Extra Effort: Canton's Ella Demler excels on and off basketball floor
CANTON, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — She wanted to make an impact in high school.
So Ella Demler set out to get involved when she first came to Canton High School.
'I wanted to stay active,' said Demler. 'I needed to be doing stuff all the time.'
The 5-foot-9 point guard is a standout on the basketball floor and has signed to play at Lincoln Land Community College. This season she scored her 1,000th career point and became Canton's all-time assists leader.
She also plays soccer and golf at Canton, where she is a straight A student. The National Honor Society member is taking college credit courses.
Demler is a class officer and part of the invitation-only Youth Leadership Academy, where she gets an inside look at the medical field alongside professionals.
'Senior year we get to job shadow,' said Demler who would like to pursue a career in the medical field. 'I've gone into surgeries, scrub in and go into operating rooms. Multiple surgeries. I almost passed out.'
Demler says she has seen a gallbladder being removed and witnessed a colonoscopy.
'You can tell she's a multi-tasker,' said Canton girls basketball coach Maribeth Dura. None of those additional duties, cause her stress. She can manage.'
And she's active with Canton's Unified PE program where she's paired with students with special needs. Demler was a part of Canton's team that participated in the 400-student Mid-Illini Unified PE Field Day at Dunlap this fall.
'I love Unified PE. I talk to (the students) and tell them I play basketball. I ask 'Do you play basketball?' Everyone is different,' said Demler. 'They are hilarious and awesome to be around. Always make me laugh. It makes everyone around them happy. It makes everything positive. I love seeing them succeed.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Soul-Bound: Rodgers Looked Inward for Steelers Signing
Soul-Bound: Rodgers Looked Inward for Steelers Signing originally appeared on Athlon Sports. At long last, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a starting quarterback. The ink is dry on veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers' one-year, $13.7 million deal, vaulting him to the top of the depth chart and boosting Pittsburgh's playoff odds. Advertisement On Monday, he got to know some of his teammates at defensive end Cam Heyward's charity golf event. A day later, he spoke to reporters for the first time at Steelers minicamp. In doing so, he gave the Pittsburgh faithful everything they had been waiting for. He was vague about his decision-making process, revealed that he was married, and generated some excitement about the team's chances. Perhaps the most interesting tidbit of Rodgers' comments was his introspection. Rodgers said his soul led him to sign with the Steelers, rather than his ego. 'A lot of decisions that I've made over my career and in life from strictly the ego, even if they turn out well, are always unfulfilling. But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling. This is a decision that was best for my soul,' Rodgers said, via Nick Farabaugh. 'I just want to have fun here. I want to enjoy the game. The game has given me a ton. It's hard to think of anything in my life that's positive that wasn't impacted by, directly or indirectly, my playing this game.' Advertisement It has long been the expectation that Rodgers would come to an agreement with Pittsburgh. Still, it's a relief for fans who had been uneasy about the situation under center. It seems that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith had known this was coming, building his offense around the Canton-bound passer earlier in the offseason. Rodgers is obviously an upgrade and helps the Steelers in the immediate future. His impact could very well linger well past his farewell tour. 'I just want to give back to the game, enjoy it, pass on my knowledge to my teammates, and try to find ways to help lead the team,' Rodgers said. Sixth-round rookie passer Will Howard has the most to gain from Rodgers' signing, although it rules out 2025 playing time. With two decades of experience entering the room, Pittsburgh is better prepared to take on the challenges of today and tomorrow. The headlines and controversies might be inevitable, but the Steelers know what they've signed up for. In the meantime, Pittsburgh is happy Rodgers has arrived, regardless of how he came to his decision. Advertisement Related: How Much Are the Steelers Paying Aaron Rodgers? Related: Aaron Rodgers Shares Two-Word Message With Steelers Teammates This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
MAJOR LEAGUE PICKLEBALL TO HOST PROFESSIONAL COED TEAM EVENT AT SPORTIME RANDALL'S ISLAND, JULY 3-6
Hometown Brooklyn Pickleball Team to Play in Four Matches at MLP New York Brooklyn Pickleball Team to Host Open Practice and Media Availability atSPORTIME Randall's Island, Thursday, June 12, Starting at 10 a.m. ET BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash) and the Brooklyn Pickleball Team (BKPT) - a Premier Level MLP franchise - are proud to announce that MLP New York will be hosted at SPORTIME Randall's Island, July 3-6. The four-day event at SPORTIME will showcase the best pickleball professionals in the world across 30 coed team matches - including four featuring the hometown Brooklyn Pickleball Team - and bring a festival-style feel to SPORTIME Randall's Island that will include food, beverage, music, an amateur pickleball tournament, and local and nationwide sponsors participating in the fun. All are welcome to join the festivities and can find ticketing information here and amateur tournament registration info here. BKPT is opening up a contest for any new followers of @ on Instagram between today and Sunday, June 29, with a lucky winner earning a VIP ticket package for the event. "Being able to bring an MLP event to New York within months of announcing Brooklyn Pickleball Team is a major step forward in our mission to be a beacon of positivity and lasting impact in our community," said Adam Behnke, Chief Operating Officer of Brooklyn Pickleball Team. "We are looking forward to continuing to work together with all key stakeholders to create programming surrounding the event that serves our pickleball-loving community and will shine a bright light on our city." "SPORTIME Randall's Island was built to host world-class events, and welcoming Major League Pickleball to our flagship facility is exactly the type of opportunity we envisioned," said Ben Schlansky, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of SPORTIME. "With that, and our ongoing expansion of SPORTIME's pickleball footprint, hosting this MLP event is a perfect fit. We're excited to showcase our venue, support the growth of pickleball and be a part of this major moment for the sport." Media is invited to join Brooklyn Pickleball Team players Rachel Rohrabacher, Dekel Bar, Riley Newman, Jackie Kawamoto, Pat Smith, Hannah Blatt and COO Adam Behnke at SPORTIME Randall's Island this Thursday, June 12, for team training from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET. Staff will be available to the media during training and players will be available after it concludes. To attend, please RSVP to pr@ The 2025 MLP schedule features 14 total events - hosted in nine different states - showcasing ten regular season events, a Mid-Season Tournament, two rounds of the 2025 MLP Playoffs, and November's standalone MLP Cup. All MLP teams will appear in five regular season events playing a total of 25 matches, with a combination of Premier Level and Challenger Level teams in action at each event. The top four teams standing after the first round of playoffs in August will return to New York for the Semifinals and Championship that will take place at Wollman Rink, Central Park. About Brooklyn Pickleball TeamBrooklyn Pickleball Team (BKPT) is Brooklyn's Premier Level Major League Pickleball (MLP) team. The BKPT ownership group includes Al Tylis, Sam Porter, Eva Longoria, Justin Verlander, Kate Upton, Rip Hamilton, Shawn Marion, Odell Beckham Jr., Cliff Avril and Mesut Ozil. The franchise's first ever MLP Championship was won on November 5, 2023 in Dallas as DC Pickleball Team (DCPT). The current roster includes Rachel Rohrabacher, former D1 tennis star at the University of South Carolina, MLP Champion, and top four ranked pickleballer; Dekel Bar, former pro tennis player and world pickleball ranked #6; Riley Newman, world ranked #7 in pickleball and Champion; Jackie Kawamoto, former D1 tennis standout at the University of Dayton, and key player from the 2023 Championship roster; Hannah Blatt, former pro Canadian squash player and rising pickleball talent; and Pat Smith, Men's Conference Player of the Year at UMKC and former pro tennis star. For more information about Brooklyn Pickleball Team, visit and follow on social media: X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and the Team Shop. Photos of the team from the MLP season opener in Orlando can be found here. About Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash)Founded in 2021, Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash) is the preeminent, coed, team-based professional pickleball league, featuring over 100 of the best athletes across 22 teams, iconic team owners, and the most electric live events and fan experience in the sport. In 2024, MLP and the PPA Tour merged under the newly-formed United Pickleball Association (UPA), bringing together the leading pro pickleball organizations under a single entity. Visit the official website and follow MLP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for more information. About SPORTIME:Since 1994, SPORTIME has been proud to operate the finest tennis and sports facilities in the New York area. SPORTIME features 17 club locations, including its flagship on Randall's Island in NYC, most recently expanded to include the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy, now SPORTIME Port Washington, SPORTIME Pickleball Westbury and SPORTIME Pickleball Englewood. SPORTIME currently offers 192 indoor and outdoor tennis courts and 95 pickleball courts, as well as rinks, turf, camps, gyms and more, at sites across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester, in the NY Capital Region and in New Jersey. SPORTIME clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis, pickleball, sports and camp facilities and programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy and SPORTIME Volleyball Club. SPORTIME clubs serve individuals of every age and athletic ability, 365 days a year. Learn more: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Brooklyn Pickleball Team
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Visiting Lady Panthers advanced to Final 4 past Hammond, Canton
Jun. 8—It was a great day for two Panther bands to advance to this weekend's New York State Final Four at the St. Lawrence University Softball Complex on Saturday. Undefeated Section 7 Class D champion Crown Point downed Hammond 13-1 and Section 2's number one state-ranked Class B Champion Chatham advanced past Canton 14-2. Advertisement CLASS D Undefeated Section 7 Champion Crown Point (10-0) continued its heart-warming story ending the game by the 12-run rule in the sixth inning. "This has been an amazing season for us. My son Jeff passed away during the season and our team wasn't together on the field a lot and had to play a lot of games back to the end. He was a great athlete at Crown Point and he was very close to the team. Especially our pitcher Kaitlin Ross. We have been dedicating our games to him," said Crown Point Coach Mike Ross. "Today everything just fell into place. Jeff wore number 13, Kaitlin wears 13 and we had 13 runs and 13 hits. Advertisement Ross struck out sixth in a four-hitter and walked only one defending a lead created by four runs in the fiirst inning and five in third. Addison Hurlbutt rapped a triple and two singles, Makenna Muson triipled and singled, Raegan Thomas singled three times, Briana Duprey singled twice and Margaret Benway and Ross singled for the eighth ranked Panthers. Th Red Devils played good defense led by catcher Addy Graveline who scooped up or blocked any number of potential wild pitches with runners on base, threw out a runner at secondbase on a steal attempt and turned over a bases loaded double play with pitcher Makia Green. "Addy did a great job behind the plate. We didn't have a good hitting day and they got key hits. We didn't walk people all season but today with had 10 walks, that was way too many." Advertisement Ava Howie singled and scored the ninth ranked Red Devils' lone run in the first inning. Scarlett Ritchie singled twice and Mia Tulley added a single. CLASS B Section 2 Chatham (20-3) showed every bit of its top ranked resume besting eighth ranked Canton (18-2). The Panthers scored two runs in the first inning relentlessly stretched the margin to 14-0 in the top of the seventh displaying impressive power at the plate and on the mound. Sophomore Skylar Groom was prominent in both spots striking out 15 in a two-hitter and lining a triple, a double and a single at the plate. "They had everything, pitching, hitting and fielding and you could tell that they faced good pitching every day," said Canton Coach Mike Wentworth. Advertisement "We had a great season, but they just too control." Addison Perry streaked around the bases for an inside-the-park homerun, Rylie Barden tripled, Anna Freeman singled three times and Jordan Radley stroked a single, Canton's pitching combination produced two runs in the top of the seventh. Tessa Alguire stroked her third single of the game and Elle White, who singled earlier in the game, raced around the bases after drilling low line drive past the rightfielder.
