Although seniors K.J. Beck, Austin Strubbe and Evan Bell will be key contributors, the 2023-2024 edition of the Triopia-Meredosia-Virginia varsity boys basketball team is counting heavily on a talented collection of juniors and sophomores.
With last year’s head mentor, Colin Arthalony, deciding to ride out on the coattails of his departing senior son (and who can blame him) and all stater Gavin, the PORTA-AC Central boys’ basketball will enter a new era. Steven Price, a 2017 Buffalo Tri-City graduate, will take over as head coach, comfortable in the fact that a winning environment is already in place at PORTA-AC, stating “if you have a culture, you can do some great things and I’m lucky I don’t really have to reinvent the culture,” Price said. “I just hope to add to it.”
The PORTA-AC Central Wrestling team will have the unenviable task of replacing last year’s State Runner Up Bryar Lane as well as state qualifier Isaac Espenchied from last year’s 28-10 team. However, head coach Jeff Hill has not amassed a 767-188 record over 32 years of coaching by happenstance.
The Beardstown High School Wrestling team has a lot to replace from last year’s team but there is no better way to do it than to strap on a singlet and some head gear and hit the mat. Coach Joe Kolb, entering his seventh year as head coach and eight overall in Beardstown has a deep and eager group of athletes working hard to improve. Last year’s team went 19-15 and four key wrestlers who combined for 125 individual wins will need to be replaced. Replacing state fourth place winner Owen O’Hara, Blake Davis, Bryan Gil, and Jonny Marquez, will be hard to do, but trying will be the exciting part.
It was a tough go for the Virginia Junior High boys’ basketball team with both the seventh and eighth grade going 1-3 in a busy last week. There was some consolation in the fact that the victory did come over Cass County rival Beardstown on Tuesday.
The Beardstown seventh and eighth grade boys’ basketball teams each picked up their first win of the season in an exciting night of basketball at home against AC-Central.
The younger boys jumped out to an early lead and cruised to the win. The Tigers led 10 to 3 after one an
The fall sports banquet circuit continues with delicious spaghetti and fellowship courtesy of the Beardstown Elks Club.
The latest honors went out to the dance, football, and soccer teams. Coach Amanda Maltby passed out the following to the Fall Dance Team: Leadership Award, Dario Santos; Most Dedicated, Joyce Lomponda; Most Improved, Ayelen Borjas.
The AADM Airborne Team attended an USTA Invitational meet at the EXPO Bend facility in East Moline on Nov. 5th.
This meet was an open invitational meet, hosting 20 clubs. There were 32 athletes from the Airborne team that competed in 93 events total on tumbling, trampoline, and double mini. Seventy-seven percent of these athletes placed in the top five in their events, overall placings for team finals was not posted at this meet, and 106 event scores earned a 9.0 or higher in scoring (out of a 10). A team challenge that
Ashley Gil launches a three-pointer in front of an excited Tiger bench. | Kylynn Maltby pressures the inbounds pass while Brandy Mendoza breaks to make the steal for the Tigers.
Following up a record setting season in what they recorded as an all-time school best win total with twenty-six, the Triopia-Meredosia-Virginia high school volleyball team placed four players on the Western Illinois Valley Conference All-Conference Team. Even better news is that all four players will be returning next season for the Trojans with two of them being just sophomores.