand-Weldon, Will Meet Mount Pulaski in Championship Match
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- The Lady Knights are back in the regional championship match after knocking off the Eagles in dominant fashion in the Farmer City Blue Ridge Regional semifinals.
No. 2-seeded Blue Ridge dispatched No. 3 DeLand-Weldon with a balanced scoring attack. Kaitlyn Zelhart (pictured below) led the Lady Knights with six kills and five service points while Amber Blazek and Jessica Schrock had five kills each; Schrock also had five service points.
"We played very well, especially compared to yesterday," Blue Ridge coach Evan Miles said. "[There are] a few things to [correct]; eight service errors, things like that. But overall, we spread out our offense. It was very diversified today. Both of our outside hitters [Blazek and Schrock] were able to adjust."
Jordan Wheeler got the scoring started in the first game for the Lady Knights with a serve that deflected off Alexis Dick for the point. With the score 4-3 in favor of Blue Ridge, the Lady Knights went on a 9-2 scoring run that increased the lead to 13-5.
Blazek got the sixth point with a spike that deflected off Dick and the eighth point with a hit that thwarted a Mikayla Jones block attempt. With the score at 9-5, Blazek gave Blue Ridge the next two points via serves.
Blazek (pictured below) finished the match with four digs along with her five kills. She also recorded two aces on Tuesday against Decatur Christian.
"Sometimes, she's her own worst enemy, but she played very even-keel tonight mentally," Miles said. "We talked about how [DeLand-Weldon] played. They hit a lot of deliberate down balls deep. Defensively, she made good adjustments on those. She had some good timing on her hits today, too. She didn't try to overpower it or hit it too hard. It was a good rhythm."
After the Eagles got to within 14-8, Schrock gave Blue Ridge its 15th point with a diagonal spike that deflected off Brooke Kimball. That sparked a 5-0 run that ended with a Schrock serve that hit Brittany Roberts in the face for the Lady Knights' point.
Kaitlyn Zelhart got the 23rd and 24th points for Blue Ridge with a tap over the net and a block that was not returned by DeLand-Weldon, respectively. Emily Zelhart finished the first game with a serve.
In the second game, the Lady Knights fell behind 3-0. The last two of those three points were scored via Dick serves that were not returned.
Blue Ridge got the side-out point with a DeLand-Weldon hitting error. From there, the Lady Knights would score the next seven points.
Kaitlyn Zelhart, who finished the match with 10 digs and five service points to go along with her six kills, tied the second game at 3-3 with a spike that Roberts returned with a hit that landed in the crowd.
Wheeler (pictured above) gave Blue Ridge the lead with a serve that darted past a Dick diving attempt. Wheeler also scored the Lady Knights' sixth and eighth points with serves that the Eagles could not return.
After leading 12-6 in the second game, Blue Ridge went on a 12-3 run to boost the advantage to 24-9.
Kaitlyn Zelhart started the run with a tip over the net on the right side. Schrock got the next point with a spike that deflected off an Eagles player and got the Lady Knights' 16th and 19th points with a spike and a tip on the right side, respectively.
Schrock (pictured above) also served a ball that ended up hitting a DeLand-Weldon player in the face to give Blue Ridge the 23rd point of the second game. The Eagles got three straight points to make the score 24-12 before the Lady Knights took the 25th point.
Wheeler finished the match with four aces and nine service points. Emily Zelhart (pictured below) had 14 assists, two aces and seven service points while Chandler Morrow was credited with five service points.
For DeLand-Weldon, Roberts led her team in digs with five.
With the win, Blue Ridge is now 23-7 on the season. They will play in the regional championship match against top-seeded Mount Pulaski.
The Lady Toppers escaped deficits of 7-0 and 9-2 in the first game of their match against fourth-seeded Decatur Lutheran to win 25-17, 25-12.
"I think they're very beatable," Miles said. "I think if LSA can play defense and serve receive better, they're a legit team. Like any good team, [Mount Pulaski] doesn't get too rattled. They made adjustments after that timeout and they responded. We'll expect the same thing from them tomorrow."
The Lady Knights and Lady Toppers will begin their quest for the regional title on Thursday at 6 p.m.
No. 2-seeded Blue Ridge dispatched No. 3 DeLand-Weldon with a balanced scoring attack. Kaitlyn Zelhart (pictured below) led the Lady Knights with six kills and five service points while Amber Blazek and Jessica Schrock had five kills each; Schrock also had five service points.
"We played very well, especially compared to yesterday," Blue Ridge coach Evan Miles said. "[There are] a few things to [correct]; eight service errors, things like that. But overall, we spread out our offense. It was very diversified today. Both of our outside hitters [Blazek and Schrock] were able to adjust."
Jordan Wheeler got the scoring started in the first game for the Lady Knights with a serve that deflected off Alexis Dick for the point. With the score 4-3 in favor of Blue Ridge, the Lady Knights went on a 9-2 scoring run that increased the lead to 13-5.
Blazek got the sixth point with a spike that deflected off Dick and the eighth point with a hit that thwarted a Mikayla Jones block attempt. With the score at 9-5, Blazek gave Blue Ridge the next two points via serves.
Blazek (pictured below) finished the match with four digs along with her five kills. She also recorded two aces on Tuesday against Decatur Christian.
"Sometimes, she's her own worst enemy, but she played very even-keel tonight mentally," Miles said. "We talked about how [DeLand-Weldon] played. They hit a lot of deliberate down balls deep. Defensively, she made good adjustments on those. She had some good timing on her hits today, too. She didn't try to overpower it or hit it too hard. It was a good rhythm."
After the Eagles got to within 14-8, Schrock gave Blue Ridge its 15th point with a diagonal spike that deflected off Brooke Kimball. That sparked a 5-0 run that ended with a Schrock serve that hit Brittany Roberts in the face for the Lady Knights' point.
Kaitlyn Zelhart got the 23rd and 24th points for Blue Ridge with a tap over the net and a block that was not returned by DeLand-Weldon, respectively. Emily Zelhart finished the first game with a serve.
In the second game, the Lady Knights fell behind 3-0. The last two of those three points were scored via Dick serves that were not returned.
Blue Ridge got the side-out point with a DeLand-Weldon hitting error. From there, the Lady Knights would score the next seven points.
Kaitlyn Zelhart, who finished the match with 10 digs and five service points to go along with her six kills, tied the second game at 3-3 with a spike that Roberts returned with a hit that landed in the crowd.
Wheeler (pictured above) gave Blue Ridge the lead with a serve that darted past a Dick diving attempt. Wheeler also scored the Lady Knights' sixth and eighth points with serves that the Eagles could not return.
After leading 12-6 in the second game, Blue Ridge went on a 12-3 run to boost the advantage to 24-9.
Kaitlyn Zelhart started the run with a tip over the net on the right side. Schrock got the next point with a spike that deflected off an Eagles player and got the Lady Knights' 16th and 19th points with a spike and a tip on the right side, respectively.
Schrock (pictured above) also served a ball that ended up hitting a DeLand-Weldon player in the face to give Blue Ridge the 23rd point of the second game. The Eagles got three straight points to make the score 24-12 before the Lady Knights took the 25th point.
Wheeler finished the match with four aces and nine service points. Emily Zelhart (pictured below) had 14 assists, two aces and seven service points while Chandler Morrow was credited with five service points.
For DeLand-Weldon, Roberts led her team in digs with five.
With the win, Blue Ridge is now 23-7 on the season. They will play in the regional championship match against top-seeded Mount Pulaski.
The Lady Toppers escaped deficits of 7-0 and 9-2 in the first game of their match against fourth-seeded Decatur Lutheran to win 25-17, 25-12.
"I think they're very beatable," Miles said. "I think if LSA can play defense and serve receive better, they're a legit team. Like any good team, [Mount Pulaski] doesn't get too rattled. They made adjustments after that timeout and they responded. We'll expect the same thing from them tomorrow."
The Lady Knights and Lady Toppers will begin their quest for the regional title on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Sidetrack...
Farmer City Raceway driver Chris Dick, a DeLand native, was on hand to watch her daughter, Alexis, play for the Eagles.
For those who did not follow the FCR point standings last summer, Chris (whose car is pictured above) finished second in the point standings of the Street Stock Division and sixth in the Late Models Division.
Chris says Alexis (pictured above) attends his races, and vice versa for her volleyball matches. So the two should know the Farmer City area pretty well by now.
Alexis finished the match against Blue Ridge with one ace and nine service points.
10/25/11
Blue Ridge Volleyball Beats Decatur Christian 25-15, 25-13 in Regional Quarterfinal Match; Will Meet DeLand-Weldon in Semifinals
Updated October 26 at 12:06 p.m.
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- After settling for sixth place in the Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament, Blue Ridge coach Evan Miles said his team would need to regroup with a strong practice Monday.
"I thought we had a great practice yesterday," Miles said Tuesday. "I thought we addressed a lot of things. We were very focused and sharp."
Blue Ridge, the No. 2 seed in a regional they are hosting, took that focus and sharp play into Tuesday's quarterfinal match against No. 7 Decatur Christian. The Lady Knights took a 7-1 lead in the first game and finished the second one on a 14-1 run en route to the match victory.
"I thought we finished strong," Miles said. "It's kind of hard with the competitive nature going on there to really get into it. The crowd was kind of stale, but there's no excuse. There's things we need to work on -- fewer errors for us -- down the stretch. But overall, it's a win, and we're in the direction we want to be. To win 22 is always positive. I think we'll come back with a better game tomorrow."
After the Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the first game, Blue Ridge gathered seven consecutive points to take a lead it would not surrender. After a Kaitlyn Zelhart spike tied the game at 1-1, Jordan Wheeler (pictured above in pink bandana) gave the Lady Knights four of her team's six points via serve.
Wheeler finished the match with two aces and six service points.
"Jordan's very good [at serving]," Miles said. "She's kind of high risk, high reward, so I expect that out of her. When she gets into a rhythm, barring a timeout and then a re-serving, she's pretty consistent."
After Decatur Christian cut the deficit in the first game to 9-6, Sara Klemm gave Blue Ridge the side-out point with a service error. Then the Lady Knights took the next three points, with Jessica Schrock giving the Lady Knights a 12-6 lead via serve.
After three straight points from the Warriors that cut their deficit to 13-9, Blue Ridge went on a 5-0 run, capped off by three consecutive serves by Amber Blazek.
Blazek (pictured above) finished the match with two aces.
Kaitlyn Zelhart stopped Decatur Christian's ensuing 5-0 run with a spike that hit the net and went over it for the point. After an Emily Zelhart serve that made the score 24-15 in favor of the Lady Knights, Kaitlyn Zelhart finished off the first game with a block to give her team the 25th point.
In the second game, Emily Zelhart (pictured below) gave Blue Ridge an early 3-1 lead with two consecutive serves that the Warriors could not return. However, Decatur Christian came right back with three straight points and would take a 12-11 lead with a Meredith Artime serve that Chandler Morrow could not return.
The Lady Knights responded by scoring the next 11 points, beginning with an Artime serving error that tied the game at 12-12. Blazek gave Blue Ridge a 13-12 lead with a hit that was not returned by the Warriors.
Chandler Morrow increased the Lady Knights lead to 15-12 via serve. Morrow (pictured below) finished the match with 10 service points and one ace.
"Chandler's been developing and getting very consistent down the stretch with her serves. That's always good with her. She does have a lot of movement with her ball, [because of] which she's not going to get a lot of aces a lot of times, but she does a good job of yo-yoing [the ball] deep and short, back and forth and side to side."
Blazek gave Blue Ridge its 21st point with a diving, one-handed hit that went over the net on the left side and hit the floor. With the score 24-14 in favor of the Lady Knights, Kaitlyn Zelhart was at the net for a hit that clinched the match for her team.
Kaitlyn Zelhart (pictured below) finished the match with nine kills, eight digs and one block. Emily Zelhart was credited with 12 assists and seven service points.
"I thought we did a good job of not forcing the issue and making different sets and different hitter options rather than being one-dimensional," Miles said.
With the win, Blue Ridge increases its record to 22-7. The Lady Knights will square off against No. 3-seeded DeLand-Weldon in the Farmer City Blue Ridge Regional semifinals on Wednesday.
The Lady Eagles beat No. 6 Sangamon Valley 25-18, 25-14 in the quarterfinals. In DeLand-Weldon's previous meeting with Blue Ridge, which occurred in September, the Lady Knights won in DeLand 25-17, 25-23.
Wednesday's match between Blue Ridge and the Eagles will follow the one between No. 1 Mount Pulaski and No. 4 Decatur Lutheran, which is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
10/24/11
Farmer City Blue Ridge Volleyball Regional Update -- October 24, 2011
FARMER CITY, Ill. -- Decatur Lutheran, the No. 4-ranked team in the regional, defeated No. 5 Cerro Gordo 25-21, 25-21 on Monday.
The Lady Lions will play against No. 1-ranked Mount Pulaski on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Here are the matchups for Tuesday:
No. 2 Blue Ridge vs. No. 7 Decatur Christian, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 DeLand-Weldon vs. No. 6 Sangamon Valley, approx. 6:30 p.m.
The winners of these matches will play against each other on Wednesday at approximately 7 p.m.
The Lady Lions will play against No. 1-ranked Mount Pulaski on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Here are the matchups for Tuesday:
No. 2 Blue Ridge vs. No. 7 Decatur Christian, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 DeLand-Weldon vs. No. 6 Sangamon Valley, approx. 6:30 p.m.
The winners of these matches will play against each other on Wednesday at approximately 7 p.m.
10/22/11
Blue Ridge Volleyball Loses to Tri-Valley in HOIC Tournament Fifth-place Match
LEXINGTON, Ill. -- A year after winning the Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament, the Lady Knights will enter the postseason on a sour note.
Blue Ridge fell short of a fifth-place finish on Saturday, losing to the Lady Vikings 25-18, 25-22.
In the first game, the Lady Knights developed an 8-3 lead. After Tri-Valley's Kara Neisen tied the game at 3-3 with a serving error, Kaitlyn Zelhart (pictured below) picked up the next two points to give Blue Ridge the lead.
However, she also hit a ball out of bounds to give the Lady Vikings the side-out point that cut the Lady Knights' lead to 8-4. From there, Tri-Valley scored 11 of the next 15 points to take a 15-12 lead.
"We went up 8-3 in the first set, and we weren’t mentally tough enough or strong enough to sustain those drives," Blue Ridge coach Evan Miles said. "The energy just wasn’t there."
The Lady Vikings went on tho develop leads of 19-14, 22-16 and 24-18 before scoring their 25th point of the first game.
"Our defense wasn’t very consistent tonight," Miles said. "We do have a key injury [to Jordan Wheeler], but that’s no excuse. That’s not a good way to go into regionals. Hopefully, we can correct that at Monday’s practice."
In the second game, Tri-Valley scored the first three points before a Kaitlyn Zelhart hit gave Blue Ridge the side-out point. From there, it was Korie Reynolds' turn to serve.
Via three consecutive serves from Reynolds, the Lady Knights gained a 4-3 lead in the second game. Then an Amber Blazek hit increased their lead to 5-3.
Reynolds (pictured above) finished the match with nine service points.
"I have confidence in her and the way [her serves] have been going in practice as the season progressed," Miles said. "She’s really developing; that’s what we need and what she gave us in the back row. We’ve had some good, younger girls come in and step up and play well. We just need to be consistent."
Tri-Valley tied the second game at 5-5 with a Reynolds hitting error and a Jessica Neumann spike. Then each team swapped side-out points three times before the Lady Vikings developed an 11-8 lead.
Blue Ridge scored four of the next five points to tie the second game at 12-12. The Lady Knights' 12th point was scored via Jessica Schrock (pictured below) kill.
Tri-Valley took a 21-18 lead, the 21th point scored with a serve by Blayne Therien that was not returned. Then the Lady Knights scored the next three points, tying the second game with a Blazek serve that landed under the arms of Stefanie Sanidas.
Sanidas gave the Lady Vikings a 22-21 via kill, and her team scored three of the next four points to clinch the match.
Kaitlyn Zelhart finished the match with nine kills and 10 digs. Emily Zelhart (pictured below) had 16 assists and eight digs while Schrock recorded seven kills.
With the loss, Blue Ridge falls to a record of 21-7. The Lady Knights will begin play in the Farmer City Blue Ridge Regional against Decatur Christian on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
"We’ve got to have a great, hard practice on Monday," Miles said. "It’s got to be one of our hardest practices. Obviously, we would like to win the championship on Thursday, but we’ve still got to improve. Even this late in the season, we’ve still got to get better. Right now, we’re not peaking, and we need to be peaking."
Blue Ridge fell short of a fifth-place finish on Saturday, losing to the Lady Vikings 25-18, 25-22.
In the first game, the Lady Knights developed an 8-3 lead. After Tri-Valley's Kara Neisen tied the game at 3-3 with a serving error, Kaitlyn Zelhart (pictured below) picked up the next two points to give Blue Ridge the lead.
However, she also hit a ball out of bounds to give the Lady Vikings the side-out point that cut the Lady Knights' lead to 8-4. From there, Tri-Valley scored 11 of the next 15 points to take a 15-12 lead.
"We went up 8-3 in the first set, and we weren’t mentally tough enough or strong enough to sustain those drives," Blue Ridge coach Evan Miles said. "The energy just wasn’t there."
The Lady Vikings went on tho develop leads of 19-14, 22-16 and 24-18 before scoring their 25th point of the first game.
"Our defense wasn’t very consistent tonight," Miles said. "We do have a key injury [to Jordan Wheeler], but that’s no excuse. That’s not a good way to go into regionals. Hopefully, we can correct that at Monday’s practice."
In the second game, Tri-Valley scored the first three points before a Kaitlyn Zelhart hit gave Blue Ridge the side-out point. From there, it was Korie Reynolds' turn to serve.
Via three consecutive serves from Reynolds, the Lady Knights gained a 4-3 lead in the second game. Then an Amber Blazek hit increased their lead to 5-3.
Reynolds (pictured above) finished the match with nine service points.
"I have confidence in her and the way [her serves] have been going in practice as the season progressed," Miles said. "She’s really developing; that’s what we need and what she gave us in the back row. We’ve had some good, younger girls come in and step up and play well. We just need to be consistent."
Tri-Valley tied the second game at 5-5 with a Reynolds hitting error and a Jessica Neumann spike. Then each team swapped side-out points three times before the Lady Vikings developed an 11-8 lead.
Blue Ridge scored four of the next five points to tie the second game at 12-12. The Lady Knights' 12th point was scored via Jessica Schrock (pictured below) kill.
Tri-Valley took a 21-18 lead, the 21th point scored with a serve by Blayne Therien that was not returned. Then the Lady Knights scored the next three points, tying the second game with a Blazek serve that landed under the arms of Stefanie Sanidas.
Sanidas gave the Lady Vikings a 22-21 via kill, and her team scored three of the next four points to clinch the match.
Kaitlyn Zelhart finished the match with nine kills and 10 digs. Emily Zelhart (pictured below) had 16 assists and eight digs while Schrock recorded seven kills.
With the loss, Blue Ridge falls to a record of 21-7. The Lady Knights will begin play in the Farmer City Blue Ridge Regional against Decatur Christian on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
"We’ve got to have a great, hard practice on Monday," Miles said. "It’s got to be one of our hardest practices. Obviously, we would like to win the championship on Thursday, but we’ve still got to improve. Even this late in the season, we’ve still got to get better. Right now, we’re not peaking, and we need to be peaking."
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