Three Arcola classmates going to three different schools in sports
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By Mike Monahan
ARCOLA – Three Arcola seniors had their signing ceremony Nov. 13 as they are going to play sports at the collegiate level. Canton Wesch, a golfer, is to take his swings to McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, while Jackson “Tank” Griffith is to play baseball at Shawnee Community College in Ulin and Brody Drake joins him in playing baseball at Blackburn College in Carlinville.
The ceremony was held at Nancy Stiff Gymnasium
Canton Wesch
Wesch also visited North Central College in Naperville (Division III school) before visiting and choosing McKendree, a Division II school, which can offer more scholarship money than the Division II level.
“I liked just how the culture is,” said Wesch on what he liked about McKendree. “One thing that stuck in my mind walking around campus was the amount of kids that are in sports. They all have the same mindset and challenge one another. It is a small town (4,431) and it is 50 miles away from downtown St. Louis.”
McKendree has an enrollment of 2,442 and competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, which is a 13 team conference in golf including Drury University, University of Illinois at Springfield, Indianapolis, Lewis, Lincoln, Maryville, Missouri A&T, Missouri-St. Louis, Quincy, Rockhurst, Upper Iowa and William Jewell.
Last season the Bearcats finished seventh in the GLVC meet. McKendree is coached by Mikal Guffey This season there are 21 on the roster and five graduate. Guffy, the director of golf, has been at Mckendree since 2015 and is a 2001 graduate of Bradley University.
“I knew from a pretty young age, maybe fourth or fifth grade, that I wanted to play golf in college,” said Wesch, the son of Craig and Sheena Wesch. “I fell in love with the game. It is awesome to see it actually happen. It means a lot to me.”
Arcola/Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond boys’ golf coach Greg Gisinger has been like a father figure in sports and school, according to Wesch.
“Another person is Mike Moncel ( former Eastern Illinois University men’s golf coach who retired in 2024 after coaching from 1995-98 and then from 2004 to 2024). He taught me more about life too and golf,” said Wesch.
Wesch said he plans to study business.
Wesch finished 16th in the IHSA Class 1A state golf meet last October shooting a 10-over-par 154. He made the sectionals the previous three seasons, but did not quite make it to state. He was a part of the Lincoln Prairie Conference champions all four years and was all-LPC all four as well.
“Thank you very much for the support as I could not do it had I not had the support,” said Wesch. “That is what you need: a great work ethic and support. I am pretty excited about playing at McKendree.”
Jackson
‘Tank’ Griffith
“The area is beautiful down there and I like the coaches,” said Griffith of what he likes about Shawnee Community College.”They have new coaches which is nice.”
There are new coaches for the Saints in head coach Matthew White and assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Logan Bledsaw. White replaces Ken Reichart, who retired after suffering through an 0-36 season.
Griffith also looked at Division II Truman State the summer before his junior year and he was going to visit Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg and a NJCAA Division II team, when he visited Shawnee, which is three hours south of Arcola.
White served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. for nine years at Division III Illinois College in Jacksonville. The 2022 team set the record in strikeouts with 273 and the 2021 team won its first Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin since 1995. He taught at Knoxville High School in Illinois and coached the baseball team, going from 7 wins to 21 in five seasons. White is a 2011 IC grad and was a pitcher for the Blueboys.
Griffith, whose grandfather was Steve Metzger, who was involved in coaching Mattoon American Legion Post 88 and the Mattoon 12-year-old all-star team which hosted the 2001 Cal Ripken World Series as well as Babe Ruth baseball and little league, said he has wanted to play baseball at the college level since he was a youngster. He started getting interest after his sophomore year.
The Saints, a National Junior College Athletic Association Division I school of 2,800, compete in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference and in region 24. It is one of 10 colleges, including Lake Land College, Southeastern Illinois College, Kaskaskia College, Lincoln Trail College, John A. Logan College, Southwestern Illinois College, Rend Lake College, Olney Central College, Wabash Valley College.
The Saints were 0-30 in the GRAC last season and this year’s team will lose their only catcher in Maguire Clark of Mcleansboro.
Griffith will be a catcher/first baseman.
“I doubt it,” said Griffith when asked if he was going to play at a four-year school. “I am still not sure though.”
As for coaches who have helped him along the way Griffith said, “All of them, but mainly my dad (Dusty) helped me through a lot of things.”
Tank is the son of Dusty and Stephanie Griffith.
As for the difference between high school and college Griffith feels it is, “more working and it is baseball all the time every day.”
In three seasons for Arcola, coached by Mike Phillips, Griffith is 72-202 .356 with 71 runs batted in; six doubles and seven home runs in 65 games. Fielding wise he is 501-510 for a percentage of .982. Griffith’s first hit was a two-run homer against Heritage in a LPC game that Arcola won 13-1.
Brody Drake
Drake had other schools scheduled to visit, but “It (Blackburn) seemed like the right fit.” said Drake, who plans to study Business.
Blackburn college in Carlinville with an enrollment of 453 and competes in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). The Beavers were 7-30 last year and 4-14 in the conference. Graduating this year is Heritage grad Mason Wyant, a pitcher.
Blackburn has a new coach in Dalton Fisher, but he is no stranger as he was the interim co-coach last season and has been an assistant for four years after playing and attending Blackburn. Josh Hedges is the assistant coach, who will be splitting time with both the pitching staff and outfielders.
Drake, the son of Travis and Tiffany Drake, is a pitcher. In 35 games he has appeared in nine games on the mound. (stats were unavailable at press time), but he did have a 1.50 earned run average last season in six appearances.
“I have always been more of a homebody and I like the college and the town. I like the smaller classes,” said Drake.
Drake has been wanting to play at the college level, “ Since I was little,” said Drake. “In travel baseball I was hoping to play at the college level. It means the world to me (to be going to play at the college level). It was a long recruiting process. I didn’t want to stop playing when I love the game so much.”
As for who has helped him be the player he is today Drake said, “Jeff Thomas (assistant coach at AHS). He has pitched with me since I was young and also Dusty Griffith helped me in the recruiting process.
Drake met coach Fisher and said, “He is a really cool guy and knows a lot about baseball and has been in the program a long time.”