2010 Egyptian Illini Conference Scholarship Nominees and Winners

2010 Egyptian Illini Conference Scholarship Nominees and Winners.

Beecher City: Brian Kirchhofer, Hillary Shelton

Brownstown: Conner Smith, Brittany White

Cowden: Kelsey Barnes

Mulberry Grove: Jaqueline Youngman

Odin: Amanda Kay Minor

Patoka: Drew Baldridge

St. Elmo: Ashlyn Beasley

Winners: Kelsey Barnes and Conner Smith

The Scholarship Criteria is as follows:

1. Two- $250 Scholarships will be awarded to one senior boy and one senior girl from Conference Member Schools.

2. Each school will be allowed to enter the name of one boy and one girl for consideration.

3. The student athlete will have completed at least four varsity seasons during the course of their junior and senior year.

4. The applicants shall have at least a 3.3 grade point average on a 4.0 system or its equivalent.

5. The recipient shall write an essay in 300 words or less. The Topic of the essay will be provided by the Conference.

The Ugliest Winner....Is Still a Winner

Lewistown vs. B-PC/Avon (Baseball)
IHSA Class 1A Regionals (@ Bushnell)
(5/18/10)

Strange....ugly....weird. Those could be words that described the opening round regional game between the Lewistown Indians and the B-PC/A Spartans. It all started earlier in the day, when the game had three potential locales. With a monsoon of rains falling on western Illinois over the past week, Lewistown (the scheduled host for this game) had standing water in their baseball field. Bushnell, and Abingdon were backups to host the Spartans and Indians matchup.

In the end, Bushnell would host this game. One year ago, in nearly the same setup, the B-PC/A Spartans baseball team shocked the region, with a postseason upset of Lewistown, in Bushnell. The Spartans entered this game with a (4-27) overall record, with a 25-game losing streak in that mix. The team started hot, and finished hot. B-PC/A went (2-1) to start the season, and entered the regionals on a two-game winning streak, after sweeping Peoria Heights on Saturday to close out the regular season.

Sunflower seeds were on my mind before I headed out to the diamond at B-PC High School. My dill pickle stash was coming to an end, and jalapeno was next on my list. For once, I had plenty of time to get to the first pitch of a baseball or softball game today. I headed over to Casey's in Bushnell for some jalapeno seeds, but alas, they had none. The only flavors offered were dill pickle and ranch, along with plain (and I will never, ever, ever go with plain seeds). I opted for ranch, since I already had some dill pickle in the car.

With my stop at Casey's, I still made the field shortly after 4:00. I headed over near the concession stand, where B-PC Athletic Director Stan Prentice was manning the grill, cooking up some butterfly pork chops. We chatted for several minutes, and then I ventured over to the Spartans dugout to talk with head coach Dave Arnold and assistant coach John McCormick. The latter, a Lewistown graduate.

Lewistown coach Mike Trone, along with the umpires for the game (Gerald Lowe & Dave King), were at home plate to exchange lineups. Coach Arnold was still in the dugout, when Coach McCormick's dry/sarcastic humor came out, yelling out to Arnold, "Hey, this is the part where you need to be the baseball coach."

B-PC/A struck first, scoring a run on a passed ball in the top of the first inning. The first confusing part of the game, the Spartans were batting in the top half of the inning, since they were the visitors. Zach Ebbert scored the first run, after reaching on a single, and stealing second.

Lewistown took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning, plating three runs, to take a 3-1 lead. The Spartans made it a one-run game in the 3rd inning, when Ebbert hit an RBI single that scored Zach Anderson. The Spartans, then tied it up in the 4th inning, when Trevor King was hit by a pitch. His pinch runner, (Fr.) Seth Tolley, scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at, 3-3.

The Indians plated a pair of runs in the 5th inning, taking a 5-3 lead. The fifth run scored on a balk by Spartans starting pitcher, Austin Alden. The final out of the 5th inning occurred when shortstop Cedric Huffman ran down the Lewistown base runner at 3rd base. Huffman won the footrace, and when asked heading into the dugout why he chose to chase the runner down over making the throw to first he responded, "I trust my legs."

In the 6th inning, B-PC/A tied the game back up, at 5-5. Brandon Coates led off with a single, and scored on an RBI groundout by Devon Raleigh. Dallas Stranger, following Coates in the lineup, reached base on an E9. Stranger would have been thrown out at 1st base from rightfield, but the first baseman dropped the ball, allowing Stranger to reach, and eventually score the tying run. Cedric Huffman hit Stranger in, with an RBI single.

The Spartans took a two-run lead, and kept it, in the 7th inning. Zach Anderson led off with a single, and would score on an RBI triple by Brandon Coates. Coates would score on an RBI single by Stranger, giving the Spartans the eventual final score, 7-5. Stranger made the fans in the stands laugh, when he attempted to run to 2nd base, when Lewistown pitcher Chance Simpson overthrew his first baseman. Stranger, tripped up, and bear crawled about halfway, still made it to second base safely.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, with one out, and runners at first and second, Spartans 3rd baseman Dallas Stranger made a play on a grounder, and attempted to race the baserunner to third base. It appeared that the Indians runner was safely at third, but called out. This was the second out, and starting pitcher, Austin Alden got the final Lewistown batter to fly out to end the game, preserving a 7-5 win for the Spartans. Alden threw 139 pitches in 7 innings of work.

Conversations in the crowd I had were with both Spartans basketball coaches, boy's coach Matt Colston and girl's coach Julie Blout. Colston talked about the Prairie State Shootout that B-PC High School hosts on June 18th and 19th. Some of the teams that will be participating are the hosts, Macomb, Abingdon, Lewistown, along with some Chicago schools (North Lawndale, ACE Charter, and Dyett).

B-PC/A will head over to Cuba to face North Fulton in the Regional Semifinals on Wednesday.

Saturday In the Park

Pekin @ Galesburg (Softball)
Abingdon Commando Classic
(5/15/10)

Another Saturday of planned travel, well not so much planned. There were a couple different itineraries throughout the week. The initial plan was to head over to Glasford to catch the United/Illini Bluffs softball game, then over to Bushnell for the IESA Sectionals. I did neither. Instead, I headed up to Galesburg to watch the first softball game against Pekin. It was also Senior Night for the Silver Streaks. After the first game, my plan was to take in a few innings of the Monmouth-Roseville/ROWVA baseball game in Oneida, then down to Abingdon for a game at the Commando Classic.

The Streaks softball doubleheader began at 9:30 a.m. which would give me ample time to head over to Oneida, then back to Abingdon. I arrived at GHS right at 9:30. There was a lot of action on campus, with the Western Big 6 tennis championships being played out, along with a Freshman baseball tournament on two diamonds, and little kids soccer as well.

Galesburg took an early lead over the visiting Dragons, when Kelsey McKillip launched a two-run home run over the left field fence. It would be an offensive attack in the game, that would eventually last nearly 2.5 hours.

Pekin scored their first runs in the 4th inning, and in the bottom half the Streaks added three more runs, to make it 6-2. That frame was highlighted by a Megan Young 2-run single. The Dragons came back and tied the game in the 5th inning, capitalizing on two GHS errors.

In the top of the 7th inning, things got interesting with Pekin plating a pair of runs, taking an 8-6 lead. Galesburg countered, and tied the game up by scoring two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning, send the game into extra innings. The game would go 10 innings, and ended on a Katie VanHootegem RBI single, to give Galesburg the 9-8 win.

After the game, the Streaks honored their two senior softball players, Sam Mason and Jessica Davison, along with manager Kristen McCormick. The Streaks players also said some things to their seniors on the field.

Once the Senior Night festivities played out, I took to the road, traveling Route 34 east to Oneida. Upon pulling up to the high school, there was almost not a soul at the complex. One player was taking batting practice, and that was it. No game. I found out later the game between Monmouth-Roseville and ROWVA had been cancelled, which I was not aware of.

With hunger setting in, as the dill pickle sunflower seeds and granola bar I had snacked on were just not cutting it, I made the move I was trying to avoid. Fast food. Back in Galesburg, I stopped at Steak 'n Shake, one of my fast food weaknesses. I went with the double steak burger and fries, and made it a large.....not knowing that a large coke is enough liquid to quench the thirst of a small army.

It was off to Abingdon, for another round of the Commando Classic, the baseball round-robin featuring the host Commandoes, Columbia, Erie/Prophetstown, and Illini Bluffs. When I pulled into town, I stopped at Casey's to grab some gum. I was sure my breath reaked of coffee and onions, not a sweet scent.

When I pulled into the park, the Commandoes softball team was still on the field, hosting Brimfield/Elmwood in a Prairieland Conference matchup. I walked over to the field, and it was the 7th inning, with the Indians leading the hosts, 8-0. I didn't take any video, and caught the final inning of the game, then walked over to the baseball diamond.

The matchup I would be taking in was Columbia against Erie/Prophetstown. Columbia was playing back-to-back, and had just defeated Abingdon, 11-3. I talked with Abingdon coach Joe Nichols for several minutes. His team pulled off a pair of suicide squeezes in the game, including a double suicide squeeze.

Columbia took an early lead off of a 2-run home run by Alex Schlemmer. The sophomore was also the starting pitcher for the game. Brady Luther hit a 2-run single off the fence in the 3rd inning, that tied the game at 4-4. Bryce Bastien, who was, 4-4, the night before, hit a 2-run double in the 3rd inning, also. Adam Henke had a two-run single in the 6th inning, giving the Eagles an 11-4 lead, and would plate a run in the 7th inning to set the final score of 12-4.

There was a very scary situation early in the game, after a screaming foul ball struck a young child sitting beyond the rightfield line. The ball hit the kid in the back, who appeared to be around two or three years old. It turned out to be Columbia head coach Keith Jany's child, and they were okay, but probably left with a large bruise.

Had a conversation with Dave Hasley, who had come up from the Peoria Heights vs. B-PC/A baseball doubleheader in Bushnell. He would be working the two night games at the Commando Classic. His partner, Gerald Lowe had just worked the Galesburg/Pekin softball doubleheader.

I decided to hit the road, with it being 3:30 already, and a graduation party back in Macomb to attend. On my way out, I spoke with Alex Schlemmer's dad, and let him know that the videos would be uploaded over the next few days. The videos will be added to the IHSSN library over the next few days.

Three Strikes: Phrases That Annoy

Every once in a while, you hear something that just makes you cringe. Maybe, you hear it over and over, and it's a common mistake people make. Two such occurrences happened yesterday, and actually had a brief conversation about them over lunch hour Friday at the radio station with Mike Weaver and Adam Frankhauser. By the way, all the while eating delicious barbecue from Eddie B in Monmouth, who sets up his smoker in the alley around the corner from the radio station every Friday. Without further ado, three phrases that make my ears ring.

A Half a Chance
This is a phrase I hear quite often on a local radio station, by the DJ's giving a forecast. When reading a forecast, they say "a half a chance of rain". I am assuming they mean a 50% chance of rain, however the way they announce it makes no sense, because 50% is half of 100%. 100% means it's a sure thing, a guarantee, it does not mean a chance. A chance of rain could be 1%, or 10% or 40%. Everytime I hear this on the radio, I just want to scream at the speakers, that "half a chance" makes no sense, at least in regards to it actually being a 50% chance of rain, which is half of 100%, which isn't a chance. Anyways, onto soapbox #2.

A MUTE point
This doesn't bother me as much as a half a chance. Many people think that a MOOT point, is a MUTE point. I heard this on Friday on an agriculture talk show on our radio station, 1330 WRAM. It's a syndicated show out of Nebraska, I believe. A guest on the show, or a caller said mute point, but wasn't paying attention to the subject matter. Many people make this mistake. Moot, the correct way to say it, means open for discussion/debateable. Mute means nearly the opposite, silent/refraining from speech. So, just like a half a chance (in regards to a 50% chance of rain, which wouldn't make sense), the two have nearly exactly the opposite meanings. One is debateable, while the other, is refraining from a debate.

RBI's
When talking baseball and statistics, this is one common mispronounced saying I hear, even by veteran broadcasters on ESPN, and longtime baseball or softball coaches. Maybe this is a moot point, LOL. RBI stands for Runs Batted In, so the "R" is plural. It wouldn't make sense to say Runs Batted Ins. When I announce this statistic, I always say RBI, singular. A blurb on the Washington State University website (http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/rbi.html) has a quick paragraph on this very topic. I guess I would be guilty of saying POW's, and never put much thought into the words it consisted of, Prisoners of War, not Prisoner of Wars. But I talk baseball/softball all the time, and say RBI all the time, so it is top of mind.

Going Commando....Baseball Style

Commando Classic (@ Abingdon)
(5/14/10)
Columbia vs. Illini Bluffs (Baseball)

The schedule didn't exactly work in my favor to cover any games on this day. While I attempt to make a move from Macomb to Galesburg, to ease the miles on my vehicle (12,000 since January 1st), and the cash it takes to fill up the tank (SUV), I scheduled an appointment with my realtor at 4:00 on this Friday afternoon. When I made the appointment, it was because by Friday, I am usually pretty tired from covering games Monday through Thursday, and need the day off to gear up for a long Saturday.

Little did I know that Mother Nature and her rains reminiscent of Noah's Ark would wash away all action this week. Abingdon baseball coach Joe Nichols shot me an email on Thursday, suggesting I make the trip up at some point to cover the action of the Commando Classic. Two games were scheduled for Friday, with a day full of baseball on Saturday, with four games scheduled. This round-robin featuring the hosts, Columbia, Prophetstown/Erie, and Illini Bluffs had actually slipped my mind until his note hit my inbox.

With the 4:00 appointment, I figured I could make the nightcap, which featured Columbia and Illini Bluffs, a couple teams I was hoping to catch. A late add to the softball schedule was United and Moline, in a rematch from a game earlier this season covered by IHSSN. The scheduling Gods did me a favor, and it was scheduled for a 5:00 start.

With the way this lined up, it appeared as though I could double-dip, and catch the final innings of softball, then make the quick drive over to Abingdon for the baseball nightcap. I met with my realtor, and around 5:45, all of the paperwork was filled out, and my house was ready to go on the market at the start of next week.

It was off to the races, as I sped up Route 67, and headed over to United High School. As I approached from the Cameron Blacktop, it didn't look like many cars were there, though it was a pretty bad angle from two miles away.

Getting closer, many cars were heading away from the school, and sure enough, the grounds were nearly empty as I pulled up on the school. The Maroons from Moline were boarding the bus, so I drove on by, and headed to Abingdon.

I made a stop at Casey's to pick up a fresh bag of sunflower seeds and a Powerade. Quickly scanning over the seed selection, I noticed a strange bag, not a David brand seed. It was called Spitz, and it was the Dill Pickle flavor. Chris Smith has been urging me to try this flavor, so I dug right in. I popped a handful in my mouth, and they aren't too bad. Not as flavorful as I like in my seed, but doable. I rank dill pickle a notch higher than nacho cheese, but not as high on my list as ranch and barbecue. Once I induldge in a bag of jalapeno, I will release my rankings and notes on sunflower seed selection. If anyone knows anymore flavors out there, please pass them along by commenting at the bottom of this blog post.

I pulled into the ball diamonds at Abingdon, located right across the street from the high school. The softball team was hosting a doubleheader against Brimfield/Elmwood, and the Abingdon/Prophetstown-Erie game had just wrapped up, so there was slim spots for parking. Fortunately, I found a decent spot, and just on the outreaches of any errant baseballs that could smash a window or dent a fender. If that would ever happen, Joe Nichols' dad Mike owns Swede's Auto Body in Macomb, "Where they've been fixin' fenders since '49." I wonder how many fenders Mike has fixed that were dinged by baseballs?

Speaking of Joe, when I walked toward the field, he was indulging in some Subway. Abingdon has always been one of the most hospitable places to go in covering games. When broadcasting basketball games, former athletic director Toby Whiteman would always make sure the broadcasters had water, and anything else. Even outside at the diamond, Joe offered up anything in the coolers, in the hospitality area.

I asked him how his game went, and the Commandoes survived, beating Prophetstown/Erie, 8-7. Abingdon led 8-3 entering the 7th inning, and walked the first four batters. They were able to hang on for the one-run win. P/E had been hot coming in. After a 2-7 start, they had gone 15-4. Abingdon pulled off a double suicide squeeze in the game, and pulled off another suicide squeeze later.

As the Columbia/Illini Bluffs game began, I noticed some familiar faces in the field. Speaking of the dill pickle seeds idea, it was the very suggestion maker behind the plate, umping the game, Chris Smith. His Men in Blue partner is Shawn Dobey.

I hunkered down, and found a great spot right behind home plate to watch the action. Still wearing my work clothes, sporting a pair of Dockers with some Nike Shox and a WIU jacket, I looked more like a scout, then a member of the media. I heard someone approaching say, "Hey, coach." I looked behind me and it was former Metamora baseball coach Bob Schlemmer. I said, nope, with the media. I then said my name, and he replied, "no kidding, you write some great stuff, I don't know where you get all that stuff."

Bob is originally from Columbia, and has a nephew on the team, Alex Schlemmer, who starts for the varsity as a sophomore. He told me that it was his first time in Abingdon, and had a little trouble find which exit to take, but arrived without too much trouble. We talked for some time, and shared some stories. He talked about Northwestern pitcher Eric Jokisch, and how he came out of relative obscurity from Virginia/A-C Central, and when word got out about him, scouts were knocking down the doors trying to catch a glimpse of him. Schlemmer was also speaking very highly of East Peoria junior shortstop Joe Kelch.

Illini Bluffs plated the first run of the game, on a Blake Rynearson RBI single. The Tigers took a, 1-0 lead, but that was the only lead they would have, falling 12-6 in the end, but making a great rally in the 6th inning.

The Eagles would take the lead in the 2nd inning and not look back. Adam Henke scored the first run on an error by starting pitcher Bryce Petri on a throwback to 1st base. The second run was scored by Andrew Thompson, after reaching on a single.

Bryce Bastien (Jr.) led off the 3rd inning for Columbia with a double. He would also hit a home run over the right field fence, and finished 4-4 on the day, which upped his batting average to .475 on the season. He is receiving some interest from Bradley, and says it's still pretty early in the college selection process for him right now.

Columbia had a 3-1 lead heading into the 5th inning, and that's when Bastien sent a ball over the right centerfield fence, to give the Eagles a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Eagles catcher Corey Browne made a great catch in foul territory to end the inning, which IHSSN caught on video.

Browne followed up his defensive effort at the plate in the 6th inning, with a 2-run blast over the rightfield fence. It was Browne's first home run of the season. Bastien had his third hit of the game in the same frame, an RBI single. He was a triple shy of a cycle. Tyler Warren had a 2-run single in the 6th, and the Eagles took a, 9-1 lead into the bottom of the 6th inning.

The Tigers' starting pitcher Bryce Petri tried to help his own cause, facing an 8-run deficit in the 6th inning. Petri launched a home run ball over the right centerfield fence, making it a 9-3 game. Illini Bluffs made a rally and had the bases loaded with none out. They would plate three more runs, and trail 9-6 heading into the 7th inning.

Just in case, Columbia added some extra insurance runs in the 7th inning, with Browne hitting an RBI single, and later a 2-run single by the Eagles would set the final score, at 12-6. Tyler Warren would step in, and leave something in Knox County he rather wouldn't....a tooth. He was plunked in the side of the face, and lost a tooth. Video will be uploaded of the at-bat, and subsequent search for the missing tooth.

Illini Bluffs went down, 1-2-3 to end the game. I talked with Columbia coach Keith Jany, and Bryce Bastien after the game. Video interviews will be uploaded. A return trip is being planned for Saturday. Looking to start the day early, with a 9:30 a.m. softball game at Galesburg, with the Silver Streaks hosting Pekin, then a quick jaunt over to ROWVA to catch the Tigers take on Monmouth-Roseville, then head down to Abingdon to take in some of the Commando Classic.

Inside the Mind: The Day-to-Day

The Blog
The main purpose for this blog, is to report notes statewide on high school athletics, and has been mainly used as a vehicle to write about the day-to-day travels of IHSSN. A behind-the-scenes look at the games we cover.

Looking Back....I Was an Awkward Child
That has been something that gets the most feedback, and for me, that's what I enjoy most about reading blogs from friends and cohorts. It's the little things at life we enjoy, the personality and inner workings. Sometimes life goes by too fast, and I forget about the small things in life, like....the film, Howard the Duck, and how it was my favorite movie as a kid. For those who have seen it, I wouldn't suggest showing it your children. Although, much of the comedy cannot be understood by a child. For me, I thought a talking duck was pretty cool. Speaking of childhood television, I recall as a four or five year old being glued to MTV waiting for the Starship music video for "Sara" to come on. I called it the "Tornado Song". This was about the same time that I didn't want to be a policeman or fireman....but Dennis the Menace.

My Favorite Bloggers
Anyways, it's the day-to-day things that can be long forgotten, that we don't even think about in everyday life that can be so interesting to others we know, and maybe don't know. A few blogs that I follow regularly, to peek into their lives are Mitch Worley (http://mitchworley.wordpress.com/), who is a sports writer for the McDonough Voice in Macomb. Andrea "Mrs. Coach Keene" Keene (http://www.thehomehuddle.blogspot.com/) puts an awesome spin on raising two kids....or better make that three kids, with Coach (Zach) Keene, and handling working life and being the first lady of Illini West Chargers girl's basketball. Cody Cutter (http://northernilsportswriter.blogspot.com/2010/05/couple-of-other-things-im-working-on.html) from the Northern Illinois Sports Beat comments on his day-to-day routine, mixing his coverage of the northern part of the state in his posts, and Jay Redfern from the Galesburg Register-Mail (http://media.galesburg.com/drupal/node/526), blogging about everyday life in Galesburg, with some entertainment sprinkled in. If you have a blog, make a comment below, or send me an email at beauspencer82@hotmail.com.

Inside Beau Spencer's Random Tuesday
There are two reasons I'm writing on this subject tonight. First off, I haven't covered any games since Saturday, so I am pretty caught up. Secondly, it was one of those days in my life that will be long forgotten....by next week. You know, one of those days that is just another day on the calendar. May 11th, 2010. On this day....nothing happened.

Routinely, I woke up before my alarm rang in the morning, and routinely I re-set the alarm to get 10 extra minutes of sleep. This assures me of an extremely rushed morning, leaving no time in between for the extras, like shaving or getting gas. In my world, this is living on the edge.

Just like any other day, I drive to Ayerco, located about three blocks from my house. I walk in, say hello to the same lady that works the register everyday (and I still don't know her name after 18 months of seeing her first thing in the morning). I grab my traditional 16 oz. coffee. Though, on this day, there are no lids....GASP! I ask the woman behind the counter if there are anymore lids....there are not. I dumped my coffee into a 24 oz. cup, grabbed a lid, and my two granola bars. It's $1.25, and most everyone at the station comments, "A dollar-25" everytime I walk up to the register without looking. On occasion, I throw them a curveball, and get the powdered donettes, or the times I eat cereal at home, my coffee goes stag.

It's a typical drive to work, listening to the same three radio stations. Usually one of the three has content that I want to listen to, so I don't have to go into strange territory for my morning radio. For those wanting to know, I first lock in to Rock 106 out of Peoria, because the Quad Cities stations don't start coming in until about 10 miles into the drive. Once I reach that point, my top choice is Dwyer and Michaels on 97X, and occasionally listen to B100 with "Red Hot" Brian Scott and Tony Tone.

Throughout the day, I go through my same routines. Today, a few stories worked their way in. I learned that Galesburg head football coach Wes Olson was resigning after the 2010 football season. I put a call into his cell phone first thing in the morning, but just got voice mail. I talked with Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Gene Denisar later in the morning to get his comments. Olson is taking an administrative role at the school. I also caught up with Monmouth College head football coach Steve Bell. We had a lenghthy conversation about his recruiting class, and the needs for the Fighting Scots in the offseason.

There was an impromptu meeting at lunchtime, taking me to Taco Bell. As I approach a wedding in California next month, I am getting back in the fitness regimen, that I have neglected over the last several months. I didn't go overboard for lunch, and ate a light dinner, but I still feel guilty over the fast food lunch.

I also spoke with Galesburg assistant basketball coach at American Legion baseball coach Steve Cheesman. He was calling to check in about the upcoming Legion season, which would begin as soon as the Streaks baseball season ended.

After a busy afternoon with various production items, sports broadcasts, newscasts, etc. I called it a day around 4:30. The drive home was typical, as the gloomy, chilly day almost put me in a zombie-like trance for the 35-minute trip. I stayed awake chomping on my nacho cheese sunflower seeds. I had another suggestion on choice of seeds, Dill Pickle. My former K100 morning show co-host Chris Smith passed that suggestion along. He says they are pretty hard to find. Jalapeno is next on my list, which is coming soon. If found, Dill Pickle is on deck.

It's a Blog Eat Blog World: Updates From Around the State

Mother Nature Takes a 2-0 Lead This Week
(5/11/10)

I am entering unchartered waters. This is the second consecutive day I have gone to work, and came home. No ball diamonds in between. That is due to Mother Nature putting a wash on the local sports scene this week. While the rains wavered a bit today, yesterdays 1-2 inches of rainfall has made for some sloppy fields, and no action.

This gives me some time to relax a little bit, and not force several hours of work into just a couple hours after a quick dinner. These types of days are love and hate with me. It's nice for a few hours to myself, without work on my mind, but after about 60 minutes of recliner time, the mind shifts back to the website.

This is the final week of the regular season in baseball and softball, and the track and field sectionals are later this week. A great time, but also means the end of another school year.

Videos
I have posted several videos from Saturday's C.I.G.S. Softball Shootout from Saturday in Decatur. In all, I took around an hour of video coverage throughout the day. I have posted my Youtube channel onto the homepage at www.ihssn.net. There, you can sift through my video library of high school sports footage that now exceeds 130 videos.

Football Coaching Jobs
Around the high school football scene, a job came open today....but for the 2011 season. Galesburg head coach Wes Olson will step down after this football season, as he was promoted to an administrative role at the school. For more on the story, log onto www.1590waik.com. Another job vacancy was filled, after less than two weeks. According to the Chicago Sun-Times' YourSeason website, Brent Hefner was hired as the Lincoln-Way Central coach, after Tim Dougherty resigned at the start of May. It appears there are still a few football jobs open, with Biggsville West Central, Belvidere North, Champaign Central, East Alton-Wood River, Rockford East, Murphysboro, Milford-Cissna Park, Hoopeston Area, Granite City, Glenbard South, and El Paso-Gridley apparently still available, at least publicly.

IHSSN Summer Coverage
The Illinois High School Sports Network will keep very busy this summer, getting a head start on not only football and volleyball, but taking a sneak peak at basketball teams statewide for the IHSSN previews. IHSSN will be mailing out questionaires in a few short weeks to volleyball and football coaches to get a head start on the IHSSN Fall Previews, which will be published in early August. IHSSN will also be hitting the gyms this summer, taking in various shootouts. One date set in stone will be the Lakis Shootout at Monmouth College, held the second weekend in June. IHSSN will be there on Sunday June 13th, taking video and conducting interviews.