ExpandA photo of a Grundy County Sheriff's Office squad car
Coal City police and Grundy County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two Iowa residents Thursday who fled police in a vehicle reported as stolen
Police said in a Thursday news release that Robert S
White is charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle
and on a warrant for vehicle theft out of Council Bluffs
He’s being held in the Grundy County Jail awaiting extradition to Iowa
Boren was charged with obstructing an officer and given a notice to appear in court
Grundy County received a notice from a Flock camera near Lorenzo Road and Interstate 55 that a 2025 Mazda marked as stolen from Council Bluffs was found unoccupied in a wooden area on South First Avenue in Coal City
Deputies and Coal City police officers searched the area with dogs and drones
Police called off their search around 11:30 p.m
who was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle
driving with a revoked license and obstructing a police officer in Coal City on Thursday
(Photo provided by Grundy County Sheriff's Office)
Thursday to a home on Campbell Drive in Richards Crossing for the report of a stolen garbage can
The resident shared video of two people taking a garbage can around 2 a.m.
and police said they thought the two who took the garbage can were the people who allegedly stole the vehicle
Police said they focused their search area in the northwest portion of Richards Crossing north of Spring Road
and found the garbage can lying on its side at 10:40 a.m
Police said they found White and Boren hiding inside the can
and police said White had the vehicle’s keys
who was charged with obstructing an officer Thursday
Michael UrbanecMichael Urbanec covers Grundy County and the City of Morris, Coal City, Minooka, and more for the Morris Herald-News
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
ExpandCoal City Theatre Department's cast for its performance of "Sweeney Todd." (Photo provided by Coal City Theatre Department)
The Coal City High School Theatre Department’s production of “Sweeney Todd” has been nominated for Best Musical Production in the 2025 Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards
This year’s program saw a record number of submissions
and Coal City was one of five schools selected
according to a release from the school district
It’s the fourth consecutive year being nominated for the award
and it means Coal City is the most nominated program for Best Production and Best direction in the program’s 14-year history
Mason Natyshok was also nominated for Best performer in an Actor Role for his portrayal of Beadle Bamford
He is one of 12 actors in the state nominated
and will compete to earn a spot at the Jimmy Awards
“I wanted to extend a huge congratulations to our entire cast
crew and creative team of ‘Sweeney Todd,’” said Director Jack Micetich
and everyone who continues to support this program and its students.”
who was nominated for Best Actor for his performance as Beadle Bamford in "Sweeney Todd." (Photo provided by Coal City Theatre Department)
high-fives head coach Mike Bushnell as he rounds third base to score on a home run during a game at Coal City Monday
COAL CITY – In Monday’s Illinois Central Eight Conference showdown of its top two teams, Wilmington and Coal City, the action started early.
As it turned out, Wilmington was more than ready to go.
Wilmington’s first batter of the game, Ryan Kettman, swatted a home run to start a 15-hit Wildcats attack, and Lucas Rink limited Coal City to two hits in a near complete game as the Wildcats rolled to a 9-0 victory.
“I think the kids just came with the right mindset today,” Wilmington coach Mike Bushnell said. “They were ready to go.
“I’ve really got nothing negative to say about today’s game. I thought it was all positive. All around they were hyper-focused, with great approaches at the plate. Couldn’t ask for anything better.”
ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 9Wilmington's Declan Moran, front, dives to field a throw to third base as Coal City's Dylan Young dives into third during a game at Coal City Monday, April 21, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)
After Kettman led off the game with a home run, it did take a while for Wilmington (11-6, 7-0) to score again. But seemingly every inning the Wildcats threatened, stretching the lead to 4-0 in the third on a two-run blast from Kyle Farrell and tacking on two more in the sixth to blow the game open.
All the support Rink needed came with Kettman’s homer, as Rink comfortably worked his way through the Coal City (14-4, 6-1) lineup. He finished with 10 strikeouts, allowing just a second-inning single to Donnie Ladas and a sixth-inning base hit to Connor Henline.
He just missed pitching a complete game, too, having been removed for relief pitcher Kettman because of his pitch count. The reliever promptly picked off a Coal City base runner to end the game without retiring a batter.
“I felt good,” Rink said. “I mean, the slider’s been my No. 1 pitch for the past couple of years, and whenever that’s working, I seem to find success.”
Wilmington's Lucas Rink throws a pitch during a game at Coal City Monday, April 21, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)
Rink never faced more than five batters in an inning, and only one Coal City base runner advanced past second base.
And although he didn’t need much offensive support, the Wildcats definitely supplied it as every spot in the Wilmington lineup reached base at least once. Shawn James led the potent attack with a four-hit day, while Farrell, Dierks Geiss, Cooper Holman and Drew Jackson all chipped in two-hit performances.
“We just took the momentum, and we never gave it back,” Rink said. “It’s always good to see that, and especially when your leadoff man who’s been struggling finally comes out of his shell and unloads on one, that’s great to see. And everybody gets behind him, and the momentum carries over.”
The Wildcats, who finished third in Class 2A last season, finally seem to be hitting their stride after maneuvering their way through a brutal nonconference schedule. Wilmington has lost just one game to a Class 2A school (Bishop McNamara in the season opener), but has experienced other setbacks against some of the state’s stronger, larger programs.
“It is by design,” Bushnell said. “And even though you tell the kids, ‘You know what we are doing here?’ it can still be tough, making sure that those kids stay together and they don’t lose confidence.
“I think we started 1-4, and it doesn’t matter who you are playing, that can be tough on a team. That might not work out for every team, but this team, I knew they can handle something like that, and I think it is really going to benefit us down the stretch.”
ExpandHerscher's Gianni Jaime moves the ball as Coal City's Kylee Kennell steps in to challenge her during the game in Herscher on April 24
Those streaks were both put to the test in Herscher on Thursday.
Tied 1-1 at halftime, neither team would yield for most of the second half. Then with just 3:27 to go, Herscher’s Gianni Jaime gathered a pass from Gianna High, turned and sent it into the net for the game-winning goal.
The Tigers improved to 5-0 in ICE play with the win and 12-2-2 overall. Coal City dropped to 3-2 in conference play and 9-4-1 on the season.
Jaime’s game-winning goal was the 57th in the career of the junior forward, moving her into fourth place on the school’s all-time scoring list. She said it was nice to add another goal to her tally, especially one that put the team over the top late.
“Since we were tied most of the game, it was definitely exciting to get that goal,” she said. “It was good to have my girls there with me, to celebrate with them. I’m excited to see what the future has for me with goals.”
It was Coal City that got on the scoreboard first when Anayi Mayorga found the back of the net just over three minutes into the game. The Tigers knotted things up with about four minutes to go in the first half when High collected a pass from Jaime and scored on a breakaway.
Jaime and High continued to be a productive duo for the Tigers with a goal and an assist each on Thursday. Herscher head coach Chris Longtin said it has been nice to see them develop throughout the season, and with Jaime being a junior and High a sophomore, they have the chance to keep doing damage in the future.
“They’re coming back next year as a senior and junior, so that’s going to be a nice combination,” he said. “All the way down our spine there is solid, so having some top performances and having them dig a little deeper to try to get that ball in and keep working, it was nice we could squeak one out.”
Herscher's Leia Haubner, center, and Coal City's Hayden Francisco, left, chase down a loose ball during the game in Herscher on April 24, 2025. (Nicholas Holstein)
Also coming through for the Tigers was sophomore defender Leia Haubner. Anchoring the defense that held the Coalers off the scoreboard for the final 77 minutes of the game, Longtin said she did a great job turning away several of Coal City’s scoring chances and getting the ball moving in the opposite direction.
“That girl is stepping up big back there,” he said. “She’s helping a freshman right next to her learn how to play that position. She just positions herself perfectly to pick off that ball and start our attack, basically it comes from her. Her and [goalkeeper Danica Woods] back there are tremendous, strong and some good leaders.”
The Coalers were already a bit shorthanded coming into Thursday’s game down a couple of starters, and had two more starters come out during the game with injuries. Head coach Todd Painter had to fill the gap with JV players who were up for the game, and despite some inexperience on the field and players playing in unfamiliar spots, he said he was very happy with how they competed.
“I told the girls at halftime that with the pieces we had, it was like playing chess but your pieces are in the wrong spot,” he said. “Our girls just dug deep and really fought hard to keep us in that game when we weren’t in our regular positions and we weren’t at full strength. Against Herscher, which is one of the best teams we are going to face, I am very proud of what they just did today.”
Coal City's Anayi Mayorga, left, reacts to scoring in the first half of the game against Herscher on April 24, 2025. (Nicholas Holstein)
While they had to fight without some key pieces Thursday, Painter said he expects his team to really come together should they get healthier by the start of the postseason, and perhaps have a chance for another clash with Herscher.
“If we can get back to full strength before we hit regionals, we have a good chance of going far,” he said. “As [Herscher assistant coach Alan High] just said, ‘I look forward to seeing you in the sectional championships.’ We both have pretty good confidence in our teams this year and I have all the faith in mine.”
STREATOR – The Coal City baseball team was presented with a couple opportunities for big innings early in Monday’s Illinois Central Eight Conference visit to Streator
The Bulldogs, when given the same opportunities in the middle innings, did not.
That proved to be the difference in Coal City’s 10-5 victory at the SHS Athletic Fields, with the visitors’ seven runs in the top halves of the first two innings holding up while the Bulldogs left 11 on base, including six in the third and fourth innings.
“That was really, really nice to get off to a good start there,” Coal City coach Greg Wills said. “We had a couple big hits, a couple hit by pitches to give us some baserunners, and we managed to get them in.
“[Streator] is always tough. This is my 30th year coaching baseball in Coal City, and I never remember it being easy over here.”
Coal City – which came in off of its first two losses of the season Saturday to Plainfield North – improves to 13-2 overall and 5-0 in the ICE.
Streator slips to 6-8, 2-3 ahead of the teams’ series finale Tuesday in Coal City.
The Coalers’ four-run first inning featured an RBI single by left fielder Blake Doss and a two-run single off the bat of second baseman Dylan Young. Young would go on to add a third RBI with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.
“We were able to put the ball in play with two strikes,” Young said. “We’ve been really working on ‘don’t get beat away,’ and when [Streator starter Jake Hagie] threw it away, we were making him pay, just putting the ball in play. On a field like this you’ve got to put it in play.”
Coal City followed its four-run first with three more in the second including a Connor Henline RBI single. Streator throwing errors opened the door in both innings. Even though only one run was earned, those seven runs chased Hagie (2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K) in favor of reliever Isaiah Weibel.
The hard-throwing Weibel (5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 K) did an admirable job keeping his team in the game. At the same time, the Streator offense climbed back into it with one run in the second (Colin Byers solo home run) and two each in the third (Weibel two-run double) and fourth (Keegan Angelico two-RBI single).
A big inning that would have offset Coal City’s early runs, however, eluded the Bulldogs, who left the bases loaded in the third and the fourth innings.
“The biggest thing I talked to them about after the game, we had the bases loaded with one out, we’re still in the ballgame, and we had back-to-back strikeouts,” Streator coach Beau Albert said. “And then the same thing happened in the fourth inning when it was 8-5, bases loaded and a strikeout again.
“The memo to the kids after the game: If we can find ways to put the ball in play with runners in scoring position, we can be tough to beat, too. When we get empty at-bats ... that’s going to kill you.”
Streator never really threatened the Coalers after that thanks to the work of left-handed pitchers Lance Cuddy (win, 5 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 13 K) and Ethan Olson (2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K).
Cuddy finished with three hits and two runs scored, Gavin Berger with two hits and four runs scored and Yound with the aforementioned three RBIs for Coal City. Gage McHugh, Henline, Olson and Doss added a hit and an RBI apiece.
For Streator, Angelico finished 3 for 3 with two RBIs, Weibel drove home two, Byers provided his solo home run, and Blaize Bressner had a pair of Baltimore chop infield singles.
ExpandHigh school students across the 53rd State Senate District recently visited the Illinois State Capitol by participating in the Youth Advisory Council courtesy of State Senator Chris Balkema
(Photo provided by office of State Senator Chris Balkema)
State Sen. Chris Balkema, R-Channahon. recently welcomed high school students across the 53rd Senate District to the Illinois State Capitol for his Youth Advisory Council
The program offered students a firsthand look at state government operations
“I wanted to be a part of the Youth Advisory Council because I am very interested in the structure of government and political science,” Alec Waliczek from Coal City High School said in a news release from Balkema’s office
“We got to sit in the seats of the Senators and House of Representatives and learn all about the members
I also learned about trust through government today and voting in what you believe in and what’s right,” he said
The YAC program allows students to engage directly in the legislative process through a hands-on simulation
participants filled roles such as legislators
and concerned citizens as they debated a bill focused on ensuring clean drinking water in schools
a topic that resonated deeply with students and sparked thoughtful discussion
“Even if you do not have a position of high authority in your state’s politics
you can still make a difference,” Addison Huber from Prairie Central High School said in the release
“The state officials always seem far away at first
especially when you are younger; they seem too busy that you can’t talk to them
but it is really cool to come and learn that they have offices close to us and they want to hear from us,” Huber said
the YAC is about more than learning government
it’s about empowering the next generation of leaders
“These students brought passion and great ideas to the table,” Balkema said in the release
“It’s inspiring to watch them take initiative on an issue as important as clean water in our schools
I hope this experience shows them that their voices truly matter.”
Balkema’s Youth Advisory Council is held each school year and is open to high school students in the 53rd Senate District
Students or educators interested in future opportunities are encouraged to reach out to the senator’s district office
Shaw Local News NetworkShaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois
ExpandAlyssa Pens and her brother Anthony watch TV in their livingroom on Monday
They both have heredity spastic paraplegia type 35 and require round-the-clock health care
Both are medically fragile and non-verbal and their condition is progressive
The family needs an accessible van for times they need to transport the siblings
(Gary Middendorf/gmiddendorf@shawmedia.com)
A Coal City family is raising money for an accessible van to transport their severely disabled young adult and teen to doctor appointments
“It looks like an ICU in our living room,” said Gina Pens
Gina serves as Alyssa’s primary caretaker, while Sherry cares primarily for Anthony, who is “medically complicated,” said Dr. Mary E. Keen
who works in pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern Medicine Marionjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton and cares for the siblings
Sherry Pens (right) talks with her children Anthony and Alyssa on Monday
Both Anthony and Alyssa have gastrostomy tubes
Anthony also has a tracheostomy as well as an ileostomy
“The only time [Anthony’s] been out was November
when he had to get his feeding tube changed
Their disease is so rare that only 51 people in 19 families are documented in medical literature
Gina created a GoFundMe page to raise money for the accessible van
but the page is struggling to find supporters
Alyssa Pens holds her brother Anthony's hand Monday
Danny said their 2015 van cannot be converted and estimated that a new van with the conversion could cost $70,000
Anthony has been in a car once since “he got really sick in 2021,” Gina said
when he had to get his feeding tube changed,” Gina said
“And we had to get an ambulance for that.”
whose disease progressed much more quickly than Anthony’s
Sherry said she still can transport Alyssa in the old family van
is getting more challenging as Alyssa grows
her condition declines and her parents age
Alyssa has heredity spastic paraplegia type 35 and requires around-the-clock health care
As Alyssa's illness progressed through the years
“It’s also getting harder to pick Alyssa up and move her to chairs,” Sherry said
The family also could use some respite care
or for someone to stay with Anthony when they need to take Alyssa to her appointments
“But we were denied for home health,” Gina said
“Anthony also has a doctor that comes once a month,” Gina said
“And [Anthony and Alyssa] also have palliative care.”
Anthony has heredity spastic paraplegia type 35 and requires around-the-clock health care
As Anthony's illness progressed through the years
The palliative care providers also visit Anthony and Alyssa monthly
Gina said she has two other siblings who don’t have the rare disease
It was not immediately apparent in Anthony and Alyssa
Doctors simply considered their development a little “slow.” Over time
Gina said Anthony and Alyssa are happy and smile often
Alyssa Pens and her brother Anthony share a laugh Monday
“It’s just that they can’t communicate,” Gina said
In her head she is probably trying to tell us
Gina had previously turned to GoFundMe to help with medical bills, but the effort has raised less than half of the $20,000 she requested. When the fundraiser stalled
An account for donations is available at Old National Bank
Gina said people can make out checks to “For the benefit of Anthony and Alyssa Pens” or “FBO Anthony and Alyssa Pens.”
To donate, visit gofund.me/3ea52c75.
ExpandCoal City senior Kylee Kennell (Brian Hoxsey)
STREATOR — The Coal City girls soccer team allowed an early goal in Thursday’s Illinois Central Eight Conference match against Streator at the James Street Recreation Area.
However, Coalers’ senior Kylee Kennell evened the contest just under midway through the opening half, then gave her the club the lead for good with 10 minutes remaining in an eventual 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs.
The win improved Coal City to 6-1-1 overall and 2-1 in league play, while Streator dropped to 3-9 and 0-3.
“We did not start the match well,” Coal City coach Todd Painter said. “At halftime I had two points I made to the girls. The first was we needed to not give them the space we were giving them. We needed to put on more pressure. Then the second thing was a reminder that this was a conference match, it’s a big deal, and we weren’t playing that way.
“We host a three-match tournament on Saturday, and all the girls are looking forward to it. But I felt like we forgot a little bit about how this game matters too. I feel the reminder at halftime helped as well played a much better second half and did a lot of the little things we weren’t doing in the first half.”
The hosts grabbed the lead just 111 seconds into the match as senior Ady Lopez took a centering pass from Audrey Arambula and put a shot past Coalers keeper Cjloe Pluger (four saves).
“Everything we did leading up to the goal was what we are supposed to do,” Lopez said. “Audrey pressured the girl with the ball, stole it, and then made a perfect pass to me from the outside in. From there I was able to make a touch as the goalie came out and was able to get around her and score.
“We have a younger team, so we are still trying to figure things out. Getting the lead so early was great, but I think, not that we stopped playing hard, but we stopped attacking. It’s just something we have to keep working on getting better at.”
Going into the wind, Kennell picked off a deflected throw in with just over 17 minutes to go in the opening half and sent a 20-yard shot past Streator keeper Lahla Thompson (11 saves) to send the match to a 1-1 tie at the half.
Coal City used the wind to control much of the second half and finally broke through when Kennell picked off a goal kick, dribbled through two Streator defenders and put a quick low shot into the net.
“Our midfielders have really done a great job all season and did again today, especially in the second half,” Kennell said. “I also thought other than the first few minutes of the match, our defense was really solid and having an aggressive goalie like Chloe Pluger back there is awesome.
“On both goals I was able to control the ball through defenders and then get off quick shots. Plays like that are just reacting to the defense and in each case, I felt if I could get a quick short touch, I’d be able to create space to get a shot off. Both times it worked out.”
Coal City, which outshot the hosts 20-7 overall and 14-5 on net, made it 3-1 with just under seven minutes to play on a 40-yard, dancing in the wind goal from Anayi Mayorga.
“We started out so strong with that early goal and then played on our heels,” Streator coach J.T. Huey said. “It comes down to experience. A lot of these girls, mostly freshmen and sophomores are learning and developing with each match we play. We didn’t keep our pedal on the gas today, but hopefully when this happens again down the road, this will be a game they’ll remember and use the experience to stay aggressive.
“I know today didn’t produce a win, but I was really happy with the effort. This season started a little rough, but with each match I’m seeing progress. I’m excited to see how much more we can improve as the season winds down.”
Coal City is back in action on Saturday hosting a round-robin tournament with Kaneland, Princeton and Peotone. Streator is off until it hosts Peotone on Tuesday.
ExpandThe facade of the Coal City Administrative Center
Coal City Unit 1 School Board will have three new members
according to the unofficial election results from Tuesday
Matt Melvin and Mindy Rampa received the most votes
VanDuyne led all candidates with 800 votes
with Melvin receiving 736 and Rampa receiving 554
Current Board Vice President Shawn Hamilton received 510 votes
ExpandCoal City’s Cody Widlowski controls Taylor Finley of Unity Christian in the 138 pound weight class of the 1A state individual wrestling finals Saturday
CHAMPAIGN – Half of Coal City’s lineup left State Farm Center with state tournament medals on Saturday night
and the Coalers weren’t satisfied even after putting two wrestlers into championship bouts and five more in the top six at the IHSA Class 1A State Finals in Champaign
It was the most state placers in the history of one of Illinois' elite programs
“We’re super happy to have that many guys on the podium,” coach Mark Masters said
“The expectations are so high for this group of kids that sometimes that’s just not enough
There’d be many schools who would love to have that
You can just see our guys are disappointed because they didn’t finish on top of the podium.”
The two Coal City finalists both took second
sophomore Cooper Morris (40-6) lost by technical fall at 4:35 to Vandala’s Tyson Waughtel (54-0)
junior Brody Widlowski (27-1) dropped an 8-4 decision to Tolono Unity’s Taylor Finley (51-5)
Widlowski won his third state medal to go along with a fourth at 113 in 2023 and a second at 126 last season
The runner-up finishes provide motivation for his senior year
The Coalers are ranked third in Class 1A by Illinois Matmen behind Vandalia and Marian Central and
assuming they get past the sectional on Tuesday
will be seeking their second team title in three seasons next weekend in Bloomington
“Just gotta move on from this week,” Widlowski said
“Can’t let it keep you down for the long (term)
Coal City’s Cooper Morris (front) and Vandalia’s Tyson Waughtel compete in the 126 pound weight class of the 1A state individual wrestling finals Saturday
Morris won his second state medal after finishing fifth at 113 last year
“Wasn’t on top of the podium so (I’ve) just got to keep pushing forward,” Morris said
“Do great things in the offseason and come back next year (on) top of the podium.”
Also placing for the Coalers were Aidan Kenney (39-12)
and fifth-place finishers Owen Petersen (44-4) at 113
Cade Poyner (37-9) at 190 and John Keigher (35-3) at 215
“It’s a big character builder when you come (out) on the backside of the tournament (and) you’re in the wrestlebacks,” Masters said
It was the second state medal for both Petersen
going 4-2 with both losses in overtime: 2-1 on a tiebreaker in the quarterfinals and 3-2 on an ultimate tiebreaker in the consolation semifinals
“Landin put a lot of pressure on himself,” Masters said
“Had a phenomenal football career – two-time All-State running back
Anything short of a state title was not going to be good enough in his eyes.”
Also earning a spot on the medals stand was Reed-Custer’s Dominic Alaimo (45-9)
who took sixth at 215 after falling 9-5 to Keigher in the fifth-place match
Two other local wrestlers finished in the top eight at their weights in Class 1A, falling in the blood round on Saturday morning: Coal City’s Brock Finch (31-10) at 165 and Wilmington’s Logan Van Duyne (40-8) at 190.
ExpandThe cast of Coal City High School Theatre Department's presentation of "Sweeney Todd," which begins showings Friday
The Coal City Theatre Department at Coal City High School is opening its Spring musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at 7 p.m
Director Jack Micetich said in a Thursday news release that students selected Sweeney Todd for the spring show
Senior Melody Kinder will play the role of Mrs
manipulative and opportunistic seller of meat pies who owns the shop below Sweeney Todd’s barber shop
Kinder said this role was one of her dreams to play
Lovett has been the most demanding yet freeing thing I have done in my entire life,” Kinder said
“I literally just get to play and be stupid on stage and I have no better word to describe this experience besides fun.”
the wrongly exiled barber returning to London for vengeance on the judge who betrayed him
The rest of the cast includes Eliana Chernesky
“One thing about our program is that our students are very well rounded,” Micetich said
“Every member of our cast participates in something outside of theatre
Two of the cast members advanced to state in speech
three cast members were selected to the All-State Choir and between our cast and crew we have five students that were part of the state championship wrestling team.”
Micetich credits the students for honoring their commitments and knowing their time limits
because of how busy they are with academics and extracurriculars
To buy tickets, visit bit.ly/CCTheatreDept
ExpandCoal City's Landin Benson looks to grab a hold of De La Salle's Marquis Mays during the 175-pound championship match at the IHSA Class 1A Coal City Sectional Saturday
COAL CITY − Coal City had a strong showing as hosts of the Class 1A Coal City Sectional on Saturday
to the state finals in Champaign starting Thursday
so that in itself says a lot,” Coal City coach Mark Masters said
“The guys are just out competing and doing what we do
Just stay within ourselves and mimic the things we do in practice every day
The sectional champions for Coal City were Owen Peterson (113 pounds)
Landin Benson (175) and John Keigher (215)
Also qualifying for state were second-place finishers Culan Lindemuth (120) and Brock Finch (165)
third-place finishers Luke Munsterman (132)
and fourth-place finisher Jason Piatak (106)
Alec Waliczek (285) came up just short with a loss in the consolation semifinals
ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 18Coal City's Brody Widlowski
gets position on Reed-Custer's Jeremy Eggleston during the 138-pound championship at the IHSA Class 1 Coal City Sectional Saturday
and our team is all-around good,” said Benson
“We don’t have any spots that need to be filled or anything
Everyone is an amazing wrestler and proved it today.”
Reed-Custer’s wrestlers had a strong showing over the weekend
winning a sectional title at 106 pounds in his first year of high school wrestling
“It’s a lot different from what I used to wrestle
got to the finals and did what I could do.”
Joining Drinkwine in Champaign will be teammates Cole Harris (113)
Jeremy Eggleston (138) and Dominic Alaimo (215)
gets position atop Hope Academy's Indigo Berg during the 106-pound championship match at the IHSA Class 1A Coal City Sectional Saturday
Reed-Custer head coach Yale Davis said he was happy to see their hard work continue to lead to positive results
“I’m really excited for the kids,” he said
“It was a culmination of a lot of hard work in the room throughout the year
Central-Iroquois West had a productive weekend as well
with four of its five sectional qualifiers moving on to state
Giona Panozzo (157) placed third and Brody O’Connor (215) came in fourth
“We went 10-1 as a group last night and kind of set the tone for today,” Central-Iroquois West coach Travis Williams said
“Coming out of the regional from last week
we got some solid action there as well and knew if we wrestled well this weekend we could have some good results.”
looks to work out of a single leg takedown attempt from Coal City's Aidan Kenney during the 144-pound championship match at the IHSA Class 1A Coal City Sectional Saturday
Bishop McNamara had a pair of juniors advance, with Blake Arseneau (132) punching his third-straight ticket to state and Alex Kostecka (138) punching his first.
Coach Jake Kimberlin said he liked how Arseneau pushed through strong competition to place fourth and how Kostecka, who placed third, keeps improving as a wrestler with limited experience.
“[Arseneau] had to fight his way through the bracket, and he was right there with some really tough kids,” Kimberlin said. “Alex started when he was a freshman, so every single week he gets better. This week has been the best he’s wrestled all year, which is a great time to have that happen.”
Coal City's Luke Munsterman, left, tries escaping the grasp of Bishop McNamara's Blake Arseneau during the 132-pound third-place match at the IHSA Class 1A Coal City Sectional Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Shaw Media/Nasib Schweizer)
Wilmington had three wrestlers make the trip to Coal City, with Logan Van Duyne (190) advancing to state once again for the Wildcats. He fell in the third-place match against Coal City’s Cade Poyner, a rematch of the regional final that Van Duyne won.
“I know he’s definitely not where he wanted to be today, but we are back down in Champaign again and that’s the biggest thing,” Wilmington coach Nick Dziuban said. “Anything can happen once we get down there.”
ExpandThe solar farm at Huntley High School on Friday
Multiple solar farms across McHenry County are being presented to the McHenry County Board creating concerns of watershed
(Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )
The Grundy County Board approved on Tuesday a special use permit for Goose Lake Solar and New Leaf Energy to build a solar farm west of Coal City on a vote of eight ‘yes’ votes to three ‘no’ votes
The special use permit is for a 34 acre solar farm on a 69 acre plot of land at 4435 E
and it doesn’t come without objections from the neighbors
Attorney Mike Massino spoke to the board on behalf of people living south of the project during the public commenting period of the meeting
pointing out issues with the drainage in the area that could cause problems
“There’s a problem with these two proposed retention ponds that obviously will have to somehow or some way
they’ll be going into this ditch,” Massino said
The ditch has not been maintained in some time
and it’s causing problems to the landowners to the south
would require them to do an adequate cleanup
or have someone do an adequate cleanup of this ditch
particularly prior to the issuance of any building permit.”
laid out the process the solar farm underwent to reach the point of approval
The application for a special use permit came before the board with a positive recommendation from both the Grundy County Zoning Board of Appeals and the Grundy County Land Use Committee
“This recommendation was forwarded with a unanimous vote during both meetings
and a unanimous vote of non-concern of all eight LaSalle Factors at the Zoning Board of Appeals,” McDonald said
McDonald said the parcel is currently zoned agricultural and consists of a yearly rotational crop
He also touched on the concerns presented by Massino and concerns presented in a letter from the Village of Coal City
who said the project wouldn’t be approved if it were inside city limits since it doesn’t fit in with the village’s long-term plans for the property
He also said several concerned citizens had their questions answered by the developers at the March 18 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting
“Bob Koerner provided a letter of concern on behalf of the Claypool Drainage District,” McDonald said
“The letter expressed concern over responsibility for the ditch east of this site plan
of future annexation by the drainage district.”
McDonald said this was discussed and addressed at the during the March 26 committee meeting
ExpandThe Bishop McNamara girls basketball team celebrates with its IHSA Class 2A St. Joseph-Ogden Regional championship plaque after a 36-28 win over St. Joseph-Ogden in the championship game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Submitted by Khadaizha Sanders)
At Champaign: Coal City’s Cooper Morris (126 pounds), Brody Widlowski (138), Aidan Kenney (144) and John Keigher (215) are all state semifinalists after winning their first two bouts of this year’s state tournament Thursday.
Out of the 25 local wrestlers to qualify, the quartet of Coalers are the lone state semifinalists, but another trio of Coal City wrestlers – Brock Finch (165), Landin Benson (175) and Cade Poyner (190) – as well as Bishop McNamara’s Alex Kostecka (138) earned first-round wins before joining the area’s other 17 wrestlers in wrestlebacks.
Benson, the defending 165-pound state champion, was defeated 2-1 in overtime by Richmond-Burton’s Blake Livdahl in the quarterfinals. He’s one of two Coalers to have their quarterfinal fates determined in extra time, as Kenney’s second win of the day also came in overtime.
State continues Friday and concludes with the championship matches Saturday evening at State Farm Center in Champaign.
Class 2A St. Joseph-Ogden Regional championship
Bishop McNamara 36, St. Joseph-Ogden 28: Following a 58-point blowout win in the regional semis, the Fightin’ Irish found themselves in a much closer game in Thursday’s regional championship. The eight-point win was their closest victory in nearly a month as the Irish claimed their second regional title in three years. They improved to 25-7 with the win and will play in the Herscher Sectional semifinals Tuesday.
Trinity Davis led Bishop McNamara with 14 points in the win. Trinitee Thompson joined her in double figures with 12 points, while Leigha Brown added five points.
Cissna Park 48, Dwight 18: A dominant defensive performance propelled the Timberwolves to a regional championship over Dwight on Thursday, the second regional title in a row for the team. The top seed in their subsectional, Cissna Park (27-4) will play Flanagan-Cornell in Tuesday’s Varna Sectional semifinals.
Three players scored in double figures for Cissna Park, led by Lauryn Hamrick with 17 points. Addison Lucht was close behind with 16 points, while Josie Neukomm finished with 12.
Peotone 67, Grant Park 52: The 2024-25 season started slow for Peotone, but Thursday’s win in the regular-season finale over Grant Park gave the Blue Devils their 11th win in their past 13 games. They wrapped the regular season at 15-13, while the Dragons will head into the postseason at 10-19.
Thursday also was senior night for Peotone, and seniors Ruben Velasco, Logan Mather and Brandon Weiss were the team’s top three scorers. Velasco had a massive double-double with 29 points and 17 rebounds. Mather added 12 points, while Weiss had nine points.
Grant Park was led by senior Blake Brown with 18 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Caiden Benson joined him in double figures with 12 points while Jayden Kaack and Ethan Barnas had seven points apiece.
Central 52, Iroquois West 50: The Comets and the Raiders ended the regular season in Clifton, with Central holding on for a home win despite a comeback push by Iroquois West that ended on a missed shot at the buzzer. Central snapped a four-game winning streak to finish the regular season at 17-12. The Raiders, who won four of five coming in, fell to 13-17.
Central was led by Perry Mason with 12 points. Aidan Podowicz and Jake Thompson joined Mason in double figures with 10 points apiece, and Blake Chandler had nine.
For Iroquois West, Kobie Hendershot scored a game-high 16 points. Mario Andrade had 11 points, while Garret Tammen and Beau Howe had eight points apiece.
Milford 63, Grace Christian 45: The Bearcats snapped a three-game losing streak with their 18-point home win over the Crusaders. Milford improved to 6-23 with one regular-season game remaining, while Grace Christian wrapped the regular season at 14-12. These teams will have a rematch Monday to open the Class 1A Milford Regional.
Milford had four players score in double figures, led by Caleb Clutteur with 19 points. Beau Wright had 15 points, while Hixon Lafond and Tyler Runner had 12 points apiece.
For Grace Christian, Ethan Reynolds had a game-high 22 points, and Sam Marquardt added 13.
Beecher 46, Wilmington 38: Beecher ended its regular season with a home win over Wilmington, the Bobcats’ fifth win in the past six games. They will head into regionals at 18-12. The Wildcats were winners of five of six heading into Thursday, and with the loss fell to 18-10 with one regular-season game left.
Orlin Nesbitt had 12 points and eight rebounds for Beecher, while Noah Berry and Dominick DeFrank added nine points apiece.
No individual stats were immediately available for Wilmington.
Donovan 69, Blue Ridge 53: The Wildcats picked up their third home victory in a row in their second-to-last regular-season game. It also was their fourth win in their past five home games as they improved to 7-22. No individual stats were immediately available for Donovan.
ExpandThe opening round of the IHSA Class 1A Herscher wrestling regional comes to a close Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)
The Coal City boys wrestling team was positively dominant at the IHSA Class 1A Herscher Regional on Saturday.
The Coalers entered regionals as the third-ranked Class 1A team in the state. They proved that ranking was deserved.
They scored 313.5 points as a team to beat fellow ranked teams Reed-Custer and Seneca with ease.
All 14 Coal City wrestlers that competed finished in the top three in their weight class, with 10 placing first, as all earned a trip to the Feb. 14 sectionals.
Luckily for the Coalers, that trip will not be very far at all. Coal City is hosting the sectional, giving the team one final opportunity to compete in on their home mats.
Head coach Mark Masters said that opportunity is something the team will embrace.
“We just want to go out there and enjoy the moment,” he said. “We get to compete at home, and that’s always a big thing to compete in front of your home fans.”
Senior Landin Benson, the top-ranked wrestler in the state at 175 pounds and the reigning state champ at 165, placed first in Saturday’s regional.
He said he wants to enjoy his final competition at home while keeping another run at a state title alive.
“I just want to take it all in since it’s my last year and all that, and work on some things for state coming up,” he said.
The Coaler wrestlers joining Benson at sectionals are Jason Piatak, Owen Peterson, Culan Lindemuth, Cooper Morris, Luke Munsterman, Brody Widlowski, Aidan Kenney, Noah Houston, Mason Garner, Brock Finch, Cade Poyner, John Keigher and Alec Waliczek.
Among the local teams at the Herscher Regional, Reed-Custer, Central-Iroquois West, Bishop McNamara, Herscher and Wilmington also had wrestlers qualify for the Coal City Sectional.
Reed-Custer advanced eight wrestlers, with Colton Drinkwine, Cole Harris, Kaaden Wood, Jayden Sanchez, Jeremy Eggleston, Reed Newbrough, Aiden Shultz and Dominic Alaimo all moving on.
Central-Iroquois West had five sectional qualifiers in Everett Bailey, Evan Cox, Gianni Panozzo, Giona Panozzo and Brody O’Connor.
Bishop McNamara had Blake Arseneau, Alex Kostecka, Cole Kimberlin and Kian Bramer advance.
For Herscher, Owen Bollino and Everett Osenga made the cut while Wilmington have Will Wilson and Logan Van Duyne advancing.
ExpandThe Coal City wrestling team huddles up after their 80-0 dual win over King College Prep in the IHSA Class 1A Team Sectionals in Coal City on Tuesday
COAL CITY – Just three days after setting a school record with seven individual medalists at the IHSA Class 1A Individual State Finals, Coal City wrestling was back on the mat at home for team sectionals.
The Coalers, the third-ranked Class 1A team in the state, cruised to an 80-0 win in their dual against King College Prep, winning seven matches by fall, one by technical fall, one by decision and another five by forfeit. They will head down to Bloomington on Friday for the state quarterfinals, coming off a second-place finish last season and two years removed from a team state championship in 2023.
This also will be the fifth trip to state for the Coalers in the past seven years. They placed second in 2019 and 2020.
Coal City head coach Mark Masters said he wanted to see the team show up and take care of business Tuesday. He was pleased with the results.
“It was kind of what we expected,” he said. “Go out there and have great effort to try to get ready for Friday and Saturday.”
Cooper Morris, fresh off a second-place finish at state Saturday, won his match at 132 pounds Tuesday. Brody Widlowski, who also finished second at state, won via forfeit at 144.
As for the other five Coalers state medalists, Owen Peterson (120 pounds), Aidan Kenney (150) and John Keigher (215) all won by fall, while Landin Benson (175) and Cade Poyner (190) triumphed by forfeit.
Also winning by fall Tuesday were Luke Munsterman (138), Noah Houston (157) and Jake Munsterman (106). Jason Piatak (113) won by technical fall 18-1, and Alec Waliczek (285) won a 4-2 decision. Both Culan Lindemuth (126) and Brock Finch (165) were beneficiaries of forfeits.
The dual team state finals will cap a busy week for wrestlers from Illinois' top programs. After facing the toughest competition of the season at individual state Feb. 20-22, they had just three days before rolling into dual team sectionals, and then just three more days before the finals.
Masters said that perhaps the toughest part of that busy schedule is making sure guys are able to find time to reset between the individual finals and dual team sectionals, especially those who maybe came up short of where they hoped to be.
“The big thing mentally is trying to recover from not meeting goals this past weekend,” he said. “This is the epitome of individual sport, and when things don’t go your way you need to find out how you’re going to recover. Wrestling is a lot more representative of life. You’re going to have disappointments, adversity. How are we going to respond to that?
“That’s what this week is about: How do we respond to the adversities we faced this past week? Hopefully we can peak mentally and physically this Friday and Saturday.”
The Coalers' opponent in Friday’s quarterfinal will be an Olympia team ranked 12th in Class 1A. After that could be a potential matchup with second-ranked Marian Central Catholic in the semifinals, and should the Coalers get through that, top-ranked Vandalia may be waiting in the finals.
Coal City has been strong top to bottom this season, qualifying 13 wrestlers for state, the most of any program among all three classes. Having that depth certainly does not hurt, but Masters said that in tough duals like the ones that lie ahead, that is not always enough.
“We’re a tough out, but it’s always going to be about matchups,” he said. “That’s going to be the key part Friday and Saturday. Can we get the matchups that we want? That’s the key part, but sometimes if it comes down to a flip, who wins the flip is who wins the dual.”
2025 at 5:15 am CDTExpandThe nominations for Coal City High School's prom king and queen are (front row
Owen Kent is joined in row two by Zander Meents
Coal City High School has announced the members of its Prom Court for the 2025 Prom on Saturday
The King and Queen will be announced during the celebration on Saturday
PLAINFIELD – Plainfield North scored in only two innings Saturday in a 10-5 win over Coal City, and senior Brendan Henderson was in the middle of both rallies.
In the bottom of the third, Henderson followed a two-run double by Gavin Persson with a run-scoring single. He then scored on a two-run single by Matt McCormick as part of a six-run outburst that put the Tigers (8-3) ahead 6-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers loaded the bases with no outs before leadoff hitter Johnny Andretich walked to force in a run. After a short fly out to center, Persson lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score a run before Henderson doubled to deep left to score two more for a 10-2 lead.
“I didn’t think that ball was going to get out,” Henderson said about his double. “I caught it a little toward the handle, so I didn’t think it would go out, but I knew it would get over the outfielder’s head.
“We have done a good job as a team this year of putting the ball in play and not striking out. We have worked on that a lot, and it has really helped.
“Also, [starting pitcher] Jackson [Schlott] pitched real well. Our pitching has been getting better and better. About half of the team can go out there and pitch, and we have a lot of faith in anyone we put out there.”
Coal City (12-2) put up a pair of runs in the top of the fifth on a two-run single by sophomore Connor Henline, who was 4 for 4 on the day. That was the only damage the Coalers did against Schlott as they saw their 10-game winning streak end. The junior right-hander struck out eight in his five innings of work against just one walk while allowing six hits and two runs.
“Jackson threw the ball really well,” Plainfield North coach John Darlington said. “He has two pitches – a two-seam fastball and a curveball – and he threw strikes with both of them. Coal City is a good, well-coached team, and you have to throw strikes against them. Tanner Grimes did a good job of throwing strikes when he was in there, too.
“Our bats were pretty good the second time through the order, but we had some situations where we could have gotten a few more. We had the bases loaded with nobody out and the top of the order coming up. We scored a few, but we could have had more. We also had an inning where we had first and second with nobody out and didn’t score.
“We still need to work on having better at-bats.”
Coal City rallied in the top of the sixth, loading the bases on an error, a hit by pitch and a walk before Kellen Forsythe was hit by a pitch to score a run. A grounder to second by Drake Stewart brought home another run and another grounder to second by Lance Cuddy drove home the final Coalers run.
In the seventh, Grimes allowed a single to Henline before striking out the final three batters.
“We had some errors that hurt us,” Coal City coach Greg Wills said. “If we make those plays, it could have been a different game. Playing against a good 4A team like Plainfield North, you can’t give them extra outs or they will take advantage, and that’s what they did. That’s why we like playing games like these.
“Our two sophomores [Henline and Forsythe] threw the ball well against a good team. Connor did a good job of being aggressive when he was at the plate, too. He’s a good hitter, but we have been working with him to be a little more aggressive, and he has been doing a good job.”
ExpandCoal City captains receive the Class 1A championship trophy at the IHSA Dual Team State Finals on Saturday
BLOOMINGTON – John Keigher and Coal City wanted another crack at Vandalia
Just over two months after losing by two points to the Vandals
the Coalers flipped the script Saturday night at Grossinger Motors Arena and won their second state title
beat the two teams ranked ahead of it to win state for the second time in three seasons and earn its eighth state trophy in 11 years
2 Marian Central 35-27 in the morning semifinals
Keigher’s 10-6 win over Vandalia’s Kaden Tidwell at 215 pounds was pivotal
A week earlier at the individual state tournament
“At individual state in the consolation semis
he scored a last-second takedown on me,” Keigher said
“And ever since then – I knew we were going to face them next week and I was coming to get that back.”
Aidan Kenney of Coal City grabs ahold of Cole Yarbrough of Vandalia during Kenney's 144-pound victory during the IHSA Dual Team State Finals in Bloomington on Saturday
Coal City (33-7) trailed Vandalia 25-22 with three bouts remaining and won them all
Luke Munsterman’s 4-2 decision at 132 tied it
Brody Widlowski’s 10-2 major decision at 138 put the Coalers ahead and Aidan Kenney’s 9-4 decision at 145 clinched the title
2 and 1 really pushed us in the wrestling room the week before,” he added
which hadn’t lost to an Illinois team all season before Saturday
But the Coalers ran off five straight wins from Brock Finch (major decision at 165)
who beat state qualifier Dominic Swyers 2-1 on a tiebreaker
The Vandals responded with four straight wins to go up 25-22 and set the stage for the late drama
we lost in the (earlier) dual,” Coal City coach Mark Masters said
won big matches in the last couple seconds
“I just went in knowing that I was going to win,” Munsterman said
IHSA Dual Team State Finals Joliet Catholic captains receive the Class 3A third place trophy at the IHSA Dual Team State Finals on Saturday
In Class 3A Joliet Catholic (11-10), which hadn’t won a state trophy before 2022, earned its third in four seasons by beating Hersey 46-22 for third place after losing 36-29 to Hononegah in the semifinals. Marmion beat Hononegah 42-31 for its first title.
Senior 190-pounder Nico Ronchetti (39-6) wrapped up a stellar career for the Hilltoppers with six state medals: three individual and three team.
“Start of the season, we had a lot of ups and downs,” Ronchetti said. “A lot of injuries, a lot of skin infections, stuff like that. So coming in here and going out with a bang — it feels really good.”
“That freshman year team state championship,” Ronchetti said. “That’s my favorite thing. Obviously, individual (medals), they’re nice to have. But having that bond with the guys from freshman year ... I’m never gonna lose it.”
Joliet Catholic coach Ryan Cumbee was glad to finish a challenging season with a win.
“A lot of people in this sport think that it’s a championship or bust,” he said. “And they’ve got to win it all or it doesn’t mean anything.
“I teach the opposite of that. I think about perspective and just understanding that it’s one match at a time, one tool at a time and you’ve got to put your best foot forward. So for me to be disappointed in anything less than a first would make me a hypocrite. These boys have given everything they’ve had this year for me.”
ExpandCoal City's Landin Benson wrestles Herscher's Braiden Linnabury during Benson's 165-pound match victory on Saturday
HERSCHER − One-third of the 42 wrestlers to make it out of the Class 1A Herscher Regional on Saturday came from just one of the 10 teams present
The Coal City boys wrestling team was absolutely dominant
having all 14 of its competing wrestlers finish in the top three in their weight class
the Coalers had 27 more points as a team than second-place Reed-Custer (149.5 points) and third-place Seneca (137) combined
Coal City coach Mark Masters believes the team’s chemistry
propels the Coalers to performances like they had Saturday
“This group of guys we have right now started with the Little Coalers program
most of them when they were 5 or 6 years old,” Masters said
… The expectations are very high amongst themselves.”
ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 10Wilmington's Logan VanDuyne wrestles Manteno's Jackson Piekarcyzk during VanDuyne's 190-pound match victory on Saturday
Coal City’s Landin Benson came into the regional as the top-ranked wrestler in the state at 175 pounds after winning a state title at 165 last season
but as a team we’re looking good right now
so for some guys to step up and fill their spot is big.”
Other top-ranked wrestlers to get wins for the Coalers included Brody Widlowski
Reed-Custer had eight wrestlers advance
“I’m feeling very good about the team’s performance,” Eggleston said
“There were a couple spots we may have slipped on
Reed-Custer head coach Yale Davis said he hopes to see the team build on its regional performance as the Comets head into sectionals
“It’s about going out there and giving your opponent all you’ve got and working really hard
I feel like our kids will have progress going into next week and carry that into the weekend after.”
Seneca will send six wrestlers to sectionals. The Fighting Irish began and ended the day by getting two of the four first-place finishes not earned by a Coaler.
Raiden Terry, the top-ranked wrestler in the state at 106, picked up a title-bout win. Jeremy Gagnon was the highest-scoring wrestler for Seneca and ended Saturday with a win at 285.
“Overall, I’m really happy with us as a team,” Gagnon said. “We’ve got some young guys that are going to sectionals, and this is a really hard regional. There’s a lot of state placers in our future, I think.”
Seneca head coach Todd Yegge is expecting big things going forward from Davis, Gagnon and the rest of the team’s sectional qualifiers – Chris Thompson (third at 113), Nick Grant (second at 165), Alex gagnon (third at 175) and Landen Venecia (third at 190).
“We’ve got six guys advancing, and I don’t see any reason we can’t get four or five [to state] if we wrestle well,” he said. “But obviously, that’s no easy task.”
Central finished fourth with 130.5 points and five sectional qualifiers. The team got second-place finishes from Evan Cox at 144 pounds, Gianni Panozzo at 150 and Giona Panozzo at 157.
Bishop McNamara placed fifth with 92.5 points and four sectional qualifiers, getting a second-place finish from Blake Arseneau at 132 pounds.
Wilmington placed sixth as a team, with Logan Van Duyne grabbing a win at 190 to advance and Will Wilson finishing second at 175.
Owen Bollino and Everett Osenga both advanced for host Herscher with third-place individual finishes.
Peotone had three wrestlers compete in third-place matches, but all three fell short of sectionals.
Manteno had a pair of wrestlers make it to third-place matches before coming up short.
ExpandThe Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry held a ribbon cutting ceremony March 11 at the new Goodwill Donation Center in Coal City
and Grundy Chamber President & CEO Christina Van Yperen celebrated the new business with a ribbon cutting
(Photo provided by the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce)
Goodwill of Central Illinois opened a new donation center in Coal City
“We are proud to be opening a donation location in Grundy County,” Goodwill President & CEO Don Johnson said in a news release
“We want to make donating as convenient as possible for Coal City and the surrounding communities,” he said
Goodwill accepts any brand of computer and all related accessories
Those items are then recycled through a partnership with Dell
Goodwill also has a pickup service for large donations
visit Goodwill’s website at www.goodwillpeo.org and click on the GoodMoves tab
For more information visit www.goodwillpeo.org
Judy HarveyNews editor for The Herald-News. More than 30 years as a journalist in community news in Will County and the greater Chicago region.
COAL CITY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A GoFundMe fundraiser has been launched to cover funeral expenses for Elena Imes, who passed away on March 9, 2025, after suffering severe injuries in a Coal City house fire.
Imes, known by many in the community as Bathsheba, was rescued from her burning home on March 8 but later succumbed to her injuries at a burn unit in Pittsburgh.
With no known next of kin, a longtime friend stepped forward to ensure she receives a proper burial.
The fundraiser, started by friend Tori Honaker, aims to bring Imes’ remains home, cover cremation costs, and provide her with a respectful farewell.
Donations are being collected through GoFundMe to assist with the expenses.
The fundraiser has already raised $2,550 of its $3,000 goal.
The fire remains under investigation by the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office.
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2024 at 7:11 pm CSTExpandClass 4A quarterfinal between Dixon at Coal City Coal City's Zander Meents (5) reacts after a play during Class 4A quarterfinal football game between Dixon at Coal City on Saturday
COAL CITY – High school playoff games don’t always live up to the hype
The 4A state quarterfinal between Coal City and Dixon on Saturday afternoon – a 20-13 Coalers victory – however, most certainly did.
Dixon recovered a Coal City fumble with 2:45 to go on its own side of the field and quickly moved down inside the Coalers 10 down seven points. A high snap resulted in a fumble recovered by Coal City’s Donnie Ladas to give the Coalers possession with 1:46 left. Dixon used two timeouts, then Coal City star running back Landin Benson ran 8 yards, marked down inches shy of the first.
Coal City coach Francis Loughran had a decision to make. Punt the ball from his own 23 with 1:28 left or go for it to potentially ice the game but risk giving the ball back to the Dukes in prime scoring position. Loughran opted to hand it off to Benson.
Benson took the ball and punched it up the middle in a crowd. The officials gathered, separated and gave the signal.
First down Coalers, and Coal City knelt the clock out to advance to the 4A state semifinals.
“It’s really exciting right now,” Loughran said. “Seeing all of the work and effort you put in truly pay off with this is just great.”
Class 4A quarterfinal between Dixon at Coal City Dixon's Cullen Shaner (2) is pursued by Coal City's Emmett Easton (12) during Class 4A quarterfinal between Dixon at Coal City on Saturday, Nov 16, 2024, in Coal City. (Gary E Duncan Sr. for Shaw Local)
The Dukes were the first team to put points on the board, as a 40-yard run by Landon Knigge helped set up a touchdown. Cullen Shaner was chased out of the pocket, stayed patient and hit an uncovered Eli Davidson for a short pass that Davidson ran 37 yards for a score with 5:01 left in the first.
Coal City responded on the final play of the first quarter when Zander Meents threw deep to Gabe McHugh, who hauled in the difficult catch, broke off a defender and stumbled into the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown to tie it.
The Coalers struck again less than two minutes later. After John Keigher recovered a Dixon fumble at the Dukes’ 20, Meents hooked up with McHugh for another touchdown pass, this one from 17 yards out, to put the Coalers up a touchdown.
Interceptions by McHugh and Dixon’s Tyson Dambman closed the half with the advantage 14-7 Coalers.
Dixon started the second half with the ball, and in less than three minutes the Dukes methodically marched down the field and capped off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Shaner to James Simpson. After an encroachment penalty on Coal City on the extra point, the Dukes opted to try for 2, but Davidson was stopped short, and the score was left 14-13.
The Coalers answered with a near perfect drive. They ran the ball down the field slowly but surely, taking eight minutes off the clock before a trick play saw Benson hit Gavin Berger for a 2-yard touchdown pass with 1:41 left in the quarter. However, the extra point was no good, leaving the score 20-13.
Dixon nearly tied the game to start the fourth quarter, as the Dukes were just shy of the red zone when Shaner was intercepted by Carter Gill. Coal CIty went three-and-out, though, and punted. A corresponding three-and-out by Dixon resulted in a punt, and it was pandemonium from there.
After a series of wild plays, Benson fumbled on third-and-inches, and Devon Wallace recovered for the Dukes to give them life. Dixon got down inside the 10 before Ladas made the fumble recovery and Benson got the first to send Coal City to next weekend’s semis.
Benson finished with 136 yards rushing to Knigge’s 93. Davidson caught 11 passes for 130 yards as the Dukes finish the year 10-2.
“I told my players, ‘Thank you, and I love you,’ ” Dukes coach Jared Shaner said, eyes filled with tears. “This group was truly a joy every day in practice. They’re tough kids who played really hard day in and day out. These guys did everything that we asked of them. It always hurts at the end, but I’m very, very proud of this team.”
Coal City (10-2) will host ninth-seeded DePaul College Prep next week with a trip to state on the line. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
“We’ve just got to keep rolling,” Benson said. “We’ve got to be perfect in all three phases of the game and keep rolling.”
Class 4A quarterfinal between Dixon at Coal City Coal City's Gabriel Mchugh (32) comes down with a touchdown reception between Dixon's Landon Knigge (4) and Carter Kibble (24) during a Class 4A quarterfinal Saturday, Nov 16, 2024, in Coal City. (Gary E Duncan Sr. for Shaw Local)
and her Comet teammates celebrate after upsetting top-ranked Coal City 48-33 in the IHSA Class 2A Coal City Regional semifinals Tuesday
in the Class 2A Coal City Regional semifinals Tuesday night
the Comets made yet another leap against their Coalers
“Just seeing the emotions on every single one of my girls’ faces walking through the lines and in the locker room
Reed-Custer (14-15) advanced to Thursday’s championship game against Joliet Catholic Academy at 7 p.m
The Coalers' season ended with a 21-10 record
The Comets led for almost the entire first half
with the Coalers going on a 7-0 run to tie it at 19 at the break
But as Coal City standout guard Kylee Kennell went to the bench early in the third quarter with her fourth foul
Reed-Custer grew its lead back to double digits by the end of the quarter
never letting it shrink to single digits in the fourth
Reed-Custer was powered by a game-high 22 points from Alyssa Wollenzein
who also had three rebounds and four steals
Gwen Stewart was a rebound shy of a double-double
Leah Grace and Morgan Toler each had six points
Reed-Custer's Alyssa Wollenzein shoots a 3-pointer during an IHSA Class 2A Coal City Regional semifinal against Coal City Tuesday
As exuberant as they were after their victory Tuesday
Zwolinski said the Comets know they still have to knock off a capable Angels squad Thursday if they want to earn any kind of postseason hardware
but we have more work to do,” Zwolinski said
“That starts with watching the game after us and then getting our stuff done at practice tomorrow so we can be just as competitive on Thursday.”
Joliet Catholic 36, Wilmington 33: Throughout the regular season, the Joliet Catholic girls basketball team suffered through some tough losses
that will happen when you combine the fact that JCA is a young team and that the East Suburban Catholic Conference features such powerhouse programs as Benet
“Give credit to Wilmington,” Joliet Catholic coach Matt Adler said. “They continued to fight hard. That’s playoff basketball, and the schedule we played all year helped prepare us for this.”
Wilmington's Nina Egizio (11) shoots a layup contested by Joliet Catholic Academy's Emma Birsa during an IHSA Class 2A Coal City Regional semifinal Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Shaw Media/Mason Schweizer)
The Angels used defense and rebounding to control the first half. Abby Dulinsky scored five of the team’s' seven points in the first quarter on her way to a game-high 20, and the defense did not allow Wilmington to score until a basket by Sami Liaromatis, who led the Wildcats with 14 points, with 1:35 to play in the first.
JCA carried a 7-2 lead into the second quarter and extended it to 17-6 at halftime behind five more points from Dulinsky, three from Emma Birsa, who finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds, and two from Allison Lesters.
Wilmington, which finished with a 20-10 record, got its offense going midway through the third quarter. Trailing 23-13, the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run to tie it as Liaromatis scored six of those points and Alaina Clark and Nina Egezio each scored on a putback basket.
JCA got the lead back on a free throw by Birsa, but Wilmington got a pair of free throws by Melia Hincherick to give her team its first lead, 25-24. JCA’s Brenna Zafra scored on a nifty reverse layup late in the third and Dulinsky capped the period with a pair of free throws with 1.3 seconds left, sending JCA into the fourth with a 28-25 lead.
The Wildcats' Skylar Rossow-Knight tied it with a 3-pointer to start the fourth. After a basket by Dulinsky, Hincherick made 3 of 4 free throws to give Wilmington a 31-30 lead before a basket by Liaromatis put the Wildcats ahead 33-30 with just over 2:00 to play.
JCA began its rally with a pair of free throws by Birsa at the 1:55 mark, then took the lead, 34-33, on a basket by Dulinsky with 51.6 seconds remaining. Wilmington’s next shot attempt missed and Dulinsky grabbed the rebound, getting fouled with 5.9 seconds left. She sank both free throws to ice the game for the Angels.
For the Wildcats, their 20-10 record locked up the program’s second 20-win season, tying the 1979-80 team for the most wins in a season in school history.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Wildcats coach Eric Dillion said. “This senior group really put in so much hard work and dedication throughout the years, and they can leave knowing that they directly impacted one of the best seasons in Wilmington High School history with 20 wins.
“We all grew together in so many ways and I really couldn’t have asked for a better group. I will always remember this group as a group of girls that realized that playing together was the best way to play. The selflessness was continuously on display on the court, and it was a beautiful thing to watch.”
PLAINFIELD — Like any pitcher, Plainfield South‘s Regina Glover was quick to give credit to her defense after Thursday’s 9-3 win over Coal City.
Glover had good reason to praise the players behind her in the field, as the Cougars turned in several defensive gems en route to the victory.
Third baseman Katie Beu was particularly magnificent with her glove, snaring three line drives and turning one of those into a double play. Left fielder Peyton Isaacson made a couple of nice running catches as well for the Cougars (4-5), including the last out of the game in which she ranged far into left center and tracked down a long drive by Coal City’s D’Arcy Ness with the bases loaded.
“The defense was great tonight,” said Glover, who surrendered only four hits and struck out three in the complete-game victory. “Katie at third was super good.
“It helped me when we got a lead early. That let me just go out and throw strikes and let the defense work.”
After a scoreless first inning, Coal City (8-5) got on the board in the top of the second when Julianna Covington, who walked, scored on South’s only error of the game.
The Cougars got the offense going in the bottom of the third, scoring four times. A fielder’s choice grounder by Ava Forsberg scored a run before a sacrifice fly by Kendal Pasquale plated Gianna Zumdahl for a 2-1 lead. Glover then delivered a two-run double, scoring both Hailie Boardman, who walked, and Forsberg, for a 4-1 advantage.
Glover faced only nine hitters in the third, fourth and fifth innings, as the only baserunner was erased on a double play that started with Beu snagging a line drive and then firing to first to double the runner off. In the sixth, Khloe Picard led off with a single for the Coalers, but Glover retired the next three to make it 12 of 13 retired at that point.
Meanwhile, the Cougars continued to add to the lead. Isaacson hit an RBI single in the fourth to score Beu, who led off with a walk and went to third on a double by Sydney Unyi (2 for 2, 2 doubles, RBI). South scored twice more in the fifth. Pasquale led off with a double, her second of the game, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Beu.
Unyi then doubled in Gracie Semega, who had reached on an error, for a 7-1 lead. In the sixth, Boardman led off with a walk, stole second and scored on a single by Forsberg. Forsberg later scored on a sacrifice fly by Semega.
“Our goal is to score a run an inning,” South coach Taylor Schwall said. “After we didn’t score in the first couple, that four-run inning was big. Then we kept adding on, which was nice to see.
“Our defense was stellar tonight. Doing the little things like playing good defense is something we want to do. Regina pitched great, and also got a real big hit for us. Anyone one through nine in our lineup can do damage and we have all the confidence in whoever is at bat.”
Kaycee Graf had two hits for Coal City, which had beaten Illinois Central Eight rival Peotone and Louisville-bound Sophia Klawitter on Monday and Tuesday, while Picard and Addison Hodgen (double) had the other hits.
“This was just one of those days,” Coal City coach Rodney Monbrum said. “D’Arcy Ness was robbed by the third baseman twice and that last ball she hit, on almost any other day, it’s a grand slam. That’s softball sometimes.
“But, we had a couple of innings where we gave them an extra out, and they capitalized on it. We came out a little flat and just couldn’t get going. We’ll learn from it and bounce back.”
Coal City 12, Peotone 2: After the Blue Devils scored a run in the top of the first inning on Wednesday, the host Coalers responded with eight runs in the bottom of the frame to take control of the Illinois Central Eight Conference matchup. It was Coal City’s 10th straight win, and second straight over Peotone, as they improved to 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the ICE. Peotone dropped to 2-6 (0-4).
Coal City’s AJ Wills pitched all five innings and earned the win, allowing two runs on four hits while recording six strikeouts. The Coalers had just four hits and worked 13 walks at the plate, with Lance Cuddy, Gabe McHugh and Connor Henline all walked twice. McHugh was 1 for 1 with four RBIs and a run while Gavin Berger was 1 for 3 with three RBIs and a run.
Peotone’s Tyler Leitelt was 1 for 1 with a double, two walks and scored both of the Blue Devils’ runs. Josh Barta was 0 for 2 but had an RBI while Ruben Velasco was 1 for 2 with a walk.
Watseka 7, St. Thomas More 5: The Warriors picked up their first win of the season on Wednesday, scoring five runs in the fourth inning and working out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh to improve to 1-5 on the season.
Frankie Shervino earned the win on the mound, allowing three runs on two hits over four innings of work. Austin Morris closed things out with three innings, and after St. Thomas More had scored two runs in the seventh and had the tying run on second base, induced a popout and flyout to end the game. Seven different players had an RBI for Watseka. Tyler Waugh went 3 for 4 with an RBI a run and two steals while Morris was 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run.
Herscher 17, Lisle 1: A 12-run eruption in the top of the third inning highlighted a blowout win on the road for the Tigers on Wednesday. They had just six hits in the game, working nine walks and taking advantage of nine Lisle errors, to improve to 9-1 overall this season and 4-0 in ICE play.
Alec Nicholos allowed just one hit and one unearned run over three innings on the mound as the winning pitcher. Reed Laird closed things out with a scoreless fourth, allowing one hit and striking out two batters. Gaige Brown was 1 for 2 with two walks and three runs while Tanner Jones was 1 for 2 with a walk, an RBI and two runs. Cam Baker was 1 for 3 with three RBIs, a run and two steals.
Streator 13, Reed-Custer 1: The Comets took their second straight loss to Streator on Wednesday at home. They dropped to 6-5 overall on the season and 0-4 in ICE play. Joe Bembenek and Jacob Reardon had the team’s two hits on the day, Bembenek a double and Reardon a single. Collin Monroe took a walk and scored on an RBI groundout from Alex Bielfeldt in the fourth inning. Reardon allowed five runs, four earned, over 4 ⅓ innings while recording seven strikeouts.
Herscher 12, Lisle 9: After being tied 9-9 entering the sixth inning, the Tigers scored one run in the sixth and two in the seventh to pick up a road win in ICE play and sweep the season series with Lisle. They improved to 8-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
RyLyn Adams and Addy Whitaker both had three-hit games for Herscher. Adams was 3 for 3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs while Whitaker was 3 for 5 with an RBI and three runs. Anistin Hackley was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Keira Ahramovich was 1 for 3 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs.
Beecher 7, Rich Township 0: The Bobcats bounced back from consecutive losses to pick up a home win on Wednesday. They improved to 3-4 on the season. No individual stats were immediately available for Beecher.
Oak Forest 1, Manteno 0: After playing a scoreless game until just eight and a half minutes remained in the second half, the Panthers fell behind and eventually lost 1-0. They dropped to 4-4-1 on the season. Ava Derrico had 14 saves for the Panthers.
Manteno Tri with Beecher, Peotone: Both the boys and girls track and field teams for Manteno placed first in a home tri-meet with Beecher and Peotone. On the boys side, Manteno had 77.5 points while Peotone had 44 and Beecher had 39. On the girls side, Manteno had 60.5 points while Beecher had 48.5 and Peotone had 47.
Some of the individual results on the girls side include Manteno’s Clarke Goranson winning the 3,200 meters (10:44.2), Sophia Most taking first in the discus (33.90) and Ella Graniczny winning the long jump (4.33 meters). Beecher had Lanaya Kellum win the 400 meters (1:11.0) and Brooklynn Burdick win both the 800 meters (2:34.5) and 1,600 meters (5:37.9). Peotone had Terrynn Clott won the shot put (10.27) and Mariah Young win the 100 meters (13.5).
For the boys, Manteno’s Hayden Palka won both the shot put (11.10) and discus (32.46), Briggs Cann won the long jump (5.80) and Caden Reiter won the 800 meters (2:10.9), Peotone’s Joshua Bass won both the 100 meters (11.6) and 200 meters (24.1) while Greyson Denny won the 3,200 (12:00.8). Beecher had Wences Baumgartner place first in the high jump (1.67) and Jakob Blumenthal take first in the 400 meters (59.0).
ExpandThe crack in the roof of the north gym at Coal City Intermediate School
(Photo provided by Coal City Intermediate School)
with students and staff moving to Coal City Elementary School starting Monday after further investigation into the crack that developed in the north gym’s north wall
including the north gym and some classrooms and offices that included the band and music room
were closed last week to allow engineers to inspect the building
The north gym’s north wall had developed a crack and on Friday
the district revealed cracks had also developed on the ceiling
“The structural issues involved damaged trusses in the gym’s barrel roof and a resulting lateral crack in the north wall,” reads a Friday news release
Superintendent Chris Spencer sent a letter to parents Wednesday evening that the district is taking an over-abundance of caution in closing the school until further notice
The district has been monitoring the damage since it was reported
and architects and structural engineers from two different firms were brought on-site to survey the visible damage
Temporary measures were taken to secure the wall
“Upon further investigation of the roofing system
a second truss had visible signs of stress cracks,” the news release reads
“It was at this time the decision was made to close the school.”
Spencer said Friday will be a non-attendance day for all 4th and 5th grade students
The rest of the district will remain in session as scheduled
More information on where the 4th and 5th grade students will attend school will be posted as it’s made available
The Coal City Unit 1 School Board approved a measure retaining Performance Services as consultants on the north gym’s ceiling and wall for approximately $25,000
Performance Services will move forward with measures to stabilize the gym roof and north wall
and provide the Board of Education with long-term options for the building
Coal City Unit 1′s Chief Business Official
said the plan is to install “deadmen” on the outside of the north gym wall to keep it from moving any further
and install floor-to-ceiling wood piers inside the gym to bear the weight of the trusses
The gym floor and bleachers will be removed
“This work is only intended to stabilize the space and that will give the Board time to make decisions on what kind of solution we want to move forward with,” Smith said
The work to stabilize the building is estimated to cost $150,000 to $200,000
The board took action during the Wednesday meeting to approve an emergency health
life and safety resolution that allows the district to use health and life safety funds to help cover the cost
according to a survey conducted on the district’s school buildings
should have enough space for the additional students
Absolutely,” said Board President Ken Miller
but it is what we have to do to protect those kids
Spencer said having a safe place to learn is the district’s priority
and this is the best option for the students and staff
The district believes this closure will extend through the end of the school year
ExpandCoal City's Lance Cuddy throws a pitch during a home game against Bishop McNamara on Thursday
The Coalers struck first, turning a pair of first-inning walks into a 2-0 lead that Cuddy and the Coalers held onto for an impressive 2-0 victory.
Coal City became the first in the Daily Journal area to reach double-digit wins, improving to 10-1. The Irish dropped to 5-2.
ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 11Coal City's Gabe McHugh swings at a pitch during a home game against Bishop McNamara Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)
“We talked about Lance throwing this game, and it probably being for a regional seed and that it would be a big one,” Coalers head coach Greg Wills said. “We thought if we got him some runs he could keep us in it, and he certainly did that.”
The junior southpaw continued his dazzling start to the season for the Coalers, striking out 11 McNamara batters to go with just two hits and no walks in 6⅔ shutout innings. In his third start of the season, Thursday was his second in which he allowed no earned runs, and he’s allowed no more than two runs or four hits in any of them, improving to 3-0.
Kellen Forsythe earned the save by recording the last out as Cuddy got up against the pitch-count limit.
Cuddy said he was able to get the outer half of the strike zone established early and kept the McNamara lineup off balance as he masterfully mixed his fastball, curveball and changeup for strikes. Of his 107 pitches, 71 went for strikes, and he threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 24 batters he faced.
“Really early on, I think I established the outer half of the plate really well,” Cuddy said. “I worked ahead in the count really well, too, and I just trusted my stuff from there. It was working really well today.”
He got his run support early as he and Gabe McHugh opened the bottom of the first with walks, with Cuddy crossing the plate on a wild pitch and Gavin Berger’s infield single bringing home McHugh.
Getting that early run support, Cuddy said he felt much more comfortable pitching with a lead after an inning, especially in a game he knew would be low-scoring.
“Especially in the first inning, that helped me,” Cuddy said of the early runs. “I know my boys have my back. ... We knew [a close game] was coming when we knew who they were throwing. We figured it was going to be a close one.”
Bishop McNamara's Dom Panozzo throws a pitch during a game at Coal City Thursdau, April 3, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)
After walking the first two batters, hitting Connor Henline with a pitch and the infield single to Berger, Panozzo also settled in. He went the distance for the Irish, allowing two earned runs on three hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts.
But by the time that first inning ended, the Coalers had all the offense they needed to continue their stellar start to the season.
“The kids have just played very, very well,” Wills said. “That being said, I think there are still places we can improve. There have been times we haven’t thrown strikes, but I know we will, and plays that we probably should make. But for the most part, we’ve been able to do enough to stack some wins.
Coal City gave the ball to Landin Benson 37 times
grinding Boylan down in the second half for a 33-10 victory Saturday in the second round of the Class 4A football playoffs
“They called two plays,” Boylan coach John Cacciatore said
“Whatever the name is to the right and whatever that name is to the left.”
That resulted in 167 yards and all five Coal City touchdowns as the Coalers (9-2) rallied after trailing 10-7 at halftime
“Our line definitely stepped it up,” Benson said
We wanted to come out passing a little bit
‘I can run forever.’ Every hole was huge.”
More: Illinois high school football: IHSA state football playoffs Round 2 scores
the Class 1A state wrestling champ at 165 pounds last year
is Coal City’s all-time leading rusher with 3,779 yards (and counting)
He has 10 touchdowns in the Coalers' two playoff wins this year
it was a different team that came out,” said linebacker Charlie Maier
“We definitely could have been in the game
We were missing some tackles and they made plays
The message to the underclassmen is to work their butts off so this doesn’t happen again.”
Benson had only three runs of over 10 yards and none longer than 15
The Coalers scored every time they had the ball in the second half
“They did a great job executing what they do and we had a hard time getting off blocks,” Cacciatore said
“They had more bodies at the point of attack than we did.”
Boylan (6-5) might have missed its chance in the first half
Coal City’s touchdown came on its first play after a disastrous Boylan punt attempt where a high snap led to a 30-yard loss and gave the Coalers the ball at the Boylan 4
starting with Trey Hernandez making an end zone interception to stop Coal City's second drive
Boylan controlled most of the rest of the half
Except the Titans missed a short field goal
saw Caiden Gates tripped up from behind on a 43-yard run that led to a field goal instead of a TD because of that diving tackle and saw three drives stall because of six dropped passes
“We didn’t take the bull by the horns,” Cacciatore said
We could have made them more uncomfortable than we did.”
More: Hernandez triplets and their first cousin make for an all-Hernandez secondary for Boylan
With a few passes thrown in by Zander Meents (11-for-13 for 148 yards)
A 20-yard pass by Meents on fourth-and-14 basically ended the game with Coal City up 10 points and four minutes to play
That’s what happens,” said Boylan’s star two-way lineman Barron Sholl
who will play for Eastern Illinois next year
Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter
ExpandMaddox Garbis of Plainfield North is one of 73 area wrestlers to qualify for the state finals at University of Illinois' State Farm Center
Seventy-three wrestlers from the Herald-News coverage area will be competing this weekend in the boys individual wrestling state meet at the University of Illinois' State Farm Arena in Champaign
There are 35 wrestlers from the area competing at the state meet in Class 3A. One of the most accomplished is Plainfield North’s Maddox Garbis
who won the Joliet Central Sectional championship at 106 pounds and has more than 150 wins in his career
“I am feeling good,” Garbis said after his sectional title
I watch what I eat and make sure nothing bad goes in the body
“It will take consistency and keeping my nutrition at its peak to win a state championship.”
Lockport junior Isaac Zimmerman
won the Joliet Central Sectional title at 126
“Now I have won the sectionals and that’s awesome
I won frosh-soph last year and got second the year before
but getting here on the varsity is awesome
Also claiming a sectional title for the Porters was 150-pound junior Justin Wardlow, who finished second in the state at 120 in his freshman season and at 138 last season. The 150-pound bracket could come down to an all Herald-News-area final as Joliet West’s Carson Weber also qualified and is on the other side of the bracket from Wardlow
for the regional and sectional championships this season
Joliet Catholic has the most area qualifiers in Class 3A with nine
“We have been able to handle adversity no matter how it comes at us,” JCA coach Ryan Cumbee said
“We have been dealing with injuries and sicknesses all year
“We kept things loose during the day and let these guys know that this is what we do
We’re very happy with the way we are wrestling
The goal is to bring home state championships
The key is trusting your training and taking things one match at a time and one minute at a time.”
Joliet Catholic’s Jason Hampton (top) is one of nine Class 2A state qualifiers for the Hilltoppers
Wrestlers competing in the Class 3A finals:
Bolingbrook: Tommy McDermott (165)
Lincoln-Way East: Tyson Zvonar (132)
Joliet Central: Charles Walker (215)
Minooka: Robbie Murphy (285)
Lincoln-Way Central: Jadon Zimmer (138)
Lincoln-Way West: Brady Glynn (113)
Providence was once the undisputed king of area wrestling
the Celtics appear to be on their way back to the top
as evidenced by qualifying nine wrestlers for the Class 2A finals
who enters the finals with a record of 41-3
Morris's Paxton Valentine (right) is one of three Morris wrestlers to qualify for the Class 2A state finals
Wrestlers competing in the Class 2A finals:
Lemont: Cory Zator (132)
Morris: Paxton Valentine (113)
Coal City has been one of the top teams in the state for the better part of the past decade
and the Coalers showed why by sending 13 of their 14 wrestlers to state in Class 1A
Included is defending 165-pound state champion Landin Benson
qualified at 175 this year and is one of 13 Coalers to reach the Class 1A state finals
Wrestlers competing in the Class 1A finals:
Reed-Custer: Colton Drinkwine (106)
Dwight: Dylan Crouch (150)
Seneca: Raiden Terry (106)
Wilmington: Logan Van Duyne (190).
ExpandCoal City's Masyn Kuder winds up to throw a pitch during a home game against Peotone Wednesday
Kuder tossed a two-hit shutout while the Coaler offense was able to piece together 10 hits against Klawitter, including five in a five-run sixth inning, to pull away for a 7-0 victory.
The Coalers improved to 8-4 and 2-0 in the Illinois Central eight Conference with their regular season sweep over the Blue Devils, who fell to 2-5 and 0-4 in the ICE.
“That’s the best pitcher in the conference I assume [Klawitter], so hats off to her, and then obviously our pitcher competed with her,” Coalers head coach Rodney Monbrum said. “The score was the score, but I thought Masyn hung pitch for pitch, strikeout for strikeout. Maybe not statistically, but whenever we needed it, when they had girls on base and we needed a big pitch from Masyn, she made the pitch.”
Coal City's Sierra Anderson (left) throws to first to complete a double play after forcing Peotone's Megan Cadieux out at second Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at Coal City. (Mason Schweizer)
Kuder worked around two hits and five walks while piling up eight strikeouts in her victory. Klawitter, a Louisville commit, allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits, two walks and five strikeouts. It was the second shutout in as many days for Kuder, who also was on the winning side of Tuesday’s 5-0 win at Peotone.
“My pitches have been working,” Kuder said. “… My curve has been moving."
The Coalers plated a pair in the second when Sierra Anderson scored on a wild pitch and Kuder helped herself with an opposite field single to right that brought in Juliana Covington. After both pitchers were able to work around a pair of two-on situations in the middle innings, the hosts gave Kuder plenty of breathing room with five more runs.
After Addison Harvey’s sacrifice bunt brought Khloe Picard from first to third, DArcy Ness brought her home with a double before Covington and Madi Petersen each hit two-run singles.
“I think we’re figuring it out,” Monbrum said. “We’re turning double plays, making the force at third when we need to make the force at third, and I think it’s coming together. The wins are nice, but we’re finally figuring each other out defensively.”
ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 10Peotone's Sophie Klawitter, right, congratulates Layla Johnson after making a catch during a game at Coal City Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)
Despite the score, first-year Blue Devils head coach and former assistant Kim Pagliarulo saw her young group that includes more freshmen (three) than seniors (two) make similar strides Wednesday.
“It’s everything – fielding, hitting, how we are as a team, communicating, how the dugout feels," Pagliarulo said. “Everything is getting better, it’s just gonna take some time.”
One of those freshman, second baseman Adyson Kosmos, and Klawitter recorded the two Blue Devils hits. Klawitter, now a three-year starter after a second-team All-State and Daily Journal All-Area sophomore campaign, has “no other level than 100,″ according to Pagliarulo, who also hailed her growing into a leadership role this year.
“I’m so proud of Sophie that she saw that it was needed,” Pagliarulo said. “She’s played softball for years and realizes how important that is, and she’s a wonderful fit for that spot. She’s an amazing leader, has a lot of knowledge but is also just a great teammate.”
ExpandBasketball close up file art (Shaw Local News Network)
COAL CITY – Defense was the name of the game for Coal City’s boys basketball team Friday night in a 56-25 nonconference win over Gardner-South Wilmington.
The Coalers forced the Panthers into 20 turnovers in the first half alone and used the extra possessions to fashion a 33-8 halftime lead. Twenty was a big number for Coal City, as the Coalers (20-10) also notched their 20th win of the season.
“It was great to get the 20th win,” said Coal City senior Zander Meents, who led all scorers with 14 points, including shooting 4 of 4 from 3-point range. “That was one of our goals for the season. We’ve been trying to get it the last couple of weeks, but we were struggling.
“It was good to have a game like this before the postseason starts and get some confidence back. We also get to play the regional at home and we play a lot better on our own floor.”
Meents hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the early going to boost Coal City to a 10-2 lead. After a basket by GSW’s Cole Hampson, Coal City went on a 9-0 run including a pair of baskets by Carter Nicholson, who finished with 10 points. The Panthers (6-25) got single free throws by Hampson and Holden Grimes, who had a game-high nine rebounds, to make it 19-6 at the end of the period.
Another 10-0 Coal City run started the second quarter, sparked by three points from Dylan Young, who added a team-high five rebounds and five from Meents, including another 3-pointer. GSW stopped the run with a basket by Jarrek Hinch before Coal City scored the final four points to take a 33-8 lead into halftime.
The Coalers came out on fire in the third quarter, hitting their first four 3-point attempts to move out to a 45-13 lead. Meents, Dane Noffsinger, Gabe McHugh and Nicholson all hit triples for the Coalers in the stretch. Nicholson also added another 3-pointer in the quarter as Coal City led 56-15 entering the fourth.
“We challenged the guys at halftime to try and hold them scoreless for the first three minutes of the second half,” Coal City coach Joe Micetich said. “They were almost able to do it.
“Defense was big for us all game. We were able to get out and run and get some easy baskets. This was what we needed. We had lost three of our last five and we needed to get back on track heading into the postseason. This gives us something to build on with the playoffs coming up.”
Both teams emptied their benches in the fourth quarter with the running clock invoked and GSW outscored Coal City 10-0, including five points from Brad Costelli.
“This wasn’t the way we wanted to end the regular season,” GSW coach Allan Wills said. “We didn’t come out with much energy. This is a rivalry game. The schools are close together and the kids know each other, so I would have liked us to come out stronger.
“We turned the ball over too many times and Coal City was making their shots. That’s not a good recipe. We didn’t have one of our starters tonight, but someone needed to step up for us. Give credit to Coal City, though. They played well.”