Cross Country Coach Jacki Kelly recently handed out awards for the 2023 Beardstown High School Cross Country team.
She was particularly proud of her team’s academic performance, noting that 100% of the team who were eligible for Academic All-Conference in the West Central Conference, were named to the team. The only athletes who did not get recognized were the freshmen who are not eligible since they do not have a GPA established.
It took an exciting overtime victory over Deer Creek Mackinaw in game two, but the PORTA-AC Central Lady Bluejays are the 2023 Clinton Turkey Tussle Champions. An opening game win over Decatur St. Teresa and a Saturday victory over Stanford Olympia gave the Bluejays the title and a 3-0 start.
It was a crazy busy first week for the Beardstown Lady Tiger basketball team with five games including the double dip on Saturday in the Brown County Tournament. The Tigers are off to a 3-2 start with wins over Rushville-Industry, Payson-Seymour and Liberty and losses to Triopia-Virginia and Mendon-Unity.
One week and three games into the season and the Triopia-Virginia Lady Trojan basketball team already has more than half as many wins as they had all last season. A 3-0 start means the Trojans need only two more wins to match last season’s total of five. Triopia picked up a road win over Beardstown to start the year then added two more victories in the Waverly Tournament over South County and Carrollton.
2023 Beardstown Christmas Pageant Contestants
A representative of ENGIE North America attended last week’s A-C Central board meeting to offer her company’s services in construction projects. Sharon Uslan, ENGIE’s Central Regional Director, presented on coordinating construction projects to improve efficiency in them. She also said ENGIE’s services allow for prices to be established at the start of projects, minimize the need for change orders, and shorten completion times. Later in the meeting, the board voted to approve an audit and project development services contact with ENGIE at no cost to A-C.
Board President Jimmy Hymes called a special meeting to order with two board members absent, Jared Soer and Joe Englebrecht.
The board went into closed session for the purpose of employee discipline. Once out of closed session, Board Member Amy Sommers proposed not the dismissal of John Duffie, Custodian of Beardstown School District, but a suspension of 45 days, unpaid, and with special conditions upon his return to work. The board vote was unanimous. The special meeting was adjourned.
Last year’s Triopia-Meredosia-Virginia Lady Trojan varsity basketball team was a very young team with a first-year coach that struggled to a 5-22 finish (1-7 in the WIVC) in an injury plagued season.
In year two of Kelley Wessler’s regime, the Lady Trojans look to be much improved. Although coach Wessl
Normally only having one returning starter and having to replace an inside player who averaged double figures in points and rebounds and two solid guards would not lead to high hopes for an upcoming season.
The Beardstown Lady Tiger basketball team and head coach Jimmy Maltby find themselves in just that situation, but a dazzling array of newcomers and young talent has the eighth-year head mentor bursting with excitement about this year’s prospects. Last year’s team went 9-22
Entering his tenth and final year, retiring PORTA-AC Central head basketball coach Eric Kesler (overall record of 165-71) is hoping to go out on a high note and he has the weapons at his disposal to do so.