The Taylorville Tornadoes found themselves down late to Marquette Catholic in round 1 of the Class 4A IHSA State Football Playoffs last Friday night before some major heroics from the offense helped THS back into the game.
After a Jagger Moore extra point that would give the Tornadoes a 25-24 lead, Taylorville needed to work the clock as well as get a defensive stop if they hoped to keep Alton's offense at bay. Evan Champley for the Tornadoes stepped up on defense with an interception return for a touchdown that would eventually be the game winner.
Head Coach, Jeb Odam, reacts during an interview on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show.
Taylorville advanced with a 32-24 win over the Explorers and will now face #1 seed and undefeated Althoff Catholic in round 2.
Shelbyville Rams football has seen a lot of success over the last few weeks of the season winning 5 of their last 6 games. Last Saturday afternoon for the Rams, during round 1 of the Class 2A IHSA State Football Playoffs was no different as they defeated Carmi High School 46-6.
Head Coach of the Rams, Bill Duckett says his team needed to keep things normal for the Saturday start if they wanted to come away with a win.
The Rams will move onto round 2 and face Unity Seymour High School.
Pana High School Football has seen their defense step up throughout the year to push them through to where they are today, the playoffs. The Panthers pitched 5 shutouts on the year and only allowed an average of 10 points per game to opposing teams throughout the regular season. Last Saturday afternoon the defense was called on once again to hold on and give Pana their 9th win of the season, which they obliged by a final score of 36-35.
Although, the game was very close, Head Coach Trevor Higgins told Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday before the game that he has the utmost confidence in his squad.
Pana will face an undefeated Newton High School team next weekend in round 2 of the Class 3A IHSA State Football Playoffs.
As heard on Newstalk WTIM 96.1 FM in Christian Country and 107.5 FM in Shelby County, Taylorville defeated Alton Marquette by a final score of 32 to 24.
The shelbyville Rams took home the hardware from the IHSA Regional after defeating Vandalia 27-25 & 25-15 in an absolute thriller. Shelbyville will take part in the Vandalia Sectional next week.
Taylorville Volleyball took down Rochester in straight sets 25-17, 25-21, for their first Regional title since 2010. Tornadoes will particpate in the Mt. Zion Sectional next week.
The Cubs even up the World Series at a game each after a 5-1 victory in Cleveland on Wednesday night. The story of the playoffs has quickly become Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs second year man had last played on April 5th had two runs batted in last night and hit a double in game one. Cubbies Skipper, Joe Maddon says that in all his years he’s never seen anything like it.
The North Siders and The Tribe are off today while they reset and ready for game 3 on Friday. It’s the first World Series game at Wrigley Field since 1945.
Vandalia High School football has seen a very successful season this year that awarded them a 7 seed in the Class 3A IHSA State Playoffs. Head Coach of the Vandals, Jason Clay was a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Pigskin Playoff Preview Show last Saturday night, and says his team is excited for the challenge that comes with that 7 vs 10 match up.
Coach Clay says the Tolono team they will line up with come Saturday afternoon will take some studying throughout the off week.
The Vandals have relied on a “never quit” attitude to push them to their current 8-1 record, and Coach Clay says it will hopefully stay that way during the postseason.
The Pana Panthers football team have relied on their advantage of that 12th man all year long with their fans and support from their community. Round 1 of the IHSA State Playoffs will be no different. The Panthers were handed an 8 seed and will take on #9 Marshall High School this Saturday at 2pm on the Panthers home field.
Head Coach, Trevor Higgins says the 3A Class bracket is going to be tough from top to bottom.
Coach Higgins was a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Pigskin Playoff Preview Show last Saturday night when he spoke about his knowledge of this Lions team.
Cubs fans spent the weekend celebrating the teams win that sends them to the World Series and the Cubs are trying to dry off after a Champagne soaked party in the clubhouse on Saturday night. As game one looms just a day away for the North Siders, Cubs Manager Joe Maddon says he wants his team to remain on the same path they have been all season.
Cubs and Indians will start the World Series on Tuesday in Cleveland. The American League won the All Star game this year so they have home field advantage.
Cubs Manager Joe Maddon says as the team absorbs the win they have so many different people to think about.
Shelbyville Rams finally lost a ball game last Friday night after winning 4 in a row when they fell to St. Teresa 43-18. The Rams finish the regular season at 6-3 and have really hit their stride late this year and are looking to make some noise in the playoffs.
Rams Head Coach, Bill Duckett says his team hopes to make the playoff run as successful as the regular season.
Central A&M Raiders took the roll of “spoiler” on Friday night and ran with it to a 54-41 win over Warrensburg-Lathem. The Raiders are not in playoff contention after finishing the season at 4-4 but have had one of the tougher schedules throughout the year.
Raiders Head Coach, Brent Weakly mentioned that he is proud of his team's effort and leadership.
Taylorville Tornadoes football ended their regular season schedule on the highest of notes taking down Bethalto 41-0. The offense was firing on all cylinders and the defense was back to its opening season form in the shutout that propelled THS to a 7-2 record.
Taylorvile Head Coach, Jeb Odam says his team did exactly what he has known they are capable of since the beginning.
As heard Saturday on New Country 98.3 WSVZ and Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR, The Murray State Racers defeated the EIU Panthers by a final score of 40 to 38.
Taylorville Football has seen a mixture of complete success to start the season, injuries that plagued the middle portion and now growing pains that have lead them to make some changes offensively as well as defensively. The whirlwind season came to a head last Friday night when the Tornadoes fell to Mattoon 31-27 in an absolute dog fight of a ball game.
Head Coach, Jeb Odam says moving forward quickly after the loss will be as big of a key, game plan wise, as anything the team could do in practice.
Coach Odam was a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday morning and spoke about the upcoming game tonight against Bethalto.
Tune in for that game on Newstalk WTIM 96.1FM in Christian County, 107.5FM in Shelby County, or you can stream it online at taylorvilledailynews.com under the WTIM LISTEN LIVE tab, when Jake Linder and Mike Pickett go live with the pre game show at 6:40pm.
THS' Coach Odam also said there is a trio of problems that the Tornadoes will have to watch out for come 7pm tonight.
The Shelbyville Rams have been tearing up and winning on the gridiron the last 4 weeks which has earned them a playoff bid after their 44-15 thumping of Central A&M last week. Although the Rams have made the postseason, their job is far from over and the new task will be in their final regular season match up against St. Teresa out of Decatur.
Head Coach of the Rams, Bill Duckett, says this game, much like their week 6 contest, has playoff implications.
Coach Duckett appeared on the Newstalk WTIM Coaches Show last Saturday morning and expressed his familiarity with the head coach as well as the coaching style.
The contest is to begin this Friday night at 7pm and can be heard on New Country 98.3 WSVS as well as streamed online at taylorvilledailynews.com under the WSVZ LISTEN LIVE tab. Coach Duckett says the game plan is pretty simple.
Central A&M Football saw their playoff hopes dwindle away with a 44-15 loss last Friday night but as they say, “it's not over, until it's over”. The Raiders will now be shifting into the roll of “spoiler” for their final game of the 2016 season when they take on the Warrensburg-Lathem Cardinals; a team seeking win #6 to get them into the playoffs.
Head Coach of the Raiders, Brent Weakly, spoke on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday morning and says this Cardinals team has multiple weapons that his squad will have to contain.
Coach Weakly says the Raiders have done one thing particularly well all year long and success in that, will be a must for A&M.
Tune in for that contest on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR at 7pm on Friday night or you can stream it online at taylorvilledailynews.com under the WMKR LISTEN LIVE tab.
The Taylorville Tornadoes Volleyball team had high hopes to go up 2-1 in the regular season series versus Matoon but was taken down in straight sets by the Green Wave last night 25-23 & 25-15. The Tornadoes fought hard but will end conference play at 7-3 and stand alone at 2nd place in Apollo standings.
THS is currently 19-11 on the season and will compete at the Pawnee Tournament this Saturday before hosting Regional play next week.
The Central A&M Raiders fell to a red hot Taylorville team last night in straight sets 25-12 & 25-4. The Raiders could not continue their winning streak but will have a long break to regroup before their next match on Thursday.
A&M will be facing off against a Shelbyville Rams team that is currently undefeated in conference play and on a 2-game win streak. The Raiders will have thier work cut out for them come game time at 7pm this week.
Taylorville Volleyball defeated Central A&M last night in straight sets 25-12 & 25-4. The win marked the Tornadoes 3rd in a row and 19th overall. Taylorville will face off against Mattoon in an away Apollo Conference match at 7pm tonight.
The Tornadoes will not only be looking for win number 20 as well as their 4th in a row; but if they can take down the Green Wave, THS will take the regular season series between the two teams. 2 previous matches between each squad resulted in a current 1-1 season head-to-head record.
Taylorville Cross Country has seen a lot of success this year from having the top runner in the Apollo Conference on the girls side to an undefeated regular season on the boy's side. The Tornadoes have really hung their hat on the camaraderie and overall leadership that has pushed them into their upcoming postseason race this weekend.
Head Coach, Steve Walters was a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday and says he thinks his boy's are primed and ready to make some noise at the Regional on Saturday.
Coach Walters also mentioned that the Girl's should see some postseason success as well.
The Jacksonville Community Park Regional is set to start at 11am this Saturday.
Taylorville Football found themselves down 24-7 with 8 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, but instead of laying down, the Tornadoes rattled of 20 straight points to take a 27-24 lead, before falling to Mattoon 31-27. Parker Stokes lead the offense on the comeback and in the game with 2 touchdowns.
Head Coach Jeb Odam spoke on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday and says his team just could not hold onto all the momentum throughout the night.
Shelbyville Rams football is on a tear winning 4 in a row after taking down Central A&M last Friday night 44-15. The Rams are averaging 40 points a game during this hot streak and with that win over the Raiders, Shelbyville has clinched a playoff berth.
Head Coach of the Rams, Bill Duckett spoke on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday morning and says this Shelbyville team has found a groove at the absolute right time in the season.
Central A&M Football needed to win out to make the postseason dream a reality but went up against a Shelbyville Rams team averaging close to 40 points during their 3 game win streak. The Raiders fell to the Rams in a lopsided 44-15 ball game.
Head Coach of the Raiders, Brent Weakly was a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday and says his squad has fought all season and last night was no different.
No team since the Red Sox a decade ago has more expectations heaped upon them then the Cubs do when it comes to the postseason and winning a title. Fans know that, media covers it and the players and coaches know it too. But for Cubs Manager Joe Maddon that’s not a negative.
Taylorivlle High School Football will look to keep it rolling tonight when they take on the Mattoon Green Wave. The Tornadoes have clinched their playoff berth but would like to finish the season strong in the final two weeks.
Head Coach Jeb Odam spoke on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday morning and says the Green Wave could definitely cause THS some headaches in what will be the final conference match up for the regular season.
Coach Odam told WTIM this Mattoon team has a lot of athletes across the board that will be tough to contain.
Listen for the Tornadoes Football pre game show with Jake Linder and Daniel Statum on the call at 6:40pm on Newstalk WTIM 96.1FM in Christian County, 107.5FM in Shelby County or stream the game online at taylorvilledailynews.com under the WTIM LISTEN LIVE tab, kick off is set for 7pm.
The Illinois football team rolled up a 125 yards in penalties last week against Purdue. It might have been the difference in a game that was decided by 3 points. Head Coach Lovie Smith says that the team needs to be better disciplined, but he bristled at the question that he’s been too lax with the team and hasn’t been tough enough on them.
Illinois is preparing now for trip to New Jersey to play Rutgers.
Shelbyville High School Football has seen a lot of recent success in their current 3-game winning streak. The Rams will look to make it 4 in a row against Central A&M this Friday night and seal the deal on a playoff berth with what would be their 6th win on the season.
Shelbyville Head Coach, Bill Duckett appeared as a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday, where he says A&M is a team that has the abilities to reek some havoc on the Rams, if they do not take care of business.
The Rams will face an A&M team that is hungry and going to leave it all on the field since they are still looking to win out on the regular season as they continue to chase a playoff bid.
Tune in for the game on New Country 98.3 WSVZ at 7pm or you can stream it online at taylorvilledailynews.com under the WSVZ LISTEN LIVE tab.
Central A&M Football will have to bear down and win out in the regular season if they want a shot at the playoffs this year. Currently sitting at 3-4 overall, the Raiders are “on the bubble” that is typically associated with teams with 5 or 6 wins that get a playoff bid.
A&M Head Coach, Brent Weakly says he will try to keep his team loose in the upcoming week before their game on Friday night at 7pm.
Weakly was a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday and said their opponent for this week, the red, hot, Rams of Shelbyville who are currently on a 3-game win streak, will have many weapons to try and contain.
Tune in for that game on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR or with the LISTEN LIVE tab on taylorvilledailynews.com
Taylorville Volleyball will try to sweep the regular season series against Charleston High School tonight at home in THS Gym. The Tornadoes are currently 16-10 on the season and looking to bounce back after a 2 set loss to the Braves of Mt. Zion who are undefeated in the Apollo Conference.
THS is 2nd in the conference whereas the Trojans are win-less in the Apollo. Opening serve for that game is set for 7:30pm.
Tornadoes Golfers, Connor Black and Miranda Coy, represented THS as individuals at the IHSA Sectional tournaments Monday, but failed to advance onto the State Tournament.
After making the turn at 9 over par (44), Black shot a 15 over (86) final for the day at the Metamora Fields Golf Club Sectional. The score was not enough to advance the Senior to the State Finals being held in Normal, Illinois.
Coy had a 9 hole score of 46 and came into the clubhouse with a 19 over (90) finish at the Lincoln Sectional held on the Lincoln Elks Golf Course. The score was not enough to advance Coy to the State Finals being held in Decatur, IL.
Golf Coach, Jim Novar says he could not be more proud of his 2 golfers as well as the whole program this season.
Coy is a Junior and will have a shot at the 2017 Postseason next year.
Shelbyville Rams Football continued their winning streak at 3 games after shutting out Clinton High School 26-0 last Friday night. The Rams will hope to make it 4 in a row this Friday when they face off against a Central A&M team that is coming off a win and is hungry to stay on track during this latter part of the season.
Rams Head Coach, Bill Duckett spoke with Jake Linder, the host of Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show, and says his team has really hit their stride as of late.
Coach Duckett says he thinks his team is peaking at the right time, with the postseason just around the corner.
The Rams are currently 5-2 and staring down a hopeful playoff bid, that typically comes with 6 wins on a season.
Central A&M Football bounced back last Friday night with an impressive 56 to 14 win over Sullivan. The Raiders moved to .500 on the season and are looking to continue their winning ways at home again this Friday
A&M Head Coach, Brent Weakly was a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show and said that although they were riddled with injury, his team came out and played a very solid football game.
Coach Weakly also mentioned that Sullivan threw a lot of different game plans at the Raiders, but they were able to take it in stride.
The Raiders are on the cusp of a playoff berth with just two weeks left, but cannot afford to lose another ball game and will have a tough task against the red hot Shelbyville Rams this Friday night.
Taylorville Tornadoes Golf is right in the middle of their postseason this fall and have pushed 2 individuals into Sectional play that begins today. The boys team will be represented by Senior, Connor Black at the Metamora Sectional. And although, the Tornadoes do not have a girls team; Miranda Coy, is representing THS on the girls side at the Lincoln Sectional as an individual.
Golf Coach, Jim Novar spoke with Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show host, Jake Linder, and says Black has a “grind it out” mentality that should help him in this latter part of the season.
Coach Novar says Coy, on the other hand, can put herself into opportunities to succeed with a big stick off the tee.
Tee times at each individual's respective Sectional is set for sometime this morning.
THS football showed some muscle last Friday night when they took down Charleston 40-0 during the Tornadoes Homecoming game. Taylorville had a balanced attack against the Trojans both through the air and on the ground in the rout against their Apollo Conference foe.
Head Coach, Jeb Odam spoke on Newstalk WTIM's Saturday Morning Coaches Show and said how proud he was of his team for not getting overly distracted in light of all the festivities going on throughout the weekend.
Although the offense put a big number for Taylorville, the defense provided key stops along the road to that shutout for the Tornadoes, which in turn propelled them into postseason contention.
THS will look to finish strong with only 2 ball games left on the regular season schedule.
Taylorville golf fell short of advancing as a team Tuesday at the Lincoln Regional but did advance one individual onto the Metamora Sectional. THS Senior, Connor Black led all advancing individuals with a score of 80 that pushed him onto the Sectional match where he will represent the Tornadoes.
Black will tee off on Monday, October 10th at the sectional where he hopes to advance to the State Tournament held at Weibring Golf Club in Normal, Illinois.
Taylorville finished 6th out of 9 teams at the Lincoln Regional with a combined score of 372.
Although the Tornadoes football squad has seen some adversity this season, they have overcome it with some timely leadership as well as some great play. THS is coming off a bounce back Apollo win over Effingham heading into Homecoming week versus Charleston High School this Friday night.
Taylorville Head Coach, Jeb Odam says this Trojans team will have a fight to them that the Tornadoes will have to try and match if they want to come away with another conference win.
Coach Odam says the festivities this weekend can draw some attention away from the focus that is needed to play a good game, but overall he is excited for his team and the community.
Coach Odam appeared as a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show last Saturday morning.
Listen for the homecoming game against Charleston with Jake Linder and Michael Pickett on the call this Friday night! Kick off is set for 7pm, pre-game show will start at 6:40pm.
Shelbyville football has hit their stride coming into week 6 of the regular season. The Rams will need every bit of that momentum heading into the late part of their schedule these next 3 weeks. Shelbyville Head Coach, Bill Duckett, says the team worked hard last week in practice on many different aspects of the game to get the win and they will continue to do so this upcoming week.
Duckett says this Clinton team has a lot of potential and the Rams will have their work cut out for them this Friday night.
Coach also said that this time of year you have to take it one week at a time, but the ultimate goal is always in sight.
Coach Duckett appeared as a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches show last saturday morning.
Shelbyville takes on Clinton at home on Friday night at 7pm. Tune into that game on New Country 98.3FM WSVZ or you can stream it online at taylorvilledailynews.com under the WSVZ LISTEN LIVE tab.
The Taylorville Tornadoes Boys Golf team will participate in the IHSA Regional today. Tee times are set for 9am. Those who qualify, individually or on a team effort, will advance to the Metamora Sectional. For full details on the Regional and Sectional sights, you can visit IHSA.org online.
A new look at quarterback last Friday night for the Tornadoes worked out pretty well in their game against Effingham. Parker Stokes, who took over for the injured Brandon Odam at the position last week at Mt. Zion, had a week with the offense to get his game right and lead his team to a 28-19 win over the Hearts.
Head Coach of the Tornaodes Jeb Odam says the game plan was flipped from normal to show off the strengths of Stokes, who typically plays defense only.
Odam says Stokes has been a leader all year and took the position change in stride.
Coach Odam appeared as a guest on Newstalk WTIM's Coaches Show.
Every sport is all about momentum and Shelbyville Rams football has a lot of that after they won big over Meridian 44-6 last Friday night, giving them 2 wins in a row. The Rams are 4-2 on the season and Head Coach Bill Duckett says these last couple of weeks have fun for the team.
Coach Duckett says his team is looking primed and ready to head into the last part of the season.
Coach Duckett appeared as a guest on the Newstalk WTIM Coaches Show.
As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR in Eastern Illinois Panther football, Southeast Missouri State defeated Eastern Illinois University by a final score of 21 to 14.
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