MSHS Spring Sports open week with wins

By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

Mahomet-Seymour athletic teams were 3-for-3 this week in capturing wins in scored events.

The girls’ soccer and softball teams opened their outdoor seasons with victories while the boys’ indoor track and field team dominated at its own invitational.

The baseball team was unable to get its scheduled opener on Wednesday played, due to weather conditions, but will try to get a home game in on Friday (5 p.m.) against Warrensburg-Latham.

Girls’ soccer

Kelsie Donley Briggs’ debut as head coach resulted in an 8-0 shutout win on Monday over Urbana University High on the UI Turf Fields.

Brooke Benson netted two goals for the Bulldogs, including the team’s first of the season.

Also scoring twice for M-S were Brea Benson and Maddison Wade.

The team’s other goals were scored by Cayla Koerner and Maddie Louis.

Koerner and Haley Lester each produced two assists. Brooke Benson had one assist.

Bulldog goalkeeper Alese Hutchison recorded two saves.

M-S led, 3-0, at halftime.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to return to action today at Bloomington, weather permitting, and on Tuesday will play their home-opener against Warrensburg-Latham.

Softball

Sam Tamburo had three hits in her M-S debut, Aubrie Shore scored three runs and the Bulldogs twice rallied from deficits on Tuesday to defeat Villa Grove, 7-4, in their home-opener.

Tamburo drove in two runs.

Shore pitched a complete game, allowing six hits to go with eight walks. She struck out seven.

Shore and Allison Nofziger each finished with two hits. Nofziger and Tamburo both belted doubles.

Villa Grove led, 2-0, in the first inning and 3-2 in the third inning, but M-S went ahead to stay with two runs in the bottom of the third, the go-ahead tally being driven in by Tamburo.

Shore didn’t allow a run in the final three innings.

M-S is scheduled to return to action on March 22 at home against Herscher.

Boys’ indoor track and field

M-S won nine events and finished 1-2 in four of those events, sweeping to victory in its own four-school meet on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs amassed 180 points. Runner-up El Paso/Gridley had 115 points.

Bulldogs claimed the top two spots in the 60-meter dash, the 1,600 meters, the pole vault and the shot put.

Sprinters Grant Brown (7.54 seconds) and Corey Cebulski (7.56 seconds) led the way in the 60-meter dash.

Teammates Kyle Nofziger (5:02.61) and Jonah Singer (5:12.05) were the first to finish in the 1,600.

Cebulski (12 feet, 10 inches) and Colin Balbach (also 12-10) were the top two placers in the pole vault.

Hunter Hendershot (56 feet, 7 1/2 inches) and Morrie Mendenhall (47-3 1/2) were the dominant two shot putters.

Other Bulldogs to win individual events were C.J. Shoaf (60-meter hurdles, 9.00 seconds, and the high jump, 6-3) along with Noah Powell (35-0 1/2 in the triple jump).

M-S put together two winning relays.

Sharing the baton in the 800-meter event were Cebulski, Brown, Daunte Roberts and Will Parrott. They were timed in 1:43.61.

The 1,600 foursome featured Balbach, Tyler Lewis, Matthew Sims and Clayton Kessler. Their final time was 4:47.85.

Brown added a runner-up finish in the 200 meters (27.01) and Lewis placed second in the 400 (59.90).

The Bulldogs also had a runner-up performance from their 3,200-meter relay, which included Joseph Scheele, Joe Taylor, Taylor Fan and Singer. Their time was 9:54.23.

Girls’ indoor track and field

Nine M-S athletes secured top-eight finishes in Wednesday’s 22-school Normal West Invitational at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center.

Three Bulldog relays also placed well.

Lakeida Nichols was the lone M-S athlete to end with two top-five efforts.

She was the runner-up in the 60-meter dash (8.09 seconds) and finished fifth in the 200 meters (27.39).

M-S had double placers in two events.

Cece Abramson won the pole vault (11 feet) and teammate Kailey Bell placed third (9-6).

In the 1,600-meter run, Brisa McGrath was third (5:28.34) and right behind her was fourth-place finisher Elizabeth Sims (5:31.95).

Chloe Allen was third in the 800 meters (2:33.70), Gretchen Scheele was sixth in the 400 meters (1:07.81), Sylvia Byron was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles (10:36) and Destiny Pryor tied for eighth in the long jump (15-6 3/4).

In the relay races, M-S was third in the 3,200 (10:21.64), fifth in the 1,600 (4:30.23) and sixth in the 800 (1:55.78).