MSJHS Baseball captures 3A Regional title, girls’ basketball on a roll

By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

Cade Starrick and Raymond Long teamed up on a six-hit shutout on Monday as Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School captured a Class 3A IESA baseball regional championship.

The Bulldogs blanked Monticello 10-0. Neither Starrick nor Long issued any walks. Starrick struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings. Long fanned two during his 1 2/3-inning stint.

Braden Pagel had three hits and Gavin Bailey two for M-S (14-3), which has a 10-game winning streak.

Collin Ishcomer and Nolan Johnson each knocked in two runs.

Defensively, the Bulldogs turned one double play.

Bloomington is the last team to have beaten the Bulldogs, posting a 7-1 early-season triumph.

To reach the championship game, M-S edged Mount Zion 6-4 in a Saturday semifinal contest.

Peyton Cox pitched the final 4 2/3 innings in relief of Kody Ackman and earned the win. Cox walked one and struck out five, but did not yield an earned run.

Leading the offensive attack were Johnson and Mason Orton, with two hits apiece. Johnson had three runs batted in.

Scoring two runs apiece for the Bulldogs were Noah Butler and Nathan Hale.

Long pitched M-S’ second shutout and first no-hitter of the season on Wednesday (Sept. 18) against visiting Decatur Garfield in a regional quarterfinal contest.

Long struck out seven in a 15-0 M-S win that was called after three innings by the run rule.

Pagel had two hits and three runs batted in for M-S. Bailey and Cox each drove in two runs.

The first M-S shutout this season was thrown by Ackman.

In successive postseason games, third-seeded M-S defeated No. 2 seed Mount Zion and No. 1 seed Monticello to clinch the regional title.

On Saturday, M-S will play in the sectional championship game at 11 a.m. at Normal Parkside. The winner will advance to state on Oct. 4.

Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Girls’ basketball

The M-S seventh-grade basketball team won its fourth consecutive game on Tuesday, overpowering Champaign Jefferson 45-25.

Nine different squad members reached the scoring column, led by Selah Campion (11 points) and Grace Binkley (eight points).

The eighth-grade team topped Jefferson on Tuesday, 28-20. Lauren Burr led M-S with nine points and three blocked shots. Claire Seal also made nine points.

On Monday, the seventh-graders outlasted George Evans in Bloomington 29-23.

Ellis Dallas had nine points and eight steals for the Bulldogs. Teammates Campion and Talia Francom each scored six points.

The M-S eighth-grade team dropped a 32-28 decision to George Evans, despite 13 points (including 6-for-6 from the free throw line) by Sidney Young.

Last Thursday, both squads posted wins over Danville North Ridge in Mahomet.

The seventh-grade squad built a 26-6 lead en route to a 40-23 triumph over the Ridge Runners.

Dallas and Campion led the Bulldogs in scoring with eight points apiece. Binkley added seven points and Reese Gallier tallied six.

The eighth-grade defense was tough against North Ridge, allowing two field goals in the game which ended with a 36-4 M-S win.

Young netted a game-high 11 points. Sydney McKinney scored 10 points and Seal totaled nine.

In the season-opener on Tuesday (Sept. 17), the seventh-grade team defeated Champaign Franklin 51-18. Dallas hit 12 points and Campion made 11 points, as did Kylie Waldinger.

The eighth-grade’s season debut ended with a 41-12 conquest of Franklin in Mahomet.

Young had a game-high 17 points, Seal contributed 12 and McKinney scored six.

The seventh-graders are 4-0. The eighth-grade team is 3-1.

The Bulldogs return to action on Thursday at home against Bloomington.

Mahomet-Seymour Girls’ cross-country

Despite four top-10 placers, Mahomet-Seymour’s junior high girls’ cross-country team finished second to Unity in Saturday’s 13-team M-S Invitational at Parkland College.

M-S’ Ava Boyd was the third-place individual, touring the 2-mile course in 12 minutes, 21 seconds.

Other Bulldogs in the top 10 were Avah Turner (sixth), Emmaline Culp (eighth) and Reese Gallier (ninth).

Ava Jansen finished in the No. 15 spot. Chloe Bundren was 19th and Phoebe Truax was 24th.

In the team chase, Unity totaled 19 points. M-S had 41. Third-place Olympia had 103.

M-S leaders in the girls’ open race were: Ainsley Smith (seventh in 14:09), Isabel Lietz (eighth), Haley Reed (ninth), Hadley Groetelueschen (12th) and Gabby Reeves (16th).

On Thursday, Boyd and Turner were the first two finishers as Mahomet-Seymour won a four-school girls’ cross-country meet at Lake of the Woods.

Boyd ran the 2-mile layout in 12 minutes, 39 seconds. Turner was second in 12:43.

With six top 10 placers, M-S’ team score was 18.

St. Joseph was second (55), followed by Mount Zion (82) and Holy Cross (96).

Other top Bulldogs in the 107-runner field were Culp (fourth in 12:55), Gallier (fifth in 13:04), Truax (sixth in 13:38), Jansen (eighth in 13:43), Bundren (ninth in 13:48), Grotelueschen (14th in 14:23) and Reed (15th in 14:25.03).

Mahomet-Seymour Boys’ cross-country

For the fifth consecutive meet, Davin Tietz on Saturday registered the top Mahomet-Seymour time, helping the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in their own 13-school invitational at Parkland College.

Tietz’s 2-mile time was 11 minutes, 35 seconds. He took third place overall and was the lone Bulldog among the top 10.

Other team leaders were: Lukas Nykaza (12th), Isaac Warren (13th), Finn Randolph (17th), Kai Jones (19th), Ty Clark (21st) and Landyn Hannah (26th).

The team champion was Tolono Unity with 21 points. Runner-up M-S had 64 points and third-place Olympia had 92.

In an open race that featured more than 700 runners, M-S athletes captured the top two spots.

Augustus Gaudio was the winner, running the 2-mile course in 11 minutes, 50 seconds. Sean Dady-Dreher was the runner-up.

Three other teammates ended in the top 10: Grant Smysor (fifth), Ethan Peterka (sixth) and Blake Dillman (seventh).

On Thursday, Mahomet-Seymour zipped past the competition, winning a four-school meet at Lake of the Woods.

M-S’ team composite was 29 points. Runner-up St. Joseph had 52 points and was followed by Mount Zion (62) and Holy Cross (111).

Tietz posted the Bulldogs’ top time in the 2-mile race, 11:50. He finished in third place individually. Tietz was one of six Bulldog runners among the top 10 placers in a field of 131 competitors.

The others were Randolph (fourth in 11:53), Clark (sixth in 11:57), Gaudio (seventh in 12:03), Nykaza (ninth in 12:13) and Warren (10th in 12:18).

Four other teammates were close behind and secured top 15 placements. They were Hannah (11th in 12:18.27), Jones (12th in 12:22) Dady-Dreher (13th in 12:27) and Smysor (14th in 12:32).