Washington, Normal Community prep for super-sectional, PND & Le Roy reflect on state title games
PEORIA, Illinois (WMBD) – Super-sectionals for big school softball and baseball teams. Defending 3A softball state champion Pontiac faces Providence Catholic.
Meanwhile, we'll have two baseball teams competing as well. In 3A, Washington won their sectional title off dominant pitching from Gavin Lawrence on the mound. He and Carter Prina have been a dynamic one-two punch for the Panthers.
Prina will get the nod on Monday and the Bradley commit is excited to step on the rubber.
Oh, it's great. I mean, having all the confidence in the world in my guys. I mean, trying to make it to state, it's going to be amazing. Feeling the emotions. It's high right now, we're ready for the next one and hopefully going to state.
Carter Prina
We were able to capitalize off mistakes. And then with our pitching, how it's been working all season, I mean, it's hard for a team to come back from a deficit when they're already down in the first couple of innings.
Gavin Lawrence
Panthers face Benet Academy in Geneseo.
In 4A, Normal Community is in the midst of a historic season, heading to the super-sectional round for the first time in 21 years.
They won a wild game against O'Fallon in their own backyard at Illinois Wesleyan. Just one win from state, the team is having fun every step of the way.
It's awesome. I mean, I've never made it this far in my life. Even having a regional. So getting this far is just crazy and we really want to make something happen here. So we're excited.
Max Heineman
We definitely had high expectations at the beginning of the year and we went to work every day at practice and got 1% better leading to this point and just looking forward to continuing it being at least another another day with all my brothers here
Kyle Beaty
Peoria Notre Dame girls soccer dropped a heartbreak in the 2A state championship. The Irish fell 1-0 to St. Ignatius on a last-minute goal.
The program had been to the state tournament 12 times before, but Saturday was the first time they played for a title. Through the heartbreak, the Irish tried to keep their historic year in perspective.
The effort we put into this season, we had more wins than we've had ever. We set records, we made history; second in state is a big accomplishment, but we're super upset and we want to come back next year and get first
Rylie Bare
You know, it stings, it's going to sting. But again, you know, they kind of made their mark the last two years and, you know, keep your heads high. And the effort all year has been there and it's just, this sucks.
Ben Ralph
The team ended the season with 26 wins and the 2A runner-ups.
Meanwhile, Le Roy Panthers softball reached the state title game not just for the first time in program history; it was the first championship appearance of any Panthers girls athletics program.
The Trailblazing made this year's team incredibly close.
We just told each other to stick together and to be tough. That's really what we think about all the time. Play for each other, not for ourselves. And that's all we can think about. I'm just going to remember this team. We are family to each other
Natalie Loy
Panthers are the 1A runner-ups and wrapped up their second Final Four berth in three years.
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
Fox News
12 minutes ago
- Fox News
With World Cup exactly 1 year out, USMNT legends say pressure is turned up a notch
The United States Men's National Soccer Team will be the home squad in next year's World Cup, and they could make a big splash. Eleven of the 16 host stadiums in next year's tournament, which begins exactly one year from Wednesday, are in the United States, with New Jersey's MetLife Stadium hosting the final. After 1994, Major League Soccer was born, and it goes without saying that the immediate rise of soccer's popularity in the country was exponential. But it's seemingly hit a wall in recent years as the USMNT hasn't exactly given Americans a chance to grasp on. The squad got into the Round of 16 in 2010 and 2014 but failed to even qualify for the tournament in 2018. The USMNT returned to the Round of 16 three years ago but couldn't get out of the Copa América group stage on their own home soil last year. Team USA legend Landon Donovan, though, feels that soccer is "secure" in the country, even if Team USA disappoints, and its popularity can only go up from here. "There's going to be a lot of pressure, for sure, on this team. You play a World Cup in front of your home crowd, there's certainly going to be pressure. Is the state of soccer in trouble if they don't do well? No," Donovan said in a conference call with reporters this week. "There is a massive, massive opportunity [for this team]. In my experiences from the '02 World Cup, when we did really well, my life changed, and the trajectory of USA Soccer changed a little bit." But then again, Donovan scored one of the most famous goals in United States soccer history: his goal in stoppage time against Algeria put the U.S. through the group stage for the first time since 2002. "In 2010, it was that on steroids when we had an iconic moment. So if this team can do one of two things, either go far and/or have an iconic moment or two, it will catapult soccer through the roof in this country." Alex Lasry, the CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee, offered similar sentiments, saying the global stars coming to the United States will be enough to grow the sport itself. "If it ends up being not what we're hoping, I don't think that's going to dampen what the World Cup means to the United States," Lasry told Fox News Digital at Jersey City's Liberty State Park, which is the home of the official 2026 World Cup fan festival and hosted a one-year countdown launch party on Wednesday. "I don't think it's going to dampen how that 6-, 7-, 8-year-old looks at it. Having [Lionel] Messi, [Kylian] Mbappe, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Christian] Pulisic, the stars of the sport here, is what's going to lead to that next generation of athletes saying, 'I want to be a part of that.'" Fellow USMNT alum Alexi Lalas took the other side of the coin. While agreeing with Donovan in that all it takes is one special moment to get the country latched on, he said he isn't letting this squad "off the hook." "This is a generation that, over the last 30-plus years, everybody has worked to make sure that they have everything they possibly need in terms of the opportunities and the resources they have; and with that comes higher expectations and fair expectations," Lalas said. "Whoever is ultimately on that field next summer, I hope they recognize the opportunity and responsibility to further the game. What [does that look] like? It can come in a lot of different forms. But when that final whistle blows for the U.S. team, you want to leave thinking, 'That was something I'm going to remember. That made me proud to not just be a soccer fan in the United States, but to be an American.'" "You've got to be ready for that and embrace that opportunity with both hands and make the most of it," he said. "I don't want to let them off the hook, because I think they can do things we haven't seen before. They need the soccer gods to smile, but every team in the World Cup needs a little bit of luck going forward. And over the next year, they're going to have to work at what's going on, and I think the attitude off the field, to make sure they maximize next summer." The 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place in North America next year and will be featured on FOX Sports. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
CBS News
13 minutes ago
- CBS News
Oakmont's "magnificent" and "relentless" traits define why it's meant to host the U.S. Open
Collin Morikawa says he has the "game to win" the U.S. Open Collin Morikawa says he has the "game to win" the U.S. Open Collin Morikawa says he has the "game to win" the U.S. Open As the best golfers in the world are set to tee off for the 125th playing of the U.S. Open, Oakmont Country Club is being heralded for its "magnificent" and "relentless" traits that make it meant to host America's national championship. Oakmont is hosting the U.S. Open for a record 10th time this week and will certainly prove a difficult test for a field of players packed with talent. Giants in the game of golf have won the U.S. Open at Oakmont. Names like Nicklaus, Hogan, Els, Cabrera, and Johnson. "It's important where players win their U.S. Open, men or women, and the ghosts of the past matter," said USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer. Bodenhamer said that Oakmont is one of the great places in the game of golf and its relentless setup makes the club a great host for the U.S. Open. Shane Lowry hits a wedge shot out of thick rough while playing the 17th hole at Oakmont Country Club on June 10th, 2025 during a practice round ahead of the 125th playing of the U.S. Open Championship. Mike Darnay / KDKA "There's no letup," Bodenhamer said. "It's a grind. There are limited opportunities to catch up once you get behind." Bodenhamer spoke at length Wednesday about the number of reasons Oakmont is so special, focusing heavily on the toughness and culture of the course and the club. "It's not just the toughness of the golf course," Bodenhamer said. "It's the culture of this club. They want it to be tough." And tough it's going to be this week. Firm and fast fairways and greens, deep bunkers, and thick rough will all contribute to a test of physical and mental toughness for those looking to add their name to golf's history books. If the fairways, greens, bunkers, and rough don't make things difficult enough, then there's the ditches. Oh yeah, the ditches. The 10th hole at Oakmont Country Club presents a number of challenges including a fairway that slopes downhill, a tilting and sloping green, and a ditch that cuts across the middle of the fairway. Mike Darnay / KDKA "Where have you gone where you've seen a U.S. Open, let alone a major championship, where they have ditches, strategic ditches?" Bodenhamer said. "I never have been to one, but Oakmont has them, and it's magnificent. Bodenhamer said Oakmont is the kind of place where you can stand on the first tee box and just feel like you're in a place where the U.S. Open is meant to be played. "It's just a magnificent place, and we're honored to be here at the 125th U.S. Open," Bodenhamer said. COMPLETE U.S. OPEN COVERAGE:
Fox News
14 minutes ago
- Fox News
Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players
Tyler Adams says the U.S. soccer team has tuned out criticism from former players. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, who share the American goals record with 57 each, are among those who have been critical of current regulars not in the struggling roster preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. "We don't talk about that internally as a group," Adams said Wednesday during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. "The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build." [RELATED: Landon Donovan, Christian Pulisic, and the drama over USMNT stars not playing] Star Christian Pulisic is skipping the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after playing about 120 games for club and country over two seasons. "Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa (America), whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions," Dempsey said last week on the "Men in Blazers" podcast. "For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games." Watching Portugal celebrate its win over Spain in Sunday's European Nations League final, Donovan said on the Fox postgame show: "I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup." Pulisic has not spoken publicly of his decision. The U.S. has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2007, following a 4-0 rout Tuesday night by Switzerland. "This is part of the process," Adams said. "You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time, but it will come together." Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. "A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything — overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp," Adams said. "Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it." Adams, who captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, funded a pair of mini-pitches at Pulaski Park in Poughkeepsie, New York, near his home in Wappinger. He spoke on the Zoom about his work with Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Black Star Soccer to construct fields about the size of basketball courts at the Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit and The Bell Avenue School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. "Before the World Cup hopefully we plan to do one more with a city unnamed yet," Adams said. "It's something that I think has real impact, continues to grow the sport, serves underserved communities." [RELATED: Projecting the USMNT's World Cup squad: Luna over Reyna? Turner starts at GK?] Now 26, Adams is feeling back to his old self. He had back surgery last July with Dr. Robert Watkins and returned to the field with England's Bournemouth on Oct. 26. Adams played in 28 Premier League matches this season after being limited to three in 2023-24 because of leg injuries. "It's definitely enjoyable when you're healthy," he said. "The 16-to-18 months that it was just on and off inconsistency is something I never had in my career and never had to battle. And then when it hits you and you go through that, you just learn different ways to navigate things, enjoy life, just not take things for granted, all the little things." Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as U.S. coach last fall, players have had more autonomy to break away from rigid positioning employed by his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. "From a positional standpoint, obviously we had probably a little bit of a different structure under Gregg," Adams said. "Maurizio gives the players freedom to find spots they're comfortable in and see how they can affect the game in different ways. I think our attacking players definitely have freedom to try and find the ball and create things in the right areas of the field. So, yeah, I think he gives everyone freedom, but there's still structure to the way that we want to play." Adams will be with the U.S. team in Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, and following intently when the Premier League releases its 2025-26 schedule at 3 a.m. CDT. He feels improved because of his time with Leeds in 2022-23 and Bournemouth the past two seasons. "After you play in the Premier League, every game feels slow,'" he said. "No matter what game I play in now the game feels slow. You look at your schedule when the season comes out and you have to play in a row Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, all these big games back to back to back you just learn how to make decisions quicker and if you don't, you get punished." Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
