PhotoNews Extra

New galleries, new publication

2012-02-08T00:56:00.000-08:00

Hello PhotoNews fans. We have a quick update to inform you about a couple of new galleries that are up as well as our special edition publication from the PhotoNews coverage of the Argenta Regional meet. Click on any of the photos to visit the meet photo gallery. Want to see our newest 48-page publication dedicated to this meet, click the sample pages at the bottom of this post.

160-lb quarterfinal match action between St. Joseph-Ogden's Austin Upton and Monticello's Charlie Stevenson. Upton took 1:28 to pin Stevenson, a senior member of the Sages' wrestling squad, and later went on to take the division title.

Wrestleback action between St. Joseph-Ogden's Josh Poulter and Auburn's Caleb Putman in the 170-pound bracket. Putman, a freshman, defeated Poulter with a pin at the five minute mark on his way to a fourth place finish at the Argenta Regional Wrestling Meet on Saturday.

St. Joseph-Ogden's Kenny Lindsey, who has over 100 career wins, defeated Oakwood's Hunter Tharp one minute and 13 seconds into their match on his way to a second consecutive regional champion title. Tharp will also advance to the sectional meet after finishing in third place in the 195-pound division.

Monticello's Zach Armstrong and Warrensburg-Latham's Brandon Gibbs roll during action in their 195-pound wrestleback match. Armstrong prevailed to win by pin at 1:35.

This is the cover of Takedown! a PhotoNews special edition dedicated to photo coverage from the Argenta regional wrestling meet on February 4th. The 48 pages publication, available in digital format for the iPad or traditional print format, can be found here: LINK

A sample page from Takedown!

Another sample page from the Takedown! magazine

Legislation sought to change IHSA's 12-day practice rule

2012-01-27T10:22:00.001-08:00

Earlierthis week, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) came out urging memberschools and the communities to oppose Illinois Senate Bill 2550. The bill,which was filed by 53^rd District Senator Shane Cultra (R) on January11, would allow for a local school board to provide a waiver for astudent-athlete to participate in a high school football contest, even if thatthe student-athlete has failed to meet the IHSA mandated 12 practices prior tothe first contest due to involvement in military training.

“Thisis very dangerous and counterproductive legislation,” said IHSA ExecutiveDirector Marty Hickman in a released statement. “First and foremost, this is anissue of student health and safety, not an issue of patriotism. We all applaudand support young people who choose to serve our country.”

FormerSt. Joseph-Ogden football standouts Joe Peters and Tom Rohl both now serving inthe United States Army agree with the 12-day rule.

“In BCT (Basic Combat Training), going to the gymwasn't an option for PT. We did military exercises and conditioning,” said PFCPeters, a lineman that helped the Spartans to a 9-0 season and a record-settingClass 3A state title game his senior year. “It’s a different kind of workoutthan ...

Read complete article here

Urbana Wrestling Tournament photo gallery online

2012-01-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

First of two installment of photos from yesterday's Urbana Wrestling Tournament. You can see, read & share more photos here --> Urbana Tournament Gallery

Click on individual photos to see all the photos from each of the matches show below.

Centennial's Austen Schott (21-1) and Glenbard East's Angelo San Juan (19-3) in their 113-pound championship match at the 2012 Urbana Wrestling Tournament. San Juan handed Schott his first loss of the season with his 5-1 title win Saturday evening.

220-pound consolation bracket wrestling action between St. Thomas More's Luc Bequette and Schlarman's Joe Cahill (16-5). Cahill stuck Bequette at 4:53 on his way to a sixth-place finish this year.

Wrestling action between St. Joseph-Ogden's Rowdy Randall (4-13) and Bloomington's Brandon Farmer (4-2) in the 126-pound third-place match at the 2012 Urbana Wrestling Tournament. Farmer stuck Randall 47 seconds into their bout.

Springfield's Christen Hunt (16-5) tosses Glenbard East's Dayton Olson (12-10) to the mat in their 120-pound championship match at the 2012 Urbana Wrestling Tournament. Hunt won the match and this year's title in a 4-3 decision.

Podium photograph of the top five 182-pound place winners at the 2012 Urbana Wrestling Tournament. The winners were: 1. Archie Williams (Centennial), 2. Matt Chlebek (Glenbard East), 3. Nathan Ames (Schlarman), 4. Landon Dorn (Morton) and 5. Javonte Burnett (Glenbard East).

Here are the top five place winners in the 285-pound weight class at the 2012 Urbana Wrestling Tournament. The winners were: 1. Andrew Marion (Bloomington), 2. Nick Schreifer (Centennial), 3. Brandon Hart (Glenbard East), 4. Grahmn Vose (Springfield) and 5. Jake Crouk (Glenbard East).

St. Joseph-Ogden vs St. Thomas More Girls Basketball Photo Gallery

2012-01-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

St. Thomas More erased a first half deficit to come back and win this important Sangamon Valley Conference game by three over the Spartans, 42-39. Lexi Wallen scored a game-high 16 points while St. Joseph-Ogden's Josey Fruhling paced SJO with 12. Check out the entire gallery here: LINK Below are a few sample photos from the gallery.

January 9, 2012 - Champaign, IL - Sabers' Erica Wallen boxes out Spartans' Josey Fruhling in their regular season Sangamon Valley Conference game on Monday night. Making up a first half deficit, St. Thomas More fought back to a 42-39 win over visiting St. Joseph-Ogden. Fruhling led SJO with 12 points and finished with three rebounds while Wallen finished as STM's third leading scorer with six points and had three rebounds.

Sabers' Courtney Wax and Jade Brinkoetter go up fighting for a rebound against Spartan's Hannah Graham. Graham had two steals, two points and tied teammate Hannah Gaylord with 10 team-high rebounds on the night. Brinkoetter finished with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds in the victory.

Sabers' Lexi Wallen goes up for a shot around Spartans' Josey Fruhling. Wallen scored a game-high 16 points, snagged three rebounds and stole the ball three times to lead her team to a crucial conference win over the Spartans. Fruhling led SJO with 12 points and finished with three rebounds.

January 9, 2012 - Champaign, IL - Spartans' Elizabeth Everingham makes a pass against the Sabers. Everingham, who cranked up the intensity in the second half, finished with nine points, a team-high 4 steals and six rebounds.

Spartans' Elizabeth Everingham goes for a steal.

Spartans' Hannah Gaylord tries to fight her way past Sabers' Erica Wallen. Gaylord scored eight points and tied teammate Hannah Graham with 10 team-high rebounds in the loss.

Click here to view the PhotoNews 2011-2012 basketball season gallery.

Nate Michael assist Spartans in Conference win

2012-01-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

January 6, 2012 - Watseka, IL – Shooting 57% from behind the arc, St. Joseph-Ogden’s Nate Michael delivered his best scoring performance of the season with 14 points on the road at Watseka on Friday night. The Spartans improved to 11-4 on the season after taking the W from the Warriors.

The two-game win streak could be the start of what will make the three-game slide at this year’s State Farm Holiday Classic nothing more than a faded memory.

Read complete story here …

Josie Fruhling leads Spartans to 14th win

2012-01-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

January 5, 2012 – Clifton, IL – The St. Joseph-Ogden varsity girls basketball team notched another conference win with a 60-34 thrashing at Clifton Central on Thursday evening. For every point the Comets managed to put on the board in the first half, the Spartans lit up their side with two more.

Josey Fruhling need just 16 minutes on the floor to help put the game out of reach for SJO. Scoring 20 points and collecting five steals in the rout, the senior has delivered 273 points in the program’s 14-2 campaign this season.

Read the complete story here . . .

New game gallery: Monticello vs St. Joseph-Ogden

2012-01-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

Click on any photo below to see the complete photo gallery from this game:

Tournament officials react as Sages' Nick Stokowski goes after a loose ball and sails two rows up into the bleachers at the Unity Boys' Basketball Shoot-Out. St. Joseph-Ogden rallied in the fourth quarter to narrowly escape a loss with a 52-51 win over Monticello.

Sages' Parker Trice dribbles the ball away from Spartans' Chase Patton during second half action.

Sages' Nick Stokowski drives hard and fast around Spartans' Dalton Walsh.

Spartans' Chase Patton scrambles after a loose ball after it popped out of mid-court scrum.

Spartans' Louis Acklin (left) and Sages' Nick Stokowski go after a loose ball during second half action.

Click on any photo above to see the complete photo gallery from this game. Check out the entire PhotoNews 2011 basketball collection here: Follow this link

Rock Falls defeats St. Joseph-Ogden at State Farm Tourney

2012-01-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

December 28, 2011 - Normal, IL - Spartans' Louis Acklin get control of the opening tip over Tyree White at the start of their 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament. St. Joseph-Ogden fell in a close loss to Rock Falls, 66-63. Click on this photo to see more photos from this game.

Rockets' Eddie Nelson dribbles the ball down the court in first quarter action against the Spartans.

After attacking the baseline, Rockets' Davontay Euell goes up for a shot around Spartans' Chase Patton and Blake Hoveln.

December 28, 2011 - Normal, IL - Spartans' Louis Acklin and Rockets' Tyree White hook arms while getting position under the ball for a rebound.

December 28, 2011 - Normal, IL - Spartans' Louis Acklin and Chase Patton (left) leap for the ball after a missed shot in the fourth quarter against the Rockets at the 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament.

December 28, 2011 - Normal, IL - Spartans' Corbin Hesterberg puts a shot up in second half action against the Rockets at the 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament. Click on this photo to see more photos from this game.

Click on names to see our collection of images for those players. Follow this link to see the PhotoNews' 2011-12 season basketball gallery. Use our facebook and tweet buttons to share your favorite images, too!

Unity vs St. Thomas More

2012-01-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

New photo gallery added just an hour ago featuring game photos between Tolono Unity and Champaign's St. Thomas More. The Sabers jumped out to an early 28-11 first half lead and never looked back on their way to a 43-26 non-conference finish against the Rockets.

January 3, 2012 - Tolono, IL - Unity's Bailey Walden drives to the basket past St. Thomas More's Sierra Myerscough in their first game of 2012. The Rockets fell 43-26 to the visiting Sabers. Walden scored eight points in her team's non-conference loss while Myerscough scored six points in the Sabers' win.

Unity's Lacy Pruitt looks to pass the ball in the first half.

Unity's Kelsey Cunningham secures a rebound in the second half.

St. Thomas More's Courtney Wax dribbles the ball looking for a way into the lane past the Unity defense.

St. Thomas More's Jade Brinkoetter and Unity's Kaitlynn Stumborg dive for a loose ball.

Click on any photo to view the complete game gallery or click on any name to see photo gallery individual athletes.

Spartans comeback to late in State Farm Holiday Classic opener

2012-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

December 27, 2011 - Bloomington, IL - Peoria Christian's Taylor Myroth boxes out St. Joseph-Ogden's Hannah Graham under the basket during first quarter action at the 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament. The Spartans fell 59-50 to the Lady Chargers for their first loss of the season. Myroth scored 11 in her team's victory. Click on this or any other photo below to see the entire photo gallery.

Ashley Beals take a shot for St. Joseph-Ogden during the first half over Peoria Christian's Kristen Eckert. Beals finished with 11 points and Eckert had scored eight for her team.

Peoria Christian's Taylor Howard dribbles the ball across the half court line and past St. Joseph-Ogden's Tori Master at the 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament. Howard led her team with 14 points in their bid to advance in the winner's bracket.

Peoria Christian's Kristen Eckert brings the ball down the court in the second half. She had eight points in her teams win to advance in the winners' bracket.

St. Joseph-Ogden's Bailey Trimble fights for a rebound with Peoria Christian's Taylor Myroth.

Want to see more photos from this game? Click on any photo above to see the entire gallery. Click here to view all of the State Farm Holiday Classic games we have online so far.

Newman Catholic falls to BCC at State Farm Holiday Classic

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

December 27, 2011 - Bloomington, IL - Saints' Maggie Hayes looks to pass the ball around Lady Comets' Mary Alice Oswalt at the 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament. Bloomington Central Catholic rolled to a 62-28 win over Newman Central Catholic in their first round game at Bloomington's U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Click on this or one of the two other photos below to see all 25 game images.

Getting the ball past Saints' Caroline Holt, Rachel Hageman dribbles down the floor for the Lady Comets.

December 27, 2011 - Bloomington, IL - Lady Comets' Libby Allen plays tough, heads up defense on Saints' Leah Mason in the final quarter of their game.

Read game summary here: Follow this link

Alleman Pioneers open with win against Bishop McNamara

2012-01-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

December 27, 2011 - Bloomington, IL - Pioneers' Zoe Kelso takes an easy shot on her way to a 24-point finish at the 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament. Alleman won their first round game over Bishop McNamara 55-50 on their way to a third place finish at this year's annual event.

December 27th - Bloomington, IL - Despite a shooting percentage 13 below their opponent's, the Rock Island Alleman girls basketball team secured their first win at the 2011 State Farm Classic Holiday Tournament. Led by junior Zoe Kelso and her 24-point performance, the Pioneers defeated Bishop McNamara's Fightin' Irish 55-50 at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum... click here to read complete article

See PhotoNews game photo gallery here.

How good is the St. Joseph-Ogden boys' basketball team?

2011-12-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

"How good is St. Joe Ogden, I know they are undefeated..."

That was the question posed to me on a sports message board today. I'm went with the most politically correct answer I could think of which is they are alright... at the moment.

You see, the right answer to that question is we'll see in 12 days after they get through the State Farm Classic. The tournament is stacked this year and SJO is a sixth or seventh seed if I heard correctly. Yeah, they are 8-0 after cruising through pool play at their hosted Leader Classic basketball tournament, but we need to take their temperature when the competition is stronger than what this area code has to offer.

Head coach Brian Brooks would say that his team is alright, too. And as he has in nearly interview I've done with him since he started coaching at St. Joseph-Ogden, would most likely answer the question by saying, "We're alright. We have a lot of things we need work on. There is a lot of season left."

In 12 days, the question will be answered like this: If the Spartans win two games at the State Farm Holiday Classic, they'll cruise to the regional title. If they win three contests, they'll play for the sectional title. If they win four, they are likely sectional champs and if they win five (and still be undefeated) .... Until the 30th of December, it is just too hard to say how good they really are right now.

Why, you might ask. After all, they are undefeated.

Unity and PBL are the best two teams they've played so far. Unity showed SJO isn't overly physical when they need to be, especially in the paint. There really needs to be more of presences, a sense of domination under the basket. If they are facing a loose perimeter defense, they will they will light up the board with treys (6 in this game) or get the ball to post for easy shots when players come to put a little pressure on them as the Rockets found out. Granted Unity was missing three starters due to injuries and the game would have been closer, SJO's bench and free throw shooting would have still pulled them through as I will detail why below.

PBL's high tempo play, hard driving penetration play and fearless shooters was effective in their first meeting this season. However, I don't think the Panthers aren't deep enough to run and gun all out for a full 32 minutes. They don't have the depth SJO is hoggin' up right now. The Panthers looked great against Olympia and if they bring that game Wednesday against SJO in the Leader Classic title game, it could be entertaining as all get out. It will be up to Jordan Glad to get PBL out to an early 10 or 12 point lead and nurse it long enough to get SJO to panic, they might have a chance at the title.

In SJO's favor is they are deep with ballers, almost down to the last chair. They can sub two or three guys ~ for whatever reason ~ at a time you will not notice a real big change in their defense, shooting, tempo or ball handling. On average so far this season, eight guys are scoring four or more points/game and the team is shooting well above 70% from the free throw line ~ so overly aggressive defense or touch sensitive officiating is an advantage for SJO. They were 22 for 25 from the line against Unity. I believe their worst free throw outing of the season so far ~ an anomaly compared to the rest of the season ~ was against Tindley from Indy in their border war shootout where they were 11 for 20.

Among seven or eight players, they take turns scoring double digits. One night, Chase Patton could have 21 points. Another night, Corbin Hesterberg, Brent Schluter or Dalton Walsh could finish 18 points. Nate Michael, Aaron Woller and Louis Acklin are all due for a 20-point night. Stealth shooters Dylan Troyer and Blake Hoveln could easily sneak into double figure territory.

The State Farm tourney is going to be the measuring stick. Until then, despite the talent and given the deficiencies, SJO is probably just alright...for the moment.

Fighting Illini interim coach to leave after bowl game

2011-12-14T16:04:00.000-08:00

December 14, 2011 – Champaign, IL – It is official! Fighting Illini interim head coach and defensive coordinator Vic Koenning will be leaving the Illinois football program. Koenning, hired by the recently ousted head coach Ron Zook, made the decision to pursue “other opportunities” according to a press release at 2:40pm today.

“We wish Vic nothing but the best as he decides the next destination in his career,” said incoming head coach Tim Beckman, who offered the well-loved Koenning a position on his staff. “He was given the opportunity to remain at Illinois as defensive coordinator, where he has done a fabulous job over the last two seasons. Vic’s work as interim head coach in preparing the team for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl has been excellent and I know he will remain focused on helping the Fighting Illini prepare for the game.”

Click here to read the entire PhotoNews story . . .

Sabers improve to 11-1

2011-12-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

December 13, 2011 – Champaign, IL – Randa Harshbarger had a stellar night for the 11-1 St. Thomas More Sabers. STM rolled to commanding 56-24 win over visiting Tri-Valley in their last game before the upcoming Christmas holiday and State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament in Bloomington-Normal starting December 27.

Click here to read more . . .

PN announce new web site for mobile device users

2011-12-14T13:59:00.000-08:00

December 14, 2011 - Over the last year, more and more visitors have surfed the PhotoNews website with mobile devices such as iPads, iphones and Android based smartphones. In 2010, just 10% of our site traffic came from mobile devices. Today, that number is 13% and rising quickly with the fall in phone prices and more affordable data plans from cellular providers.

Smartphone users see, as in the example on the right, a scaled down version of our homepage with links to the latest stories and photos. The concise version design takes up a much lower amount of bandwidth helping to regular visitors keep their data usage down when checking to see what new content has been updated to the site.

Click here to read more . . .

DACC beats Rose Hulman by 35

2011-12-12T20:58:00.000-08:00

December 12, 2011 – Danville, IL – Jaguars’ Tony Tolliver, Bobby Blackwell and Nyree Robinson came off the bench to put up double digit scores in Danville Area Community College’s 79-44 win over Rose Hulman College on Monday night.

St Thomas More roars past Oakwood in non-conference tango

2011-12-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

December 10, 2011 – Champaign, IL – The Oakwood girls’ basketball team was no match for the St. Thomas More girls’ basketball team in their non-conference meeting on Saturday. Balance scoring from the entire squad helped the Sangamon Valley Conference front-running Sabers roar to a decisive 71-20 win over the Vermilion Valley visitors.

Follow link to read game summary . . .

Brent Schluter leads St Joseph-Ogden in win over Tindley Accelerated

2011-12-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

December 10, 2011 – North Vermilion, IN – In their second adventure in the Illinois-Indiana Basketball Border War, the St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ basketball team came up winners once again. And, as they have done the last three contests on the hardwood, the Spartans used their entire lineup to power their way to another victory. Keeping their unbeaten streak alive, SJO fared well in their crossover contest with a win over Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School, 69-53.

Read entire story on the PhotoNews website . . .

Fighting Illini have new football coach

2011-12-09T16:03:00.001-08:00

December 9th, 2010 – Champaign, IL – After three years as head coach at the University of Toledo, Tim Beckman has leaped into the big leagues and into the Big Ten to become the 23rd head football coach in the history of the University of Illinois and the Fighting Illini. For his trouble, the University signed him on a five year, $9 million contract. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and he goes by the name of jolly young Mike Thomas.

Beckman will replace interim head coach Vic Koenning, who took over the program after seven-year head coach Ron Zook was fired in November. Koenning has been preparing the team for their second straight bowl appearance as soon as they learned of their bid. Beckman said he would watch the Illini from the stands while Koenning and the remaining staff battle to a victory over UCLA on New Year’s Eve.

"I am excited, honored and privileged to be the 23rd head football coach hear at the University of Illinois," Beckman said in his opening statement. He thanked both the institution’s President and Chancellor before describing his lifelong football background with the delivery of small town Baptist minister. He added, "This is a dream come true for the Beckman family."

Finish the article on the PhotoNews website

Spartans improver to 3-0 with win over Panthers

2011-12-08T11:21:00.001-08:00

December 2, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - SJO cheerleader Merissa Jones cheers for the Spartans before the opening tip off of St. Joseph-Ogden's regular season Sangamon Valley Conference game against Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Friday. SJO defeated the Panthers 55-49 to improved to 3-0 on the season. Click on this photo to see all 33 photos from this game.

December 2, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - St. Joseph-Ogden's Brent Schluter has the ball knocked away from his grasp by Panthers' Gauge Snider. Schluter scored a team-high 14 points in the victory that kept SJO's early season undefeated record intact. Click on this photo to see all 33 photos from this game.

December 2, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Paxton-Buckley-Loda's Tanner Harris makes a pass around Spartans' Corbin Hesterberg. Harris led his team with 14 points in the loss. Click on this photo to see all 33 photos from this game.

December 2, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Paxton-Buckley-Loda clap for their team. Click on this photo to see all 33 photos from this game.

December 2, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - St. Joseph-Ogden's Aaron Woller loses control of the ball after his shot is blocked from behind by Paxton-Buckley-Loda's Gauge Snider during their regular season Sangamon Valley Conference game on Friday. Woller finished the contest with two points. Click on this photo to see all 33 photos from this game.

Spartans vs Rockets photo gallery

2011-12-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

Hey, sports fans! We just finished putting 20 photos from last night's basketball game between Tolono Unity and St. Joseph-Ogden. Here's a small sample of what you will find on the PhotoNews website.

December 6, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Spartans' Logan Carr takes control of the paint while getting into position under the basket on second period Unity free throw. St. Joseph-Ogden defeated visiting Unity, 74-63. SJO improved to 4-0 on the season while Unity evens out their season at 1-1 with the loss.

December 6, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Spartans' Dalton Walsh and Rockets' Derek Hooker collide on a sideline while both were going after a loose ball. Walsh went on to finish the game with a team-high 17 points thanks to five treys for the night.

December 6, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Rockets' Alex Throson takes a towering shot over Spartans' Dylan Troyer in the first half of their game.

December 6, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Deny a loose ball to Rockets' Taylor Black, Spartans' Blake Hoveln looks to pass after scooping up the ball while sliding across the floor during first half action.

December 6, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Sailing high over Spartans' Blake Hoveln, Rockets' Aaron Larson puts the ball up for two of his first half 14 points in the first half. Larson went on to finish with a game-high 25.

Click here to see more photos from this game

New Leader Classic fan page on facebook

2011-12-07T17:32:00.001-08:00

We just created an unofficial Leader Classic Basketball Tournament fan page on facebook.

The Leader Classic was the brainchild of The Ogden Leader founder Scott Hunter and then St. Joseph-Ogden High School Athletic Directer Dale Doehring more than 20 years ago. Each year the week before Christmas, eight area basketball teams play for the coveted title. Like our fan page if you will be following this year's tournament and visit the PhotoNews website for game summaries and photos.

Fruhling leads SJO with double-double

2011-12-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

December 5, 2011 – St. Joseph, IL – The seniors on this year’s St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team floated like butterflies and didn’t need to sting their opponent Monday night with threes in their latest display of hard court domination. For a third consecutive game, the Spartans defeated an opponent by 15 or more points this season in their 48-28 Sangamon Valley Conference win over Watseka.

In the photo above, on her way to game-high 17 points, St. Joseph-Ogden's Josey Fruhling puts up a shot in the second half. The Spartans defeated the visiting Warriors, 48-28.

Out of the seven games played this season, only two, Schlarman (11/14) and Paxton-Buckley-Loda (11/18), presented much of a challenge to well-condition, lighting quick squad. Monday night’s contest was a rerun of the past couple with five senior starters all doing their thing … no, make that ‘thang’ – simply because their performance was so good against Watseka.

Click here to read the rest of the story . . .

Click here to visit game photo gallery . . .

2011-12-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2011 – Champaign, IL – The St. Thomas More girls’ basketball team probably have a little more … no check that … an enormous glide in their strides and pep in their steps after toppling the Lady Irish of Bishop McNamara at Parkland College Saturday evening. The Sabers, who in all previous meetings suffered losses to the Kankakee area Catholic School powerhouse, won the annual meeting by five, 55-50.

Click here to read complete story . . .

Spartans' Fruhling outscores opponent

2011-12-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2011 – St. Joseph, IL – The Westville girls’ basketball team managed to score just 12 points against St. Joseph-Ogden in their non-conference game Saturday afternoon. The Spartans, behind the smooth shooting of senior Josey Fruhling, scored 32 in the first half on their way to a 47-12 win.

Read complete story on the PhotoNews website

St. Joseph-Ogden tumbles in dual at Champaign Central

2011-12-04T18:14:00.001-08:00

Central's Nate Volk is declared winner after his match against St. Joseph-Ogden's Austin Hedrick. Volk won the match for the Maroons with a second period pin at 3:31. Central went on to win the dual meet, 62-9.

St. Joseph-Ogden's Andy Bensyl shoots in on Central's Toby Rivera. Bensyl won the match 6-3.

St. Joseph-Ogden's Skylar Pumphrey is lifted off the ground by Central's Tate Long. Long pinned Pumphrey 1:17 into the first period of their 145-pound match.

Click here to see the entire gallery from this meet . . .

St. Joseph-Ogden rolls over Westville with complete team effort

2011-12-04T01:56:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2011 – St. Joseph, IL – While it was an unseasonably warm December day outside, the entire St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team saw playing time against visiting Westville in their non-conference game Saturday afternoon. All but one of the 14-member team contributed at least two points on the way to a final score of 68-30.

Junior Chase Patton led the team in scoring and rebounds with 18 points and seven boards. Notching a second consecutive double figure performance, Brent Schluter was 5-for-8 from the field finishing with 10 points. Dylan Troyer led the team in steals with five.

Click here to read more . . .

St. Joseph-Ogden's second win meaningful victory

2011-12-04T01:34:00.000-08:00

December 2, 2011 – St. Joseph, IL - Whenever Paxton-Buckley-Loda pulled away on the scoreboard, host St. Joseph-Ogden managed to tug their way back into their Sangamon Valley Conference game Friday night. The Spartans, who were playing their second game of the season and the underdogs to the visiting five-game veteran Panthers, the win was meaningful.

“It was a big win early in the season, especially for our group. We have a lot of guys without varsity experience,” said SJO head coach Brian Brooks. “It was a really good win against a very good team.

Click here to read entire article . . .

Maroons' wrestlers roll over Spartans

2011-12-04T01:20:00.000-08:00

December 1, 2011 – Champaign, IL – Andy Bensyl was the lone winner in the Spartans road meet at Champaign Central on Thursday evening. St. Joseph-Ogden tallied just six other points – a double forfeit at 195 and a forfeit at heavyweight.

The Maroons dominated the match with four first period five first period pins at 120, 126, 132, 145 and 225.

Complete story is here ...

Lexi Wallen leads Sabers to 6-1 record in win over CPCI

2011-12-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

December 1, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Lexi Wallen notched herfirst conference double-double of the season last night in a heavily lopsidedvictory over Cissna Park-Crescent-Iroquois. Leading The High School of St. Thomas More to a 67-10 victory over theTimberwolves, Willen scored a season-high 22 points in the regular seasonSangamon Valley Conference game.

... follow this link to read more

Still undefeated, SJO girls wins 5th straight game

2011-11-30T09:51:00.001-08:00

November 29, 2011 - St. Joseph - Priceless. It was a MasterCard moment when St. Joseph-Ogden guard Elizabeth Everingham learned she was her team’s leading scorer in Tuesday night’s 44-28 win over visiting Unity. The look on her face, well, it was just that priceless.

“I didn’t even know I had the high score, to be honest,” she said with a look of both surprise and disbelief across her face. Everingham finished the night with 14 points and five steals during her 28 minutes on the floor. The 5’5” senior and two classmates had six boards each.

As a team, SJO struggled on both offense and defensive the first half. Given their performance, it was a surprise that the Spartans walked away with a win after a dismal first quarter start that found the team down 6-0 near the mid-point of the first quarter. It looked as if the former conference rival, who scored 61 points the night before in a conference contest against Argenta-Oreana, came to play ball.

Click here to read more from SJO's season opener against Unity

..:: See photo gallery here ::..

Negangard Unity All-Stater

2011-11-28T20:15:00.001-08:00

November 25, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Tolono Unity linebacker Kyle Negangard accepts his All-State Award before the start of the Class 3A from members of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. 18 of the top Class 3A football players from around the state were nominated and recognized for their excellent performance during he 2011 season. Negangard was also joined by teammate Michael Lafenhagen on the list of recipients.

See additional photos of All-State players

Illini to seek new head football coach

2011-11-27T22:43:00.001-08:00

November 27, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Sunday morning, after the Fighting Illini’s embarrassing road loss to the Minnesota Gophers (3-9, 2-6), University of Illinois’ Director of Athletics Mike Thomas informed head coach Ron Zook that he would not be retained as the team’s coach. Zook later met with his coaches, the team and finally the media to announce his termination.

The final straw came as the struggling Illinois football team dropped its sixth consecutive football game under Zook and gave Minnesota the opponent they needed to look stellar on national television Saturday afternoon.

The Gophers’ defensive unit held the Illini to just 18 yards on 23 plays in the first half and ...

click here to read more

Ron Zook out as Illini head coach

2011-11-27T18:31:00.000-08:00

November 27, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Former head coach Ron Zook coaching his final home game against Wisconsin at Memorial Stadium on November 19, 2011. After an embarrassing loss to Minnesota on Saturday and a six game losing streak, Illinois Athletic Director Mike Thomas announced that Zook would no longer have his job as the head coach of the University of Illinois' Fighting Illini this afternoon.

"I assessed the entire program and felt that it was time for a change in leadership," Thomas said in a prepared press release. "It is imperative that our program shows some consistency and competes for championships, and I think a change in coaches can help us get there sooner."

Click here to see more photos of Zook coaching the Orange & Blue his last time at Memorial Stadium.

New photo gallery: Aurora Christian vs Mt. Carmel

2011-11-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

Moments ago we just completed adding 25 photos from the Class 3A football game between Mt. Carmel and Aurora Christian. Unless you been living under a rock or spouse-imposed sports blackout, the Eagles brought home the hardware after winning the title behind Anthony Maddie's mad skills behind the center. Maddie rushed for 205 yards on his own, scoring three times and threw for two in the 2011 title game at Memorial Stadium. What made the victory extra special is it is the first state sport title to be won by an Aurora, IL, school. Check out all 32 photos here. Below are is one of our favorite shots from the gallery.

Above, Eagles' Noah Roberts hauls in a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter despite a hand in front of him from Golden Aces' Sheldon Hannah during third quarter action in the state championship game against the Golden Aces Friday evening. Bringing home both the school's and city's first state high school championship sports title, Aurora Christian rolled to a 34-7 Class 3A victory over Mt Carmel. Roberts had three catches including this one for 59 yards. Want to see more photos from this game? Leave us a comment below and let us know.

Flood loves his guys

2011-11-27T08:59:00.001-08:00

November 25, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Rockets' John Flood holds up team's state football runner up trophy and yells to teammates, "I love you guys!" Richmond-Burton fell 42-39 in what was an epic strategic battle between opposites; RB's possession run oriented offense vs Rochester's fast pace passing game.

See complete game gallery here

Richmond-Burton's Jack Dechow keeps Rockets in game

2011-11-26T07:28:00.001-08:00

November 25, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Richmond-Burton's Jack Dechow takes a hand off from quarterback Matthew Malecki in the fourth quarter in what was an epic strategic battle between opposites; RB's possession run oriented offense vs Rochester's fast pace passing game. Richmond-Burton fell 42-39 after fight back from a 14 point first quarter deficit in the Class 4A title game late Friday evening. ©2011 PhotoNews

See game gallery

Rochester holds off Richmond-Burton in Class 4A title game

2011-11-26T07:14:00.001-08:00

November 25, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Rochester's Wes Lunt tries to evade Richmond-Burton's Nicholas Zelinsky on a fourth quarter pass play. Richmond-Burton fell in what was an epic strategic battle between opposites; RB's possession run oriented offense vs Rochester's fast pace passing game. Richmond-Burton fell 42-39 after fight back from a 14 point first quarter deficit in the Class 4A title game late Friday evening. Lunt was able to get the ball off before being thrown to the turf on the play.

Click here to see photo gallery

Morrison celebrates title win

2011-11-25T22:57:00.001-08:00

November 25, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Running back to his sideline, Morrison's Andy Schaver celebrates his team's Class 2A state football title win. The Mustangs defeated the Warriors 23-14 to win the Class 2A title. More photos from this game later this week.

Aurora Christian wins Class 3A football title

2011-11-25T21:31:00.001-08:00

November 25, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Eagles' Noah Roberts and RJ Morris hold up their school's state football trophy. Aurora Christian rolled to a 34-7 victory over Mt. Carmel to win the Class 3A football title at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium.

See more photos from this game

Aurora Christian Eagles soar to football state title

2011-11-25T18:30:00.001-08:00

November 25, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Eagles fan cheer fanatically for their team Friday night. Aurora Christian rolled to a 34-7 victory over Mt. Carmel to win the Class 3A football title at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium.

Could Tuscola's Rick Reinhart be showered again?

2011-11-24T10:36:00.001-08:00

Champaign, IL - Tuscola head coach Rick Reinhart receives a celebratory shower after the Warriors win their second Class 1A football title just three years after taking the school’s first with their 14-7 win over Lexington back in November of 2009. Tomorrow at 10am, Reinhart and the Warriors will play yet another state football title at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium.

See the 2009 photo gallery

Check out our newest blog!

2011-11-24T08:21:00.001-08:00

Instead of roasting a turkey and fixing the fixin' today, we just created another new blog over on the Tumblr site. We'll refer to this as the PhotoNews Extra's baby sister (only because this one has been around a couple of years longer). Check it out over here!

Fruhling leads St Joseph-Ogden in basketball tournament victory

2011-11-20T11:40:00.001-08:00

Josey Fruhling notched her third double-double in four games this season to lead St. Joseph-Ogden in their Fisher/GCMS Holiday Tournament victory on Friday night. Fruhling, a senior, scored a game-high 19 points and snagged 11 rebounds in the Spartans’ 52-45 win over Sangamon Valley Conference rival Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

SJO jumped out to a 13-7 lead in the first quarter and PBL closed....

Click here to read more

Breese Mater Dei defeats St. Francis Catholic at state volleyball semifinal

2011-11-16T10:01:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, we posted 51 photos from the Illinois State High School Association's semifinal state volleyball match between the Lady Knights of Breese Mater Dei and the Spartans of St. Francis Catholic School from Wheaton. Mater Dei downed St. Francis in two sets 25-19, 25-11 in their IHSA Class 3A semi-final match. BMD went on to win this year's title defeating Marian High School out of Woodstock for the 2011 title. It was the Lady Knights' second consecutive state volleyball title. The Spartans won the third place match with a 25-20, 25-11 win over Chicago Heights' Marian Catholic High School. Here are a sample from yesterday's update. Click on any photo to view the complete photo gallery.

November 11, 2011 - Normal, IL - Brooke Schulte celebrates a point for the Lady Knights.

November 11, 2011 - Normal, IL - Mater Dei fans cheer for Mallory Mensing during a timeout.

November 11, 2011 - Normal, IL - St. Francis libero Maddie Defino serves in the first set of their match against the Lady Knights. The Spartans fell in straight sets 25-19, 25-11 in their IHSA Class 3A semi-final match to the eventual state champions Breese Mater Dei. St. Francis went on take home the third place trophy with a 25-20, 25-11 win over Chicago Heights' Marian Catholic High School.

2011-11-15T10:32:00.001-08:00

Not more than an hour ago today, the Illinois High School Football Championship Fan Site was created on facebook. Go here to see the PhotoNews' facebook page for updates, post your game and travel stories, share your photos and see ours! Like it and join in the conversation about this year's state football championship games.

MacAthur's Michael Clevenger state champ

2011-11-13T10:35:00.001-08:00

November 5, 2011 - East Peoria, IL - MacArthur's Michael Clevenger runs during the 2011 Class 2A state cross country race. He finished in first place overall with a time of 14:26 to take this year's title.

Click here to view the complete Class 2A photo gallery

Macomb Bombers ousted in 3A playoff run

2011-11-13T10:30:00.001-08:00

November 12, 2011 - Tolono, IL - Macomb's Chris Jackson evades a Rocket tackler in the first quarter with some fancy footwork. Unity blasted the Bombers 35-7 in their Class 3A football playoff game. Macomb finished the season with an 8-4 record.

Click here to see the complete game gallery

Quincy Notre Dame volleyball advances at state

2011-11-11T22:39:00.000-08:00

November 11, 2011 - Normal, IL - Kate Genenbacher led her volleyball squad on the attack with 7 kills and from the back line with a pair of aces to lead Quincy Notre Dame’s balanced attack to Saturday’s Class 2A title match against Chicago Christian at the IHSA state volleyball tournament at Redbird Arena. The Lady Raider notched their semi-final win in two sets 25-23, 25-20 over Okaw Valley Conference’s representative Decatur St. Teresa.

QND used 24 kills and seven ... (click here to read more).

November 11, 2011 - Normal, IL - Quincy Notre Dame's Jersee Esterlein (middle) celebrates a point with teamates Shannon Foley (right) and Kristen Gengenbacher (left) in their semifinal match against Decatur St. Teresa. The Lady Raiders defeated the Bulldogs 25-23. 25-20 to advance to a Class 2A title match against Chicago Christian on Saturday.

Quincy Notre Dame student fans show their support for team.

St. Teresa's Jordan Wooden attempts to pass the ball over her head and back to the net in their state semifinal volleyball match against Quincy Notre Dame. The Lady Raiders defeated the Bulldogs 25-23. 25-20 to a shot at the Class 2A title. St. Teresa will moves on to face Breese Central for a shot at the third place trophy.

Click on any photos to visit the complete game gallery.

New 2012 calendar published today!

2011-11-10T13:37:00.001-08:00

Just released today! Our new calendar with 13 memorable photos from the beautiful campus of the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus. Each month of this full color, 28 page calendar features a trivia question to test your knowledge about Illinois' flagship educational institution. Here are two sample pages from the highly anticipated release.

May 2012 ::: A typical Midwest thunderstorm over Assembly Hall on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign.

March 2012 ::: Photo from early morning at the Japan House pond

View the entire calendar on the other end of this link: 2012 Campus Calendar

Steve Schroeder wins state cross country title, sets new record time

2011-11-10T11:00:00.001-08:00

November 5, 2011 - East Peoria, IL - Looking at the finish line a few strides away, Monticello's Steve Schroeder runs to a state title and record time during the 2011 Class 1A boys state cross country finals on Saturday morning. He finished in first place overall with a time of 14:28 to also earn All-State recognition at this year's race.

Follow the link below to see more than 100 photos from the boys' Class 1A state cross country race.

Class 1A boys' gallery

SJO Chelsea Blaase sets new Class 1A record

2011-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

November 5, 2011 - East Peoria, IL - St. Joseph-Ogden's Chelsea Blaase stays back as she runs behind Mt. Zion's McKayla Harder during the second loop of the course at the 2011 Class 1A state cross country meet. 311 runners qualified for IHSA state finals race on Saturday morning. Blaase went on to set a new Class 1A record taking the championship title with a time of 17:12.

See more than 60 additional photos from the girls' Class 1A race at this link: Class 1A State Gallery

Richardson scores in playoff loss

2011-10-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2011 - Normal, IL - Rock Island's Markel Richardson runs the ball into the end zone for a first quarter touchdown. His effort wasn't enough as the Wildcats, who scored on five of the first 6 possessions, defeated the visiting Rocks 54-28 in their Class 6A first round playoff game.

... see game gallery

Normal West Wildcats advance in 6A football playoffs

2011-10-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2011 - Normal, IL - Normal West's Michael Beasley-Hart carries the football in their home post-season contest against Rock Island. The Wildcats scored on five of the first 6 possessions on their way to defeat the visiting Rocks 54-28 in their Class 6A first round playoff game.

... more game photos

Unity continues march in 2011 football playoffs

2011-10-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

October 29, 2011 - Tolono, IL - Unity's Michael Lafenhagen plows his way through the St. Thomas More defense line. The Rockets defeated the visiting Sabers 41-6 in their week one Class 3A playoff game at Hicks Field. Unity advances to face Monticello next Saturday on the road. To see more photos from the game click here.

2008 St Joseph-Ogden football posters

2011-10-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to uploading football posters from the 2008 St. Joseph-Ogden football season to the poster gallery on the PhotoNews website. Below are two of several designs of players that I created for that year. As I noted in earlier blog post, I just don't willy-nilly throw pictures on a page (well, I try not to). Each poster design has a deeper meaning. Sometimes as collection or sometimes individually.

In the case of the 2008 football collection, the design had two purposes: One, to give the senior players a superhero persona, aka Green Lantern, Bruce Banner, Superman, ripping out of their shell to become heroes on the gridiron. Second, the light rays beaming from their chest was purposely done to create a light for others to follow on the team when each player finally ripped through whatever obstacles that held them back individually to become a solid team leaders.

SJO had not missed a playoff since 1990 and fortunately, the 5-4 squad earned enough points to continue St. Joseph-Ogden's long playoff appearance streak. As individuals they were tough, skilled players. As a team, the seniors could not pool their combined talents to make the deep playoff run that has been a tradition at their program for almost two decades. The lightning bolts were purposely placed in the design to represent the flashes of power and excellence that occurred throughout one of the shortest football season since head coach Dick Duval took the reigns.

The lighting on the main photo, a lighting used in horror films in the 30's and 40's, was purposely done to make them look like the monsters they were on the football field. The rich colors, lighting and intense facial expressions makes this year's collection of SJO football posters some of my favorite designs.

~ Clark

Jacob Firkins was a senior and member of the 2008 St. Joseph-Ogden football squad.

Tyler Dunkman was a senior and member of the 2008 St. Joseph-Ogden football squad.

Follow this link to see all 14 posters in the 2008 football collection

Micah Johnson and Rockets blast Clinton in 48-18 victory

2011-10-17T13:24:00.001-07:00

October 14, 2011 - Clinton, IL - Running hard and fast, Unity's Micah Johnson finds a big whole to move the ball during their Okaw Valley match up at Clinton. The Rockets defeated the host Maroons, 48-18. Unity advances to 7-1 on the season while Clinton fell to 2-6 after the loss.

Click her to see more photos from this game

Featured Photo Galleries

2011-10-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Having covered two days of the Illinois state golf tournament this past weekend, we have just added a new gallery of images from the event and updated our list of featured galleries on the PhotoNews website. Below are our top galleries the past 30 days or so.

Dylan Daxon In Title Hunt At State Golf

2011-10-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

October 14, 2011 - Bloomington, IL - Rockridge's Dylan Daxon watches his ball sail down the first fairway at the IHSA Class 1A State Golf Tournament at Bloomington's Prairie Vista Golf Club. Golfers at this year's tournament faced sustained winds out of the west making for challenging playing conditions. Daxon finished day 1 in the top ten on the leaderboard.

See more state golf photos

Monmouth's Jake Gavin Ties For 20th At State

2011-10-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

October 15, 2011 - Bloomington, IL - Momouth United's Jake Gavin watches his ball sail on the first tee at the IHSA Class 1A State Golf Tournament at Bloomington's Prairie Vista Golf Club. Gavin shot a two-day total of 161 tie for 20th overall.

Unity win moves Rockets to conference's top spot

2011-10-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

October 7, 2011 - Tolono, IL - Unity's Micah Johnson evades a tackle by Monticello defensive player Luke Zimmerman during their regular season conference game on Friday evening. The Rockets roll to a 41-0 victory over the visiting Sages to stay at the top of the Okaw Valley Conference's Black division. Johnson caught a 15-yard pass and took the ball on a 50-yard, third quarter run for touchdowns.

October 7, 2011 - Tolono, IL - Monticello's Chandler Zindars provides pass protection in the fourth quarter during their regular season conference game at Unity. The Rockets roll to a 41-0 victory over the visiting Sages to stay at the top of the Okaw Valley Conference's Black division.

October 7, 2011 - Tolono, IL - Unity's Micah Johnson is tackled from three sides by Monticello players during a second half play in their regular season conference game on Friday evening. The Rockets roll to a 41-0 victory over the visiting Sages to stay at the top of the Okaw Valley Conference's Black division. Monticello's Luke Dunn, Scott Huisinga, and Jacob Williams make the hit to bring down Johnson, who scored twice in the game. He caught a 15-yard pass and took the ball on a 50-yard, third quarter run for touchdowns.

Click here to see more photos from this game

SJO Senior Soccer Poster

2011-10-04T08:42:00.001-07:00

September 29, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - St. Joseph-Ogden senior Nick Geers was recognized for his contribution to the Spartan soccer program with this 20x24 poster commissioned by his parents for the SJO Soccer Senior Night. Heading into the post season Geers lead the team in both shots on goal, goals and assists.

2009 Unity Senior Soccer Posters

2011-10-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Unity soccer's Senior Night. To get things rolling, we wanted to show you posters created for the 2009 seniors. Somewhere, in our huge archive, are the 2010 edition. We'll post those soon.

See the first seven Unity Rocket soccer posters ever created. Two years ago, Ethan Billman, Erik Adkisson, Dylan Williams, Cole Murray, CJ Webb, Brandon Taylor and Alec Reifsteck were the first Rocket soccer seniors to receive these kickass posters. Follow this link to see all seven posters: 2009 Unity Senior Soccer Posters Below are three samples from the group specially created the Class of 2009.

October 6, 2009 - Tolono, IL - Alec Reifsteck is a senior and member of the 2009-2010 Unity Rocket soccer team.

October 6, 2009 - Tolono, IL - Dylan Williams is a senior and member of the 2009-2010 Unity Rocket soccer team.

October 6, 2009 - Tolono, IL - Ethan Billman is a senior and member of the 2009-2010 Unity Rocket soccer team.

Check out the 2011 seniors' posters on the PhotoNews site later this week.

How sweet a victory it is

2011-09-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

September 19, 2011 - Tolono, IL - Unity soccer player Logan Cunningham is all smiles after the final whistle giving his team a home victory against St. Teresa as he and teammate Ben Winn prepare to exchange high-fives. Giving a solid defensive performance in their Okaw Valley Conference game, the Rockets defeated the Bulldogs, 1-0. Cunningham scored the games lone goal.

Click here to see the complete Unity vs St. Teresa photo gallery

Geers leads Spartans In Win

2011-09-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

September 20, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - SJO's Austin Baker heads the ball down the field over Watseka's Burl Gillespie in St. Joseph-Ogden's home match against visiting Watseka. The Spartans rolled to an easy 4-0 win over the Warriors in conference play. Click here to see this photo and more on the PhotoNews site in our new gallery.

Alex Van Hoof Finishes First At Lady Spartan Classic

2011-09-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

September 24, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Bloomington Central Catholic's Alex Van Hoof runs to a first place finish at the 2011 Spartan Classic. Van Hoof crossed the finish line at 11:05.0. Bloomington Central Catholic finished seventh with 225 points in the team standings. See 90 more photos from the 2011 Lady Spartan Classic here.

2011-09-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

Unity Battles Back, Falls Just Short Of Tie

September 15, 2011 - Tolono, IL - Unity soccer player Ben Winn gets a little contact from behind from Monticello's Billy Nixon in their home conference game against the Sages. Despite aggressive play the final five minutes of the match, Unity fell 3-2 in regulation time to visiting Monticello.

With the grace of a ballet star, Unity soccer player Ben Winn goes on toe stretching to kick the ball downfield in their home conference game against the Sages.

Monticello's Josh Schumacher makes a save in the nick of time as Unity soccer player Noah Winn come in a moment too late to put the ball in the net in their Thursday afternoon. Despite aggressive play the final five minutes of the match, Unity fell 3-2 in regulation time to visiting Monticello.

See all 68 photos from this game here

2011-08-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today, 153 new photos from the CarX CrazyK were added to the PhotoNews site bringing the total to 368 images from the race. There are still a lot more photos for to make sure they are in focus, well-exposed (although one or two added today were not...see below) and meets my rather extreme quality standards. Basically, if it won't make a very nice 11x14 print to hang on the wall, it won't be posted. Here are just a few shots from today's upload.

Representing the Team FCA 3, Kelly Koller, of Champaign, reacts as falls into the pool of mud that must be crossed before reaching the finish line 100 yards away at inaugural CarX CrazyK. She finished 243rd place overall with a time of 32:36 in the team division.

Martin Pazanin, of Champaign, crawls through the mud pit while running in the inaugural CarX CrazyK. He finished 58th place overall with a time of 26:39.

Representing the Swift of Tweet team and hoping to win the costume contest, Stephen Johnson, of Sadorus, runs to the finish line at the inaugural CarX CrazyK. He finished 61st place overall with a time of 26:46 in the team division. Over 600 athletes from around state participated in the 5K event that featured 11 obstacles that runners navigated to the finish line.

Champaign Super Soccer Galore

2011-08-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Champaign, ILL - This Friday, Parkland College will host the first-ever Cobra Kick for the Cure. Proceeds from the event will go to the American Cancer Society. Not only will area soccer fans will see local prep teams as well college level athletes in action over the three-day event, spectators will be able to show their support for the fight against cancer.

There will also be an on-site silent auction as well as halftime show on Sunday between local media personalities who will square off against a team of Parkland faculty and alumni. All games will take place at Dodds Soccer Complex on Bradley Avenue just south of the Parkland's campus. Two great games are scheduled for the open matches with Parkland facing South Suburban College and Illinois Wesleyan verses Danville Area Community College at 2pm on Friday.

Match schedule:

------------------------------------------------------

Friday, September 2

2:00 pm

Field #4: Parkland College vs. South Suburban College

Field #5: Illinois Wesleyan University vs. Danville Area College

4:00 pm

Field #4: Heartland College vs. Morton College

Field #5: North Iowa College vs. Lincoln College

Field #6: Iowa Western College vs. Kishwaukee College

5:15 pm

Field #7: Champaign Centennial HS vs. Urbana HS

Saturday, September 3

10:00 am

Field #6: Champaign Central HS vs. Bradley-Bourbonnais HS

Field #7: Mahomet HS vs. Unity HS

12:00 pm

Field #7: Mahomet HS JV vs. Unity HS JV

Sunday, September 4

2:00 pm

Field #4: Iowa Western College vs. Lincoln College

Field #5: North Iowa College vs. Morton College

Field #6: Danville Area College vs. Kishwaukee CC

4:00 pm

Field #4: Parkland College vs. Illinois Wesleyan University

Field #5: So. Suburban College vs. Heartland College

Related Links:
• PhotoNews soccer photo archives

• More Parkland College soccer stories

CarX CrazyK photos just added

2011-08-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

The 82 photos from the CarX CrazyK charity race were posted about an hour ago. The 5K course was really cool with a lot of challenging obstacles like tunnels (see below), muddy hills, hay bales stacked 20 feet high and mud wallow that would have made pigs as happy as Boston clams. Here a couple of pictures that were immediate favorites from the race.

A runner exits the tunnel obstacle while running the first installment of the Car-X's Crazy K race. The 5k race featured 10 other obstacles that athletes navigated on their way to the finish line. Final results were not available at the time of publishing of this photo.

Hundreds of athletes competed as teams or individuals in a 5k race, sponsored by Champaign's Car-X repair shop, that featured 11 different obstacles. One was the mud pit, dubbed the Muddy Mayhem Crawl, where runners, as pictured, ran, crawl or swam through before running the last 50 yards to the finish line. 100% of the proceeds from the CarX CrazyK are earmarked as donations to area charities.

Click here to see more photos from the CarX CrazyK race here

The race needs to be held earlier in the summer when high school runners, especially those in cross country, can compete. The numbers could have been huge for the promoters and more money could have been raised for the charities who will receive the benefits from the race.

We have about 600 photos to post, but we are waiting for the official results so we can add that information to the caption for the photos. Check the PhotoNews site later this week for even more photos.

5K fun faces

2011-08-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Some people just can't help themselves when they see a camera pointing there way while running a grueling long distance race. Runners at 5K races can be every bit as entertaining as those tough men and women who run 10K or longer races. Below are some of the great faces from Saturday's 5k race at Mahomet-Seymour High School. 296 runners completed the course and I'm sure folks like Tammy Quinlan, Kim Coburn and Chad Kupferschmid who are pictured below made it an enjoyable day for all their fellow competitors.

Chad Kupferschmid, of Mahomet, IL, demonstrates the proper technique for the flying #1s.

Tammy Quinlan (right), from Rantoul double pumps both fists as she runs by.

Kim Coburn, of Urbana, IL, demonstrates how to properly smile, give the number 1 sign and not break your stride while running.

• • •

See more photos from this year's Mahomet Half Marathon and 5K:

5K photo gallery

Half Marathon gallery

Chelsea Blaase Ladies' Best At The St. Joseph 5K Run\Walk

2011-08-19T03:40:00.000-07:00

August 13, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - St. Joseph-Ogden senior Chelsea Blaase runs to a overall 21st place finish at the 2011 St. Joseph 5K Run/Walk on Saturday morning. Blaase, who is expected to be one the area's top prep distance runners this fall, was the top ladies' finisher with a time of 19:08.0. Each year proceeds from the race are donated to the St. Joseph Middle School and High School Boys and Girls Cross Country programs.

• More 5K photos

• Complete running gallery

Mitch Gilbert Wins St. Joseph 5K, Sets New Race Record

2011-08-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

August 13, 2011 - St. Joseph, IL - Mitch Gilbert runs to a first place finish at the 2011 St. Joseph 5K Run/Walk on Saturday morning. Gilbert, a member of the North Central College cross country and track team, finished the race setting a new record time of 15:20.0. Each year proceeds from the race are donated to the St. Joseph Middle School and High School Boys and Girls Cross Country programs.

• More 5K photos

• Complete running gallery

New sports posters

2011-08-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

Like everything in Texas, when it comes to pictures going big -- makes our sports images look even better. 90% of the large format prints we design our at 16x20 or larger and designed to be displayed prominently as part of the subject's sports shrine, in their college dorm room or school.

These art pieces take on average about two hours apiece to create. After searching our archives for the sharpest, best exposed images, they are then incorporated and intertwined with the school colors, team name and/or nickname and other text to create uniquely stunning eye-candy. Individual commissioned work is designed to capture the excitement and thrill of a season, career or even a single game/event.

Two generations from now, our art prints, if displayed and maintained in the typical home environment will look as sharp and rich in color as they did when they were delivered. The images are then printed on acid-free archival paper with specially designed inks that have been tested in rigorous lab conditions to last up to 115 years. The finished prints are then enclosed between two sheets of heavy duty laminate to protect the print from elements such as water, dirt, mold, mildew and most importantly ultraviolet light which accelerates the deterioration of traditional photographic prints, paints and printing ink, thus extending the life to .... who knows.

Today, we've upload a few posters created during the last school year. If you do a search for posters on the PhotoNews site, you will see a gallery of artwork owned and created for athletes in nearly every high school sport offered in our area. If you don't see one for a particular sport, it is because we have not been asked to create or commissioned to create pieces of art for an athlete in that sport. Here is a look at a couple of our favorites from 2009 and 2010.

One of the things we do with all the images we capture during sporting events is create really cool sports posters commemorating an athlete's game or season. This 20x24 poster of St. Thomas More's Kevin Carroll was designed back in February of this year on request with photos from his '09 through 2010 season. It took about four hours total to create this piece. The best part of the piece is the photo in the lower right with Carroll grinning ear to ear while celebrating his touchdown in the Sabers home game against Clifton Central in 2010. Click here to see more photos of Carroll on the gridiron.

Another one of our favorite posters from the 2010-2011 season was this one of Tolono Unity wrestler Henry LeCrone. The senior was the most successful wrestler during the 2010-2011 season for Rockets' grappling program. Finishing his season on the floor of Assembly Hall at the annual state meet with a record of 37-7, this 16x20 commissioned commemorative poster was presented to LeCrone during the team's winter sports banquet.

Want to see more samples of posters created over the years? See more examples of sports posters on the PhotoNews website and check out some of the cool designs. If you are looking for a unique gift for Mothers's or Father's Day, Christmas or Hanukkah, graduation or a birthday, contact us about creating a piece for you.

The new plus one button

2011-08-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

"The +1 button is shorthand for "this is pretty cool" or "you should check this out.," is how Google's official website describes the button we added to the PhotoNews site last month. When you are browsing photos on our site and see a photo you like or you think deserves a lot of attention, click the +1 button under the keyword section for the photo. You have to be logged into one of your Google accounts such as YouTube, Gmail ...yadda, yadda, for the button to record your recommendation.

This helps Google's search engine determine what people think is important enough to put at the top of its search options. When college coaches or friends & family are searching for photos of you, they'll find them quicker. Try the new button out this week and watch the number of times your favorite photo is viewed grow..

Phase 1 of Champaign Mini-Triathlon Gallery Done

2011-08-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today, an initial gallery of images from the 29th Annual Champaign Mini-Triathlon were added to the PhotoNews site (link to photos). Check out the story and cool photos in the September issue of PN Magazine. Did you compete but don't see your photo in the gallery? I shot over 2,000 frames so there is a good chance we might have a decent photo of you. Post your race number on our Facebook fan page and we'll post all the photos we have of you. Below are a sample of what you'll find in the PhotoNews gallery. Right now there are 62 photos to view.

Fun At Mini-Tri

August 6, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Bridget Jamieson, of Champaign, (left) and Jenni Sadlock, of Leroy, provide comical relief and much needed encouragement to runners along the course during the 2011 Champaign Mini-Triathlon. "We are letting go with our unabashed musical talent," said Jamieson.

Mahomet's Hannah Schaap Women's Champ

August 6, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Overall women's champion Hannah Schaap, of Mahomet, runs the last 10 yards of her race during the 2011 Champaign Mini-Triathlon. Schaap, who placed first in Women's 20-24 division, finished the course at 36:56.5. The race, sponsored by the Champaign Park District, limits the field to 350 competitors, which usually reaches its limit months before registration closing date.

Scott Paluska Triathlon Champion

August 6, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Overall champion Scott Paluska, of Urbana, swims during the 2011 Champaign Mini-Tri. Paluska finished the course at 33:46.6 and placed first in the Men's 40-45 age group. The race, sponsored by the Champaign Park District, limits the field to 350 competitors, which usually reaches its limit months before registration closing date.

Hop In!

August 6, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Thomas Adamek, of Champaign,jumps into the pool to start the second half of the swim phase during the 2011 Champaign Mini-Tri. Adamek, who placed second in the Men's 45-49 division, finished the course at 40:08.7.The race, sponsored by the Champaign Park District, limits the field to 350 competitors, which usually reaches its limit months before registration closing date.

The rest of the story...

2011-07-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I posted a link to a Sports Illustrated photo gallery. The lead photo was of a bullfighter, Julio Aparicio, 41, gored at bullfight at Madrid's Las Ventas. In the photo, the bull drove his right horn through Aparicio's throat and out his mouth. If you haven't seen the photo click on Julio's name above and then read more at: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/05/24/spanish-bullfighter-julio-aparicio-intensive-care-brutal-goring-throat/#ixzz1TbDXaMw1

The sports pics we dream of capturing

2011-07-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

We all know Sports Illustrated has the best sport photography in the world - and why not since thousands of shooters around the world send hundreds of pics to them every week hoping to see their photo in print (and to collect a nice little payday, too). Check out the photos on the other end of this link:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1107/ouch/content.1.html

Warning. The images are pretty graphic and going to make you go uuggghhhhh, oooohhhhh, or may be let out a few sympathy grunts or groans. Who wouldn't want a two page spread of themselves being gored, getting the family jewels crowned or head twisted around their neck beyond the rotation it was designed to function under.

Capturing moments like these is what sports photography is all about. Pictures of Johnny swinging a bat or Jenny making a kill in volleyball are not really "SPORTS" images. It is the unique, unpredictable moments captured on film or digitally that happen in the blink of an eye that is the epitome of sports action photography.

Some we'll get around to publish the PhotoNews version of similar images captured over the last decade of local athletes that will make you cringe, too. In our archives, we have photos faces being mashed and smashed, face plants on hard courts and baseball/softball players like the two below of Taylor Freeman, a former St. Joseph-Ogden three-sport athlete and Parkland Cobra softball player, who was a real ball magnet.
Take a look at second shot at the bottom of this post, one of our all-time favorites.
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May 5, 2007 - St. Joseph, IL - St. Joseph-Ogden's Taylor Freeman is hit by a ball meant to throw her out on a steal attempt at third. The senior was safe on the play in SJO's game against Meridan. The Spartans swept three opponents Saturday to win their annual invitational softball tournament.

May 16, 2007 - Villa Grove, IL - Shortstop Taylor Freeman takes a pitch on the arms in the Spartans' regional softball game against the Blue Devils. St. Joseph-Ogden beat Villa Grove 6-0 to advance to Saturday's title game against Hoopeston Area.

New catalog entries

2011-07-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today's news - which isn't all that exciting - is August and September 2010 has been added to the PhotoNews Image Catalog. We covered 32 events during that period and amazingly enough images from only half of the assignment we shot for our newspaper and magazine clients made it to the our online archives. The images available on the PhotoNews site is just a small sample of 500,000-plus images available in our library.

8/5/2010 • American Legion Baseball - Eagan vs Terre Haute

8/5/2010 • American Legion Baseball - Moline vs La Crosse

8/5/2010 • American Legion Baseball - Tuscarawas vs Penn

8/6/2010 • American Legion Baseball - Moline vs Terre Haute

8/8/2010 • American Legion Baseball - Midland vs Terre Haute

8/8/2010 • American Legion Baseball - Moline vs Eagan

8/9/2010 • American Legion Baseball - Terre Haute vs Moline Game 1

8/9/2010 • American Legion Baseball - Terre Haute vs Moline Game 2

8/14/2010 • St Joseph Community Festival 5K

8/21/2010 • Mahomet Half Marathon 5K

8/26/2010 • Unity Soccer vs Oakwood

8/27/2010 • Unity football vs Central AM

8/29/2010 • St. Joseph-Ogden at Fat Sandwich

9/4/2010 • St. Joseph-Ogden football vs Carterville

9/9/2010 • Unity soc vs Iroqouis West

9/10/2010 • St. Joseph-Ogden vs Momence

9/13/2010 • St. Joseph-Ogden Football Poster Shoot

9/15/2010 • Parkland Soccer vs Heartland

9/17/2010 • Unity vs Tuscola football

9/18/2010 • Unity Football Poster Shoot

9/21/2010 • Parkland vs Richard J. Daley College

9/23/2010 • St. Joseph-Ogden Volleyball vs Iroqouis West

9/24/2010 • St. Thomas More football vs Clifton Central

9/25/2010 • St. Joseph-Ogden Cross Country Poster Shoot

9/25/2010 • Spartan Classic Cross Country Meet

9/25/2010 • Unity soccer vs Warrensburg

9/26/2010 • St. Thomas More football poster shoot

9/27/2010 • Unity soccer vs Fisher

9/28/2010 • St. Joseph-Ogden Girls Volleyball Shoot

9/28/2010 • Unity soccer vs St. Thomas More

9/29/2010 • Parkland Womens Soccer vs Illinois Central College

9/30/2010 • St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball vs Clifton Central

If you would like to see more photos from that event you selected there is a $25 research fee to cover the expense of performing a file search and creating/updating the gallery. If we find the event, five or more photos of the athlete you are looking for, or the published photo, the research fee will be applied toward the purchase of any PhotoNews news product, reprint or services. Your research fee will be refunded if we did not cover the event find four or less photos of the individual in our search.

Sunny Smile

2011-07-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2011 - Gifford, IL - With a big smile on her face, Kara Stack runs in the 2011 Gifford Community Festival 5K Run/Walk. Stack finished 59th overall with at time of 33:36. 25 new photos added today. Click here to see what's new in this race gallery.

New catalog entries

2011-07-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

In our earlier post today, we discussed our new archive catalog. Moments ago, the following events, all covered in March of 2011, were added to the catalog.

3/25/2011 • Rhythm Manding at Channing Murray

3/25/2011 • Bolakada Conde Drum Workshop

3/18/2011 • Heart of Illinois Conference vs Sangamon Valley Conference All-Star Girls' basketball game

3/18/2011 • Heart of Illinois Conference v Sangamon Valley Conference All-Star Boys' basketball game

3/14/2011 • Illinois Lacrosse v Minnesota

3/13/2011 • Unity Baseball Poster Schedule Shoot

3/12/2011 • Unity Girls Softball Team Senior Poster Shoot

3/12/2011 • Illinois Drill Team Association State Dance Championships

***Images in this gallery are mostly of St. Joseph-Ogden High School's dance team performing at this event. We have performances from several other schools. Please contact us to see if we have photos of the school you are looking for.

3/9/2011 • Rhythm Manding at Urbana Library

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See the complete catalog by following this link.

New PhotoNews catalog page

2011-07-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Last month we created a new page listing all of the events the PhotoNews has covered in the past called the PhotoNews Event Catalog. Since it is impossible for us to caption and post every image we shoot at a game or event and during many periods throughout the year post galleries from every game we've covered during the week, this new page makes it convenient for our clients looking for specific photos of athletes or events easier.

Each event is either linked to our online gallery or to a page that will direct and recommend that we perform an archive search. If we find the event, five or more photos of the athlete you are looking for, or the published photo, the research fee will be applied toward the purchase of any PhotoNews news product, reprint or services. Your research fee will be refunded if we did not cover the event find four or less photos of the individual in our search. The research fee is just a modest $25 per search that goes toward covering the expense of performing the file search and creating/updating the gallery.

With well over 500,000 images in our archive, this page will be a work in progress for a while. We currently estimate it will probably take six months to a year to list all of the events covered by the PhotoNews over the past 10 years.

Feel free to email us at the address at the bottom of the page to inquire about an event, individual or athlete you are searching for at any time.

Here is the list of events we covered in February of this year:

2/27/2011	• Champaign Park District 8th annual indoor tennis tournament
2/26/2011	• State Dual Wrestling Crystal Lake Central vs Mt Zion
2/26/2011	• State Dual Wrestling Richmond-Burton vs Sycamore
2/26/2011	• State Dual Wrestling Sandburg vs North
2/25/2011	• Quincy Notre Dame girls' basketball vs Nashville
2/23/2011	• Rantoul vs Westville Boys' Basketball regional
2/23/2011	• St. Joseph-Ogden vs Bismarck-Henning Boys' Basketball regional
2/19/2011	• Saturday State Wrestling Finals
2/18/2011	• Friday Illinois State Wrestling Prelims
2/12/2011	• Tolono Wrestling Sectional Finals
2/12/2011	• Tolono Wrestling Sectionals session II
2/11/2011	• St. Joseph-Ogden Boys' Basketball vs Momence
2/10/2011	• St. Joseph-Ogden Girls Basketball vs Bismarck-Henning
2/8/2011	• St. Joseph-Ogden Dance Team Poster Shoot
2/8/2011	• St. Joseph-Ogden Cheer Senior Poster Shoot
2/5/2011	• Argenta Regional - 1st rnd
2/5/2011	• Argenta Regional - 2nd rnd
2/5/2011	• Argenta Regional Wrestling Meet - Finals
2/4/2011	• Iroqouis West vs CPCI Basketball
2/4/2011	• St. Joseph-Ogden Boys' Basketball vs Clifton Central

Below is the direct link to the catalog page. We highly recommend you bookmark and visit this page monthly to check for new updates. You will also find a link to this page at the bottom of any of the photo gallery pages as well as the PhotoNews' homepage. PhotoNews Image Catalog

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2011 Freedom 5K race gallery updated

2011-07-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

It took three hours to find and prep 70 new photos from the Freedom Celebration 5K and upload them to our website. Here are just two of the many runners who finished in the top 5. Follow this link to see all 214 images.

Urbana's Michael Lodesky Takes Second

July 4, 2011 - Champaign, IL - With 100 yards to run, Michael Lodesky, of Urbana, heads to the finish line running in the 2011 Freedom Celebration 5K. Lodesky, who finished second in his age group division, crossed the finish line at 18:02.4.

Lien Heads To Finish And Second

July 4, 2011 - Champaign, IL - With 100 yards to run, Grace Lien, of Champaign, heads to the finish line running in the 2011 Freedom Celebration 5K. Lien, who finished second in her age group division, crossed the finish line at 20:37.8.

John Popovics finishes second in age group at Freedom 5K

2011-07-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2011 - Urbana, IL - John Popovics, of Philo, runs behind Christina Frye, of Champaign, during the 2011 Freedom Celebration 5K. Frye, who finished second in his age group division, finished the race at 21:17.0. Click here to see more photos from the race. 160 new pictures were uploaded earlier today.

Ryan Thompson Runs Best 5K At 2011 Freedom Run

2011-07-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Former St. Joseph-Ogden distance runner Ryan Thompson passes another runner with 40 yards to go in the 2011 Freedom Celebration 5K. Thompson, who is now a distance runner at North Central College in Naperville, ran his career best road 5K time finishing at 16:34. More race photos coming later this week. Click here to see the 2011 photo gallery.

Annual Freedom 5K race to be held on Monday

2011-07-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2009 - Urbana, IL - Jacob Mahaffey of Mahomet, IL, runs in the 2009 Freedom 5K Run/Walk.

Champaign, IL - Every year the Champaign County Freedom Celebration 5K Run/Walk grows more and more competitive. Last year, 19 year-old Mahomet resident Jacob Mahaffey ran a 15:32.9 to take the title. His time last July was almost eight seconds faster than the 2009 winner's. That year, he finished ...

New quick LinkedIn share button added

2011-06-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

Last year we added the quick Tweet and Facebook post buttons. This week a new share tool for those who are members of LinkedIn's professional networking site to share PhotoNews photos, galleries and stories. Simply click the button that says 'in Share' and a new window will appear that will allow you to post your favorite links to photos and stories on your LinkedIn profile page.

Best race hat

2011-06-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2011 - Gifford, IL - Back for another year and run, Conner Buenting points both 'barrels' at the camera while running at the 2011 Gifford Community Festival 5K Run/Walk. Buenting finished 49th overall with at time of 31:21. He and 124 other runners signed up for this year event.

RELATED LINKS

..:: Read race recap

..:: Complete 2011 race results

..::2011 race photo gallery

Trabulsi Second In Illinois Marathon Division

2011-06-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2011 - Champaign, IL - Grace Trabulsi, of Madison, WI, smiles as she runs down Armory Street in Champaign with less than two miles to her 56th place overall finish at 2011 Illinois Marathon. Trabulsi clocked in with a time of 3:04:35. She also finished number 2 in the Female 25 to 29 Division. 127 new photos added to the gallery moments ago. Click here to see all 400 photos.

Sarah Ulrich takes 3rd at Gifford 5K

2011-06-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2011 - Gifford, IL - Sarah Ulrich runs in the 2011 Gifford Community Festival 5K Run/Walk. Ulrich, who finished 24th overall with at time of 24:20, was also 3rd in the women's 19&up division.

RELATED LINKS

..:: Read race recap

..:: Complete 2011 race results

..::2011 race photo gallery

2011-06-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

St. Joseph, IL - Spartans' Audra James congratulates a teammate after a play in SJO's home game against the Comets April 28, 2011. St. Joseph-Ogden defeated Sangamon Valley Conference foe Clifton Central 15-0 in the first game and 13-4 in the second of their doubleheader Thursday afternoon. SJO improved to 20-1 for the season after the pair of victories. Today, we uploaded 23 new photos, bringing the total to 54 in this game gallery. Click here to view more photos from this game.