083013 Fall Sports

Fall SPORTS 2013

Edwardsville High School Tigers Metro East Lutheran High School Knights Collinsville High School Boys’ Soccer Girls’ Tennis Girls’ Volleyball Cross Country Field Hockey Football Golf

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Page 2 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

Tiger Football . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By BILL ROSEBERRY broseberry@edwpub.net

The Edwardsville Tigers put themselves back on the football map in 2012.

EHS, in its second full season under head coach Matt Martin, compiled an impressive 102 record and advanced to the Class 7A state quarterfinals. Last season marked the first time the Tigers had corralled a postseason win since 2006 and was their furthest advancement in the playoffs since a berth in the state semifinals in 2005; both of those seasons came under long-time coach Tim Dougherty.

Martin and his staff have done their best at revitalizing a program which suffered through a string of subpar seasons. He was named interim coach in 2010 when previous head coach Mark Bliss resigned after the first game of the season. Since accepting the reins of the program in Week 2 in 2010, Martin has put together an overall 19-11 record and enjoyed two playoff appearances, going 2-2 in those games.

But as good as last season was, Martin points to 2011 as the year Edwardsville started recreating its identity and playing the style fans are beginning to become accustomed with.

“Actually (2011), I give them a lot of credit for starting it on the right track,” Martin said. “Last year’s group just kind of built on it and hopefully this group has the maturity to continue to build on it.”

The 2013 version of the Tigers will have to do it without some key components to last year's run, especially on offense.

"We’ve got seven back on defense, but it’s only four on offense,” Martin said. “Some of those guys are going to assume some two-way duties and we have some kids that are first time players that have to get out there and prove themselves.”

Most notably, the losses of running backs Sam Mulford (767 yards, 23 TDs, 4.6 ypc.) and Bennett Gray (1,050 yards, 14 TDs, 7.7 ypc.) will hurt along with quarterback Will Collins (1,466 yards, 11 TDs, 8 INTs, 55.8 percent passing rate, 12.8 ypp.).

Others gone from the offense are: wide receiver Julian Harvey (23 catches, 313 yards, 13.6 ypr.) and offensive linemen Robbie Clark, Adam Hosto, Sab Champlin and Jake Jennings.

“I’d like to have those guys back. Can we sign them to free agent contracts?” Martin quipped. “It’s going to be a challenge, but we have kids that are ready to step up and take

Bill Roseberry/Intelligencer

Pictured above are senior members of the Edwardsville Tiger football squad. In front from left to right are: Niklaus Roman, Jarrod Kolesa, Chandler Brown, Kyle Keasey, Cameron Throneberry, Sean Sandifer, Nick Papajcik, Brian Crowe and Craig James. In back from left to right are: Joseph Jackson, Hayden Schmidt, Ben Perry, Kavanaugh Weiss, Jake McGauley, D'Anthony Knight and Darius Crochrell. those rolls. Just like every year, that’s the beauty of high school.

You always have kids that will surpass your expectations hopefully and then there will be a few who get complacent and don’t get better and that’s the fun of it, seeing who is going to step it up, assuming those roles and doing their job playing Tiger football.”

Only starting center Jarrod Kolesa, now a senior, returns as a regular O-lineman for EHS. Junior Dan Marinko will take over behind Kolesa at quarterback. He received some varsity snaps last year, backing up Collins and got a plethora of experience at the sophomore level.

“Danny got a lot of reps last year at the sophomore level and the varsity level, because Will (Collins) we were always worried about because he’d had a few concussions,” Martin said of Marinko at quarterback. “We gave him a lot of reps.”

As for running back, Martin will go with a trio of gifted and varsity experienced gridders; they're just not necessarily experienced at hauling the rock.

“D’Anthony (Knight) and Craig James will split some time in the backfield at running back and then we got Cam Throneberry as well,” Martin said of the running back situation. “We have kids that have been under Friday night lights and played some competitive football that will assume those roles so now

it’s just about teaching them the proper assignments and techniques. I think they’ll be OK.” At wide receiver, Edwardsville will lean heavily on senior Darius Crochrell. Crochrell, who is being recruited by Purdue most notably, had 51 receptions for 792 yards and five touchdowns last year, averaging 15.5 yards per reception. Brian Crowe (6 receptions, 71 yards, TD) will also help at wide out while returning tight end Hayden Schmidt (7 receptions, 67 yards, TD) will assist the passing game, too.

Knight, James and Throneberry will work both ways for the orange and black and all three have gotten collegiate looks on defense due to their athleticism.

James led the defense in 2012 with six interceptions, running one back for a touchdown. He also had 0.5 sacks. He also had 10 receptions for 148 yards and three scores as a wide receiver.

James has been getting recruited by a slew of schools, including Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State, Indiana, Minnesota and Kansas.

Knight was second to James with three interceptions last season during his role as a strong safety. Throneberry only had one interception but was tied for second on the Tigers with three sacks from his position at outside linebacker.

Crowe will also play corner for EHS. He corralled two picks in 2012 for a defense that produced 41 takeaways to only

17 turnovers.

Other key returning components on defense will be: senior defensive end Kyle Keasey (3 sacks), senior middle linebacker Sean Sandifer (2.5 sacks), junior middle linebacker Zac Rujawitz (1.5 sacks, interception) and junior defensive tackle Jeff Clubb (2 sacks).

The losses of free safety Jake Vinyard (2 interceptions), middle linebacker Wes Grigaitis (0.5 sacks) and defensive tackle Donte Tinen (4 sacks, interception) will make for some hard shoes to fill, but Martin thinks the defense can still flourish.

Rujawitz and Clubb showed signs of being big-time players and they will now be a year older and that much stronger entering their junior campaigns.

“We expect it to be good and that’s what they expect more importantly,” Martin said of the defense. “They want to be good so it’s our job to help them get there. They want to be one of the best defenses in the conference and that’s what we’re working at.”

Special teams will be where the most rebuilding will take place.

Vinyard was the leader and heart and soul on special teams, but it was kicker/punter Brandon Baker who was the go-to-guy due to his talented leg.

Baker will now be kicking at Iowa Wesleyan University this season. He had eight field goals a season ago for Edwardsville, the longest coming from 46 yards,

but it was the technical things he could do that Martin loved.

Baker comprehended and utilized a multitude of different kicks and punts which helped the EHS special teams be — well — truly special in 2012. The special teams unit scored 51 points, including extra points, forced 11 turnovers and only coughed it up three times.

Martin referred to Baker as a "program guy" and pointed to several others throughout the team which will make for some huge shoes to fill.

“The biggest thing with Brandon (Baker) is I trusted him,” Martin said. “We lost some key program guys like Sammy Mulford and Will Collins, just kids that not necessarily every college coach in the country would want, but they were key Tiger football program guys.

We’ve got some kids here that have big shoes to fill.

“And of course there’s new names. Isaiah Michl will play some wide receiver and Tommy Maxwell who will play defensive back and wide receiver to name a couple.”

The schedule remains the same as last season. The Tigers will open with Hazelwood West tonight at the District 7 Sports Complex. They walloped West 56-0 on the road to open the season last year.

Week 2 will pit them against Soldan. EHS bested the Missouri school 45-12 at home in 2012.

This year, Edwardsville and Soldan will square off at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 in East St. Louis as the first game of the City of Champions Football Classic.

East Side kicks off Southwestern Conference action for EHS on Sept. 13, visiting the District 7 Sports Complex for a rematch from the second round of the playoffs which the Tigers won 21-18.

The rest of the conference lineup rounds out with: at Alton on Sept. 20, vs. Collinsville on Sept. 27, at Belleville West on Oct. 4, at O'Fallon on Oct. 11, vs.

Granite City on Oct. 18 and vs.

Belleville East on Oct. 25. “(Soldan) had a pretty good playoff run last year and they’ve got some good looking kids.

Their coach does a good job with them so that will be a challenge,” Martin said. “Then there’s Hazelwood West. They look like the Oakland Raiders when they walk out there and that’s Week 1.

We’ve got our work cut out and of course we open conference with East St. Louis (Week 3).

We’re fighting against time and we’ve got a lot of work to do before we get to where I think we need to be.”

Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 3

Tiger soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com

A “once-in-a-chance goal” according to Edwardsville head coach Mark Heiderscheid halted his team’s season one win short of a berth in the state tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.

What was supposed to be a rebuilding season after losing 13 players from the year before turned into another typical EHS season — 13-plus wins, regional and sectional championships and a top-two finish in the Southwestern Conference. The Tigers were 17-52, with the final loss coming in 1-0 fashion to the state’s top-ranked Naperville Central Redhawks in the Class 3A Normal Community Super-Sectional.

Not even Heiderscheid could have predicted last season’s success, with the team only returning two starters.

“We were in a situation where last year we were very young with all sorts of smaller questions. The transition could not have gone any smoother,” Heiderscheid said. “It really made for a very good end of the year.”

Those question marks Heiderscheid had going into last year are no more, since being replaced by superlatives for the amount of depth the 2013 Tigers have. Of the 11 starters from the Naperville Central game, seven of them are back.

Heiderscheid pointed to senior forward Brent Heinlein, junior midfielders Landon Paul, Andrew Mullican and senior Hayden Hessler and senior center back Josh Kowalis as the biggest returnees.

“This year should not be any much of surprise. As contrast, everything up the middle is what we have back. In fact, you build so much for the central part of the field. More so than a lot of other sports, you tend to make sure your central players are your focus,” Heiderscheid said.

“You have Landon Paul and Andrew Mullican in the center

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Above are letter winners for the EHS boys' soccer team. In front from left to right are: Andrew Mullican, Austin Toby, Brent Heinlein and Tom Giacobbe. Back from left to right are: Hayden Hessler, Bailey Winfield, Landon Paul, Josh Kowalis, Sam Watts, Liam Burke and Brendan Heaton. midfield as juniors. That is huge.

Then you have Hayden Hessler, a senior, sitting back there. He had a whole year of very good experience under his belt. In front of them, you have Heinlein, who has huge experience. Behind them, you have got a backfield that has loads of experience. Straight up the gut, we are very, very solid.”

The midfield is where EHS finds its leading returning scorer.

Last season, Paul was second on the team with 11 goals and had a team-best seven assists. The allsectional player was runner-up in goals to another all-sectional player, Frank Verdu, who had 13 goals, with seven of them coming in the postseason. Paul had four goals and two assists in the fivegame postseason.

Mullican (one goal, one assist) will start alongside Paul at center midfield. Hessler (two goals, two assists) is also expected to be a strong contributor in multiple facets.

“Landon may be the very best player in the area, and Andrew Mullican is a phenomenal playmaker with the ball. Hayden is really good as a player. He can put balls in from 40 yards at length. He is a perfect person to put back there as a center mid,” Heiderscheid said.

It is the back line that is the backbone of the team, again. The Tigers posted 12 shutouts and allowed 19 goals in 24 games last year. Always defensive-oriented, Heiderscheid has one of the deepest classes of defenders that he has had in his 13 season as head coach.

Looking to replace All-State selection Tyler Postol is Kowalis, who broke on to the scene last year as a junior. Heiderscheid believes he has all the tools to do it again.

“Kowalis last year, by the end of the season, was an absolute gem of a player. He did a fantastic job against (Blake) Hermann from

Quincy. He was just locking down the kid from Naperville Central,” Heiderscheid said. “He is just a tremendous back. He is big, strong, fast, very coachable and confident.

You have a hard time getting around him.”

Kowalis is just the tip of the iceberg, with plenty of other strong players lining up for minutes.

Sophomore Austin Toby and senior Bailey Winfield are both returning starters. Winfield, who will sit out the first six games of the season, shifted into the backfield three games into last season.

Senior Sam Watts and junior Liam Burke are among the returning players with varsity experience.

“If you look at the rest of the backfield, we are just ridiculously loaded. Bailey has a ton of experience. Austin Toby, as a freshman, was just a phenomenal player. Liam Burke got a ton of experience as a player that both

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started and was a first sub off the bench. Sam Watts got a lot of experience coming off the bench,” Heiderscheid.

The returning players will have to hold off a couple varsity newcomers for time.

Heiderscheid is already expecting a lot out of senior Justin Lowry and sophomore Max Kieffer.

“This year, Justin Lowry is going to push people for time.

He is really likely to start. He is very much similar to Kowalis. He is tall, fast and hard. I am really impressed with him. He has probably made one of the biggest jumps of anyone in the program,” Heiderscheid said. “Max Kieffer could start in the center of the back. He is that good of a player.

He did his work as a freshman on the JV level. He is also so much quicker, stronger and faster. He is a very solid player.”

With the surplus of defenders, Edwardsville is having to find other positions for them and the midfield seems to be the most likely destination. With sophomore Tom Giacobbe taking over the left side, and Paul, Mullican and Hessler controlling the middle, it is going to be a free-for-all for minutes.

Senior Michael Romann has the most experience back, and the Tigers will look to last season’s one-loss junior varsity squad for an infusion of new talent. Juniors Suleman Bazai, who Heiderscheid says “can finish” and Andrew Effler played midfield for JV. Sophomores Kyle Tucker and Tristin Lieberman are also looking to break into the lineup.

As for Giacobbe, who had two goals last season, Heiderscheid is hoping he can step into Verdu’s former position.

“If he goes out on the left hand side, he can really solidify that position,” Heiderscheid said.

Heinlein is back for a final season up top. He had three goals and six assists last season as the primary forward.

Continued on Page 4

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Page 4 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

Tiger volleyball . . . . . . . . . . .

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com

The Edwardsville Tigers are ready to welcome in the next wave of varsity players, and a drop-off in success does not seem likely.

After graduating five seniors, all of which received college scholarships, from a 32-8 team that advanced to the Class 4A Normal West Super-Sectional, the Edwardsville Tigers must execute the task that head coach Jami Parker and her coaching staff have become very familiar with — replace and repeat.

Gone are the versatile Sarah Parker (Southwest Minnesota State University), right side hitter Maddie Werths (SEMO), hitters Nicole Allaria (Quincy University) and Gaylynn Jones (Newman University) and setter Aubry Dickmann (McKendree University).

Despite the graduating class including its top two hitters, most powerful server and lone setter, Parker said the team is in strong condition.

“We lost another great class and big class of girls. We have six seniors, again, this year. We also, once again, have a lot of depth and returning players with significant varsity experience.

We have a lot of juniors and seniors that have been waiting in the wings for their time to shine. They have had some good players in front of them, so they have not had a chance to start yet on the varsity floor. Here is their chance and opportunity to do so,” Parker said.

It was the same pre-season assessment that Parker had last season, when the team was attempting to replace AllAmerican and current Purdue University sophomore Sam Epenesa, setter Lexi Gober, who leads the program in assists, blocker Hannah Frierdich and

libero Tori Gusewelle. The Tigers did not miss a beat, earning their third straight 30-win season, sixth straight Southwestern Conference title, fifth straight regional title and third straight sectional title. The group extended EHS’ winning streak inside the conference to 26 matches.

Parker attributed the consistency inside the program to her coaching staff, from the middle school up to her varsity staff that includes Heather Ohlau, Camilla Eberlin and Kelly Schaill.

“I have a fabulous coaching staff from middle school all the way to varsity. I can not say enough of the things about the coaches in this program. We work and communicate well together,” she said. “We teach the same things at the middle schools and at the high school.

The program blends very well together. That does help, when the kids are learning things in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades, they are learning the same things when they come to the high school program. I just have a tremendous coaching staff all around.”

Outside hitter Camrey Saye, middle blocker Lynsey Wright, libero Katie Shashack and defensive specialist Clare Wa s m u t h a re t h e p r i m a r y holdovers from last season’s s q u a d . S a y e , Wr i g h t a n d Shashack are the final links to the third-place finish at state in 2010.

Parker said it is a good core group to blend with the newcomers.

“We have some experience and we have some significant experience in the back,” Parker s a i d . “ We d o h a v e s o m e significant experience, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.”

Wright, a 6-foot middle blocker headed to Missouri State, is the leading returning hitter and

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

From left to right senior members of the Edwardsville girls' volleyball team are: Clare Wasmuth, Lynsey Wright, Camrey Saye, Lauren Corby, Carly Thebeau and Katie Shashack. blocker. Last season, she had 170 kills and 60 blocks. The 6-0 Saye, an Ashland University recruit, had 127 kills and 23 blocks.

With Sarah Parker, Werths and Allaria departed, Jami Parker expects to see Wright and Saye lead the offense.

“Camrey is a four-year varsity starter with a lot of experience, so she is going to fill that role well both in the hitting and block aspect. She will also fill in the leadership role for those outside hitters,” Parker said. “It is the same thing for Lynsey Wright.

She started for us last year, and she is a very experienced player. She is going to provide a lot of leadership in that middle blocking position.”

Lauren Corby, a 5-11 senior, has the inside track to take over Werths' spot on the right

side. Parker believes, “Corby is going to be a big contributor on offense.”

Vying for time on the outside are junior Autumn Harris (5-9) and sophomore Sydney Wright (5-8). Juniors Korrine Croft (6-1) and Cassie Allen (5-10) will look to fill spots in the middle and on the right side.

“We have a good cast of seniors and juniors, except for the sophomore Sydney Wright,” Parker said.

Edwardsville does have the benefit of returning two strong defensive players, Shashack, an SIUE recruit, and Wasmuth.

Last season, the 5-6 Shashack had a team-high 426 digs and the top serve-receive success rate (94.16 percent). Wasmuth, listed at 5-7, finished with 177 digs.

Sophomore Rachel Anderson,

also a standout softball player, will get her first chance to showcase her skills at the varsity level.

Parker said the back line, especially Shashack and Wasmuth, will be vital for the offense to have success.

“It all starts with ball control.

You can have all the great hitters and setters in the world, but if you do not have the ball control, you are not going to be able to hit it. You are not going to get the big kills that get all the media attention,” Parker said. “It all starts with Katie and Clare, and potentially Rachel Anderson, to getting us that consistent pass every time and keeping the ball in play. To have those two (Shashack and Wasmuth) back there is a huge benefit for us.”

Continued on Page 6

Tiger soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continued from Page 3

“I would not trade him for anybody as a front runner,” Heiderscheid said of Heinlein.

Freshman Mohammad Hamad may be joining Heinlein up top, after the senior spent most of the minutes by himself at forward. Others that could see time are seniors Connor Wright, Sean Connelly and Adam McLean.

Along with the losses of Postol and Verdu, EHS also lost a pair of goalkeepers.

No. 1 goalie Brandon Baker is now playing football at Iowa Wesleyan University and Ryan Hessler has graduated.

Senior Brendan Heaton is the lone goalie with varsity experience, though it is not much. Senior Patrick England and junior

Trentan Daley will push for time.

Heiderscheid admitted all three could split the minutes this season.

“Heaton did have to play in a game or two or three, because the others could not be there. He got some experience,” Heiderscheid said. “But really it is going to be a toss up. Between Heaton and Patrick England, they are different players, but they are so close in terms of abilities.

Trentan Daley, a junior, has also done well. Randy Chapman is my goalkeeper trainer, so he sees all of them more than anybody, and he is really open to all three goalkeepers at this point.”

If Edwardsville can solidify the goalkeeper position, a SWC championship is a real possibility. The Tigers, after

winning the title in 2010 and 2011, took second to Belleville West (18-4-1) last season. EHS was 4-1-1, while West was 50-1.

The Maroons, though, have lost a number of players from last season’s team, including 10-goal scorer Jesse Jordan.

Alton and Collinsville also lost valuable pieces.

“I think some teams have lost some stuff,” Heiderscheid said. “Alton loses (Kevin) Cheatham and (Tyler) Hamilton, two of its top players. Collinsville, I think, is still losing some players to academy.

Belleville West lost Jesse Jordan, among some other losses, but they still have the ability to be pretty decent. Granite City is always tough, but they lost (Dane) Grote,

(Seth) Keomanivane and others.”

Third-place O’Fallon (9-6-7) rivals Edwardsville in terms of returning experience, and Heiderscheid believes it could very well be a battle with the Panthers for the top spot in the league.

He also said not to count out Collinsville (9-9-7) and Belleville West, which does return sophomore Sean Gouveia (13 goals, 11 assists) and junior goalkeeper Nate Petrokovich.

“I think O’Fallon is going to be one of the better teams in the conference. My money is on O’Fallon this year,” Heiderscheid.

Edwardsville opened the season Thursday against Granite City. The Tigers are back in action with the two-day Alton Tournament starting today.

Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 5

Tiger Field Hockey . . . . . . . . .

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com

Edwardsville will begin a new era for field hockey, with its home games shifting from the Winston Brown Track and Field Complex to the turf at the District 7 Sports Complex.

It is just one of the changes that the team is undergoing, which also includes their head coach getting married over the summer.

Abby Comerford, formerly Bohnenstiehl, returns for her second season after taking over for Katie Horvath.

It was a successful first year for Comerford.

The Tigers finished 8-11, after falling to Cor Jesu in the second round of the Midwest Tournament. Edwardsville’s 2-0 win over Rockwood Summit in the first round was the first playoff victory for the team since 2009.

“A lot of last year’s success was the hard work the girls put in. They never quit. Even if we were losing 3-0, they were still going full force. Their work ethic was great. I am assuming it will be the same this year,” Comerford said.

The eight wins were quite the turnaround for an Edwardsville team that had gone 315 in 2011, Horvath’s final season with the team. She had been head coach since 2006.

For Comerford, she is excited to get her second season started. She will welcome a new coaching staff, with Julie Tyler taking over for Brie Hatton at JV and a new C team coach. Involvement is also up, as the program has an enormous freshmen class getting involved.

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

From left to right senior members of the Edwardsville field hockey team are: Abby Rasche, Sadie Pinnell, Maggie Evans, Abby Urbanek, Paige Pashea and Amelia Biggs.

“It is exciting,” Comerford said about entering her second season. “We pretty much have a whole new coaching staff at JV and C team. Julie Tyler is the JV coach and it is still up in the air at C team.

“It is good to know all the girls, and we have a big freshman class coming in. I just feel so much more comfortable this year with it not being my first year. Having a year under your belt is kind of nice.”

Also nice for Comerford is the return of her top offensive players, seniors Abby Urbanek and Sadie Pinnell.

Urbanek, who committed to Indiana University in early June and was again a

U.S. Futures particiapant, and Pinnell are both expected help carry the offense in their final prep seasons. Comerford also expects strong results from sophomore Ryley Miller, a member of the Gateway U16 team that was runner-up at the National Disney Field Hockey Showcase in February.

“Having Abby back is nice. Not only her, but also having Ryley Miller back in the middle. They can really take care of the field,” Comerford said. “Sadie, I do not know where she will be playing, be it at top or out wide, but it is nice to have her back.”

Also back are seniors Maggie Evans and Amelia Biggs, juniors Christina Rivera

and Alexa Humphreys. Freshman Annie Mulford will also be key.

It will be a new-look defense with the losses of Megan Pranger, Annie Nickrent and Sara Duft. Look for seniors Paige Pashea and Abby Rasche to step into leadership roles on the backline.

Edwardsville does have the advantage of both goalies returning. Junior Eliza Pauk and sophomore Kaitlyn Schneider will team up again.

“We have Eliza and Kaitlyn back. The goalie situation is good so far,” Comerford said. “It is nice not to have to find a new goalie every year. We will have both of them back next year. It is nice.”

New this year for the Tigers will be the move to turf. Gone are the days of playing in the grass at the Winston Brown Track and Field Complex, and now Edwardsville will hit the turf at the complex. It is a move that will help the team get accustomed to playing on the turf fields in Missouri against the private schools.

The field hockey team has had to battle the football and soccer teams along with the band for practice time. Comerford said they are doing the best they can to get acclimated.

"The speed will be the biggest difference compared to the other field. That one is still a little long,” she said.

Edwardsville starts its season away from home, participating in the Gateway Classic again. The Tigers make their home debut against Parkway North on Sept. 3.

Home games will start at 5 p.m. this season.

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Page 6 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

Tiger Girls' Golf . . . . . . . . . . .

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com

Break out the pencils and the paper, the Edwardsville Tigers will be taking notes during the 2013 girls’ golf season.

A year after placing seventh at the IHSA Class AA state tournament, their highest finish since taking seventh in 2007, the Tigers must replace four of the five players from the state lineup.

Senior Emilee Flaugher, heading to the University of Virginia, returns to the No. 1 spot. After that, it is senior Ashlea Hearn, a varsity alternate from last season, and a bunch of new names and faces.

“There are a lot of new faces and a lot of girls that have played maybe a few 18-hole tournaments, not a lot,” Edwardsville head coach Tresa LaBoube said. “A lot of them played JV last year and made varsity this year or played in Gateway-sanctioned tournaments. It is going to be a learning experience.”

Flaugher, a two-time AllSouthwestern Conference selection, will be the center of attention. She finished seventh last year at the rain-shortened state tournament, the highest mark since Marissa Cook was second and Jessica Collins was fifth in 2005. She helped the Tigers to a 20-1 duals record, their third straight SWC championship and second straight team appearance at state last season.

Now, in her final prep season, Flaugher is setting her sights on a couple school records. Her 9-hole average of 35.5 was a tenth of a stroke behind Cook’s 2005 recordsetting season. Cook’s secondplace finish at state is also tops in the program, a position Flaugher will look to match or surpass this season.

LaBoube believes Flaugher, a 14-time medalist as a junior, has the talent and work ethic to make her goals turn into a reality.

“I am excited to see what Emilee does this year. I know she has her sights set high. It is going to be an exciting year, it really is,”

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Pictured above is the Edwardsville girls' varsity golf team. In the front row from left to right are: Emilee Flaugher, Megan Quick, head coach Tresa LaBoube, Sam Doak and Eryn Coppersmith. In the back row from left to right are: Kiley Reeder, Sitney Day and Ashlea Hearn. she said. “She definitely has some school records to go at. She has been right around par and below (during tryouts). It is going to be really exciting.”

The other varsity holdover is Hearn. She split time with Emily Briley for the fifth spot, and played in a majority of the sixperson lineups during the regular season.

This season, LaBoube explained Hearn has the ability to step into a leadership role.

“Ashlea will be in a position to be a leader to help these girls understand how we do things. It is not just to help them on their game, but to show them what we are all about,” LaBoube said.

After those two in the lineup, it is a handful of rookies to the

varsity golf scene. Senior Sitney Day, sophomores Kiley Reeder, Sam Doak, Megan Quick and Eryn Coppersmith and freshman Kayla Weinacht will all vie for appearances.

LaBoube said the six new players stood out during tryouts at Oak Brook Golf Club. Quick had two birdies and shot in the 40s, Coppersmith fired a 47 on the final day and the other three made big strides.

“I am very pleased and surprised with the new faces that did come out. During tryouts they were shooting in the high 40s. I will take that, especially the ones new to the Lady Tiger golf team.

We can work on that,” LaBoube said. “I see a lot of things that they are doing great and a lot of

things where we need to work to get them where they need to be.”

Day, Doak, Reeder and Quick teamed with Flaugher and Hearn to make the lineup for the Madison County Tournament on Aug. 20. Edwardsville, a fourtime champion of the event, took second in the large school division behind Alton and was fourth overall.

Just because those four made their debuts in the season opener, LaBoube warned it does not mean that is the set lineup. Intrateam competition will be present throughout the season.

Coppersmith competed in the Marquette Blast-Off for her debut on Aug. 24. The Tigers were seventh in the event, and Flaugher was the medalist with a

1-under par 71.

“All the time the lineup is going to be changing. It is a great thing to see who wants it bad enough to be out there,” LaBoube said.

Teaching will also be at the forefront this season, along with competition.

“There will be teaching, preparation and a lot more coaching involved,” LaBoube smiled. “Right now, I brought some rule sheets, will go over procedures and talk about what happens in 18-hole tournaments and signing the scorecards. I have to show them how we do things, with keeping the putts and greens in regulation. It is a lot of learning. It is a lot of new things for them.”

Continued on Page 7

Tiger volleyball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continued from Page 4

Senior Carly Thebeau and freshmen Shelby Saye and Nicki Meyer will look to replace Dickmann at setter. In her only season at the position with EHS, Dickmann had a conference-best 849 assists.

If either Saye or Meyer get the start at setter, one of them would become first freshman to do so since Gober did midway through the 2008 season. Gober, now a sophomore at University of South

Carolina Upstate, holds the program record for most assists all-time (2,890), fourth best in IHSA history, and in a single season (897).

Regardless of whom of the three wins the position, it is going to be a huge responsibility.

“You have to have that quarterback or point guard to get the ball to your offense.

Everything kind of keys off that setter to make sure we get the pass out to the offense and we allow our hitters to work,”

Parker said. “The setter position is really a tough one and it is a tough one to fill.

We have three setters, though, that have been working incredibly hard over the summer. They worked hard through the tournaments. The progress I have seen in them from the beginning to the end is just tremendous. I have no doubt that they will do a great job this year.”

If the veterans can fuse with the newcomers, the Tigers will have a chance to grab another conference championship.

It will be a wide open race according to Parker, especially with the losses of talent.

O’Fallon graduated All-State hitter Katie Roustio, now playing for the University of Illinois, among others, Collinsville lost its top two hitters, Katie McCarthy and Kristen Ruffcorn, and Belleville West will be without Taylor Puuri, who is now playing softball at McKendree.

The Tigers open the season at Waterloo at 6 p.m. Tuesday. They then host the twoday Tiger Classic on Sept. 6-7.

Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 7

Tiger Boys' Golf . . . . . . . . . . . .

By BILL ROSEBERRY broseberry@edwpub.net

A year ago the Edwardsville Tiger boys' golf team enjoyed the second-best state finish in head coach Dene Schickedanz's tenure — eighth place.

Now only two of the members of that state lineup return in 2013 to tee it up for EHS, but that doesn't mean there's not talent.

Schickedanz is determined to have his inexperienced squad prepared.

“From last year’s varsity picture we only have two returning faces,” Schickedanz said. “But we’ll get better. These kids are talented.

We just have to get them used to playing tournament golf.”

The 2012 state lineup included current Tigers Ty Zeller, now a junior, and Cale Ambuehl, now a sophomore, but besides that it consisted of seniors Drew Curtis, John Schmidtke and Connor Bradley and then-sophomore Michael Pfitzner. While Curtis, Schmidtke and Bradley were lost to graduation, Pfitzner transferred out of the school district to return to his original stomping grounds in Missouri at the Lake of the Ozarks.

“Pfitzner moved away, went to the Lake of the Ozarks,” Schickedanz said. “We wish him the best.”

As a team in 2012, the Tigers fired a 318 at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington for state.

The eighth-place finish only trails the third-place trophy on Schickedanz's Edwardsville resumé from 2008.

EHS was a perfect 11-0 in dual matches in 2012 too, including a 7-0 mark in the Southwestern Conference.

Zeller and Ambuehl, along with sophomore Justin Hemings garnered some time on the links in 2012, and Schickedanz thinks they will pave the way this season.

“Zeller had a good summer,” Schickedanz said. “He went and played in the Big "I" Junior Classic up in Pekin and he played in the Gateway Classics. Then Hemings won his first four summer tournaments so you could see it’s a direct correlation to working hard in the offseason and being ready for the start of the season.”

Getting the offseason work is really the crucial part according to Schickedanz and some of his players weren't able to play the

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Above are varsity members of the Edwardsville Tiger boys' golf team. Bottom from left to right are: Justin Hemings, Jack Kohlmeier, Chase Worthey, Jack Berkbigler, Mitchell Krebs and Mason Sorenson. Standing from left to right are: freshman coach Adam Tyler, JV coach Doug Wright, Cale Ambuehl, Ty Zeller, Tyler Worthey, Chris Doyle and head coach Dene Schickedanz. summer schedule he would prefer.

Zeller, Tyler Worthey and Mitchell Krebs were busy with baseball over the summer also.

“After tryouts, three of our top five play a robust baseball schedule over the summer so we have some kids that have the talent but they don’t really have the tournament experience,” Schickedanz said.

“It’s different when you’re under the gun and you’re playing tournament golf and you’re out of you’re comfort zone. That’s why we do everything we can to try and get the kids into summer tournaments. I kind of figured we’d have some growing pains starting, but we’re going to work hard and it can only get better.”

Worthey is the lone senior on the EHS roster and Schickedanz expects him to do well. Recently, Worthey got a nice confidence booster to start the season,

procuring a hole-in-one on Hole No. 3 at Oak Brook Golf Club, a par 4 hole. He sank the shot with his driver.

“Tyler’s a tough kid and when we get him playing some golf he’ll be fine in the end,” Schickedanz said.

There is an abundance of youth on the squad which does excite Schickedanz. The future is definitely bright.

“We’ve got some other young kids that we’re going to put in the lineup for our next few tournaments,” Schickedanz said.

“We’re trying to give everybody a shot in the beginning. Chase Worthey, Tyler’s little brother, had an excellent tryout and excellent summer. We’re going to get him playing. Jack Berkbigler had a pretty good summer and then we have Jack Kohlmeier who is an excellent player along with Mason

Sorenson.”

Chase Worthey and Kohlmeier are just sophomores while Berkbigler and Sorenson are juniors.

As for gaining experience the Tigers will get thrown in the fire quickly with the annual grueling gauntlet of a schedule Schickedanz forms.

Edwardsville has already placed fifth in the Redbird Invitational at Spencer T. Olin Golf Course in Alton, first at the Madison County Tournament at Gateway National Golf Links in Madison and fourth at the Quincy Invitational at Westview Golf Course in Quincy.

The Tigers compete in the Champaign Central Invite today and still have the tough St. Viator Invitational in Chicago (Sept. 7), the Mattoon Invitational (Sept.

14), the Pekin Dragon Invite (Sept.

21) and they host the Dick Gerber

Invitational at Oak Brook (Sept.

27) to accompany a strong dual portion of the schedule.

EHS opens duals with a quadrangular against Alton, East St. Louis and Triad at Oak Brook on Monday.

“That’s kind of why we have the schedule,” Schickedanz said. “It’s a double-edged sword for the good because in the past when we’ve had more experience now we can go play the top teams in the state and the kids can learn, ‘Hey, maybe we can win the whole thing.’ When you’re inexperienced like this now the kids are going to be outside of their comfort zone which is good.

The only way to learn how to play under pressure is to get out and do it. Everybody is different and we’ll look at different methods to try and help each kid be a success.

“We’re young and we’re looking forward to the year.”

Tiger Girls' Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continued from Page 6

It is a brand new year for the Tigers, one without last year ’s senior class of Lauran Belling, Briley, Brie Duvall, Austin Gordon and Taylor Maggio. A special group of girls according to LaBoube now

must be replaced, and the Edwardsville coach is antsy to see what the future has in store.

“It is exciting to see these new, exciting faces,” LaBoube said. “It is good to see the interest and willingness these kids

have to get better.”

The postseason schedule will be different from last season, when the Tigers competed at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Godfrey for the regional and Weibring Golf Club in Normal for the

sectional. This season, Quincy’s Westview Golf Course will host the regional on Oct. 9 and Springfield’s Piper Glen Golf Course will host the sectional. The state tournament is back at Decatur’s Hickory Point Golf Course on Oct. 18-19.

Page 8 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

Tiger Boys' Cross Country.

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com

For the second straight season, Edwardsville boys’ cross country coach George Patrylak is having to replace a Division I runner from his team. Last year it was Stanford-bound and All-State runner Garrett Sweatt and this season the Tigers will be without Chad Maxwell, now a freshman at Saint Louis University.

Still, it does not seem like this is much of a problem for Patrylak and the Tigers.

Juniors Brydon Groves-Scott, Wes Schoenthal and Zain Pyarili and sophomore Ethan Townzen headline the returnees.

Senior Jimmie Mayfield also ran at the IHSA Class 3A state meet. Edwardsville finished in 24th place out of 25 teams.

Patrylak said last season’s trip to state was very beneficial for his runners.

“Last year was really good experience for the young athletes. We are excited to see what they are able to do and if they can make the jump to the next level,” Patrylak said. “Starting this summer, it seems like we have had a good core of the varsity returnees working hard. In a majority of the workouts, I feel like we are well ahead of where we were a year ago. I am excited for the season to start.”

Groves-Scott had the best returning state finish for the Tigers. He completed the course at East Peoria’s Detweiller Park in 15:38, good for 138th. Townzen was 170th at 15:51, Schoenthal was 192nd at 16:11, Pyarili was 194th at 16:12 and Mayfield

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Pictured above are the senior members of the Edwardsville boys’ cross country team. In the front row from left to right are: Mike Powell, Alan Bonk and Collin Christ. In the back row from left to right are: Jimmie Mayfield, Allen Bilbruck, Aaron Wilkinson, Jacob Trueb, Iain Perry and Riah Martin. Not pictured are: Josh Bertles, Chris McLaughlin, Chirs Miller, Alex Peterson and Alan Van Zandt. was 199th at 16:21.

The times were not exactly what Patrylak was looking for from his group, but he was not surprised to see a decline in performance on the big stage.

“When you bring freshmen and sophomores up to the state meet, it can be

a scary thing. Sometimes it is a blessing, because they do not know what to expect and run without thinking. Sometimes it can be overwhelming,” Patrylak said. “I think last year was a little more overwhelming for us. This year, I know all the athletes coming back have solid goals

for themselves.”

A sixth straight appearance at the state meet is one of those goals, along with the team’s first Southwestern Conference title since 2008. The last league championship, the second in three years, for the Tigers featured Sweatt as a freshman and Daniel Mazar, now running for Oklahoma University.

Patrylak believes his 2013 squad has a chance to be something special.

“I think as a team, barring injuries, this might be the fastest top five we have had,” Patrylak said. “Obviously, we are missing somebody like a Garrett Sweatt or Stephen Pifer, but we have a solid top five. We will have to see though, because the times at state get increasingly better.”

Groves-Scott and Townzen will battle it out for the top spot. Following those two in the five-runner rotation will be a collection of Schoenthal, move-in transfer Iain Perry from Alaska and Pyarili. Also looking to break into the lineup will be Joe Shannon, Jack Lever, Zach Gabel and Mayfield.

All but Perry took part in the Mud Mountain 5K Cross Country Classic at SIUE on July 2. Groves-Scott was third, crossing in at 16:53 behind former EHS graduates Eric Johannigmeier and Dustin Davis. Townzen (eighth, 17:34) and Pyarili (10th, 17:50) also cracked the top 10.

Schoenthal, Mayfield, Shannon, Lever and Gabel were 17th, 20th, 21st, 28th and 33rd, respectively.

Continued on Page 9

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Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 9

Tiger Girls' cross country

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com

Senior cross country runner Allie Sweatt will be looking to build on her streak with her third straight appearance at the state meet. The Edwardsville Tigers, however, will be seeking their first team appearance at the Class 3A state meet since 2006.

It was two points last year that shut EHS out of the state meet. The Tigers compiled 135 points, finishing in sixth place behind champion O’Fallon (36 points), Minooka (71), Moline (117), Lincoln-Way East (123) and Lincoln-Way Central (133) at the Class 3A Normal West Sectional. The top five teams advanced to East Peoria’s Detweiller Park.

Now, Patrylak would like the team to advance with Sweatt in her final season with Edwardsville.

“What I am most excited about for Allie is she has had the opportunities to qualify for state as an individual. She was with two teammates last year.

With the depth and talent of this team, I strongly feel this could be a top-two team in the sectional with the freshmen that we add in,” Patrylak said.

Sweatt, who said in July she is looking at SEMO, NebraskaOmaha, Illinois State, SIUC and Butler, is attempting to reach a goal she set sophomore year after the Quincy Sectional. The younger sister of the Sweatt brothers, Garrett, Eli and Willie, Allie is hoping to become an All-State runner.

To reach her goal, Sweatt must place in the top 25 at the state meet. A medalist performance would be only the second in program history, matching Amy Semith’s 16thplace finish in 1998. Sweatt finished 73rd last year and was

Matthew Kamp/Intelligencer

Pictured above are the senior members of the Edwardsville girls’ cross country team. From left to right are Erika Fulbright and Allie Sweatt.

132nd during her sophomore season.

Patrylak believes Sweatt is capable of reaching her goal and potentially making EHS history.

“Allie has worked hard this summer, and I am expecting to see good things from her,” Patrylak said. “With some of the times she ran — she was 37th at Mud Mountain and 24 seconds ahead of where she was last year — she is obviously in shape,” Patrylak said. Sweatt won the female division of Mud Mountain, finishing in 20:05.

As for making it as a team, Patrylak has plenty of options to fill the lineup after Sweatt.

Sophomore Rachel Schoenecker returns after advancing to state as an individual a year ago. She

took 193rd last season.

Despite Schoenecker ’s advancement to East Peoria, Patrylak warned a spot in the lineup will not be just handed to her.

“Looking at the varsity team, there may only be two or three girls that ran at the sectional meet that will be battling for varsity spots. Lizzy Lynn is looking good early this year, as well as Rachel Schoenecker. I know Rachel, our third qualifier last year, is running faster than where she was at this time last year,” Patrylak said. “We just have so much depth that with the talent we have Rachel might be our fifth, sixth or seventh runner and she was our third qualifier last year.”

Along with Lynn’s return, the Tigers also have the services

of a healthy Erika Fulbright.

The senior sat out last season after suffering an injury the previous summer. She finished Mud Mountain in 22:50, exactly a minute behind Lynn’s time.

“One of our biggest improvements is Erika Fulbright, a senior,” Patrylak said. “She has just ran into bad luck the past couple of years with injuries. We have never really had a chance to see what she can do in the races. Last year she had an injury playing summer soccer that kept her out of cross country. This year she is putting in the miles. She looks fantastic.”

A number of freshmen will also look to break into the lineup, including Bailey McGuire.

McGuire, who competed for

Liberty Middle School, finished 20th last season in the IESA Class 3A eight grade girls’ cross country state meet. She finished the two-mile race in 12:13. The year before, as a seventh grader, she was fourth overall with a time of 11:59. On the track side, McGuire was third in the 800-meter run (2:22.95) and the 1,600-meter run (5:21.04) this past spring.

“We are probably looking at several freshmen after the top three, starting with Bailey McGuire,” Patrylak said.

“Bailey is a multiple All-State runner in middle school. I told Allie I would not be surprised if Bailey is hanging in there for awhile in a couple of races. The more she hangs with Allie, the more it helps the team.”

With the addition of a healthy F u l b r i g h t , M c G u i re a n d a handful of other freshmen, Patrylak said this is the most depth and potential the girls’ cross country team has had in a long time. If the Tigers reach their full potential, a trip to state would not be out of question.

Patrylak even raised the bar of expectations a bit higher, saying the team could be in the top 20.

“The goal is definitely getting to state as a team,” Patrylak said. “We are going to have seven ladies battling it out for spots. We probably have nine or 10 interchangeable parts. It is just going to be figuring out the seven best for the postseason.

This is definitely a girls team that should make it. And not just make it, but be a top 20 team in the state.”

Quincy will host the regional on Oct. 26 and Edwardsville gets the sectional on Nov. 2.

The sectional will also include the Class A meet hosted by Metro-East Lutheran. The state meet is scheduled for Nov. 9 in East Peoria.

Tiger Boys' Cross Country. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continued from Page 8

Davis, now an assistant coach on the team, said following the race that the current group of Tigers looked good.

Patrylak jokingly shot down Davis’ thought.

“I think part of it is the former guys are getting more out of shape, minus (Johannigmeier) and coach Davis,” he said. “It is always nice to see them run well, but bottom line is that is not our focus. It is more for us to support our athletes, encourage them to do well and show them that the summer training is working.”

Meanwhile, Davis, a 2006 graduate, replaces former assistant coach James McLendon, who was with the team for three years. During his running days with the Tigers, Davis finished in the top 60 at the state meet three times, including 16th place in 2005.

“I think coach Davis is going to have a big impact on the team,” Patrylak said.

“One, he knows what to expect and what Tiger cross country is all about. Two, he is a lot younger and cooler, which has been pointed out. He is also in shape and can run workouts and help pace the varsity guys. He is going to be huge throughout

the season.”

With Davis now on board, Patrylak is hoping he is the final piece to get the Tigers into the top 20 at the state meet for the first time since 2008. That team wound up with a seventh-place finish. A top-10 finish would put the Tigers right with conference rival O’Fallon, which figures to again be a dominant figure in the state.

“I am not going to lie, O’Fallon is probably going to be the team that we will be chasing all year. They are probably the favorite for conference, regional and sectional. I really believe

with the team that we have we should be second to them in all of those meets,” Patrylak said. “O’ Fallon has brought home a state trophy the past two years.

This year, I said it last year, we are probably two years away, but with the progress of some of the runners and with the inclusion of Iain this could be a top 10 year if we can stay healthy.”

Quincy will host the regional on Oct. 26 and Edwardsville gets the sectional on Nov. 2. The sectional will also include the Class A meet hosted by Metro-East Lutheran. The state meet is scheduled for Nov. 9 in East Peoria.

Page 10 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

Tiger Girls' Tennis . . . . . . . . .

By BILL ROSEBERRY broseberry@edwpub.net

Don't call it a rebuilding year, the Edwardsville Tigers have been here for years.

Coming off of the program's fourth top-10 finish at state in school history, EHS looks to be a powerhouse once again.

The Tigers took ninth at state last season, the best finish since a seventh-place run in 2004. Edwardsville was also seventh in 2001 and eighth in 2000.

EHS now has the unfortunate task of filling the shoes of a pretty talented senior class from 2012. Morgan McGinnis, Paige Bequette, Casey Bonham, Sara Janulavich, Kristin Schlueter and Annabeth Carlson supplied a lot of leadership and tennis talent to the Tiger program, but are now all gone.

In their absence, the 2013 edition of the orange and black will look to continue the long standing excellence of a program, which is looking for its 16th straight sectional crown and owning at least a share of the Southwestern Conference for the fifth consecutive season. EHS won the league title outright in 2012 for the first time since 2000.

“Obviously when you graduate Casey (Bonham), Sara (Janulavich), Morgan (McGinnis), Annabeth (Carlson), Kristin (Schlueter) and Paige (Bequette) it’s hard,” EHS head coach Dave Lipe said. “You can’t just (replace them). It’s a tough thing to do, but we return half the girls that were on the varsity team. I feel great about where we are.

I feel great about where we are in terms of our skills and our team spirit.

“We definitely don’t feel like it’s a rebuilding year at all because we return half of our top-10 finishing team from last year and the girls who have returned are better than they were last year. That right there makes it not qualify as a rebuilding year. Then we add to it girls that played supplemental roles, non-varsity roles last year and those girls have worked hard, those girls have improved and then you add one of the best freshman classes that I can remember. It’s a really good, deep, skilled, experienced freshman class so that helps, too.

We don’t feel like it’s rebuilding at all. We feel like we have a chance to replicate the kind of success we had last year.”

Leading the charge in 2013 will be three returning Tigers with state experience.

Sophomore Callaghan Adams represented EHS at No. 1 singles last season, winning a sectional crown before going 2-2 at state.

Bill Roseberry/Intelligencer

Above are varsity members of the Edwardsville Tiger girls' tennis team. In front left to right are: Madeline Lombardi, Emma Lipe and Mackenzie Cadagin. In the middle row left to right are: Emily Lombardi, Maria Mezo, Holly Thompson and Mallory Abert. In the back row from left to right are: Megan LaRose, Callaghan Adams, Grace Harmon, Morgan Colbert and Hailey Michalik.

Junior Megan LaRose teamed with McGinnis in doubles to win a sectional title and then went 3-2 at state while fellow junior Mallory Abert also advanced to state and gained valuable experience.

“Mal, Cal and Megan, those three girls, not only are they returning state qualifiers, but they are three girls that worked really hard in the offseason,” Lipe said. “Those are three girls that worked hard to improve on their seasons from last year so not only were they really solid players for us last year, but they’re more developed so they’re better players this year.”

There are a plethora of other netters that Lipe sees providing outstanding talent and depth to the program, too, including a group of girls who were on the cusp last season.

“We had a couple girls who were right there last year in Maddie and Emily Lombardi and those girls are going to

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figure prominently in our lineup this year and they’re ready,” said Lipe. “They were probably ready last year, we just didn’t have enough spots for them.

“We’ve also got a couple of good seniors that have worked hard in Holly Thompson and Hailey Michalik. They’ve worked hard for their opportunity to compete in some varsity play this year.”

Lipe foresees the freshman class playing a huge role in this season's success also.

“Morgan Colbert is right there, Emma Lipe is right there, Maria Mezo is right there, Mackenzie Cadagin is right there,” Lipe said. “All those girls are ready to play varsity tennis, maybe not the top of the lineup but those girls certainly won’t embarrass themselves and they’re not the only freshmen. We’ve got a lot of other freshmen who are strong players that are on the JV this year.”

It's a tribute to a program that has been built over the years by Lipe and his staff that includes summer camps and tournaments.

Many times when players enter the program they are familiar with the EHS philosophy.

“I’m familiar with them and they’re familiar with me in most cases and they’re familiar with their coaches and they’re familiar with the expectations,” Lipe said.

“For the majority of the freshmen who came in they knew what the expectations were.

They were physically ready and they were technically ready, which is a big part of tennis. You have to be technically ready to know how to hit the tennis ball.”

But not everyone enters the program with previous experience and that's the beauty of Lipe's no-cut program. Over the years EHS has been able to mold some diamonds in the rough into viable and talented tennis players.

“Casey (Bonham) had played almost no tennis when she came here,” Lipe said.

“Another girl, Abby Kantner had almost no experience and ended up being a 5-8 seed in doubles. Kristen Boedeker was another girl, same thing, she ends up being an AllState player. We have a long history of girls who come into the program without a lot of experience. Ideally you’d like them to come in with a lot of experience, but if it’s giving them their first weeks of tennis coaching then so be it. You do the best you can with what you have.”

As always, the schedule will provide a gauntlet for the Tigers. They began by traveling to Downer's Grove South High School today and will play in the New Trier Invite Saturday. EHS then returns to host Missouri powerhouse St. Joseph Academy at 4 p.m. Tuesday and host the annual Heather Bradshaw Invitational on Sept. 6-7.

Later trips include: the Columbia Rockbridge Duals in Missouri on Sept. 13, the Loyola Academy Invite on Sept. 21 and the Lockport Invite on Oct. 4-5. The Southern Illinois Duals will be hosted at the EHS Tennis Center on Sept. 27-28 also.

Circle Sept. 17 and 19 on the schedule as the Tigers will host SWC rivals Belleville West and Belleville East, respectively.

Whatever the obstacle, Lipe believes his squad is ready and he's itching to get on the courts.

“This group has done well so far. They’re an industrious group and have been a pleasure with whom to work,” Lipe said.

“I’m looking forward to the next two months.”

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Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 11

2013 Edwardsville Schedules EHS Girls’ Volleyball

EHS Football Aug. 30 vs. Hazelwood West, 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs. Soldan at East St. Louis, 12:30 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. East St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Alton, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 vs. Collinsville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Belleville West, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 at O’Fallon, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 vs. Granite City, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25 vs. Belleville East, 7 p.m.

Sept. 3 at Waterloo, 6 p.m.

Sept. 6 hosts Tiger Classic, 5 p.m.

Sept. 7 hosts Tiger Classic, 8 a.m, Sept. 11 at St. Joseph’s Academy, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Crossroads Classic (Strasburg), 5 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Crossroads Classic (Strasburg), TBD Sept. 16 vs. Triad, 6 p.m.

S e p t . 1 8 a t I n c a r n a t e Wo rd Academy, 5 p.m.

Sept. 19 vs. Granite City, 6 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Althoff, 6 p.m.

Sept. 26 at East St. Louis, 6 p.m.

Sept. 30 vs. Highland, 6 p.m.

Oct. 3 vs. Collinsville, 5 p.m.

Oct. 8 at O’Fallon, 6 p.m.

Oct. 10 vs. Belleville East, 6 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Mizuno Tournament, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 12 at Mizuno Tournament, 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 16 vs. Visitation, 6 p.m.

Oct. 17 at Alton, 6 p.m.

Oct. 21 at Mater Dei, 6:15 p.m.

Oct. 22 vs. Belleville West, 6 p.m.

O c t . 2 5 a t Ly o n s To w n s h i p Tournament, 5 p.m.

O c t . 2 6 a t Ly o n s To w n s h i p Tournament, 9 a.m.

EHS Boys’ Soccer Aug. 29 vs. Granite City, 6:45 p.m.

Aug. 30 at Alton Tournament, TBA Aug. 31 at Alton Tournament, TBD Sept. 3 at Belleville East, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 5 vs. O’Fallon, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs. De Smet, noon Sept. 9 at Alton Marquette, 6:15 p.m.

Sept. 11 at Gibault, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Morton Invitational, 5 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Morton Invitational, 10 a.m.

Sept. 17 at Collinsville, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. Urbana, 1 p.m.

Sept. 25 vs. Whitfield, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 30 vs. CBC, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Alton, 6:45 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Carbondale, 1 p.m.

Oct. 15 vs. Belleville West, 6:45 p.m.

EHS Girls’ Tennis Aug. 30 at Downer’s Grove South, 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 31 at New Trier Invite, 8 a.m.

Sept. 3 vs. St. Joseph’s Academy, 4 p.m.

Sept. 6 hosts Heather Bradshaw Invite, 1 p.m.

Sept. 7 hosts Heather Bradshaw Invite, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 10 vs. East St. Louis 4 p.m.

Sept. 10 at Alton, 4 p.m.

Sept. 11 at Granite City, 4 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Rockbridge (Mo.) Duals, 10 a.m.

Sept. 14 at Triad Invite, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 17 vs. Belleville West, 4 p.m.

Sept. 19 vs. Belleville East, 4 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Highland Park, 3 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Loyola Academy Invite, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 24 at Collinsville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 27 hosts Southern Illinois Duals, 1 p.m.

Sept. 28 hosts Southern Illinois Duals, 9 a.m.

Oct. 1 at O’Fallon, 4 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Lockport Invite, 4 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Lockport Invite, 8 a.m.

Oct. 11 at SWC Tournament, 1 p.m.

Oct. 12 at SWC Tournament, 10 a.m.

EHS Girls’ Golf

EHS Boys’ Golf Aug. 20 at Redbird Invitational, 1 p.m.

Aug. 22 at Madison County Tournament, 1:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 at Quincy Invitational, noon Aug. 30 at Champaign Central Invite, 1 p.m.

Sept. 2 vs. Alton/East St. Louis/ Triad, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 4 vs. Granite City/Highland/ Triad, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 at St. Viator Invitational, 1 p.m.

Sept. 11 vs. Belleville East, 4 p.m.

Sept. 12 at Granite City, 4 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Mattoon Invitational, 1 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Mattoon Invitational, 8 a.m.

Sept. 14 at Providence Catholic Invite, 8 a.m.

Sept. 16 at Collinsville, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Belleville West, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Althoff, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Pekin Dragon Invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 25 vs. O’Fallon, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 hosts Dick Gerber Invitational, 1 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Arnie’s Cup in Bloomington, 1 p.m.

Oct. 1 at SWC Tournament, 10 a.m.

Aug. 20 at Madison County Tournament, 1:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 at Alton Marquette Blast Off, 1 p.m.

Aug. 26 vs. Collinsville, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 28 vs. Alton/Triad/Highland, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 29 at Belleville East, 4 p.m.

Sept. 4 at Columbia/Althoff/ Alton, 3:45 p.m.

Sept. 5 at Mascoutah/Sparta, 4 p.m.

Sept. 11 at Alton, 4 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Alton Invitational, 1 p.m.

Sept. 16 at Althoff/Carbondale, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Highland/Salem/ Waterloo, 4 p.m.

Sept. 18 vs. Sacred Heart-Griffin/ Triad, 4 p.m.

Sept. 23 at O’Fallon, 4 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Granite City, 4 p.m.

Sept. 25 at Belleville West, 4 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Illinois-Missouri River Challenge, 1 p.m.

Sept. 30 at SWC Tournament, 10 a.m.

Oct. 3 hosts Gary Bair Invite, 1 p.m.

EHS Cross Country Aug. 31 at Belleville West, 9 a.m.

Sept. 4 at O’Fallon, 4 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Granite City Invite, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 11 hosts Tiger Fall Classic, 4 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Peoria Woodruff, 9 a.m.

Sept. 21 hosts Edwardsville Invite, 9 a.m.

Sept. 28 at Hancock Invitational, 8 a.m.

Sept. 30 at Jerseyville Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Peoria Invitational, 10:30 a.m.

Oct. 8 at Madison County Meet, 4 p.m.

Oct. 12 at Centralia Invitational, 9:30 a.m.

Oct. 18 at SWC Meet, 4 p.m.

Oct. 21 hosts Tiger Finale, 4 p.m.

EHS Field Hockey Aug. 30 at Gateway Classic, 2:35 p.m.

Aug. 31 at Gateway Classic, 4:25 p.m.

Sept. 3 vs. Parkway North, 5 p.m.

Sept. 12 at Whitfield, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 19 at St. Joseph’s Academy, 4 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Eureka, 5 p.m.

Sept. 23 vs. Villa Duchesne, 5 p.m.

Sept. 26 at Oakville, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Visitation, 4 p.m.

Oct. 1 vs. Parkway West, 5 p.m.

Oct. 10 at Ursuline Academy, 4:15 p.m.

Oct. 12 at Nerinx Hall, 10 a.m.

Oct. 15 at Cor Jesu, 4 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Barat Academy, 4 p.m.

Oct. 19 vs. John Burrough, 2 p.m.

Oct. 22 at Rosati Kain, 4:15 p.m.

Oct. 24 at MICDS, 4:15 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Whitfield, 10:30 a.m.

Oct. 28 vs. Rockwood Summit, 5 p.m.

Oct. 29 at Lutheran South, 4:15 p.m.

Page 12 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

2012 tiger fall sports A look back at the fall of 2012 Pictured are action photos from the 2012 fall season at Edwardsville High School.

Clockwise from the upper left are: Craig James of the football team running with the ball during the season opener at Hazelwood West.

Emilee Flaugher watching her shot at the Southwestern Conference Tournament at Triple Lakes Golf Course in Milstadt for the EHS girls' golf squad. Mallory Abert hitting a return during action for the Tiger girls' tennis team.

Brent Heinlein fighting for ball possession with a Collinsville Kahok player at the District 7 Sports Complex. Photos by Bill Roseberry and Matthew Kamp of the Intelligencer.

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Page 14 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

st. louis rams preseason

St. Louis Rams on the gridiron Clockwise from the top left are photos from the St. Louis Rams preseason game against the Denver Broncos in Denver on Aug. 24. St. Louis running back Daryl Richardson (26) runs the ball against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter of a preseason NFL football game on Aug. 24 in Denver. Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree (52) celebrates with free safety T.J. McDonald (25) after recovering a fumble and scoring a touchdown against the Broncos in the second quarter.

Quarterback Sam Bradford (8) runs the ball against Denver in the second quarter. Rams coach Jeff Fisher watches from the sidelines against the Broncos during the second quarter. St. Louis kicker Greg Zuerlein (4) is congratulated by teammates after kicking a field goal against the Broncos in the fourth quarter. Photos by the Associated Press.

Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 15

kahok FOOTBALL . . . . . . . . . . . .

By SCOTT MARION For the Intelligencer

Collinsville has a new logo on its football helmets, and John Blaylock hopes there is a new attitude to go along with it.

Blaylock, an assistant coach for the Kahoks from 1991 to 1998 and again from 2006 to 2012, is Collinsville's new head coach. He replaces Mike Liljegren, who was not rehired after posting a 19-72 record over 10 seasons, including a 1-8 record in 2012.

The logo, which features a stylized "C" with a spear running through it and claws (representing a bear's paw) on top of it, symbolizes Blaylock's commitment to turning the program around.

"The idea is to get the kids invested in the offseason weightlifting program," Blaylock said. "The base stripe (on top of the helmet) is for coming to 80 percent of the offseason lifting sessions, which is prorated for a multiple-sport athlete. The top stripe is for passing five out of eight strength and endurance tests.

"Once the stripes have been earned, the logos can be earned, based on an unanimous vote of the varsity coaches. The kids need to know their playbook, show high character, play snap to whistle and be a team-first player.

"Any sophomore through senior is eligible to earn these. A freshman helmet is white with a purple facemask and that's all. For everyone else, the only thing they're guaranteed to get are four token stickers that go across the back. One is a token of respect for (legendary basketball coach) Vergil

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Fletcher's 100 victories as a football coach and the others honor our playoff teams in 1996, 1998 and 2010."

Blaylock did much of the helmet design, which is based on Native American tradition.

"This has been done in other places, most notably at Naperville North, and my tie to them is John Jackson, who was head coach at Collinsville in the mid-1990s when I was an assistant under him," Blaylock said. "He still practices the same concept at Plainfield Central.

"It's getting the players to take ultimate responsibility for what they do. They've come up with a nickname - bald eagles - for the guys who don't have anything on their helmet, and no one wants to be a bald eagle."

For Blaylock, it's good to see the hard work of the players and coaching staff starting to pay off.

"We hit the ground running in February, which is one small advantage I had over somebody coming in from the outside," Blaylock said. "The kids have truly bought into what we're doing and I feel like we've had a great summer.

"We're running a very complex offense and I harbor no illusions because typically it takes a couple years to get things going, but right now I feel like we're running it pretty well."

The offense is known by a variety of names, including double slot, flexbone or double wing.

"To the double-wing purists, it's not double wing because that has two tight ends and two wingbacks, and we'll be a little more spread out than that," Blaylock said. "It gives

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"We'll retain the ability to throw the ball, but if we throw 30 to 40 times a game, something bad has probably happened."

Defensively, Blaylock feels that the 2012 squad left some building blocks for this season.

"If you look at the raw stats from last year, you wouldn't feel that we had a dominant defense, but it created 30 turnovers," Blaylock said. "A good number of those defensive players have returned, but we have flipped some guys from one side of the ball to the other."

On offense, a junior-dominated backfield includes a former defender, Jordan Miller, at fullback. Connor Zabala, a part-time starter at quarterback last season, will have fulltime duty this year. Running back Jamaal Wellmaker also moves from defense to offense. Devin Burch, a transfer from Belleville West, will also start at running back.

The offensive line features senior Martinus Mitchell (6-foot-6, 240 pounds), Ryan Crowe (6-1, 230), Justin Akley (6-1 , 220), Josh Harris (6-5, 255) and Harry Uyehara (6-4, 285), another former defensive lineman.

"Mitchell is a state-caliber discus thrower and Uyehara is a legitimate Divison I recruit," Blaylock said.

The wide receivers are senior Duane Ackins (6-1, 180) and sophomore Zach Hammel-Brown (6-0, 180). Senior Luke McNamara and junior Anfernee Wilkinson are also competing for playing time.

"As of right now, we're a 100 percent two-

platoon team," Blaylock said. "I don't like having two-way starters to begin with and I certainly don't like having them among the linemen."

The defensive line includes seniors Isaiah Gray (6-3, 285) and Nate Collier (6-0, 285), with junior Josh Burns (6-4, 210) and sophomore Dorian Wren (6-1, 200) splitting time. Collier was a starter on offense last season.

The linebacking corps features two returning full-time starters in senior Brandon Fisher (5-10, 205) and Cody Reynolds (6-0, 195) and a part-time starter in junior Eric Finch (5-11, 170). Senior Zach Mathes (6-1, 210) played tight end last year.

Senior Dennis Kress (6-0 170), who earned third team all-conference honors in 2012, returns at cornerback while sophomore free safety Max Lyons (5-11, 165) is back after starting as a freshman. Seniors Ryan Brunton and Demerius Tally (a transfer from O'Fallon) are competing for the other starting cornerback position.

Collinsville opens the season at 7 p.m. tonight against Althoff at Lindenwood University-Belleville.

"The hardest thing to change is culture, because Collinsville has had 43 years of not having a great deal of success in football," Blaylock said. "A successful season in the simplest term would be to improve upon our won-loss record from last year, but we're pursuing the playoffs.

"Is that too much to ask in the first year?

Perhaps, but I think we have to become accustomed to that expectation year after year."

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Page 16 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

Knight Football . . . . . . . . . . .

By BILL ROSEBERRY broseberry@edwpub.net

Andy Kohler enters his third year as the head football coach of the Metro-East Lutheran Knights still in search of that first elusive win on the football field.

The Knights turned in an 09 season in 2012 during an injury-plagued campaign. That followed up a 1-8 2011 season — Kohler's first at the helm — where the lone win came in Week 5 via a forfeit against Barat Academy of Missouri.

Currently the losing streak is at 13 straight counting the forfeit.

It's been 18 straight defeats on the football field. MELHS hasn't won on the gridiron since Week 8 of 2010, beating Decatur Lutheran 42-14.

Kohler just hopes the injuries are fewer than last season and the success is more plentiful.

“After the first quarter of the first game we lost our top running back and our top lineman, and in the first half of the next game we lost our next best player, so between Logan (Anson), (Josh) Shimkus and all those kids we were missing after the first two games, we went from looking promising to having a fifth-string running back who had never played before,” Kohler said. “Things went ugly quick for us I guess.

We still competed well in the Bunker Hill game, probably should have won the game. We had a couple late things that didn’t go our way. We didn’t end up winning that game and I think between that and losing those players the team just never got over the hump.”

Unfortunately, Metro fell 3832 in overtime to Bunker Hill in Week 1 and the squad only accumulated 47 more points over the next eight games.

Kohler had hopes of returning a big, experienced group for 2013, but unfortunately the

Bill Roseberry/Intelligencer

Pictured above are senior members of the Metro-East Lutheran football team. From left to right are: James Clements, Austin Grant, Joshua Eberhart, Zeke Jezek, Ethan Campagna, Chad Carter and Logan Anson. lack of success has deterred participation and dwindled numbers.

“Right now we’ve got 23 or 24 and last year we had 32 and dropped down to 27 and the year before that was 36,” Kohler said.

“I don’t have as many numbers but everyone out here wants to play football. You give me 11 guys that want to play ball and I’ll make it work and that’s our plan this year to make it work with what we’ve got.

“We basically went in with

freshmen and sophomores last year and going into it two years ago I knew my freshman class was going to be my class of the future and we were going to take our lumps. Last year at JV we competed and won about half of our games and played really well against our own size and own competition.

“The problem I have this year is a lot of those kids from last year, who were freshmen and sophomores who started, decided not to come out. All of

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the sudden those kids with two years experience which were going to make us the bigger, older more experienced team, they decided not to play.”

What he's left with is a class of six seniors and seven juniors with quite a bit of experience.

His sophomores have a year under their belt and besides that it's a senior with no previous football experience and five of his seven freshmen are new to the sport. “ We ’ re s t i l l g o i n g t o b e

young, but I’ve got six seniors returning and one new (senior) that’s never played football before and then my junior class is down to seven when it was at 17 kids,” Kohler said. “But we’re coming back with some experience. The biggest thing now is to get them to learn how to win. That’s the key, getting confidence in themselves. I know they can do it but they just need to see themselves do it and apply it.”

Continued on Page 17

Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 17

Knight Volleyball . . . . . . . . .

By MATTHEW KAMP mkamp.edwi@gmail.com

It is not rare for Metro-East Lutheran to have four-year contributors for its girls’ volleyball team. However, it is rare for head coach Jon Giordano to have four of those girls make up his sevenmember senior class.

Mackenzie Gocal, Jessica Green, Mckenna Judge and Anna Kellar are finally seniors, and they will be the core group looking to catapult the Knights back to a regional championship.

Metro missed out on it last season, losing in the regional opener to Altamont in three sets in Vandalia. It had captured back-to-back titles in 2010-11.

The volleyball team has nine regional championships overall, eight of them coming under Giordano. The next closest program is baseball and boys’ golf with four apiece. The school, itself, has 28 regional championships.

The Knights are already off to a good start on their quest for title No. 10, with a large group back from last season’s 13-20 team. Only Lauren Daniels, Sara Poletti and Johanna Johnson graduated from the team.

“It is nice to have a foundation with experience coming back.

We had nine people that played on varsity at some point last year. That is a pretty good core to start with,” said Giordano, who is now 241-254 in 15 seasons as head coach.

Last season did not run as smoothly as Giordano was hoping to see. Injuries kept players regularly out of the lineup, and the Metro head coach was forced to throw kids into the varsity fire early.

Though the record shows a team that finished seven matches under .500, it was a much more competitive season than that.

Giordano explained it just was not meant to be last season.

“There were a lot of things that happened last year that were outside of our control, be it family members with sickness, other issues and a lot of injuries that we have not had in the past.

That really caught up to us, especially in the final week and a half, when we had 12 matches in 11 days,” Giordano said. “It wore us down more so than it did in the past. Again, injuries they are just outside of our control, but they were definitely a factor.”

Continued on Page 18

Matt Winte/Intelligencer

Pictured are the Metro-East Lutheran returning girls’ volleyball players. In the front row from left to right are: Olivia Daube, Mckenna Judge and Courtney Williams. In the back row from left to right are: Jessica Green, Mackenzie Gocal, Shelby Steinmeyer and Anna Kellar.

Knight Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continued from Page 16

Junior Colton Masters will lead the charge under center at quarterback this season while fellow junior Drew Kohler will move to wide receiver full time. The pair has shared time between the two positions the last two years.

The other offensive skill positions will return some experience, too, even though star running back Jordan Dupy is now gone to graduation. Dupy rushed two times for 40 yards in the Bunker Hill game in 2012 before leaving with a season-ending knee injury.

Kohler thinks having skillful players at key offensive positions should help with success.

“Colton ended the year at quarterback because we moved Drew to receiver because he’s a better receiver,” said Kohler. “Colton’s worked all summer long at quarterback so he’s going to start at quarterback and move Drew out to receiver. Will Rankin will be another

receiver and Logan Anson will be a tight end. We’re good at skill positions. At running back we’re moving Josh Eberhart back there along with Zeke Jezek and we’ve also got Ethan Campagna, so a lot of seniors there.”

Jezek looked promising last season when he entered to replace the injured Dupy, but the bad luck Knights eventually lost him, too.

“When Jordan got hurt Zeke carried the ball 29 times for 155 yards (and four touchdowns), but then of course at the end of that game he pulled his groin and missed the Wood River game and didn’t make it back until about the fifth game of the season,” Kohler said. “This year we’ve got about four kids we can rotate in and out and we’re going to be able to keep them fresher. Less numbers but more kids that know what’s going on.”

MELHS returns for its second season in the Prairie State Conference in 2013. Year 1 was forgettable, finishing 0-6 in the PSC

and in last place.

The schedule will remain the same this season except for rotating sites.

The Knights open with the Minutemen at 7 p.m. at home tonight. The rest of the schedule pans out with: East Alton-Wood River on the road, Decatur Lutheran at home, Trinity Lutheran (Ind.) at home, Kincaid (South Fork) at home, Dupo at home for the Homecoming Game, Nokomis at home, Mount Olive on the road and Alton Marquette on the road.

“This year the schedule is the same we’re just rotating home and road games,” Kohler said. “We start with Bunker Hill here, then Wood River there.

Now Wood River lost 13 seniors, they hadn’t had a win in a long time but they ended up getting their first one against us. The schedule lines up the same way as last year, but the only difference is this year we don’t plan on making the same mistakes. I think we’re going to be competitive in all our games. Nokomis

is strong and Marquette is always strong and Dupo, (coach) Tim Nelson went down there from Marquette, and they’ve got a big running back who is a load to stop. We plan on being competitive in all those games.

“If we can get that first win, wherever it comes, that’s going to build the program more than anything else.”

Week 1 against Bunker Hill at home may give the Knights a very reasonable chance at climbing in the win column. A clean slate and two fairly evenly matched teams will help in that scenario.

“That’s the best matchup we could ask for,” Kohler said of Week 1 with Bunker Hill. “They’ve still got (Austin) Monetti who is a big running back and a big linebacker, that’s their key guy. Being at home, first game, if we can get some excitement going and get the kids to believe in themselves like the coaches believe in them then I think we’ll be fine.”

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Page 18 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

Knight Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By SCOTT MARION For the Intelligencer

The Metro-East Lutheran boys' soccer team has a new head coach, but he's hardly a stranger to the Knights' tradition.

Former MELHS goalkeeper Noah Enke, a 2004 graduate, takes over for Kevin Wudtke, who spent one season at the helm. Last spring, Enke was head coach of the MELHS girls' soccer team.

"When I first got back, I helped out with (former boys' coach) Tim Reeb for one season, then I took a year off before helping out Kevin last fall," Enke said. "I was asked to take over as head coach of the girls and I accepted that.

"It was decided that I would be the head coach for the boys this year, but it hasn't been that big of a transition. I'm used to this size of a school. When I went to college at Concordia (University in Nebraska), it was just a doubleor triple-size Metro.

"I grew up in this kind of atmosphere, so coming back and coaching here, it's right where I feel like I need to be at the moment."

MELHS was 5-9-2 last season, losing 1-0 to Roxana in the first round of a Class 1A regional.

"It's always a tougher transition for the kids, going to a different coach," Enke said. "We lost some outstanding players that we're going to miss this year, but there are a couple freshmen coming in plus some sophomores and juniors that are going to help us a lot.

"I would love to say there's a lot more depth, but right now we're looking at a team of 14 and we're splitting a couple of

Bill Roseberry/Intelligencer

From left to right, senior members of the MELHS boys' soccer team are: Joshua Eberhart, Robert White, Jimmy Callahan, Brendon McDaniel and Derek Benning. them with football. But their experience at the high school level is far beyond what mine was. Compared to eight years ago, it's a huge boost of soccer and it's really inspiring."

Top returning players include seniors Jimmy Callahan (three goals, one assist) and Derek Benning (six goals, eight assists) and junior Jacob Roggow (three goals, four assists).

"Last year we threw Jimmy into more of a forward position where he would be our sprint runner or through-ball runner," Enke said.

"He struggled a little bit with his

finishing touch and getting his shots on goal, but he had a ton of opportunities and this year he should be a lot better at it. He's been working on his touch and his speed has improved. " D e re k i s o u r a t t a c k i n g midfielder and one of our captains. He's going to play a huge role as a leader and he's one of our top two skill players, if not the best.

"Jacob's leadership ability and his determination to push the team to be better is something I'm looking for. He's extremely skilled and he's been playing with Derek

at the club level. He stepped up a lot over the summer and he's going to be a great defensive mid for us."

Senior Brendon McDaniel (57-1, three shutouts, 1.69 goalsagainst average) returns as the starting keeper.

"He had an injury over the summer and last spring he wrecked his knee a little bit, but I'm still not concerned about shots on goal," Enke said. "He has so much natural ability and we're just trying to fine-tune that."

Enke is expecting sophomores Kris Norwood and Joe Babcock to

play bigger roles this season. Both had two goals and two assists last year.

"Joe had a couple brothers that played soccer here and he's looking more like them," Enke said. "His physical attributes are better and his mentality is miles above what it was.

"Kris should be a big key for us on the wing and mid along with his brother Kedric, who is a freshman. They've got great legs and great speed and their vision is getting better. They're used to a higher level of soccer, so this is a good transition for them."

Sophomore Nathan Partelow and senior Rob White will play more of a defensive role.

"If I could give Rob an award for his work ethic, I would do it right now," Enke said. "Every day he comes out asking how he can improve. This is only his second year of playing soccer in a while, so he's still a little raw. Being the biggest guy on our team, it's going to be tough for him to not foul.

"Nathan worked out pretty well for us on defense as a freshman last year. It will take a couple years for him to get where he needs to be, but he's taking steps in that direction."

Senior Josh Eberhart and his brother Joel, a sophomore, are also playing football this fall.

"Their role in football is going to be pretty huge, just like their role on our team is going to be," Enke said. "They're bigger bodies, so they'll probably play more on defense. When they step in, we can shift people around to have more of an attack. But most of the time, we'll have to sit back and wait for our time to strike."

Continued on Page 20

Knight volleyball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continued from Page 17

Now, the Knights are healthy and looking to construct their first winning season since 2007. It was on the back-end of six straight winning seasons.

Looking to lead the charge are the four that have been around the program since walking in the doors as freshmen; Gocal, Green, Judge and Kellar.

“With Mckenna, Jess, Mackenzie and Anna, who all started when they were freshmen, it certainly gives us an advantage and a prestige level,” Giordano said. “A few years back with Anna Arthur and Sydney Cooper, they were up at varsity as freshmen. Usually, it is more of an individual like when you have a Brooke Smith. We have that occasionally.

Two years ago we had Molly Scharnhorst and Mackenzie Gottlob. To have four come through at the same time is pretty neat.

“I look at them to be (the core). They have the most experience. They have the

most court time. They have just continued to improve. It has been a delight to see them.”

All four will have a presence at the net, especially Kellar and Green. They will be joined by junior Amy Best to form the front line. Judge and Gocal also have power at the net, but they started last season as setters after the departure of Gottlob.

Wi t h s o p h o m o re A b b y Yu rc h u k potentially grabbing the setter role, Metro-East may also open up space and kill opportunities for Gocal and Judge, as well.

“The reason Mckenna did not have more kills was because we asked her to do more setting. To have her and to have Mackenzie, Jess and Anna back is really going to help the offense. They all were really solid hitters,” Giordano said.

As for Yurchuk, Giordano believes she could be the best option to get the most offensive production with Gocal and

Judge freed up. That does not mean Gocal and Judge will not find themselves setting every now and then.

“She came in strong for us towards the end of the season. We sort of threw her to the wolves during the O’Fallon Tournament,” Giordano said. “We will look at that again, because it maximizes our front row.”

The defense will again be strong for the Knights. Versatility and depth will be the key, as a majority of the front row players will stay on the court through the rotation.

“When you have Mckenna Judge passing, things become a little bit easier.

Mackenzie has also been great, and Anna can play her own back line,” Giordano said. “We have some others coming up and returning players, especially Courtney Williams, that gives up plenty of depth for passing.”

The schedule, like always, is tough.

The Knights, who compete in Class

2A, will play Southwestern Conference opponents Alton, Granite City and Collinsville. A match against O’Fallon is likely with Metro competing in the O’Fallon Invitational on Oct. 18-19.

Also on the schedule are Prairie State opponents Nokomis (Sept. 10), Bunker Hill (Sept. 26), Marquette (Oct. 7) and Mount Olive (Oct. 23).

Giordano said the regular season schedule is needed to get his team best ready for a postseason push.

“We have some tough tournaments, with the Mascoutah Tournament, Springfield Lutheran Tournament and of course the O’Fallon and Quincy Notre Dame Tournaments,” Giordano said. “We like it that way. We feel it gets us ready for the stretch run.”

The Knights got their season under way on Wednesday against Alton.

The Springfield Lutheran Tournament opened today and will conclude on Saturday.

Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 19

Knight Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By BILL ROSEBERRY broseberry@edwpub.net

The 2012 season was a struggle for the Metro-East Lutheran Knights, as they were only able to secure two victories and spent much of the season without No. 1 player Erica Winter.

This season looks much brighter for the Knights.

Head coach Matt Gehrke, entering his sixth season at the helm, is enjoying his largest group of girls yet and Winter, now a senior, is healthy and ready to be an integral part of what could be a good season for MELHS. “It’s my sixth season,” Gehrke said. “Time flies when you’re having fun.

“We’ve got 12 girls which is the most that I’ve had in these six seasons so I’m really excited about that. We have three freshmen, two (Cierra Frields and Heather Moore-Malec) who have a good amount of tennis experience. We’re hoping that they can make a contribution on varsity this season as freshmen.”

Gehrke is also happy to have Winter back and ready to go.

Winter and Gabbie Mitchell are his only two seniors out of the 12 netters. “(Winter) only got to play a total of two matches last year because of health issues,” Gehrke said. “We had a very inexperienced team last year and it showed when we only got two wins, but Erica’s healthy and we’ve got some freshmen in so we’re going to have a deeper team which should make us a stronger team. We should be able to compete this year better than we did last year, especially with another year of experience f o r t h o s e g i r l s t h a t w e re inexperienced last year.”

There should be plenty of experience on the courts for Metro in 2013. Gehrke doesn't have his lineup set yet, but is excited about having options. “ We ’ re s t i l l w o r k i n g o n a lineup, still working on challenge matches,” Gehrke said. “I imagine that Erica Winter, Gabbie Mitchell and Alex Carney will be fighting for

Bill Roseberry/Intelligencer

Pictured from left to right are Metro-East Lutheran senior tennis players Gabbie Mitchell and Erica Winter. the top three spots. We’ll also have Heather (Moore-Malec) and Annie (Keirn) who played six (in 2012), we have Lydia Walther who played five last year, we have Kasey Harvey who played four last year and Hannah Wudtke, so they’re all in the mix to be varsity. That should be exciting that we had a year to build on and work over the summer and get better and see how we do this year.”

Work over the summer is a crucial part of the maturation of the Knight program. Gehrke has been attempting to implement a plan and some of the girls are jumping on board.

“I’ve had a summer program that’s been going on and we

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had good participation from some,” Gehrke said. “The key is really getting them to play in the offseason and getting them to the tournaments and motivating them to do that.

That’s probably the biggest thing I need to do, to continue to learn how to motivate them to continue to play throughout the year and improve, because they have improved so much during the season and then if they don’t play they lose some of that improvement. If they play throughout the year it will show and it will show when they show up for the first day of practice.

“Without laying out a whole path of how I think Metro

would succeed in tennis, there is a definite path where MetroEast Lutheran High School could be good at tennis. They have the potential, they have the students, it’s just a matter of work ethic and being able to put in the time and the effort to do it year long. They can, they can be successful and I really hope that I’m the coach that can make them successful.”

The mammoth transition for the Knights in 2013 will be the addition of some tournament play.

MELHS has added the Greenville Invitational at 9 a.m. on Saturday, the Heather Bradshaw Invitational at Edwardsville on Sept. 6-7 and

the Herrin Invitational on Sept.

14.

Three straight weekends of tournaments should make the Knights more battle tested than their normal annual schedule just filled with dual matches.

“We’ve got some new matches.

We’ve got some tournaments on there,” Gehrke said. “I’m really excited about our schedule. It’s some really good experience for our girls. We’ve got three weekends in a row with tournaments which is something our schedule has been lacking.

“When you play in a dual match, you play a match and you’re done. When you play in a tournament you’ve got two, three or more matches to play. It helps get your legs underneath you, builds up endurance a little bit and gets you used to it so when you get to the sectionals if you win you’re used to playing another match.”

With the IHSA remaining a one-class system in tennis, it is paramount that Metro garners that tournament experience because when sectional time roles around larger schools like Edwardsville, Alton and Triad will be standing in the way. Gehrke hopes the tougher schedule will help with that.

“It probably bothers some coaches more than it bothers me,” Gehrke said of the oneclass tennis system. “I like to say you’re going to earn your spot because of the one-class system.

There’s going to be no fluke if you qualify for state for Metro because you have to play against quality competition and playing against those schools throughout the year will only help us improve and play better.”

The Knights opened the season on Wednesday and Thursday with home duals vs. Alton and Gibault.

After playing at the Greenville Invite on Saturday, MELHS returns home Wednesday for a 4:30 p.m. match with Jerseyville, then heads to Roxana on Thursday for a 4:30 p.m. road match and then to the EHS Tennis Center for the Heather Bradshaw Invite over the weekend.

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Page 20 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

Knight boys' golf . . . . . . . . . .

By SCOTT MARION For the Intelligencer

The next phase in the rebuilding of the Metro-East Lutheran boys' golf program is in full swing.

MELHS, which won five straight regional titles from 20042008, didn't have a team in 2010 due to declining numbers. Tim Lorenz took over in 2011 with four golfers and a limited JV schedule, but the roster for 2012 bumped up to 17.

"We finished the year with close to that number (17)," said Lorenz, who was the lone coach on the staff last season. "This year we had 21 guys come out and we're going to have to cut a few because that's just too many for us.

"We have some experience to build around, but we're still pretty young. The core of the team is sophomores and juniors.

We're getting interest in the program, but we've got to work on expectations and quality."

Returning golfers include sophomores Jordan Brown and Lucas Hackmann and juniors Sam Whitmore, Brad Boivin and Austin Schillinger.

"Jordan was one of our more consistent guys and was our lone sectional qualifier," Lorenz said. "Sam and Brad were both new to me last year, so Austin is the only third-year guy in that mix. My other third-year guy is (junior) Zac Shewmake and I'm still waiting to see how much he's going to progress.

"My veterans were on the golf course a lot this summer. But we have at least one guy who's

Bill Roseberry/Intelligencer

Pictured are varsity members of the MELHS boys' golf team. In front from left to right are: Brad Boivin, jr., Chase Langendorf, soph., Austin Schillinger, jr., Sam Whitmore, jr., Lucas Hackmann, soph. and Jordan Brown, soph. In back from left to right are: assistant coaches Eddie Pluhar and Josh McDonald and head coach Tim Lorenz. trying out that picked up the game about two weeks ago, and that's not much time to learn."

Among the newcomers, freshmen Michael Fritzsche and Lucas Scheibal and junior Connor Wallace (a transfer from the Chicago area) have been impressive in early practice

sessions.

"I really like Michael's swing, but we have to get him to knock down the scores to go along with it," Lorenz said.

While the overall scores can't match the glory days of the previous decade, Lorenz can already see how experience is

making a difference.

"Last year it was a bunch of new courses and new situations for most of them and now we're going back to play some of those courses again," Lorenz said. "We want to utilize the older guys to help the younger guys learn how to approach the game.

"We pay a lot of attention to etiquette and rules. We're focusing on maturing as a group."

Lorenz has two new assistant coaches in Josh McDonald and Eddie Pluhar, who are former MELHS golfers.

Continued on Page 21

Knight soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continued from Page 18

Other players in the mix are sophomore Richard Jones, freshman Michael Papka and senior Rasesh Aggrawal.

"We have to figure out where those guys are going to go, but they're going to play more of a key role than they expect," Enke

said.

Enke's assistant coach is Dan Griffith. "(Griffith) helped out with Tim Reeb a lot over the years and played here as well," Enke said. "He'll help us a lot on defense and I'm glad to have him aboard."

MELHS opened the season with

home games Monday against Gillespie and Wednesday against RaymondLincolnwood. The Knights played host to Civic Memorial Thursday in the first round of the Metro Cup, which continues through Saturday.

"Our goal is to play as one," Enke said.

"Having small numbers, we can't afford to be selfish.

"We want to see if we can win the regional and go deep (into the postseason).

We have a core group of talented players and there's no reason why we can't achieve greatness."

LET’S GO TIGERS & KNIGHTS!

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Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 21

Knight cross country . . . . .

By SCOTT MARION For the Intelligencer

Metro-East Lutheran cross country coach Dave Redden believes in reloading instead of rebuilding — and he has the athletes to do just that.

Last year, the MELHS boys' and girls' teams each placed second in the Class 1A New Athens Regional and were fourth in the sectional at SIUE, which was hosted by the Knights. The boys finished 22nd at the state meet while the girls were 23rd.

Graduation losses from the girls' squad include Jessica Jump (now competing in cross country and track at Southern Illinois University Carbondale) and Katlynn Stegall. The boys squad, meanwhile, lost James Dumont, Evan Winenger and Alex Engelbrecht.

Still, Redden feels that both teams have a good chance of returning to state for the fifth time in six years.

"We lost some kids who were premier runners for us, but it's nice to know that we've got some very good talent coming back," Redden said. "For the boys, we have four seniors and the main question is who will be the fifth man.

"Just like the guys, a key for the girls is staying healthy.

Our goals are a top-15 finish at state plus the (Madison) county championship and the (Prairie State) conference championship."

The Knights opened the season Tuesday in the New

Mark Polege/Intelligencer

Pictured above are members of the MELHS boys' and girls' cross country teams. Left, members of the boys' squad from left to right are: Ian Key, Derek Benning, Andrew Hull, Jace Dumont, Paul Klarich, Jacob Roggow, Adam Behrhorst, Thomas Schroeder and Christian Engelbrecht. Right, members of the girls' team from left to right are: Jaria Hardaway, Saundra Metcalf, Lauren Moehle, Karly Schley, Danielle Anderson, Gretchen Engelbrecht, Amanda Schack and Shalyn Edwards.

Athens Early Bird. Saturday at SIUE, they will host the MetroEast Invitational, which seems to grow larger every year.

"It's probably the biggest meet in the state of Illinois," Redden said. "We have 55 teams coming with more than 500 runners in each race. It's kind of crazy, but it's going to be very competitive."

ON THE BOYS' SIDE ­— The Knights are led by senior Jace Dumont, James' brother.

"He's put in an outstanding summer and I think he has a very good chance to be AllState," Redden said. "Close behind, we have the three other seniors, Derek Benning, Matt Morrisey and Paul Klarich.

"If you have a big gap between the top four guys and the No. 5 guy, it brings the team down a lot. That's what we're focusing on right now and we have some guys that are looking pretty good."

Candidates for the fifth spot include junior Jacob Roggow, who also plays soccer, and sophomore Andrew Hull.

"Jacob has got his sprints and endurance running from soccer, but he needs a little more of a base," Redden said. "Andrew has come along by leaps and bounds and I expect him to be in the mix."

Rounding out the roster are sophomore Elijah Culbert and freshmen Christian Engelbrecht,

To m S c h ro e d e r a n d A d a m Behrhorst.

"The last few years we've gone eight or nine deep, but this year it's a question mark after the top four," Redden said. "We've had a pretty good dynasty here as far as running and the kids grow with the program.

"I rely on my senior captains to work with the younger kids, and those kids eventually e m e rg e a s s e n i o r c a p t a i n s themselves. It's like 'The Lion King' — it's a circle of life."

ON THE GIRLS' SIDE — Sophomore Karly Schley and freshman Shalyn Edwards have established themselves as the top two runners, but they have

some talented teammates who will push them. "(Junior) Gretchen Engelbrecht ran No. 3 for me last year and I expect her to be in the mix.

Our senior captains are Danielle Anderson and Lauren Moehle and I expect good things from them," said Redden.

Juniors Amanda Schack and Annie Redden provide additional depth. Other team members are sophomore Jaria Hardaway and freshmen Saundra Metcalf and Gabrielle Long.

"This group could be my s t r o n g e s t e v e r, " R e d d e n said. "Top 15 at state may be overshooting a little bit, but I think they're capable of it."

Knight boys' golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continued from Page 20

"I can't tell you how happy I am to have those guys," Lorenz said. "They're on top of the kids on everything from the proper attire for the golf course to realizing who has a good swing quality and a good

approach to the course."

MELHS opened the season Aug. 22 in the Madison County Tournament at Gateway National Golf Links, winning the small school title. The Knights played Staunton and Mount Olive Aug. 26 at

Timber Lakes and faced Roxana, Alton and Piasa Southwestern Aug. 27 at Belk Park. They return to action Tuesday against Valmeyer and Gibault at Acorns Golf Links before playing host to Marissa Thursday at Oak Brook.

"We had one guy (Brown) get to the sectional last year and the kids are starting to talk about getting there as a team," Lorenz said. "With three coaches, they'll get a lot more individualized attention.

I'm excited to see what we can do."

From the Sports Editor First and foremost, I want to thank Intelligencer sports reporter Matthew Kamp for his tireless work on stories, photos and everything else associated with this publication. In addition I'd like to thank Jennifer Dyer for her work on a great cover and the rest of the advertising layout staff and the advertising sales staff for another fantastic effort. Thanks is also necessary for freelance writer Scott Marion and the Intelligencer's Matt Winte and Mark Polege for their assistance with writing and photography for the Fall Sports Preview.

A special thanks, as always, goes to Managing Editor Bill Tucker for his constant and appreciated words of advice.

Finally, I'd like to extend big thank yous to the coaches and players who are always willing to give their time to make this publication a success.

Bill Roseberry

Go Knights!

Page 22 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

2013 MELHS Fall Sports Schedules MELHS Boys’ Soccer

MELHS Boys’ Golf

Aug. 26 vs. Gillespie, 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 28 vs. Lincolnwood, 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 29 at Metro Cup Tourney, TBA Aug. 30 at Metro Cup Tourney, TBA Aug. 31 at Metro Cup Tourney, TBA Sept. 3 at Christ Our Rock, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 5 at Breese Central, 4 p.m.

Sept. 10 at Roxana, 4 p.m.

Sept. 12 vs. Freeburg, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 vs. East Alton-Wood River, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Wesclin, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Teutopolis, 10 a.m.

Sept. 30 at Litchfield, 5 p.m.

Oct. 1 vs. Carlyle, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Valmeyer, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Alton Marquette, 11 a.m.

Oct. 7 at Columbia, 5 p.m.

Oct. 10 at Staunton, 5:30 p.m.

MELHS Football

Aug. 22 at Madison County Tournament, 1 p.m.

Aug. 26 at Staunton, 1 p.m.

Aug. 27 at Roxana, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 3 at Valmeyer, 4 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Roxana, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 11 at Alton Marquette, 4 p.m.

Sept. 12 at East Alton-Wood River, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 at Marissa, 4 p.m.

Sept. 18 at Staunton, 4 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Roxana, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Christ Our Rock, 4 p.m.

Sept. 25 vs. Valmeyer, 4 p.m.

Sept. 26 vs. Triad, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 3 at Marissa, 4 p.m.

Oct. 5 at PSC Tournament, 9 a.m.

MELHS Girls’ Tennis

Aug. 30 vs. Bunker Hill, 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 at East Alton-Wood River, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Decatur Lutheran, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. Trinity Seymour (Ind.), 2 p.m.

Sept. 27 vs. South Fork, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. Dupo, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 vs. Nokomis, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Mount Olive, 7 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Alton Marquette, 1 p.m.

MELHS Girls’ Volleyball Aug. 28 vs. Alton, 7 p.m.

Aug. 30 at Springfield Lutheran Tournament, 4 p.m.

Aug. 31 at Springfield Lutheran Tournament, 9 a.m.

Sept. 2 vs. East St. Louis, 6 p.m.

Sept. 10 at Nokomis, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 at Granite City, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Mascoutah, 9 a.m.

Sept. 18 at Gibault, 7 p.m.

Sept. 23 vs. Litchfield, 7 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Southwestern, 7 p.m.

Sept. 26 at Bunker Hill, 7 p.m.

Oct. 1 vs. Christ Our Rock, 7 p.m.

Oct. 7 vs. Alton Marquette, 7 p.m.

Oct. 8 at Collinsville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 10 vs. Civic Memorial, 7 p.m.

Oct. 15 at Greenville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 at O’Fallon Tournament, 4 p.m.

Oct. 19 at O’Fallon Tournament, 9 a.m.

Oct. 22 vs. Mount Olive, 7 p.m.

Oct. 23 vs. Roxana, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25 at QND Tournament, 4 p.m.

Oct. 26 at QND Tournament, 9 a.m.

Aug. 28 vs. Alton, 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 29 vs. Gibault, 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 31 at Greenville Invitational 9 a.m.

Sept. 2 vs. Jerseyville, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 5 at Roxana, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Heather Bradshaw Invitational 1 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Heather Bradshaw Invitational 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 10 vs. East Alton-Wood River, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Herrin Invitational, TBA Sept. 16 vs. Greenville, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Civic Memorial, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Mascoutah, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 26 at Waterloo, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 30 vs. Roxana, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Yeshiva, 6:15 p.m.

Oct. 8 vs. Hillsboro, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 at East Alton-Wood River 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 at Greenville, 4 p.m.

Oct. 15 at Gibault, 4:30 p.m.

MELHS Cross Country Aug. 31 hosts MELHS Invite, 10 a.m.

Sept. 4 at Columbia, 4 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Granite City Invite, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 11 at Tiger Fall Classic, 4 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Peoria Woodruff, 9 a.m.

Sept. 21 at SIUC Invite, 10 a.m.

Sept. 26 at Chester, 4 p.m.

Oct. 3 at Chester Invite, 4 p.m.

Oct. 8 at Madison County Meet, 4 p.m.

Oct. 15 at Carlinville, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Patriot Invite, 1 p.m.

Friday, August 30, 2013 – TheIntelligencer.com – FALL SPORTS – Page 23

2013 COLLINSVILLE Fall Sports Schedules CHS Girls’ Volleyball Aug. 27 vs. Nashville, 6 p.m.

Aug. 29 at Centralia, 7:45 p.m.

Sept. 3 vs. Freeburg, 6 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Tiger Classic, TBD Sept. 7 at Tiger Classic, TBD Sept. 11 vs. East St. Louis, 6 p.m.

Sept. 12 at Granite City, 6 p.m.

Sept. 16 vs. Highland, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Belleville East, 6 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Alton, 6 p.m.

Oct. 1 vs. O’Fallon, 6 p.m.

Oct. 3 at Edwardsville, 6 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Triad Tournament, 9 a.m.

Oct. 8 vs. Metro-East Lutheran, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 at Carlyle, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 14 at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 17 at Belleville West, 6 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Monster Mash, TBA Oct. 24 vs. Waterloo, 6:15 p.m.

Oct. 25 at QND Tournament, 4 p.m.

Oct. 26 at QND Tournament, 9 a.m.

CHS Football Aug. 30 at Althoff, 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Triad, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Belleville East, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Granite City, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Edwardsville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. O’Fallon, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Belleville West, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 vs. Alton, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25 at East St. Louis, 7 p.m.

CHS Cross Country CHS Boys’ Golf Aug. 19 at St. Anthony Invite, 9 a.m.

Aug. 20 at Redbird Classic, 1 p.m.

Aug. 22 at Madison County Tournament, 1 p.m.

Aug. 24 at Quincy Invitational, noon Aug. 27 at Mater Dei, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 29 vs. Alton, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 4 at Cahokia, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 11 at East St. Louis, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 12 at O’Fallon, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Carbondale Invite, 9 a.m.

Sept. 16 vs. Edwardsville, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Belleville East, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 18 vs. Belleville West, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 25 at Highland, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 30 vs. Granite City, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 1 at SWC Tournament, 9 a.m.

Oct. 2 at Roxana, 3:30 p.m.

CHS Boys’ Soccer Aug. 26 vs. Alton Marquette, 6:45 p.m.

Aug. 28 at Althoff, 5:45 p.m.

Sept. 3 vs. Belleville West, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 4 vs. Highland, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 5 at CBC, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 10 at O’Fallon, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Triad, 4:45 p.m.

Sept. 17 vs. Edwardsville, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 18 vs. Chaminade, 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 23 at CYC Tournament, TBD Sept. 25 at CYC Tournament, TBD Sept. 27 at CYC Tournament, TBD Oct. 1 at Granite City, 6:45 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Gateway Classic, TBD Oct. 5 at Gateway Classic, TBD Oct. 7 vs. Gibault, 6:45 p.m.

Oct. 8 vs. Vianney, 6 p.m.

Oct. 10 at Windsor, 6 p.m.

Oct. 15 vs. Belleville East, 6:45 p.m.

Oct. 17 at Alton, 6:45 p.m.

CHS Girls’ Golf CHS Girls’ Tennis Aug. 28 vs. Belleville West, 4 p.m.

Sept. 3 vs. Mascoutah, 4 p.m.

Sept. 5 at Jerseyville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Heather Bradshaw Invite (EHS), 1 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Heather Bradshaw Invite (EHS), 8 a.m.

Sept. 10 at Civic Memorial, 4 p.m.

Sept. 12 at Granite City, 4 p.m.

Sept. 16 at Althoff, 4 p.m.

Sept. 17 vs. Highland, 4 p.m.

Sept. 18 vs. O’Fallon, 4 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Riverbend Invite (Alton), 9 a.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Edwardsville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 26 vs. Triad, 4 p.m.

Sept. 30 at Alton, 4 p.m.

Oct. 1 vs. Waterloo, 4 p.m.

Oct. 2 vs. East St. Louis, 4 p.m.

Oct. 7 vs. Belleville East, 4 p.m.

Oct. 9 at Gibault, 4 p.m.

Oct. 11 at SWC Tournament (EHS), 1 p.m.

Oct. 12 at SWC Tournament (EHS), 10 a.m.

Aug. 20 at Madison County Tournament, 1:30 p.m.

Aug. 21 vs. Waterloo, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 26 at Edwardsville, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 28 at Granite City, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 29 at Triad, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 4 at Civic Memorial, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 5 vs. O’Fallon, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Lady Panther Tournament, 1 p.m.

Sept. 11 vs. Roxana, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Redbird Golf Tournament, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 at Alton, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 vs. Belleville East, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Yorktown Tournament, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 vs. Granite City, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Belleville West, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 1 at SWC Tournament, 10 a.m.

Oct. 4 at Gary Bair Invite, 1 p.m.

Sept. 3 at Triad Quadrangular, 4 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Granite City Invite, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 11 at Tiger Fall Classic, 4 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Belleville West Invite, 9 a.m.

Sept. 18 at Collinsville Invite, 4 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Edwardsville Invite, 9 a.m.

Sept. 25 at Alton Invite, 4 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Triad Invite, 4 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Jacksonville Invite, 9:30 a.m.

Oct. 8 at Madison County Meet, 4 p.m.

Oct. 18 at SWC Meet, 4 p.m.

Oct. 21 at Tiger Finale, 4 p.m.

Page 24 - FALL SPORTS - TheIntelligencer.com - Friday, August 30, 2013

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