It only took three plays for Richland County QB Gavyn Cothern to find the endzone on a 28 yard option run, but little did Cothern know that would just be the beginning.  Cothern would find the endzone four more times with his feet, through the air, and about any way possible Friday night as the Tigers trounced the Taylorville Tornadoes in their home opener 60-36.  

After a Tornado three-and-out to start the game, Richland County went three-and-in.  Three first down plays included a 28-yard touchdown run by quarterback Gavyn Kothern.  The home side scored again on their next drive, this time capping the drive on a 45-yard pass to Reed Klingler.  Employing a trick-play setup on every extra-point play, they succeeded the second time, scoring a simple two-point conversion.

The Taylorville offense did well to grow into the game and were rewarded with two touchdowns of their own. Taylorville QB Isaac Repscher led the Tornadoes on their third drive courtesy of a helpful penalty and a 30 yard touchdown run from Spencer Brown and after an interception from the Tigers Kothern, senior running back Owen Mateer added a 3 yard touchdown run. The Tornadoes failed to convert on the extra point, bringing them within two as they trailed 15-13.

That's as close as the game got.  Two more touchdown runs by Gavyn Kothern including a 4 yarder and a 1 yarder put his Tigers team in control.  The purple-and-gold scored only a field goal in return before the intermission courtesy of Ben Peabody. Taylorville trailed at halftime 29-16.  

Richland County wasted no time adding to their lead in the second half.  Kothern and running back Xavier Owusu-Gyan both found the end zone on their feet.  The former added one more in the fourth quarter.

The teams traded scores in the fourth quarter.  Taylorville continued to gain confidence offensively as the game progressed.  Quarterback Isaac Repscher completed multiple successful long passes, including a touchdown pass to Senior wide receiver Malique Pearse.  Dawson Jenkins also had a 37 yard touchdown run for Taylorville in the loss. Taylorville’s Owen Mateer had plenty of touches for good gains that extended drives.  In doing so, he earned the honor of Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  

The Tornadoes will host the Canton Little Giants in their home opener next Friday.  Richland County will head on the road as their next game is at Salem. 

                            1            2             3             4          Total

Taylorville          7           9             0              21         36

Richland Co      15         14           14            17          60
 

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR…

Central A&M – 42 @ Clinton – 6

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #5 Emett Stenger

Central A&M started strong offensively scoring 28 points in the first and blanking Clinton early. Victor Revelo caught a 50+ receiving touchdown for the game’s first score. Revelo would go on to score another 60 yard touchdown through the air for a total of two touchdowns on his night. Aiden Sites, the recent transfer, fielded a few low kicks to help put the Raiders in excellent field position and would have himself a night as well. 

New additions Kwame Calhoun and Jhett Smith combined for three rushing touchdowns. Smith with 2 on the grond and Calhoun would add another in the final stages of the game. Defensively, the Raiders looked stout on the line and in the secondary. 1 takeaway for the Raiders by Jhett Smith, Smith was electric on both sides of the ball.

Central A&M has plethora of skill players at their disposal lead by quarterback Emett Stenger. Kadyn Higgins, Ace Spinner, and others, contributed as well to the Raiders massive season opening win. Coach Brent Weakly feels as good about this group of young men as he has in years, it’s certainly an exciting start to the Raiders 2025 Football season. This game was a complete team effort from start to finish, never letting up despite the huge lead. The Raiders will look to improve to 2 – 0 next week against the Shelbyville Rams.

Next Game: Central A&M vs. Shelbyville (09/05/2025)

The Shelbyville Rams fought valiantly in the first set, but it would be Taylorville coming away with the win in both sets as the Taylorville Tornadoes won their home opener 26-24 and 25-11 in straight sets to defeat the Rams. 

Taylorville led most of set 1 by 4-6 points and even had a 21-16 lead but a big run for Shelbyville gave the Rams a 24-22 lead and just one point away from winning the set. Taylorville would go on a 4-0 run and win set 1. 26-24.  

In set two, Taylorville and Shelbyville matched point for point to start off with a 3-3 tie. The Tornadoes would go on a massive 9-3 run as they would easily win the second set 25-11. 

Coach Kim Peabody said that the Rams outpassed them in the first set.  She said with having all seniors on the court made a big difference towards helping Taylorville overcome the auspicious slow start. Coach Peabody praised Alayna Vincent and Robyn Ward along with Ella Appel for their big games on the court.  

Coach Peabody says she was thrilled to win the home opener in front of the Taylorville faithful, "It's fun.  It's a fun atmosphere. Everybody's into it.  The girls enjoy it and they enjoy playing in front of a big crowd." 

Taylorville (2-0) will head to Pleasant Plains (1-0) on Tuesday, September 2nd. 

The Rochester Rockets got things started off at first, but it would be Taylorville who would laugh last winning 2 games to 1 over the Rockets in volleyball on Monday evening.  Rochester won set 1 25-21. Taylorville would take over in set 2 and not look back, picking up wins 25-17 and 25-18.

Taylorville (1-0) takes on Shelbyville (0-0) for their home opener on Thursday night at 7 PM.  Rochester will take on Lincoln on Tuesday, September 2nd. 

The Illinois High School Association is marking a major milestone. The 2025-26 school year will be the IHSA’s 125th since its founding in December of 1900.

To celebrate, the association will highlight 125 moments that have helped shape high school sports and activities across Illinois. Longtime IHSA historian Scott Johnson says the list includes trailblazing events, legendary coaches and athletes, and defining performances from over the years.

Those moments will be unveiled throughout the year on the IHSA’s website.
 

Eastern Illinois University football fans can mark their calendars — the Panthers have announced their 2025 schedule, featuring six home games at O’Brien Field and several marquee matchups in the Big South–OVC Football Association.

The home slate kicks off Thursday, August 28th, when EIU hosts Dayton under the lights at 6 p.m. Other big dates include the Mid-America Classic against Illinois State on September 13th, Tennessee State on October 4th, and the Homecoming game October 11th against Gardner-Webb. The Panthers will also welcome UT Martin for Family Weekend on November 1st, before wrapping up the home schedule November 8th against Tennessee Tech.

Fans can also enjoy tailgating before each home game, with a family-friendly atmosphere planned outside O’Brien Field. Details are available at EIUPanthers.com.

On the road, the Panthers will travel across Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and South Carolina before closing the regular season with a high-profile trip to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on November 22nd.

All home games will air live on the Panther Football Network and stream on ESPN+. Locally, fans can also listen on WTIM The Big 870, Cruisin' 98.3 WSVZ, and Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR.

The full schedule is posted online at EIUPanthers.com, along with ticket and event information.
 

Taylorville wrapped up their 2025 Taylorville Boys Golf Invite.  Mt. Zion took 1st overall as a team and Carson Oliver from Mt. Zion took 1st overall as an individual.  See below for results. 

Click here for individual results.