11/22/2023
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Last season the race to the top of the Little Illini Conference was quite a dog-fight as none of the teams managed to go without a league defeat and the top six teams of the eight members had at least three conference victories.

Lawrenceville should be as optimistic as a team can be heading into the basketball season as the slew of talented kids will suit up for the Indians this winter.

Although they also lost some kids to graduation in the spring, head coach Randy Bishop has the elements returning that should put them in the thick of things in the LIC with an eye on advancing past the sectionals for the first time since 1996.

Gone from the club is senior starter Leyton Ivers who was a key component of the 26-9 team that lost to Teutopolis in the Newton Sectional finale.

Ivers was an honorable mention ABV 2A All-South pick.

Coach Bishop, who has won three regional championships in two different stints leading the Lawrenceville program, has 11 players with different experience levels ready to get to work in 2023-24.

Soon to be three-year starter Bryant Jenkins, a 6-4 senior multi-sport competitor, will continue to lead by example.

Jenkins was first team 2A ABV All-South as a junior.

The other returning senior is 6-1 guard Landon Sanders, a 3-point bomber who hit over 100 shots from beyond the arc as a junior.

Those two will cornerstone the Indians club that looks to be a real threat to take home their first LIC regular season championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.

Two juniors return who played significant roles last season as sophomores.

Parker Hardeman, a 5-8 guard, and 6-3 forward Maddox Pargin were starters last winter.

Coach Bishop has a wealth of talent in the sophomore class with seven listed as players ready to add to the depth.

Five-nine guard Zander Cessna, 5-10 guard Hunter Gray and 5-6 guard Aiden Winningham should provide backcourt help.

Cessna, according to Coach Bishop, is ready to step into a starting backcourt spot.

The front court should also be deep with two 6-3 forwards; Emery Ivers and Jacek Mickiewicz, along with 6-2 forward Noah Wilson and 6-1 forward Jayden Goff.

“We return four starters from last year's club. Jenkins is the player we built our team around and we think he will have a great year. Sanders is a big help offensively for us and Pargin is a solid player for us and has physically gotten stronger. He can play inside and out. Hardeman is our point guard and did a great job for us defensively last season. Cessna will be our 5th starter and is another player who can also be considered a second point guard. Our solid sophomore group gives us depth,” said Coach Bishop.

Head coach Rob Flanagan has gone a bit underappreciated when it comes to the success he has had against what can only be termed a brutal type setup.

Being a 3A program that plays in an area where most of the schools are smaller, the Richland County Tigers must go out a make the most of their situation.

This club has come up short against some good 3A teams in the past few postseasons, including two seasons ago where the 27-1 team lost in the regional championship game to Marion at home.

Coach Flanagan has had some good teams in the past, with seven 20 + win seasons, including a 31-5 team that finished third in 2A back in 2007-08.

Last season the Tigers ended up 21-8 but a loss to Herrin in the 3A Mt. Vernon Regional ended the season and the careers of senior starters Dawson Brown and Zechariah Weese.

But the returning players have experience in the big games that the Tigers played and should be ready to open the campaign.

Ian Winkler, a 5-11 senior guard, returns for Richland County along with classmate Colby Redman.

The rest of the squad are underclassmen but have experience when the lights are bright.

The Tigers will have some size in the lineup with 6-8 sophomore Casey Thomann and 6-6 junior Rex Hallam.

Thomann provides size inside while Hallam can face the basket from outside.

Arjay Keller, a 6-0 junior guard, is also part of the mix.

Coach Flanagan mentioned some kids that will provide depth and important minutes.

Six of them are from the sophomore class that were champions as eighth graders two seasons ago.

Reed Klingler and Owen Kocher are 6-0 guards while 6-6 Brody Thomas can play inside.

Five-eleven Carsyn Ameter, and 5-10 Ayden Nealis will provide more backcourt support.

Xavior Zuber, a 6-0 sophomore, and 6-6 Reid Brown provide even more options for Richland County.

“We have good experience returning but leadership must step forward and develop,” said Coach Flanagan. “Have to develop a young bench and we must stay injury free.”

The Newton Eagles had winning streaks and losing streaks last season for head coach Troy Bierman.

Most of what happened last season can be chalked up to some inexperienced kids learning in game situations.

The ones back have that experience to build upon.

The Eagles had a shot at being able to host a sectional where they could have a home court advantage.

But they lost a semifinal game to Mt. Carmel in the regional semifinals at Lawrenceville.

The host Indians ended up advancing and the Eagles saw the campaign close at 19-12 overall, 3-4 in the LIC.

You have to go back to 1986-87 to find the last time Newton won a sectional championship so postseason success has eluded this program for the most part.

There were some memorable highlights last season, including an LIC tournament title by beating Richland County on the Tigers' home court.

After a fantastic beginning of the season (10-2 after 12 games) the Eagles didn't finish as strong as a difficult non-conference schedule took its toll.

Coach Bierman has nearly everyone returning with just one senior, 5-9 Marc Jansen, missing.

Six-three senior Jacob Weber returns after he and his fellow seniors spent much of last winter on the floor.

Caden Nichols, another 6-3 senior, also returns as does 6-5 senior Dylan Gier and 6-2 Parker Wolf.

This mentor mentioned five other seniors; 5-10 Kye Berghower, 6-1 Gus Bierman, 6-0 Max Meinhart, 5-11 Payton Harris and 6-0 Grant Ochs.

All of these kids should be ready to get to work early as the season starts with the Cumberland Thanksgiving Tournament.

“We are excited to see what this group can accomplish. Last year was a learning and growing experience, both physically and mentally. We feel we will be able to compete night in and night out,” said Coach Bierman, who is 71-66 heading into his sixth season.

While some of the other teams in the league lost kids to graduation, the Robinson Maroons took a big hit.

Seven seniors from last season have left the program.

First team ABV 2A All-South pick Cooper Loll is missing as is ABV honorable mention Aidan Parker.

Blain Loll, Donnie Tillman, Nate Wernz and Korbin Rawlings also left after a 21-12, 3-4 season.

Coach Mack Thompson and crew reached a regional title game last February, losing to the host Wooden Shoes at the 2A Teutopolis Regional.

T-Town went on to finish third in the state while the Maroons are still looking for their first regional title since 2017.

Coach Thompson has kids to work with and the schedule they play will keep them ready to perhaps add some hardware this winter to the case.

Robinson has three starters back plus a couple of key reserves.

Six-seven senior Noah Gilmore is back after missing half of his junior season injured.

He was missed last winter for certain and Coach Thompson is hoping for everyone to avoid the injury bug in 2023-24.

Owen Schmidt, a 6-3 senior forward, and 5-9 senior guard Judson Pinkston also return.

Two returning letterwinners; 6-1 senior Duke Thompson and 6-0 junior Ian Gilmore, round out the ones with the most PT from last season.

“I really like the makeup of our team. Several upperclassmen that have been in our system for many years that will provide for a more well-rounded team on both ends of the floor,” said Coach Thompson, who is the program's all-time leader in wins. “We have a very unselfish, hard working group of young men that mesh well as a team and compete for team success above all else. It should be a very enjoyable 2023-24 season.”

The Mt. Carmel Golden Aces' basketball squad will get a late start to the 2023-24 season.

A very late start.

First year head coach Justin Carpenter hasn't had much in the way of basketball practices so far because several of his athletes have been a bit busy outdoors this fall.

The football squad has reached the 3A state championship game to be held Friday, November 24 at Illinois State University.

The hardwood team was scheduled to play in the annual Lawrence County Capital Classic on that day but Aces won't be playing there as a substitute was found to take their spot.

In the meantime, Coach Carpenter will have to make do while the football program tries to win its second state championship as it will play in its sixth title game.

Five-eleven senior Levi Beesley and 6-0 senior Jaxon Browning are expected to be in the lineup according to Coach Carpenter.

Those two are the only ones this first year coach mentioned that are not on the football team roster.

Andrew Gillihan, a 6-0 senior, also spends time on the field with work still to do on Friday.

Six-three sophomore Jack Webb and 6-4 senior Connor Shelby will also be important once basketball begins.

Shain Meador, a 5-9 freshman, 6-0 sophomore Elliott Acree, a 6-0 sophomore, and Rhett Andrews, a 6-3 sophomore also have a trip to make to Bloomington.

Blayne Sisson, the Mt. Carmel record breaking quarterback who is going to the University of Illinois to play football, isn't going to play basketball this season.

“I have seen Levi Beesley grow out of his shell over this off-season and really come into a leader's position. He is looking more aggressive and confident in making plays for himself and his teammates,” said Coach Carpenter, who was a first team ABV All-South pick as a senior in 2016-17, a season that the Aces reached the 2A championship game. “We have a freshman (Meador) that I think will surprise a lot of people. His raw talent and ability is showcased easily on the court. He is not very tall, but he is crafty enough to make up for that. I think he will be our "X" factor in most games.”

The Paris Tigers finished 13-18 in 2022-23, going just 2-5 in the LIC.

Graduation also hit Coach Chase Brinkley and his club with seniors Tre Lee, Reed Stuck, Kody Crampton and Brady Crippes leaving.

This coach mentions some kids ready for the 2023-24 season.

Jackson Rigdon, a 5-7 junior, returns for Paris.

Coach Brinkley expects Rigdon to take on more of a leadership role this winter as the coach will call on him.

Six-four junior forward Drew Rogers, along with Rigdon, are the most experienced players on the squad.

This will be the third year of starting for both of the juniors, as they bring back experience in varsity games.
Six-foot Payton Lankster, 6-1 sophomore Karic Mason-Vitale and 5-10 freshman Madox Hutchings will need to help out early in the season for a club that lost to Shelbyville at the Teutopolis Regional.

“We lost a ton of rebounding and toughness from last year. We were in a ton of games because of our length and strength. Tre Lee was a senior last year that broke the school rebounding record in a season. Brady Crippes and Reed Stuck were work horses that did all the little things really well for us. We will need to find new guys to fill their shoes for us this year,” said Coach Brinkley.