Petersburg

Porta Bluejays

New era begins for Bluejays

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.”

Chargers stop Bluejays in Sectional – First Volleyball Regional Title Since 1974

When you have a great season and make a postseason run, it always ends in disappointment, unless you win the state championship.      Unfortunately, that is the story for the PORTA-AC Central volleyball team whose season ended in the first round of the sectional at the hands of Illini West on Monday night at Pleasant Plains. 

volleyball

Two times the titles for Bluejay Volleyball

The PORTA-AC Central Lady Bluejay volleyball team continues to play excellent volleyball, winning tournaments over back-to-back weekends at Beardstown and Waverly.  Counting a win the week before the Beardstown Tourney and two wins between the tourneys, the Lady Bluejays are riding a ten-game win streak and sit at 24-6 on the season.

volleyball

BHS and PORTA/A-C Volleyball results

Three wins and two losses last week has the PORTA-AC Central volleyball team sitting pretty with a 12-5 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the Sangamo Conference.  The Lady Bluejays opened the week with a 25-15, 25-16 conference win over Auburn on the road.  Jayce Privia had eight kills and seven digs, Cassie Cox had three aces and four blocks, Mikaela Clary had three aces, Chloe Maltby had seven digs and Caitlyn DeFreezer had 13 assists in the win.

Pictured on the left is PORTA/A-C Central Sectional Golf Qualifiers Brady Kinney (left) and Trace Donnan. Pictured on the right is Austin Strubbe, shown with Redbird Coach Jeff Bennett, qualified for the Sectional Golf Meet for Virginia-Triopia.

Three area golfers make sectionals

PORTA-AC Central senior golfer Brady Kinney has qualified for the IHSA Class 1A State Finals by shooting an 82 in the Auburn Sectional.  Kinney claimed the Auburn Sectional’s final individual spot and will compete in the finals starting on Friday, October 6 at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington.  

The PORTA-AC Central golf team after finishing in second place at the Sangamo Conference Tournament. (L/R) Keagan Dale, Griffin McClure, Trace Donnan, Brady Kinney, Brody Pettit, and Brody Landon.

PORTA/A-C Golf rolls on

Last week was a busy one for the PORTA-AC Central boys’ golf team as they roll closer to the postseason.  

The week started with them hosting the North Mac Panthers on a typically breezy day at Shambolee Golf Course last Tuesday.  Both the varsity and JV teams played very well.  The Jays took home the win with a team score of 163 on the back nine.  PORTA A-C was led by medalist Trace Donnan who shot a two over par 38.  He was followed by fellow senior, Brady Kinney, at 39.  Keagan Dale fired a 41 and Brody Pettit rounded out the Varsity scoring with a 45.  Griffin McClure shot a 48 and Brody Landon shot a 49.  North Mac had a team score of 174.  In JV action, Nash Donnan and Kolin Johnson led the way with a pair of 48’s.  Drew Carter shot 52, Colton Wankel shot 58, Avery Jockisch shot 59, and Dillon Stremsterfer had a 62.

The PORTA-AC Central freshman volleyball team is pictured with the First Place Plaque from last week's Virginia Tournament.

PORTA/A-C Volleyball on win streak 

The PORTA-AC Central volleyball team pushed their winning streak to eight games and their overall record to 9-3 with two wins last week.  

On the road at Riverton last Tuesday, the Bluejays flew past the Hawks 25-12, 25-16 to win in straight sets.  Carson Arthalony had seven kills and two blocks and Caitlyn DeFreezer had 13 assists and a block.  Jayce Privia also had seven kills, Mikaela Clary had four aces, Chloe Maltby had 13 digs and Shae Bell handed out 11 assists in the win.  At home last Thursday the Jays won two close ones over their archrivals, the Athens Warriors 25-21 and 25-19.

volleyball

PORTA/A-C Volleyball gets two wins

The PORTA-AC Lady Bluejay Volleyball team won twice at home to push their season mark to 7-3.  

Against a solid New Berlin Pretzel team, the Lady Jays snuck away with a straight set victory by scores of 25-21, 25-22.  PORTA-AC had an easier time with Springfield Lutheran, winning 25-18, 25-13.  In that one, Mikaela Clary had five kills, four aces and five digs to lead the way.  Karlie Hoke added three kills and seven aces, Carson Arthalony had three kills and two blocks, Cassie Cox had four kills and one block.  Jayce Privia had nine digs, Chloe Maltby had seven digs and Caitlyn DeFreezer had 11 assists for the winners.

PORTA/A-C Central Golf

On a rainy Monday, the PORTA-AC Central Golf Team headed west to play at Plum Creek Golf Course against the host West Central Cougars and the Brown County Hornets.  PORTA-AC came home with two wins that evening after shooting a team score of 167.  Brown County finished 2nd with a 181, and the Cougars followed up with 191.  The medalist was Rioth Wort from Brown County with an even par 36.  The Bluejays were led by Trace Donnan’s 38.  He was followed by Keagan Dale at 41, Brody Pettit with a 42, and Brady Kinney with a 46.  Griffin McClure posted a 47 and Brody Landon fired a 48.  According to Coach Neil Gurnsey “the conditions were very tough today.  It rained on the boys all afternoon and that can take a toll on players.  I was very proud of them and how they held their composure on the course.”

football

BHS, Triopia, PORTA/A-C lose big

It was a week that is best quickly forgotten for area football fans as the three Cass County teams were beaten by a combined score of 156 to 6.  Beardstown traveled to Camp Point and were held to zero yards of offense in a 60 to 0 shellacking.  Central meanwhile racked up 343 yards of total offense.  It was 26 to 0 after one quarter and 46 to 0 at the half with Panther coach Brad Dixon taking a knee to end the half rather than run up the score.  Both teams played their JV squads almost exclusively in the second half with things not getting much better for the Tigers other than the swift ending due to the running clock.  The lone bright spot for BHS was the play of freshman Shadrach Mahfina who played good minutes in both halves and led the Tigers with seven solo tackles and six assists to serve notice that he will be a good varsity player sooner rather than later.  Beardstown, now 1-2 on the season, will look to get back on track at home this Friday night against 2-1 Routt Catholic.  The Rockets lost to Hardin Calhoun to open the season then beat North Greene and Triopia.