Mt. Carmel-Robinson Football Game Pushed Back Due to Extreme Heat

Friday night’s Mt. Carmel Golden Aces varsity football game at Robinson will start later than originally scheduled due to the extreme heat.

The game between Mt. Carmel and Robinson on Friday, September 4th, has been pushed back to an 8 p.m. kickoff because of the extreme heat warning.

WSJD’s coverage will still begin at 7 p.m. with the one-hour pregame show. Kyle Peach and Rick Johnston will have the call of the game.

Again, Friday night’s Mt. Carmel at Robinson varsity football game will now kick off at 8 p.m.

Coverage begins at 7 p.m. on WSJD-FM 100.5 and wsjd.fm.

Jr. Lady Aces Fall To Robinson, 8-7

Aveah M collected three hits in five at bats, but Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 lost to NMS Softball 26 8-7 on Tuesday. Aveah doubled in the first inning, doubled in the third inning, and singled in the seventh inning.

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 lost despite out-hitting NMS Softball 26 nine to seven. Aveah led Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 with three hits.

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 got on the board in the first inning after Aveah doubled, scoring one run.

NMS Softball 26 took the lead in the bottom of the third inning after Avery B flew out, and Harper A grounded out, each scoring one run.

Willow G doubled to right field, which helped Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 tie the game at two in the top of the fourth.

NMS Softball 26 jumped back into the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning after Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 committed an error, Scout M grounded out, and Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 committed an error, each scoring one run.

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 captured the lead, 7-5, in the top of the seventh when Aveah singled, scoring one run, Olivia W doubled, scoring two runs, and an error scored one run.

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 committed an error, which helped NMS Softball 26 tie the game at seven in the bottom of the seventh.

Josie L led things off in the circle for Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26. The starter surrendered six hits and five runs (one earned) over five innings, striking out one and walking four. Ali M began the game for NMS Softball 26. The hurler gave up four hits and two runs (one earned) over four innings, striking out two and walking two.

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 collected nine hits in the game.

Scout led NMS Softball 26 with two runs batted in.  Avery went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead NMS Softball 26 in hits. Nala H collected two hits for NMS Softball 26 in four at bats.

Next up for Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 is a game against Flora on Wednesday.

Lady Aces Volleyball Report At Fairfield Tourney

The Lady Aces traveled to Fairfield on Saturday for tournament play.


They had some very close sets to start the day that didn’t fall their way. Losing to Norris City 22-25, 24-26, and then Carbondale in 3 sets 20-25, 25-13, and lost final 7-15. This took the girls to the bronze bracket where they were able to beat Woodlawn 25-21, 25-19, and Cisne 25-18, 28-26.

The team played together well today, and grew from the tournament. The second set against Cisne they fell into serve received trouble and got down 18 to 24, but didn’t shy away were able to come back for an exciting 28-26 win.

Stat totals for all 4 matches Lyla Keepes 2 aces, 33 kills, 35 digs, 2 assists, 1 block, Avery Coston 19 kills, 7 digs, 1 assist, 2 blocks, Gabby Schneider 7 aces, 42 assists, 4 digs, Kyleigh Smith 1 ace, 14 kills,1 block, 2 assists, 13 digs, Mylee Farmer 6 assist, 22 digs, Quincy Keepes 1 ace, 1 kill, 36 assists, 6 digs, Mercedes Dillard 3 aces, 9 digs, 3 assists, Cate Pyatt 5 aces, 25 kills, 3 blocks, 6  digs, Leah Lewis 4 kills, 6 digs, Ryleigh Gill 2 aces, 10 digs, Caroline Blake 5 kills, 2 digs, 1 block, Presley Stevens 6 kills, 1 dig, 3 blocks.

The girls will travel to Oblong on Tuesday for JV and Varsity play.

Comments by Assistant coach Bonnie Keepes

Photos by the team

Jr. Aces Advance To Conference Championship Game

It was a battle of unbeaten squads in the 7th/8th grade contest at Lawrenceville on
Saturday night, with the Jr. Aces pulling away in the 4th quarter for a 36-22 victory. The
win secures the South division and a spot in the conference championship for the 7th/8th
graders. The 6th grade team fell in their game 42-0.


The Jr. Aces got on the board in the first quarter with an 11 yard touchdown run by
James Brewer (Brewer two point conversion run). After a Lawrenceville score, Mt.
Carmel’s Tucker Buss punched in a 4 yard touchdown run to put the Jr. Aces ahead 14-
6.


Brewer rumbled in for a 6 yard score and added the conversion run in the second
quarter. A late first half interception by Bennett Witsman stopped the Jr. Indians in the
red zone and led to a halftime score of 22-6.


After a Jr. Indians touchdown run early in the 3rd quarter, Mt. Carmel responded with an 86 yard burst from Brewer for a 28-14 lead (2pt conversion pass failed). Lawrenceville
closed the gap with another touchdown run and the Jr. Aces held onto a 28-22 lead
heading to the 4th quarter.


The final Jr. Aces score was produced after a seven play drive, capped by Brewer’s
fourth rushing touchdown of the game (Brewer conversion run).


A swarming defensive effort limited Lawrenceville to 146 total yards. The Jr. Aces were
led on defense by team captain Wade Duckworth’s 4 tackles for loss.


Offensive Stats


Rushing – James Brewer 19 attempts for 252 yards (4TDs), Jaxson McCleave 4
attempts for 40 yards, DeSean Knowles 2 attempts for 26 yards, Tucker Buss 4
attempts for 12 yards (1TD)


Passing – James Brewer, 4 completions in 5 attempts for 44 yards


Receiving – Dion Cirunay 2 catches for 21 yards, Cade Wilcox 1 catch for 21 yards,
Bentley Andrews 1 catch for 2 yards


The 6th grade team was led in rushing by Drake Pinnick with 60 yards. Stryker Pearson
ran for 30 yards and Tyson Gourley added 20 yards on the ground.


After an off week for Labor Day, the Jr. Aces teams will host Paris on September 12.

Mt. Carmel Cross Country Report From Coach Matt McCarty

🏃‍♀️💨 ACES CROSS COUNTRY KICKS OFF THE SEASON! 💨🏃‍♂️

The HS and JH Cross Country teams opened their season Saturday at the Tom Wickman Invitational in Fairfield, and the Aces got off to a great start with several strong individual performances!

🏆 HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY

Girls — 2.75 Miles
Freshman Ava Alka led the Lady Aces in her first-ever high school meet, turning in an impressive performance by finishing 6th out of 40 runners with a time of 20:41! 

Boys — 2.75 Miles
Sophomore Zane Swinson paced the Aces boys, finishing 6th out of 59 runners with a strong time of 17:08! 

🏆 JUNIOR HIGH VARSITY

Girls — 2 Miles
7th grader Chloe Alka led the Jr. Lady Aces across the finish line, placing an impressive 5th out of 42 runners with a time of 13:37! 

Boys — 2 Miles
8th grader Cade Wilcox was the top runner for the Jr. Aces, finishing 7th out of 52 runners with a time of 12:21! 

🏆 JUNIOR HIGH JV

Girls — 1 Mile
5th grader Laikley Bolden led the Jr. Lady Aces, finishing 24th out of 37 runners with a time of 8:32!

Boys — 1 Mile
In the final race of the day, 5th grader Tysen Gourley closed things out with a fantastic 4th-place finish out of 45 runners, crossing the finish line in 6:54! 🔥

Congratulations to all of our Aces runners on a great opening meet!

Lady Aces Volleyball Report

The Lady Aces faced Edwards County at the hilltop on Thursday night. The Varsity Aces had a big run in the first set but strung together a run of errors losing 20-25, and 20-25 the second set. They have to forget errors and go to the next ball, but instead just continued to play tight Thursday night.
Stat totals Lyla Keepes 1 ace, 6 kills, 2 digs, Avery Coston 3 kills, 1 dig, Gabby Schneider 1 ace, 5 assists, 2 digs, Mylee Farmer 1 assist, 5 digs, Quincy Keepes 3 assists, 4 digs, Mercedes Dillard 1 ace 1 dig, Cate Pyatt 1 ace, 2 kills, 2 blocks, 2  digs.  Leila Sweeney 4 digs, Presley Stevens 1 kills.
The JV team played much more confident  tonight, but Edwards County put up a strong defense and won both sets 23-25, 20-25, but I look to see great things from this group.
JV stats Caroline Blake 3 aces, 3 kills, 3 digs, Quinn Rooney 4 aces, 1 kill, 5 digs, Mia Dickerson 1 kill, 2 digs, 1 block, Kennedy Krajac 1 ace, Ryleigh Gill 1 aces, 9 digs, 1 assist, Harper Warnken 1 dig, 5 assists, Macy Glenn 1 dig, Destiny Dongu 1 dig.
The Frosh lost the first set 20-25, and the second set won 18-11. They ran out of time to finish but played with good momentum.
The Aces will be in Fairfield Saturday for tournament play starting with NCOE at 9:30.
Comments by Coach Bonnie Keepes
Photo credit Nichole Loudermilk

Lady Aces Tennis Opens At Olney

Mt. Carmel - 3, Olney (Richland County) - 6,

Singles:
No. 1 - Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel def. Petra Zerkle, Olney (Richland County), 7-6 (4), 6-2 , -;
No. 2 - Piper Berger, Olney (Richland County) def. Alivia Peach, Mt. Carmel, 7-6 (3), 6-3 , -;
No. 3 - Adrienne Weidner, Olney (Richland County) def. Hadlie Scott, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-0 , -;
No. 4 - Claire Steele, Olney (Richland County) def. Kate Andrews, Mt. Carmel, 7-6 (2), 6-3 , -;
No. 5 - Ryen Gray, Olney (Richland County) def. Bayley Andrews, Mt. Carmel, 4-6 , 6-1 , 12-10 ;
No. 6 - Ezha Biyok, Olney (Richland County) def. Adrienne Lawrence, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-2 , -;

Doubles:
No. 1 - Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel - Alivia Peach, Mt. Carmel def. Adrienne Weidner, Olney (Richland County) - Ezha Biyok, Olney (Richland County), 6-4 , 6-4 , -;
No. 2 - Piper Berger, Olney (Richland County) - Ryen Gray, Olney (Richland County) def. Kate Andrews, Mt. Carmel - Madi Riggs, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-3 , -;
No. 3 - Bayley Andrews, Mt. Carmel - Addison Tennis, Mt. Carmel def. Claire Steele, Olney (Richland County) - Taliyah Troyer, Olney (Richland County), 6-2 , 7-5 , -;

Soccer Aces Fall In Season Opener

From Coach Ed Berberich:

The Soccer Aces kicked off their season by traveling to Princeton Wednesday night to take on their old Big 8 rival, losing 1-01. Princeton scored 9 first half goals & added 2 in the 2nd.  

The Tigers are a good team, they're well coached & they have an experienced group this year. We're kind of on the far end of the spectrum in terms of experience this season as we have more freshmen than any other class, and most of our upperclassmen are new to the game within the past year or 2. A lot of these guys worked hard all summer and we've improved skill-wise over the past year, but we still have a lot to learn in terms of our positioning & knowing where to be on the field at all times. A team like Princeton is going to be pretty ruthless in taking advantage of that, and being our 1st game, we knew we were going to struggle with those types of things. The learning goes for us coaches as well in terms of who fits best where positionally, especially with so many new players. We have a couple positions that we're pretty sure of but need to figure out the rest, which will take some time & some experimentation. 

There's talent on this team, so we'll continue to improve and learn together. We showed some good stuff in pockets during the match but couldn't sustain it consistently or for long. But this result doesn't dampen my enthusiasm for our group at all, it just reinforces the need for some patience. There aren't any shortcuts to gaining the experience needed to compete at the level we want to be at so we'll just have to continue working and taking those steps all season.

The Aces next travel to Olney on Thursday 9/3 to take on Richland County at 6 pm.

Aces Golf Stays Hot

From Coach Abbey Carpenter:

Aces shoot 2 under as a team!
Another great round for the Aces. We also got to see out while team come out and okay very well. The future is bright for this team! ⛳️

Medalist- Zane Wilcox (-3)
Hatcher Kanipe (-2)
Logan Mobley (even)
Colton McGee (38)
Drake Stevenson (44)
Zac Cirunay (44)
Joel Schneider (46)
Brady Hershey (46)
Dean Belt (49)
Isaac Trap (65)

We play again Thursday at home against a Lawrenceville and Edward’s County! Keep it up boys!

Lady Aces Fall In 3 Games To Carmi In Season Opener

The Lady Aces faced Carmi at the hilltop for their season opener on Monday night. 

The Varsity Aces had a strong start winning the first set 25-20.  The second set the Aces fell into a bit of en error run  giving up some on serve receive and attacking errors, but only dropped it 23-25. The final set the student section came to life and the Aces had some great defense but came up short dropping the match 22-25. Lyla Keepes came up big with a double, double, 10 kills, and 12 digs, Quincy Keepes with 15 assist, while Cate Pyatt lead fromthe line with 5 Aces. 

Coach Willis said this was the best start to the season she has had in her time coaching against Carmi. She said she’s had teams freeze up with nerves being the first game and tonight they battled through the whole match. 

Stat totals Lyla Keepes 1 ace, 10 kills, 1 assist, 12 digs, Leah Lewis 1 kill, 1 dig, Avery Coston 1 ace, 3 kills, 1 block, 2 digs, Gabby Schneider 1 ace, 10 assists, 1 dig, Kyleigh Smith 6 kills, 2 assists, 4 digs,  Mylee Farmer 2 aces, 1 assist, 3 digs, Quincy Keepes 1 kill, 15 assists, 2 digs, Mercedes Dillard 1 assist, 1 dig, Cate Pyatt 5 aces, 7 kills, 5 digs.  Presley Stevens 6 kills, 1 dig. 

The JV team started a bit timid. It’s a young squad. Their first time playing at the high school can bring some nerves. The Aces dropped both sets 21-25, 15-25, but I look to see great things from this group. 

JV stats Caroline Blake 2 kills, 2 digs, Quinn Rooney 3 kills, 7 digs, Mia Dickerson 1 ace, 1 kill, Kennedy Krajac 3 aces, 1 kill, Ryleigh Gill 2 aces, 2 digs, Harper Warnken 1 ace, 4 digs, 7 assists. 

The Frosh lost the first set 7-25, and the second set they started talking more and played much better with a 17-25 score. 

The Aces will be back at home on Thursday to face Edwards County with Frosh starting at 5:00. Come up and support the Lady Aces! 

Comments by Coach Bonnie Keepes 

Big 2nd Inning Sends Jr. Lady Aces Past Albion

Score was 12-1

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 scored 10 runs in the second inning, which helped them defeat Albion Grade School Lions '26 12-1 on Tuesday.  Lexi S singled, scoring one run, Josie L singled, scoring two runs, Alyvia T singled, scoring one run, Willow G doubled, scoring one run, Chloe M doubled, scoring two runs, Addison A doubled, scoring two runs, and a steal of home scored one run.

Albion Grade School Lions '26 were the first to get on the board in the first when an error scored one run.

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 took the lead in the bottom of the first inning after Olivia W singled down the left field line, and Willow singled, each scoring one run.

Josie earned the win for Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26. The righty surrendered four hits and one run over five innings, striking out two and walking one. Lynnley M took the loss for Albion Grade School Lions '26. The hurler went two and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits, striking out one and walking two. Kami F began the game for Albion Grade School Lions '26. The starting pitcher gave up six hits and eight runs (seven earned) over one and one-third innings, striking out one and walking two.

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 piled up 12 hits in the game. Lexi, Willow, Addison, and Olivia each collected two hits for Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26. Addison, Chloe, and Josie each drove in two runs for Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26. Addison stole two bases. Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 turned two double plays in the game.

Rosen B, Abigail W, Lillian H, and Kali C each collected one hit for Albion Grade School Lions '26. Kami led Albion Grade School Lions '26 with one run batted in.

Next up for Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces ‘26 is a game at Lady Bullpups on Thursday.

JV Tied 9-9


Jr. Aces Football Splits With Robinson

The Jr. Aces Football teams traveled to Robinson for a conference match up with the Jr. Maroons on Saturday. The 6th grade game went to overtime where the Jr. Aces were denied a two point conversion and fell 8-6. The 7th/8th graders controlled their game early in route to a 36-12 victory.

The 6th grade team held Robinson scoreless through four quarters with a strong team defensive performance. Tyson Gourley contributed multiple tackles and Parker Reel recovered a fumble. On offense, Stryker Pearson rushed for 55 yards and Braxton Simpson added 45 yards. Gourley caught a pair of passes from Drake Pinnick totaling 40 yards. Pinnick had a 10 yard rushing touchdown in the overtime period.

In the 7th/8th grade game, Nash Cooley stopped Robinson’s first drive with a tackle on 4th and 2 to give the Aces the ball. From there, the Jr. Aces went 41 yards in 3 plays to take a 6-0 lead on a 39 yard run by James Brewer. The Jr. Aces struck again in the first quarter on an 8 yard pass from Brewer to Desean Knowles. Jaxson McCleave added a run on the two point conversion making the score 14-0. Brewer ran for a 10 yard TD in the 2nd quarter to make the halftime score 22-0 after a conversion pass to Dion Cirunay.

Second half scoring included a 38 yard run by Desean Knowles (conversion failed) and a 3 yard run by James Brewer (Dion Cirunay conversion reception).


The Jr. Aces defense was led in tackles by Wade Duckworth and Nash Cooley.


Brewer logged 129 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 10 carries. Jaxson McCleave added 46 yards on 5 attempts. DeSean Knowles took 2 carries for 40 yards and a TD. Eli Meier added 2 carries for 19 yards. The offensive line, receivers, and running back Tucker Buss made key blocks all game.

Quarterback James Brewer went 4-5 passing for 74 yards and a touchdown. Dion Cirunay caught 3 passes for 66 yards.

The 7th/8th graders improve to 3-0 on the season and the 6th grade team is 1-2. The Jr. Aces play at Lawrenceville on Saturday August 29.

Lady Aces 2nd At Metropolis

From Coach Karin Kelsey: I'm so proud of this team! The girls have been working hard at practices! Every one of them had some great holes to be proud of ! We placed 2nd at the Patriot Invite with a team score of 349. Miranda carded an 82 earning her 4th place medal and Makaya posted an 86 and received the 5th place medal!

Also playing Saturday were: Ella 7th place; Karis 10th place; Sarah 13th place and Makenlee 33rd!

Next up is a home match with Robinson on Tuesday.

Stats From Mt. Carmel 50, DuQuoin 22

Mt. Carmel vs DuQuoin

August 21, 2026

Mt. Carmel

Rushing Deisher 16 carries 179 yards (4 TD

Militoni 10 carries 111 yards (1 TD)

Garrett 2 carries 8 yards

Kling 2 caries 4 yards

TOTALS 30 carries 302 yards (5 TD’S)

Passing Deisher 13 completions 15 attempts 241 yards (2 TD & 1 INT)

TOTALS 13 completions 15 attempts 241 yards (2 TD & 1 INT)

Receiving Meador 5 catches 148 yards (2 TD)

Fullop 1 catch. 34 yards

Wiggins 2 catches 23 yards

Militoni 2 catches 21 yards

Krup 2 catches 9 yards

Blake 1 catch 6 yards

TOTALS 13 catches 241 yards (2 TD)

Penalties 9 – 75 yards

Fumbles 0

Interceptions 0

Punts 0

First Downs 20

_______________________________________________________________

DuQuoin Rushing 42 – 162 yards

Adams 25 carries – 176 yards (3 TD)

McConnel 5 carries – 23 yards

Miller 3 carries – 0 yards

Knapp 1 carry - -4 yards

Numi 3 carries - -6 yards

Henderson 5 carries - -27 yards

Passing 5 – 9 = 47 yards

Henderson 5-9=47 yards

Receiving 5 catches 47 yards

McConnel 3 catches - 24 yards

Miller 2 catches – 23 yards

Penalties 6 – 30 yards

Fumbles 5 (3 Lost – 2 kept)

Interceptions 1

Punts 2 (29 yard avg)

First Downs 15

SCORING

1st QUARTER

8:29 3 YD TD RUN BY DEISHER MT.C 6 DUQ 0

PAT KICK FAILED

4:23 8 YD TD RUN BY ADAMS MT.C 6 DUQ 6

PAT RUN FAILED

4:04 50 YD TD RUN BY MILITONI MT. C 12 DUQ 6

PAT RUN FAILED

2ND QUARTER

10:32 3 YD TD RUN BY DEISHER MT.C 20 DUQ 6

PAT RUN BY DEISHER

7:11 25 YD TD PASS FROM DEISHER TO MEADOR MT.C 28 DUQ 6

PAT RUN BY KLING

2:26 5 YD TD RUN BY ADAMS MT.C 28 DUQ 14

PAT RUN BY ADAMS

HALFTIME SCORE

MT. CARMEL 28 DUQUOIN 14

3RD QUARTER

5:06 1 YD TD RUN BY DEISHER MT.C 35 DUQ 14

PAT KICK GOOD BY WOODS

:55 13 YD TD RUN BY ADAMS MT. C 35 DUQ 22

PAT RUN BY ADAMS

4TH QUARTER

11:48 67 YARD TD PASS BY DEISHER TO MEADOR MT. C 43 DUQ 22

PAT RUN BY DEISHER

6:38 74 YD TD RUN BY DEISHER MT. C 50 DUQ 22

PAT KICK GOOD BY WOODS

FINAL SCORE

MT. CARMEL 50 DUQUOIN 22