Tuscola’s Flenner first team all-area NG boys track; VG’s Kiser first team softball
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By Mike Monahan
CHAMPAIGN – Recent graduates Kamden Flenner of Tuscola and Villa Grove’s Piper Kiser were named to the first team all-area Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette track and softball teams respectively.
Flenner earned or was a part of four Class 1A state track meet medals. Flenner was fourth in the 100 (10.73); second in the 200 (21.35); part of the sixth place 4×100 that ran a time of 42.84 (others were Bradlee Washington, Sawyer Beachy and Clavin Cook) as well as part of the second place 4×800 that finished in a time of 1:28.21 (same four as the 4×100 competed) in the Class 1A state finals May 31 at O’Brien Field on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. Tuscola was coached by Ryan Hornaday.
Kiser, a pitcher, helped the Lady Blue Devils to a 20-14 Overall record and an 8-1 conference record, good for second place. Kiser had a 3.44 earned run average. She pitched 138 ⅓ innings and allowed 68 earned runs with 53 walks and 131 strikeouts. Opponents batted .264 against her. The Lady Blue Devils were coached by Jeana Block.
Beau Green of Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School earned second team all-Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette boys’ track and field honors, while in softball ALAH’s Sophie Monts earned second team honors.
Green completed his freshman year and placed ninth in the IHSA state Class 1A track and field meet at EIU in Charleston with a time of 9:49.90 in the 3,200, good for ninth place overall. There were a total of 14 on the first team, but no one from Cerro Gordo/Bement or ALAH made it. Green was one of 14 on the second team and the only freshman on the first or second team. The Knights were coached by Mitch Wilson.
Monts helped the Knights to an 11-17 overall record and a 5-4 conference mark. They finished in fifth place in the conference. She led the team in nearly every category including a .603 batting average, only three strikeouts, and stolen bases with 16. The Knights were coached by Whitney (Wynkoop) Pitman.
Bismarck-Henning/Rosville-Alvin’s Nathan West was the N-G 21st All-Area Boys’ Track and Field Coach of the Year, while Danville’s D’Mario Jackson was the area’s Athlete of the Year.
Earning honorable mention boys’ track and field out of 131 were ALAH’s Dylan Doggett, Easton Frederick, Curz Hale, Cooper Shoemaker, Colton Snyder, Trey Strode, Elijah Van Scyoc, and Payton Warrior for a total of eight for the Knights. Arcola’s Laison Barron, Brody Phillips, Remi Roberts-McGeehon and Ronnie Vega along with Villa Grove’s Payton Cravens, Carter Dowler and Nolan Shadwick also earned honorable mention status as did Tuscola’s Beachy, Cook, Blake McLeese, Trey Waldrop, Washington and Brayden Weaver. A total of 21 from the Country Chronicle area were honorable mention recipients.
In softball ALAH’s Kyndy Carter, London Dugan and Annabelle Vanausdoll were three of the players to earn honorable mention status.Others from the County Chronicle earning honorable mention status were Anahi Cooper and Maddie Pilkington of Arcola; Kinzie Cleland, Alaina Smith, Ava Whitson and Bella Wishard of Tuscola and Izzy Dodd, Areigha Haversburk, Ella Schweighart, and Hayden Thomas were the ones from Villa Grove selected for a total of 13.
The area coach of the year was Unity’s Matt Reed, while the player of the year was Champaign Central’s Haley Helm. It was the 36th year of the all-area team.