Sports Crusaders Camp July 13-17

Logan Street Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon will again be hosting the Sports Crusaders Basketball Camp July 13-17 in their church gymnasium.  There are two sessions.  Grades 1st-3rd meet from 9:00am to 11:30am and grades 4th-6th meet from 1:00pm to 3:30 each day.  The camp is led by College athletes from Missouri and teaches basketball fundamentals while providing a positive environment and encouraging experience.  For more information and to sign up, contact the church at 244-4100.  Campers receive a t-shirt, sports bible or book certificate and awards.  One of the session of campers from last year is pictured above.

Bushue Drafted #69 Overall

Tanner Bushue of the South Central Cougers was drafted in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Houston Astros.  He was the #69 pick overall.  The storybook post-season for the South Central Cougars came to an end at the Class 1A Super-Sectional when the Cougars lost to Marissa 5-1 at Rent One Park in Marion.  Bushue dominated teams all season long and attracted the attention of several Major League scouts, throwing a fast ball in the 90 mph range. During their Sectional victory over North Clay, Bushue struck out 15 batters.  Photo courtesy of Lydia McGrew

Margo Wins Two State Titles;
Sets Another School Record

Margo Richardson has done it again.  The reigning Class 2A State Cross Country Champion has added two more state titles to her mantle this school year after winning both the 3200 meter and the 1600 meter runs at the Class 2A State Track & Field Championships in Charleston.  Richardson set a new school record while winning the 1600 meter run, crossing the finish line in 5:02.96 and eclipsing the Mt. Vernon school record held previously by Lindsay Wagner.  She accomplished that feat just a few hours after cruising to victory in the 3200 meter run in a time of 11:13.76.  She becomes the first female athlete in MVTHS school history to win a state championship in track & field.

Runners from O'Fallon, Salem, Mt. Vernon, Centralia, Carbondale, and Marion take their position in the blocks to prepare for the start of the 400 meter relay event during the Annual Ram Relays at JD Shields Stadium in Mt. Vernon.  O'Fallon won the team title.  You can listen to comments from the host track coach, Clint Turner, during the AreaSports Report in the upper right-hand corner of the website.

Rams Place 2nd At Marion Relays

Chandler Kirsch of Mt. Vernon (above) races out to an early lead while winning a hurdle event at the Marion Relays.  The Rams placed second with a team score of 105 behind Granite City who won the meet with 127 points.  Other team scores and standings in order  include: Carbondale 80, Marion 77, Murphysboro 76, O'Fallon 68, Highland 63, Dunlap 59, Centralia 58, and Massac County 14.  Photo courtesy of Brian R. Lee

Brandon Jacobs At FCA Banquet

Running Back, Brandon Jacobs, of the New York Giants was one of the heroes of the 2008 Super Bowl when the Giants upset the 18-0 New England Patriots to win the NFL Championship.  Jacobs is interviewed above by Darren Kinnard of WSIL-TV 3 in front of a large crowd at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Banquet in the Mt. Vernon Holiday Inn ballrooms.  You can see the entire interview and other highlights from the banquet on "The Sports Couch" TV Show

Honors At Rams Basketball Banquet

These five senior players were recognized with individual honors during the Mt. Vernon Rams basketball banquet hosted by the Kiwanis.  L-R:  Kyle Martin and Scottie Deaton, co-recipients of the McClure Award.  Bryce Kujawa received the free throw and the MVP awards, Darrell Mitchell grabbed the defensive award, and Jacob Alvis took home the rebounding award.  Senior Ryan Quick was also recognized but missed much of the second half of the season with a broken hand bone.  The Rams finished with 18 victories and placed second in the conference under first-year head coach, Scott Gamber.  The JV team went undefeated until the final game of the year at Cahokia. The JV Rams were coached by Tom Portner and assisted by Lance Boldt.  The banquet also honored the State Champion Mt. Vernon Cheerleaders, who have now won back-to-back ICCA State Titles after finishing second in back-to-back years.  Cheerleading Coach, Lisa Turner, was honored with induction into the ICCA Cheerleading Hall of Fame. 

Woodlawn Celebrates Tourney Run

Coach Shane Witzel speaks to a large crowd that gathered at the Welcome Home Celebration inside Sides Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon to honor the Woodlawn Cardinals boys basketball team that finished 2nd in the State in Class 1A.  You can watch the Welcome Home Celebration video footage anytime "on demand" in our Broadcast Archives.  Photo by Randy Olson

Woodlawn Places 2nd At State;
Cardinals Finish Season at 30-2

Bronson Verhines of Woodlawn signs autographs for eager children and Casey Hammond clutches the 2nd Place IHSA trophy during the Welcome Home Celebration for the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at Woodlawn High School.  After defeating Lewistown 56-44 in the semi-finals of the Class 1A State Tournament at Carver Arena in Peoria, the Woodlawn Cardinals fell ten points short to Macon-Meridian in the Championship Game to end their season at 30-2 after an incredible school record run. 

Lady Rams Honored At Banquet

Receiving individual award plaques at the Mt. Vernon Lady Rams basketball banquet were L-R: Mariah Kirkpatrick, Moriah Fleming, and Jacquelyn Backstrom.  Not present for the photo was award winner, Ronita Long.  The annual banquet was held at the Holiday Inn and also honored coach Sara Rennie who is retiring after 33 years at the helm of the Lady Rams basketball program, where she accumulated over 600 career victories. 

Coach Sara Rennie and members of the 1979 Lady Rams "Sweet 16" basketball team pose with their Regional and Sectional plaques as they celebrate their induction into the MVTHS Sports Hall of Fame during Episode #101 of "The Sports Couch" TV Show on AreaSports.net and Charter Cable TV-10.  The episode will air on television and will be archived online.  It will also be available on High-Resolution DVD.  Photo by Brian R. Lee

Margo Richardson Is State Champ

The Illinois Class 2A Cross Country Individual State Champion is Margo Richardson of Mount Vernon.  Margo crossed the finish line ahead of the pack in the cold windy weather at Detweiler Park in Peoria.  She was welcomed home with a Police Car and Fire Truck escort along with Campbell Walters who became an All-Stater by placing 21st in the Boys Class 2A Race.  You can watch video interviews with both of the athletes and their coaches anytime "on demand" in our Broadcast Archives and on the current edition of "The Sports Couch."  Photos by Mike Huff