08/30/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Last season four of the eight Little Illini Conference teams made it to the IHSA football postseason and two of the teams (Mt. Carmel, Casey-Westfield) each advanced past the first round.

Paris and Lawrenceville each lost their playoff openers.

The Golden Aces actually faced their first real test in the league after joining the LIC back in 2021 in a Week Seven game at home against playoff bound Casey-Westfield.

The Warriors gave the hosts all they wanting at the Hilltop before losing on a last second field goal 23-20.

It was Casey-Westfield's only loss before a heart-wrenching 16-14 loss at Greenfield/Northwestern in the second round of the 1A playoffs.

Two of the ASV Player's of the Year came from the LIC as Blaine Sisson of Mt. Carmel and Conner Sullivan of Casey-Westfield took top honors in 3A and 1A respectively.

Unfortunately both have moved on to college football.

Lawrenceville probably had the most disappointing stay in the playoffs, losing their opening round game at home to Vandalia while Paris made a trip got pounded on the road by Roxana.

The Shells were undefeated until the 3A semifinals where they lost to Mt. Carmel in a 63-48 shootout at Roxana.

Richland County suffered through a winless 0-9 season last fall but nearly everyone who suited up will return this season.

Robinson lost its first four games last season but rallied with three wins in the last five weeks.

Newton also dropped the first four and finished at 2-7 while Marshall managed just a win over Richland County.

While things might be a bit difficult in the early going for the Golden Aces, this club will be the favorites once again in the LIC.

It was a rough beginning and even rougher ending for the 2023-24 Mt. Carmel Golden Aces football program.

Coach Michael Brewer's squad lost their opening game of the season before reeling in 12-consecutive wins to reach the 3A state title game.

The Golden ones had to settle for the silver medal as they fell to powerhouse Byron in the championship game.

It was overall a record breaking campaign with senior quarterback Blaine Sisson coming just a few yards short of 10,000 total yards from scrimmage in his prep tenure.

Considering that he accumulated 4,074-yards rushing, passing and receiving (yes, he caught three-passes for 67-yards) a year ago, that is a special total.

He scored 37-rushing touchdowns and threw 15-touchdown passes.

Sisson has moved on to the University of Illinois to play wide receiver.

Running back Asher Kight scored 14 TD's last season on the ground and finished with 809-yards and he added 304-yards receiving.

Andrew Gillihan caught 60-passes for 902-yards and six-touchdowns

Two other starters; offensive lineman Connor Shelby (Eastern Illinois University) and defensive lineman Donald Downing (Illinois College) have moved on to play collegiate football.

Sisson and 16 other seniors hit the road after graduation last spring and that leaves a major chore for the coaching staff.

But is history tells us anything about this program it's that it reloads more than it rebuilds.

Five players who started or played significant minutes last season return for Mt. Carmel this fall.

Lineman Reed Stinson, a 6-2, 220 senior, was an offensive line starter a season ago for the Golden Aces.

Coach Brewer count on running back/linebacker Elliott Acree, a 6-0, 175 junior, who is the top returning rusher having gained 468-yards on the ground last fall.

Running back/defensive back Tobias Fullop, a 5-11, 160 senior, gets a shot at starting in the backfield for Coach Brewer this season after playing a lot of minutes last season.

Another defensive back 5-11, 160 senior Andrew Militoni returns along with sophomore Shain Meador.

Meador will begin the season as the starting quarterback when the Aces face off against Gibson Southern.

MIlitoni will be a starting wide out.

Six-three, 190 senior tight end Jack Webb was also a starter for the Aces last season (297-yards receiving, four-touchdowns).

A host of new faces will fill out the rest of what will likely be another quality squad as they look to continue their undefeated Little Illini Conference run.

Six-two, 310 senior Alex Harris and 6-0, 270 senior Ayden Oliver are defensive and offensive linemen respectively.

Juniors moving up include 6-3, 160 wide receiver and defensive back Rhett Andrews and
Xander Bader, a 5-10, 170 running back/defensive back.

On the line will be 5-11, 185 junior Brayden Mason and 6-1, 180 junior Sam Strockbine.

Coach Brewer will also have sophomores Eki Militoni (5-10, 160 running back/linebacker) and lineman Aiden Reynolds.

A transfer in, sophomore running back/linebacker Jackson Kling should also be a big help.

Coach Brewer who heads into his eighth season leading his alma mater with a 56-17 mark.

The Aces have a spectacular playoff mark of 65-40 with one state title (1981) and five second-place finishes, including last season's squad.

“Only six players return who played meaningful minutes last year. We will be very young. It will be of the utmost importance for us to improve each week and stay healthy. With only five seniors, I think we will improve each week and steadily improve throughout the year,” said Coach Brewer who heads into his eighth season at his alma mater with a 56-17 mark.

Of the 446-rushing attempts last season for the Casey-Westfield Warriors, one player carried over one half of them.

Senior Conner Sullivan, a 6-2, 215 bruising running back went for 1,466-yards on 232-attempts with 27 TD's.

Sullivan earned many postseason accolades, including 1A ASV “Player of the Year” and is now at McKendree University to play football.

He was part of a nine very important players lost to graduation.

Tight end and linebacker Grant Cochonour is now playing defense at Rose-Hulman University and special teams specialist Cory Montgomery is at Oakland City University.

The Warriors in 2023-24 went 9-2 with the losses to Mt. Carmel (23-20) and Greenfield/Northwestern (16-14).

Both defeats came in the final seconds, which means a play or two could have changed both of those outcomes.

Coach Jeff Fritchtnitch heads back to the sidelines in his second season in charge with a wealth of talent and numbers for a 1A program as they look for another playoff berth.

It is a huge help when your starting quarterback returns and the Warriors have a good one in 6-2, 175 junior Nolan Clement.

With Sullivan running the ball most of the time, the Clement numbers weren't spectacular.

But he managed the offense like a pro, throwing 12 touchdowns and only one interception in his 30-of-59 totals, which resulted in 697-yards.

As a crew, C-W rushed for just over 2,500-yards last fall and the top returning rusher is 6-3, 225 junior running back/linebacker Luke Karras.

Karras rushed 70-times for 499-yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore.

Lane Repp, a 5-9, 180 senior running back also got carries last fall for the Warriors.

Ryan Richards, a 6-4, 175 senior wide receiver/defensive back, also returns after being the top target for Clement last season.

Richards caught 16-passes for 448-yards and nine TD's as a junior.

Five-ten, 170 sophomore running back/linebacker Nick Fouty, also got his feet wet in varsity games as a freshman.

Sophomore Will Moore, a 6-3, 210 tight end/defensive end and 5-11, 160 wide receiver/defensive back Kellen Sullivan will add to the offense for Casey-Westfield.

Coach Fritchtnitch also mentioned 5-10, 170 senior running back/defensive back Avery Tutewiler and 5-10, 200 sophomore kicker Wyatt Erickson who also plays running back and linebacker.

Six seniors return on both offensive and defensive lines for the Warriors.

Five-eleven, 210 Owen Keeney, 6-1, 220 Kane Davis, 6-0, 250 Caden Burkybile, 6-2, 230 Connor Hawkins, 6-2, 200 Fred Thomas and 6-0, 290 Tommy Roberts give Coach Fritchtnitch plenty of size and experience up front along with sophomore Lucas Wienberger and senior Owen Kenney.

New to the team this year, according to Coach Fritchtnitch, are seniors Jackson Maulding and Riley Hines-Gilbert. They will see significant time at wide receiver and on defense.

“I expect our team to be a bit more polished heading into the season this year. The offense, defense and special teams philosophy is not new. Our players have committed themselves to our off-season program and we're seeing the benefits of their work early on. Our coaching staff has grown in our approach to managing our offensive and defensive segments. Our reps and technique work look to be paying dividends,” said Coach Fritchtnitch. “Our senior class is a group of leaders. They have high expectations of each other and their younger teammates. I believe we will function at a high level in all three phases of the game.”

The Lawrenceville Indians football program suffered just a pair of regular season loses a season ago to playoff teams Mt. Carmel and Casey-Westfield.

The made it to the first round of the 2A playoffs before losing to Vandalia at home that ended the campaign at 7-3.

Head coach Cory Joergens has some key players to replace heading into the season but a pretty good group returns for 2024-25.

Gone is multi-sport athlete Bryant Jenkins, who tallied 20 touchdowns as a senior who is now playing basketball at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg.

Running back Tanner Waller added 14 TD's to the offense last season and over 1K in yards on the ground and will be missed.

All-LIC linemen Rylee Dohoney and Pep Wirth along with linebacker and leading tackler Kasen Ochs and defensive back Kolby Stoops also graduated.

There will be a major switch in the backfield for Lawrenceville as Wyatt Halter moves from quarterback to running back to begin the 2024-25 season while teammate Maddox Pargin moves under center.

Halter, according to Coach Joergens, will be a asset as he shared a lot of the rushing attempts for the Indians a year ago.

Another running back, 6-0, 190 senior Conor Lill who is also a starter at linebacker for the Tribe.

Five-ten, 160 fullback/linebacker Josh Devin also returns after being a key reserve last fall.

Defensive back Eli Vennard, a 5-8, 140 senior, will start in the defensive backfield.

The line looks to be a strength for the Indians as four of the top five from a year ago return.

Six-two, 230 senior Wyalan Bice, 6-1, 235 senior Dillon Darnell, 6-0, 190 senior Koby Price and 6-2, 230 junior Stephen Killion return.

Also on the list of impact players is junior running back Zander Cessna, who like Pargin, are basketball and baseball players looking to make some waves on the gridiron.

Keelan Coleman, a 5-11, 190 senior, transferred in from Robinson and should also be part of the game-plan.

“We graduated 10 seniors who were all major components of our 7-3 squad. While we have to fill some big shoes, we are still very experienced. I believe the new additions that are giving football a shot this fall will play major roles for us this season. Senior Wyatt Halter will be the leader of the team as he dives back into the captain role and will be our voice on both sides of the ball. We lose two first-team offensive linemen but are able to put four of our five back out there who saw varsity time in at least 70 percent of our games, which is crucial to what we do. Our mentality hasn't changed and it's next man up,” said Coach Joergens.

Last season's edition of Richland County Tigers' football can be summed up with a simple statement.

Young kids learning the hard way.

Coach Luke Carmody saw his mostly young team take some lumps against a strong schedule, going without a win.

However as the adage goes, 'what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger' fits this program as nearly everyone from last fall returns in Orange and Black.

“We had a very young group last season with a lot of freshmen and sophomores having to fill key positions and step up in a varsity role for the first time. I felt like it was a good opportunity for our young guys to grow and develop and even though the season did go the way we wanted it to I believe our guys grew from that experience and it will help us in the long run,” said Coach Carmody.

Jashun McKinley, a senior running back, left for Greenville University to play football as he and four other seniors were the only upperclassmen on the squad.

The rest return with hopefully more success this go-around.

A pair of running backs/defensive backs; Dirks Weiler, a 5-10, 175 senior and Brandon Wenger, a 5-7, 180 senior, return.

Other skill position players returning include 5-10, 160 quarterback Gavyn Cothern.

Wide receiver/defensive back Nolan Seals, a 6-0, 175 junior, 6-0, 165 wide receiver/defensive back Reed Klinger, and 6-7, 210 sophomore wide receiver Reid Brown give Cothern weapons down the field along with 6-0, 150 junior Ian Pianfetti and 5-10, 155 sophomore Cooper Hires.

But the strength of the Richland County team appears to be in the trenches as Coach Carmody has some muscle on both sides of the line.

Six-three, 260 senior Evan Gilreath, 6-7, 310 junior Casey Thomann, 6-1, 350 senior Jack Colwell, 5-10, 195 junior Zander Schrader, 5-10, 190 senior Shamus Shick, 6-0, 190 junior Xander Holtz and 6-4, 250 senior Gavin Jennings make up what appears to be the biggest line in the LIC.

The linebackers returning are 5-8, 180 senior Logan McDonald and 6-1, 220 junior Xavior Zuber.

“The conference is going to be very competitive again this year with most of the teams returning some key players and with all of the new coaches establishing themselves and their systems from last season. Our schedule stays the same from last year with our two non-conference games being Taylorville and Mattoon. Both those games will be good early tests to see where we are at after having a good summer in the weight room and on the field,” said Coach Carmody. “Our guys are excited to get back on the field this fall and show how much we have improved as a team and to see the hard work that they have put in pay off.”

The Newton Eagles and head coach Jason Fulton suffered through an injury riddled 2023-24 as they slumped to 2-7 overall and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

The did close out the season with a win over Marshall but they also lost some important seniors.

Wide receiver/defensive back Peyton Harris, running back Isaac Flowers, who was lost for the season early last fall, top rusher Meyer Tarr, linemen Tyler Olmstead and Isaac Rake and tight end/linebacker Gus Bierman all left the program.

Tarr led the team with over 900-yards rushing last year.

But the returning players for the Eagles look to fly a bit higher this season and get back into playoff contention.

Coach Fulton (86-76 in 17-seasons at Newton) has some athletes returning that should make a big difference if they can all stay healthy this fall.

Hayden Mulvey steps up to the varsity level as the starting quarterback.

All of these guys contributed a lot and started at one time or another.
Newcomers include super excited about him as he should beef up our backfield

Six-one, 140 sophomore Hayden Mulvey was the JV signal caller a season ago and is posed to step forward at the varsity level.

Coach Fulton is looking at a one-two-three punch in the backfield with senior Cole Phillips, junior Drake Wolf and junior David Ferguson.

Senior wide receiver Evan Zumbahlen also returns as another weapon for Newton.

The lines on both sides have five seniors returning.

Kohlten Barthelme, Weston Bierman, Landon Blake, Cole Elmore and Landon McClure all have experience.

Defensively some other two-way players include junior defensive back/wide receiver Dexter Fulton, junior tight end/linebacker Owen Schackmann junior lineman/linebacker Dominic Baltzell and junior defensive lineman Parker Schafer.

Coach Fulton also mentioned sophomore offensive lineman Aaron Carroll and his two sons, junior Dex Fulton and freshman Quincy Fulton.

“One thing that I am very excited about is that I will have two sons on the team. Dexter is a junior and will start at WR and DB. He started at corner last year due to some injuries and had to learn very quickly about varsity football. He has come a long way and I think he can have a big season. Dex has worked very hard for this moment,” said Coach Fulton. “Quincy is going to be a freshman. He could be a sleeper on the team. He is 6-3, 215 and is very fast with great hands. He is the 1A IESA back to back state champion in the 100, 200 and was second in the hurdles. He is a nationally known baseball player and is currently ranked #1 in the state of Illinois for the class of 2028 for Perfect Game and probably will be for Prep Baseball Report. We will see how this carries over to football.”

The Eagles hope to get off to a good start when they open the season at Shelbyville.

“All of the players are very important. We have a big freshman class of 23 players which is the best numbers in a log time. Currently we sit at 54 on the roster,” added Coach Fulton. “The most important thing for us is to turn the corner and get back to winning and making the playoffs. It takes a special group to do that and hopefully these next few years will show the progress we are making.”

The Robinson Maroons got off to a tough beginning in 2023-24, dropping their first four contests.

However winning three of their final five contests helps the maturing of the program as they head into 2024-25.

Gone from the program are four seniors who were all-conference players.

Julian Parker (1st team all-conference), Payton Skaggs (1st team all-conference), Eli Rosborough (honorable mention all-conference), and Judson Pinkston are going to be hard to replace.

Wide receiver Julian Parker was first team all-conference as was lineman Payton Skaggs.

Linebacker/wide receiver Eli Rosborough and wide receiver/defensive back Judson Pinkston will also be difficult to replace.

Coach James Kent has a group back looking to improve.

Quarterback Reese Johnson, a 5-9, 170 junior, returns under center after starting as a sophomore in 2023-24.

Coach Kent looks for Johnson to keep improving after throwing 14 touchdowns last fall and 1,102-yards.

AJ Knoblett, a 5-10, 155 junior, had over 600-yards of total offense last season for the Maroons with 422 of the yards coming on the ground.

Knoblett is multi-purpose for Robinson as he showed he can play all over the field.

Khyzaiah Poole, a 6-0, 170 senior wide receiver, caught 12-passes for 139-yards and a pair of TD's.

Blake Green, a 5-11, 165 senior, added 121-yards rushing and another 46-yards receiving to the offense last season.

Senior Kahne Hyre, junior Landyn Bonnell, and senior Cameron Dennis should have time in the backfield while senior tight end Robby Eller moves to offense after playing mostly defense last fall.

Jevan Wampler, a senior lineman, junior lineman Blake Trivett, senior lineman Gavin Groves, sophomore Cruz Dunlap, junior Landyn Bonnell, and sophomore Reid VanSchyock round out what appears to be a team with depth at all positions.

Ten seniors from last season's Marshall Lions football squad left the program and school in the spring, taking a lot of numbers and experience with them down the aisle.

Included in the parade was senior quarterback Kaiden Matzke, who represented most of the offensive output from the 1-8 squad, with the lone victory coming against winless Richland County in Week 4.

Matzke combined for 1,277-yards of combined rushing and passing and ran or passed for eight of the team's 13 TD's.

Running backs Kyden Boyer and Luis Lopez along with wide receivers Riley Wallace and Kade Patton also are missing from that club.

Matzke and Wallace are playing at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana.

Trey Scott, a 5-10, 145 senior, takes over the reigns of the offense as quarterback for the Lions.

In the backfield Coach Weber has options.

Madix Weddle, 5-10. 140 junior running back/defensive back, returns as does 6-1, 165 senior running back/defensive back Ben Harper.

Lucca Giannavola, a 5-11, 185 junior running back/linebacker and 5-8, 160 junior running back Kaiden Sanders are back.

The line on both sides of the ball have three seniors returning.

Jt Burnside, a 6-5, 245 senior lineman, 6-2, 250 senior lineman Ty Harper, and Jack Pearce, a 6-0, 265 senior lineman, have experience.

Two sophomores; Boston Rollings, a 6-0, 240 lineman and 5-10, 210 sophomore Ricky Gibson.

Defensively Marshall has a couple of linebackers returning with 6-1, 185 junior Liam Keim, a 6-1, 185 junior linebacker and 5-8, 260 junior lineman Aaron Barnett.