Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Sports beginning September strong

By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

Mahomet-Seymour Boys’ cross-country

M-S Junior High trailed only Unity and Mount Zion in the 15-school Champaign Edison Invitational on Saturday at Parkland College.

Unity’s team score was 55. Mount Zion’s was 65. Third-place M-S had a score of 74. Scores are determined by adding the places of a school’s top five runners.

Four Bulldogs secured finishes among the top 20, led by Lukas Nykaza. He was eighth in 11 minutes, 36 seconds for the 2-mile course.

Teammates following him were Davin Tietz (10th), Finn Randolph (15th) and Isaac Warren (16th).

There were 93 total competitors.

In the boys’ 2-mile open race, eight M-S runners ended among the top 20 in a field of 211.

Grant Smysor was sixth in 12 minutes, 23 seconds.

He was followed by Ethan Peterka (eighth), Landyn Hannah (ninth), Chase Dockham (11th), Blake Dillman (12th), Kaden Jackson (14th), Henry McMurry (19th) and Jaxon Themanson (20th).

On Thursday (Aug. 29), M-S claimed team honors in the 14-school Danville North Ridge Invitational.

In the boys’ 2-mile race for seventh- and eighth-graders, five M-S runners secured top 10 finishes: Ty Clark (fourth), Davin Tietz (fifth), Isaac Warren (sixth), Lucas Nykaza (eighth) and Finn Randolph (ninth).

In the boys’ 1-mile race for sixth-graders, seven Bulldogs ran among the top 10: Landyn Hannah (second), Ethan Peterka (third), Emmett Kerans (fourth), Henry McMurry (fifth), Chase Dockham (sixth), Parker Wilkins (seventh) and Preston Sriver (eighth).

Head coach Lisa Martin was pleased by what she saw from both the boys’ and girls’ teams at Danville.

“Our runners were nearly all smiles at the conclusion of the races,” Martin said. “Personal records were accomplished and the pride of being a Bulldog showed through as the runners all worked hard.”

M-S returns to action on Friday at the Chrisman Cowchip Classic.

Girls’ cross-country

M-S ran second to Tolono Unity in Saturday’s Champaign Edison Invitational at Parkland College.

Unity team a team score of 21. M-S’ score was 76.

Four Bulldogs finished among the top 20 in a field of 88 competitors.

Ava Boyd was fifth, covering the 2-mile course in 12 minutes 24 seconds.

Avah Turner was 12th, Reese Gallier was 17th and Ava Jansen was 20th.

“Early-season training has once again proven to be successful as the MSJH cross-country teams brought home more hardware,” Martin said. “With nearly perfect race conditions, the Bulldogs took to the course with confidence and displayed great strength as they competed in the 2-mile race.”

In the girls’ 2-mile open race, 263 runners competed.

Six from M-S secured top 20 placements:  Isabelle Difanis (12th), Isabelle Scheele (13th), Hadley Grotelueschen (!5th), Gabby Reeves (16th), Haley Reed (17th) and Lacie Bushman (18th).

Difanis’ time was 14 minutes, 27 seconds.

On Thursday (Aug. 29), six Bulldogs placed among the top 10 in the 2-mile race for seventh- and eighth-graders, helping M-S secure the team title in the 14-school Danville North Ridge Invitational.

The team leaders were: Ava Boyd (second), Avah Turner (fourth), Emmaline Culp (fifth), Reese Gallier (seventh), Ava Jansen (eighth) and Phoebe Truax (ninth).

In the 1-mile race for sixth-graders, the individual winner was M-S’ Haley Reed.

Seven of her teammates also ran among the top 10: Lily Bosworth (second), Hadley Grotelueschen (fourth), Adelyn Boyd (fifth), Riley Sapp (sixth), Isabel Lietz (seventh), Sophie Miller (ninth) and Cora Tandy (10th).

M-S returns to action on Friday at the Chrisman Cowchip Classic.

Softball

The Bulldogs won two games and lost three in the past week.

Last Tuesday (Aug. 27), M-S edged Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 7-6 on a walk-off triple by Ava Arnett.

Delaney Shore and Maddie Cortez led the Bulldogs’ offensive attack with two hits apiece.

On Wednesday, M-S was shutout by Clinton, 5-0. The Bulldogs’ hits were by Ava Henderson, Addie Eisenmann, Arnett and Cortez.

Thursday ended with a bounce-back triumph over Rantoul, 8-3, in a game where M-S played error-free ball in the field.

Rio Casillas, Sydney McKinney, Henderson, Cortez and Arnett all had at least two hits apiece for the Bulldogs.

On Saturday, M-S lost twice in a round-robin event, suffering a 7-0 loss to Normal Kingsley. McKinney and Eisenmann each had at least two hits for the Bulldogs.

In their second game, M-S suffered an 11-10 loss to Peru Parkide. Casillas had three hits, Maddie White drew two walks and Shore had a team-high three runs batted in.

“Over the course of the week, we improved greatly on defense and had solid pitching efforts with Ava Henderson taking the brunt of the work, and Delaney Shore and Taylor Fulk stepping up to pitch as well,” M-S coach James Heinold said.

Baseball

The Bulldogs (5-3) captured wins in three of five games in the past week.

Champaign Edison posted a 9-8 victory over Mahomet-Seymour in a junior high baseball game on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

M-S was held to six hits, all by different players.

Braden Pagel and Peyton Cox each drove in two runs. Gavin Bailey scored two runs.

On Wednesday, M-S edged St. Joseph, 2-1. Bailey contributed two hits. He had one RBI as did Noah Butler. Peyton Cox and Cade Starrick scored the Bulldogs’ runs.

Kody Ackman pitched five innings and earned the win. He allowed two hits and struck out seven. Reliever Cox worked two scoreless innings, fanning two.

On Thursday (Aug. 29), the Bulldogs overpowered Paxton-Buckley-Loda, 17-4.

Starrick swatted three hits. Bailey, Raymond Long and Nolan Johnson each drove in two runs. Long struck out four in three innings pitched.

On Saturday, M-S was decisioned by Bloomington, 7-1. Pagel had two of M-S’ hits. Butler knocked in the team’s run.

Mason Orton pitched 4 1/3 innings and struck out five.

On Tuesday (Sept. 3),  Ackman pitched a complete-game shutout as the Bulldogs topped Unity, 8-0. In seven innings, he scattered three hits, walked two and struck out eight.

Johnson led the team’s 13-hit attack, going 4-for-5 with two runs batted in. Two of Johnson’s hits were doubles.

Cox, Starrick and Bailey each landed two hits. Cox knocked in two runs. Pagel stole two bases.

M-S returns to action today against Champaign St. Matthew.