West Berwick Golf Course To Award 5 Scholarships

West Berwick Golf Course would like to promote the game of with the youth of Wabash County by providing financial assistance for selected youth in need

For calendar year 2021, West Berwick will award (5) scholarships worth $500 each to promote golf to Wabash County youth that otherwise might not have an opportunity to experience the game. These scholarships will include green fees and limited merchandise, and they will be effective January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021.

To be eligible you must be entering grades 7-12 during the 2021-2022 academic year, and be a resident of Wabash County.

Applications may be picked up at the Pro Shop of West Berwick Golf Course. If you can’t make it out to the course, just email Jake Holcomb at westberwickgolf@gmail.com and he will email an application to you. The deadline for submitting your application is October 31, 2020. Scholarship awards will be announced in late November or early December.

Pritzker Not Budging On Fall High School Football

It appears high school football will remain a spring sport this season.

Governor J.B. Pritzker said he has not been talking with the Illinois High School Association about moving football up to this fall, but it is the state public health officials who made the call, not him.

“It is doctors and epidemiologists that are leading the way here,” said Pritzker. “It is what I have done all along in this pandemic. I think it’s one of the reasons we have one of the lowest positivity rates in the Midwest.”

Illinois High School Association executive director Craig Anderson sent the governor’s office a letter requesting permission to allow the IHSA to govern its sports and a timetable to return.

“With support from the IHSA Board of Directors, I issued a letter on September 10 to Governor Pritzker and Deputy Governor Ruiz, that seeks permission for the IHSA and its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee to resume control over determining the resumption of IHSA sports and activities,” Anderson said in an IHSA statement.

There have been several “Let Us Play” rallies around the state, as coaches, parents and players try to persuade the governor to change his mind. A large crowd showed up before the Chicago Bears home opener. Some high school athletes who are trying to impress college coaches on the football field left Illinois and are playing in states such as Texas and Florida.

Pritzker said it is no accident that states that allow football have higher cases of the coronavirus.

"If you look at just football, for example, many of the states that do not allow football today are the states with the lowest positivity rates,” said Pritzker.

Minnesota recently voted to restart football, making Illinois the only state in the Midwest that won't have high school football this fall.

Red Hot St. Anthony Golfers Hand Lady Aces Only 2nd Loss Of Season

Mt. Carmel Lady Aces Golf

Richland County CC

September 23, 2020

Medalist Macy Luthwig, St Anthony

Mt. Carmel 169; Daisy Schrader 40; Lillian Gottman 41; Mady Young 43: Maria Kennard 45; Anna Gill 45; Lauren Hall 51

Effingham St. Anthony 150; Macy Luthwig 33; Ellie Wiggman 37; Nina Hackman 40; Lauren Schwing 40

Olney 205; Caroline Glover 41; Taylor Runyon 47; Rayne Goff 54; Meagan Gibson 63

Deer hunters: Remember safety tips as season approaches

With the deer reduction zone season underway, youth deer season this weekend and the statewide archery season coming in on October 1, 2020, Indiana Conservation Officers are offering safety tips to help keep Hoosier deer hunters safe.

The various deer hunting seasons run through Jan. 31, 2021. It is estimated that more than 300,000 people will participate in some form of deer hunting in Indiana during that span. Such a large number makes safety more even more important.

The most common injuries during deer seasons are accidents involving tree stands and elevated platforms. Follow the safety tips listed below when hunting from an elevated position:

Before the hunt:

  • Read and understand the tree stand manufacturer’s instructions.

  • Check tree stands and equipment for wear, fatigue, and cracks or loose nuts/bolts, paying particularly close attention to parts made of material other than metal.

  • Practice at ground level.

  • Learn how to properly wear your full-body safety harness.

During the hunt:

  • Wear your full-body safety harness.

  • Use a tree stand safety rope.

  • Make certain to attach your harness to the tree before leaving the ground, and that it remains attached to the tree until you return to the ground.

  • Maintain three points of contact during ascent and descent.

  • Use boots with non-slip soles to avoid slipping.

  • Use a haul line to raise and lower firearms, bows and other hunting gear.

  • Make certain firearms are unloaded, action open and safety on before attaching the haul line.

Additional safety tips:

  • Carry emergency equipment, such as a cell phone and flashlight.

  • Make a plan before you hunt.

  • Tell someone your plan, including where you will be hunting and when you plan to return.

  • Stick to your plan.

  • Identify game before pointing a firearm.

  • Know your target and what is beyond it.

For more information, see hunting.IN.gov.  

IHSA Board Expands Golf & Cross Country State Series

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors announced on September 23, 2020, that they have voted to expand the IHSA State Series in two fall sports, adding a second round of postseason play in boys & girls golf and boys & girls cross country. There will be no additional fee to compete in the Sectional round. The vote took place during a special meeting that was called to specifically address Sectionals for the two sports.

“Despite the challenges of this school year, our Board has remained committed to providing the most rewarding postseason experiences possible,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “Given the relative success we have had safely conducting cross country and golf this fall, the Board asked our staff during the September Board meeting (September 14) to explore the possibility of expanding beyond Regionals to conduct Sectionals as well.”

Both sports were each initially scheduled to culminate their respective seasons after IHSA Regional meets, but will now conclude their respective seasons after the Sectional round. In golf, the top two teams and top four individuals in each Regional will advance to Sectional play. Cross Country will advance five teams from each Regional to Sectionals, with no changes in the individual qualifier field. IHSA staff attempted to maintain COVID regions and keep participant levels as low as possible when making assignments, but in some cases, generally those involving schools on or near a COVID border, schools were assigned to a tournament outside of their COVID region.

“Given the timing, our greatest challenge will be finding hosts, especially in cross country,” said Anderson. “We have been granted exemptions to compete outside the COVID Regions in instances, for example, where assigning schools on or near a region border creates better balance in the number of participants at a site. Based on the feedback we have received, we expect some schools will choose not to participate beyond Regionals. We respect those decisions, but still want to provide as many opportunities as possible.”

The Board also created an exemption to the season limitation rule to allow for participation in the Cross Country Sectionals, while temporarily modifying Terms & Conditions for both sports to allow greater flexibility in scheduling the respective meets. Golf Sectionals are slated for the week of October 12-17, while Cross Country Sectionals are expected to unfold October 29-31. Host sites and meet dates will be announced on IHSA.org soon.

There were no changes made to the postseason structure for IHSA Girls Tennis and Girls Swimming & Diving, which both begin postseason competition at the Sectional level.

Lady Aces Golfers Notch Two More Wins In Centralia

Mt. Carmel Lady Aces Golf

Greenview Golf Club, Centralia

September 22, 2020

Medalist Lily Gottman

Mt. Carmel 158; Lillian Gottman 34; Mady Young 35; Daisy Schrader 44; Maria Kennard 45; Anna Gill 45; lauren Hall 51

Okawville 185; Chloe Kruse 40; Katelyn Alvis 45; Amy Koch 49; Avery Killion 51; Macy Staley 52; Erin Nilles 62

Centralia 205; Taylor Kuder 46; Claire Skillette 51; Lilly Francis 54; Katelyn Parker 54; Sidney McCorkle 57; Gabe Lambert 59

WVC bass team signs Mason Gross of Carmi

Wabash Valley College's bass coach, Professor Todd Gill, is excited to announce the signing of Mason Gross for the 2021–2022 collegiate bass season. Gross signed on Wednesday evening, Sept. 9.

Mason is the son of Mitch and Mary Ann Gross of Carmi, Ill. He is a senior at Carmi-White County High School and will be competing this coming season with the Carmi bass team for the third straight season. Mason's most notable finish was at a Fishing League Worldwide high school open tournament on Lake of the Ozarks where he finished 11th out of 60 boats.

He also finished 12th this past summer in the WVC high school bass invitational at East Fork Lake. Gross plans to study agricultural business in college and is excited about his opportunity to be a part of the Wabash Valley College bass team.

Those interested in learning more about the Wabash Valley College bass team can visit www.wvcwarriorathletics.com, click on Club Teams and select Bass Fishing. High school juniors and seniors interested in a campus visit can fill out the recruiting questionnaire and Coach Gill will contact them to discuss the team and schedule a campus visit. You can also keep up with WVC bass team news by following them on Facebook @WVC Bass Team and on Instagram @wvcbassteam.

Pictured at the signing were Mitch Gross, Mason Gross, Mary Ann Gross and, sister, Maggie Gross.

Pictured at the signing were Mitch Gross, Mason Gross, Mary Ann Gross and, sister, Maggie Gross.

Courter, Kelsey, McGinnis Finish 1st, 2nd, 5th For Jackets Cross Country

On Monday, September 21st, Yellow Jackets Cross Country hosted Fairfield for a dual meet. 

In the boys race, these were the times:

Isaiah Courter 13:14 (1st place)

Kollin Kelsey 13:36 (2nd place)

Alex McGinnis 16:02 (5th place)

Chase Gher 22:54

The following are the times for the girls race:

Kali Walker 15:11 (5th place)

Hallie Courter 15:45 (6th place)

Tiffany Smith-Terry 16:12

Isabella Monroy 18:26

Ava Abell 18:57

Addison Tennis 19:21

Lillie Keeling 21:32

Linden Stevens 23:31

Next up for Yellow Jackets Cross Country:  home meet vs. Wayne City on Thursday, October 1st at 4:00 pm.

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Young Ties School Record As Lady Aces Improve To 18-1

Mt. Carmel Lady Aces Golf

West Berwick Golf Course

September 21, 2020

Mt. Carmel 153

Marion 175

Olney 211

Medalist Mady Young 

Mt. Carmel 153; Mady Young 34 (-2); Lillian Gottman 35 (-1); Daisy Schrader 42; Maria Kennard 42; Anna Gill 43; Lauren Hall 57

Marion 175; Baylee Kelley 39; Sarah Capel 41; Ava Lewis 44; Avery Cornett 51

Olney 211; Caroline Glover 48; Megan Gibson 54; Rayne Goff 54; Taylor Runyon 55

From Coach Karin Kelsey: Mady Young tied  the school record today with her 2 under par, 34! She shares the school record with Lillian Gottman and former Lady Ace, Abbey Leighty.  She started the round with 2 birdies, followed by two pars and another birdie making her -3 after 5 holes. Mady had two more par holes and then ended up with a bogie on hole 16, bringing her score to -2, she pared the last hole to end the near perfect round. 

Lillian started the day with an eagle on 18.  She hit a long drive to the left side of the green and chipped it in! Her solid round of golf had  7 par holes, one bogie and the eagle. She placed 2nd over all with her 35 (-1).

Daisy played very well today. However, hole 12 caused her some trouble adding penalty strokes that affected the outcome of an otherwise solid round of golf. 

Maria’s 42 was another great round of golf. She continues to improve her score each match. 

Anna Gill played her “personal best” today! It’s so exciting to see how hard work pay off and that’s what happened for Anna today!

Lauren Hall continues to impress with her long game. She is a first year golfer and doing great. 

The Lady Aces are a very hard working group of girls. All of them put in many practice hours and it shows on game days! The team is now 18-1 and will travel to Centralia tomorrow for a triangular with Okawville. 

Aces Cross Country Competes In Olney Invitational

MCHS Cross Country teams traveled to Olney Central College on Saturday for the Olney Invitational.  The Aces finished 8th in the 14 team field which included several state ranked teams.  Gehrig Jones (17th) and Anthony Breyer (48th) both medaled to lead the Aces.  They were followed by Jason Miller (57th), Caleb Carwile (65th), Chase Keepes (69th) and Eric Leffler (76th) .

In the race, the Lady Aces did not field enough runners for a team score, but two of their runners ,medaled. Freshman, Lily Keepes finished 28th and Senior Jada Smith finishes 31st. Freshman, Jayla Smith missed medaling by one place finishing 51st.


The Aces next meet is Saturday, September 26th at Lawrenceville Invitational.

Lady Aces Now 16-1 After Avenging Only Loss Of Year

Mt. Carmel Lady Aces Golf

September 19, 2020

West Berwick Golf Course

Mt. Carmel 317

Massac County 330

Medalist Lilly Gottman

Mt. Carmel 317

Lilly Gottman 73; Mady Young  75; Daisy Schrader 80; Maria Kennard 89; Anna Gill 99; Lauren Hall 117

Massac County 330

McKinnley Korte 78; Lily Conkel 79; Alexis Frazier 83; Elise Coakley 90; Delaney Williams 93; Josie Walker 97

From Coach Karin Kelsey: What a great day for the Lady Aces! Our only loss this year was when Massac County beat us by 6 strokes at their Invite and today we bested them by 13 strokes for the win. Lady Aces are now 16-1. 

Daisy Schrader had a great finish today driving the green on 18 and making the 30 foot putt for Eagle! Daisy also had 6 part holes and a birdie to card an impressive 80.

Lilly Gottman, Today’s MEDALIST, was -2 on the front with 3 birdies and one bogie. On the back she added 2 more birdies but had 4 bogies. Ending the day with 73/+1!

Mady finished the day 75/+3. She had great ball striking, sending the ball down the fairway today was very impressive! Her extra strokes were on the putting green. 

Our freshman, Maria Kennard, played this 18 hole match very well. Maria continues to impress all of us with her swing and her ability to stay calm under the pressure of playing high school golf. She missed a few fairways but made it up on the green. Maria’s 89 was the final score that helped us with the win over Massac. County.

WVC Baseball Warriors Hold Pro Day

Wabash Valley College’s baseball team hosted a number of professional scouts, ranging from area scouts to national cross-checkers, for a showcase on Sept. 17. There were several in attendance representing the majority of the Major League clubs.

WVC Head Baseball Coach Rob Fournier stated the scouts “were there to see and evaluate our athletes, to determine who may be a fit for their organization in the future.”

In total, more than 30 MLB and college/university scouts were on hand to scope out the wealth of talent the WVC baseball Warriors have to offer.

“It was a great event for the guys. It allowed them to compete against one another, celebrate each other and showcase their skills in front of some great professional organizations. All around it was a great day,” said Fournier.

The importance of the event wasn’t lost on the team either. For two years straight, Warriors have been drafted into the MLB. In total, 103 former WVC baseball Warriors have been drafted into the MLB since 1986. 85 of those 103 were drafted under the leadership of Coach Fournier since 1997.

“We had a lot of positive interactions as there are a number of athletes who have the potential to play professionally,” said Fournier. “The guys responded well to having the scouts in attendance. They didn’t let the moment get too big for them.”

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Aces Boys "Shock" Olney With 10-Shot Win

From Coach John White: Thursday was another unexpected good day for our Aces. Our only encounter with the Olney Tigers was a couple of weeks ago in their 18 hole tournament. Today we were hoping to be more competitive on our course as they romped us at their place. We shocked them and ourselves with a 10 shot win, 169-179.


Gavin Smith had his first experience of Medalist honors shooting a 40 in spite of bogeys on his last 3 holes.
Beau Stipp enjoyed his first round of playing number 1 man with a fine round of 41.

Jarrett West started well, faltered in middle then finished well ended with a 42.

Owen Dougherty shot a 46 playing his first varsity match today.Owen overall struck the ball well but couldn’t overcome first round jitters in his short game.

Gage Kennard wasn’t having a good time having hit 3 balls OB and missing some short putts in route to a 48.

Maxwell Zimmerman had a perplexing day shooting a 51 after playing well a couple days ago at Robinson. That’s golf.

Several of our JV players had good rounds today. Andrew Goldman and Isaac Kieffer had solid rounds of 43 today. Konner Kelsey also struck it well with a 46, while Zeke Swanson had a 49. Most of the rest of the JV were in the low fifties. The opposing coach commented on how well many of the young boys were swinging. Some day they will see the light and start practicing the short game and we will hear comments about how well they are scoring.

Our next match will be next Monday at home against Olney again.

Lady Aces Golfers Swing Past Harrisburg

Mount Carmel Lady Aces Golf

Shawnee Hills Country Club

September 17, 2020

Co- Medalist Lilly Gottman and Mady Young

Mount Carmel 155

Lilly Gottman 36; Mady Young 36; Daisy Schrader 39; Maria Kennard 44; Anna Gill 51; Lauren Hall 52

Harrisburg 183

Madison McClusky 39; Frankie Leigh 41; Gracie Behnke 50; Kingsley Angelou 53; Ann Marie 62; Jaci Robinson 64

Up next for the Lady Aces is a match on Saturday at Mt Carmel’s West Berwick Golf Course at 11:00 am. The girls will play 18 holes against a very good Massac County team! 

From Coach Karin Kelsey:

It was a beautiful day for golf and the Lady Aces took advantage of it in their match with Harrisburg’s Lady Bulldogs. We had our lowest team score of the year, co-medalists, a perfect score card and an amazing birdie!⛳️
Mady and Lilly both played even par to receive Medalist Honors... Lilly played a perfect scorecard parring every hole! While Mady had one bogie and one birdie to add to her 7 pars. Daisy posted an impressive 39! ⛳️ and We were all happy for Lauren as she played her first birdie hole in a competition! Next up for the Lady Aces is Massac County at West Berwick Golf Course on Saturday September 19, at 11:00 am.

The Lady Aces are 15-1 and their only lose was to Massac when they beat the Aces by 6 strokes at their tournament in August. The girls will be playing 18 holes.

Photo Credit: MCHS Lady Aces Golf Facebook Page

Photo Credit: MCHS Lady Aces Golf Facebook Page

Pritzker Squashes Hopes For Fall High School Football

TUESDAY WE TOLD YOU THERE APPEARED TO BE A GLIMMER OF HOPE THAT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL MIGHT BE ABLE TO START NEXT MONTH. BUT YESTERDAY GOVERNOR J-B PRITZKER SQUASHED THOSE HOPES SAYING CONTACT SPORTS ARE STILL A NO-GO THIS FALL. LET US PLAY RALLIES ARE SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO AND SPRINGFIELD, WITH PARENTS, STUDENTS AND COACHES URGING THE GOVERNOR TO ALLOW THEM TO GET BACK ON THE FOOTBALL AND SOCCER FIELDS AND VOLLEYBALL COURTS. BUT PRITZKER SAYS IT'S STILL NOT SAFE.

PRITZKER CLAIMED THIS ISN'T A POLITICAL DECISION AND POINTS TO AN OUTBREAK AMONG THE FRONTIER COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL TEAM IN FAIRFIELD AS AN EXAMPLE OF WHY CERTAIN SPORTS SHOULD BE DELAYED. YESTERDAY, WABASH VALLEY COLLEGE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR MIKE CARPENTER REPORTED THERE HAVE BEEN NO POSITIVE COVID-19 CASES AMONG THE OVER 150 STUDENT-ATHLETES AT WVC OVER THE LAST MONTH WHEN PLAYERS CAME TO CAMPUS.

Jackets Come Back To Beat West Salem On 8th Grade Night

On Tuesday, September 15th, Yellow Jackets Baseball hosted West Salem in non-conference action.  It was also 8th grade night for Chase Gher and Reed Stinson.  The Yellow Jackets were asleep at the wheel for the first three innings, as they trailed West Salem 8-2.  But a huge fourth inning, 11 runs in all, put the Yellow Jackets on top 13-8.  The Yellow Jackets then tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to win the game 17-11.  Offensively for the Yellow Jackets:  Brendan Bowser had four singles, scored twice, and had five rbi's; Kasen Dulgar had three singles, a double, scored two runs, and had three rbi; Elliott Acree had a double, a walk, scored one run, and an rbi; Chase Gher had two singles and scored two runs; Brady Porter scored a run; Reed Stinson had two singles, a walk, scored three runs, and an rbi; Michael Smith had a single, walk, hit-by-pitch, scored three runs, and had an rbi; Rhett Andrews had a walk and scored two runs; Tristan Bray had a walk and scored a run; and Jax Gher had a walk.  Kasen Dulgar started on the mound and was relieved by Elliott Acree who ended up getting the pitching win.

The Yellow Jackets are now 2-6 overall and 1-4 in WEAA Conference play.  Next up:  Tuesday, September 22nd at home in the regular season finale and a WEAA Conference game against Clay City at 4:30 pm.

In the picture (from left to right): Chase Gher, Coach Justin Dulgar, and Reed Stinson.

In the picture (from left to right): Chase Gher, Coach Justin Dulgar, and Reed Stinson.

High School Football Still Possible This Fall In Illinois?

Could we still see Golden Aces football this fall? A rally will be held in Chicago and Springfield this weekend to support getting high school students back on the field of competition. The “Let Us Play” event will aim to fill the grounds of the Thompson Center and State Capitol with coaches, players, parents and supporters of returning all fall sports to action.

Currently in Illinois, high school football isn’t being played and supporters want that to change. East St. Louis head football coach Darren Sunkett is one of the organizers of the event and he says they have a plan to play football in just a few weeks.

Currently Illinois and Minnesota are the only states in the Midwest who have no plan to play high school football this fall.

Aces Golfers Win At Robinson

From Coach John White: Our Aces finally enjoyed an afternoon whereby we played a match performing closer to our potential. The Quail Creek CC, located in Robinson normally known for tight tree lined fairways and fast greens was the scene of our exhibition today. Our Aces overtook the Maroons 169-178.

Jarrett West came within a foot of acing his last hole for a 39. Jarrett who has been shooting low scores all year in practice rounds finally overcome the jitters and played well most of the day on the par 36 course.
Max Zimmerman’s 41 was more to his liking except for a triple bogey on the par 3 fifth hole. I have been waiting all year for these 2 seniors to show what they are capable of doing.
Long knocking Gavin Smith enjoyed most of his day while shooting 43.
For the most part Gage Kennard played well but let a couple of holes hurt his performance posting a 46.
Andrew Gillihan and Beau Stipp had struggles while seeing the course for the first time.
We took our jv team with us to play the course for the first time and overall played quite well.
Owen Dougherty was the bright spot of day by carding a 40 which was also his best score ever. Levi Beesley had good round of 47, while Isaac Kieffer and Andrew Goldman both had respectable 45. The rest of our team was in the low 50’s.
Our next match will at home Thursday against Olney.