Three ALAH football players earn first team all-area N-G honors
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By Mike Monahan
CHAMPAIGN – Three members of the Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond football team earned first team honors in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette All-Area squad. The three are Jacob Tighe, Maddix Stirrett and Cash Hale.
The Knights, coached by Ryan Jefferson, finished 9-2 overall and 8-1 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference, good for second place. ALAH reached the Class 2A second round after posting a 54-32 win over North Mac and falling to Quincy Notre Dame 34-7.
Tighe, a senior, was named as an offensive lineman and helped the Knights gain 3,929 yards in the season, the most in a single season in ALAH history, while Stirrett was named as a linebacker. Stirrett, a senior, finished as the all-time leading tackler in Knights history with 335 as he had 136 during the 2024 season.
Cash, a junior, was named as a defensive back. He had an area-best nine interceptions and knocked down another six passes.
That is not all for the Knights as Easton Frederick, a junior linebacker was one of 26 players to earn second team honors. Payton Warrior, a junior running back/defensive back and Colin Smith, a senior offensive lineman/linebacker were two of 30 players to receive special mention.
Among the 104 players to earn honorable mention were seven from ALAH. The seven were Ryan Appleby, Mackenley Bowles, Brennon Hutson, Brayden Leech, Kaden Morfey, Alex Rexroad and Trey Strode for a total of 13 players to earn first, second, special mention or honorable mention status.
For Villa Grove, a team coached by Heath Wilson, and a squad that went 2-7 in 2024, Noah Wilcoxon, a senior defensive back was one of 60 players to be named to the second team, while seniors Henry Butts and Lucas Shadwick and freshman Max Wilson received Honorable mention status.
Tuscola, a team coached by Andy Romine, and one that finished 5-5 overall reaching the Class 1A playoffs (lost to Cumberland 28-6) while going 5-3 in the Heart of Illinois Small Division, good for fourth place, junior Dylan Graves (defensive back) on the second team. Ciaden Russo, a junior, was on the second team as a defensive back. Receiving honorable mention status were seniors Keller Beachy and Parker James.
Arcola, a team coached by Steve Snider, that went 4-5, good for sixth place in the LPC, had senior Braden Phillips, a wide receiver/defensive back receive special mention status. Jayden Henson-Stice, a running back/defensive back, also earned second team honors. Both players are seniors. Orlando Marcos and Brody Phillips earned honorable mention status.
Monticello’s Ike Young was the N-G All-Area Player of the Year, while his coach Cully Welter was the N-G All-Area Coach of the Year.
Three Knights named honorable mention all-area volleyball
CHAMPAIGN – While no Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond volleyball player was on the 10-member first team or the 10-member second team, senior setter Alyana Plank as well as juniors Savannah Butcher (middle blocker) and Karaline Vanausdoll (libero) were among the 103 players to receive honorable mention status for the 26-11 squad coached by Emily Crossman. The Knights went 9-1 in the LPC, good for second place.
Arcola’s Ava Simpson and Kacie Sisk received honorable mention status as did Villa Grove’s Jobella Crafton and Tuscola’s Reese Davis, Lilly Kurtz, Carly Ochs, and Ava Rauguth.
Mahomet-Seymour’s Ellie Barker and her coach Stan Bergman were named the N-G All-Area Player and Coadhd of the Year respectively.