Mac On Sports

     For the first time in its history, Central A&M is headed to Peoria to play Cissna Park Friday morning at 11 a.m. in Carver Arena. The Raiders advanced with its 79-69 win over Sesser-Valier Tuesday night in the SIU Carbondale supersectional.    The Raiders broke open a tight game in the third quarter to punch their…

       Amir Brummett has asked Northern Illinois University for approval to transfer to explore a future in Division 1 basketball.      He is leaving the Huskies football program after one season where there is a new coach.      In his social media post, Amir Brummett says he’s open to recruitment from all schools for basketball only.      I…

       Principal Brice Stewart and Athletic Director Phil Applebee announced Sunday night that Blake Reynolds will not return next year as the boys basketball coach.      The district will be looking for its third coach in four seasons. Robert Kreps left after two seasons and Reynolds is out after two.      Kreps succeeded Chad Cluver, who resigned…

       The Illinois High School Association has asked for input from fans about its consideration to go to separate one weekend for all Class 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A boys and girls basketball state tournaments, starting in 2021. The games would start on Thursday and end with the four state championship games on Saturday. IHSA…

     Subscribers often have read here about how coaches have long-term effects on the athletes, who play for them. Here’s another proof positive of that as former St. Teresa graduate Michael Copeland described in his hometown Chesapeake, Va. publication that his very proud sister, Renee (Copeland) Saunches, shared with the Decatur Tribune.      A quick read…

       Bethalto Civic Memorial turned back a strong challenge from Michael Williams’ MacArthur lady Generals, 61-49, to advance to Thursday night’s sectional championship game.      The Generals finished their outstanding season with a won-loss record of 24-9.      I’ll have more on their year in a future print edition of the Decatur Tribune.

  By Sports Editor J. Thomas McNamara      MacArthur’s lady Generals could make school history next week as the school has never won a sectional championship.      Michael Williams’ MacArthur Generals plays Bethalto Civic Memorial Monday night in the first round of the Taylorville sectional after defeating Paris, 69-38, Thursday night for the Mount Zion regional championship.…

  “It ain’t over, til it’s over!” That famous quote from the late baseball Hall of Fame New York Yankees catcher and manager Yogi Berra comes to mind with all the post-mortems being written and said in the print and electronic media about the end of the Forsyth Classic. I caution my colleagues it may…

  By J. Thomas McNamara, Sports Editor      “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care…”      That’s one of Jordan Hopman’s philosophies, who is about to embark on taking over the LSA football program from retired head coach Craig Bundy.      Hopman brings 13 years of prep and college coaching experience as…

  By J. Thomas McNamara Whoever first said one can’t return home obviously didn’t know Jack and Barbara McCoy and their love for St. Teresa High School for what it has achieved in producing outstanding students, who graduated from there and who went on to become successes in business, in medicine, in coaching, and in…