Cerro Gordos dream seasonBehind a senior-dominated offensive line, first-year coach Andy Ker-

leys tailor-made offense lights up the Little Okaw Valley Conference,and the Broncos hard-hitting defense carries them to the conferencetitle and the playoffs.

Cerro Gordo splits its two non-conference games to open the seasonand emerges tougher and more confident, which leads to a one-loss runthrough the conference.

With the passing game clicking behind quarterback Brad Forbes andreceiver Collin Woollen, and a steady power rushing game with EricChapman running behind J.D. McCoy and Ryan Cain on the line, CerroGordo can score points and milk the clock late. Defensively, Cain con-tinues to be one of the areas top tacklers at linebacker and leads a unitthat is much-improved from last year.

We have the potential to do some really good things and open someeyes, Kerley said. We dont necessarily have the guy, but we have 11who fit well as a group.

Cerro Gordos nightmare seasonThe Broncos struggle against Bismarck-Henning and Salt Fork to

start the season, falling to 0-2, then suffer a couple of key injuries anddont have the depth to replace them.

The shorthanded Broncos begin LOVC play with a loss to resurgentArcola, then never recover and miss the playoffs for a second straightyear.

The offense shows flashes of brilliance, but is inconsistent. It leavesthe defense on the field too long, and it fades late in games.

Cerro Gordos realityCerro Gordo isnt just breaking in a new coach, it has a new quarter-

back and running back, too. But the offensive line should help Forbesand Chapman, and also make Kerleys offense run smoothly.

Kerley plans to use an offense that fits the talent he has and takesadvantage of the weaknesses of each opponent.

We have stuff in for everybody in one game, we may run an entire-ly different set of plays than another, Kerley said. Whoever theydecide not to focus on is who were going to get you with. Forbes hasdone a good job picking up what weve tried to put in, and we havesix different guys we can get the ball to.

Theres plenty of potential offensively Forbes andWoollen have played together since they were kids, andclearly have a connection.

The keys for Cerro Gordo will be surviving a toughdraw in the LOVCs non-conference agreement withthe Vermillion Valley Conference, then stayinghealthy and eligible the programs entire roster is29 players.

This season, the Broncos manage to stay healthy,split their non-conference games and go 5-2 in theLOVC good for second-place and a trip back to theplayoffs.

Bobby Bowden is not

on a football sideline this

season and now hes

saying hes not happy with

that call. B7

THE AREAS TOP

LINEMEN

Chris Grimestead, Sr., DL,

Mount Zion

Grimestead is one of severallinemen for the Braves who couldmake this list. He stands out withhis quickness that produces anintense pass rush and leads agroup of linemen who positionMount Zion well.

Clinton Scott, Sr., DL,

Casey-Westfield

Scott has been a fixture on theWarriors line for three years, andopponents will cringe when theysee him there again. He helpsmake up a defense that allowedonly 61 points last season.

Tyler Marsh, Sr., OL,

Maroa-Forsyth

The all-county selection lastseason is a beast for the Trojans.Not only is he the teams mainblocker, but he dominates ondefense at the linebacker spot.

Trent Trudeau, Sr., OL,

Argenta-Oreana

Trudeau is a big reason whythe Bombers have a chance tobreak out this year. After a solidyear on the wrestling mat, one ofthe countys biggest linemen willimpress for Argenta.

Doron Lewis,

Sr., OL,

Eisenhower

The Panthershope to ignitetheir offenserunning behind

the 300-pound Lewis, who willanchor what should be a much-improved offensive line.

THE TEAMS MOST

LIKELY TO ...... surprise people.

Sangamon Valley

The Storm will have to catchsome breaks in a tough confer-ence but has enough talent toengineer a major turnaround.

Arcola

With a new coach and a newattitude, the Purple Riders willcontend in the LOVC.

Robinson

The improvement in two yearsunder Tim Nolen has beenimpressive, and it could reachanother level this year.

Argenta-Oreana

With strength up front, theBombers have the potential to bethis years feel-good story.

Eisenhower

The Panthers havent exactlyset the bar high, but Eisenhoweris ready to show it can do morethan just compete.

MacArthur

Last years talented seniorclass is gone, but a new group(including Micah Seals, above) isstepping in eager to show it canextend the Generals run of play-off appearances.

Charleston

The Trojan seniors are tired oflosing close games. If they win acouple tight ones early, theycould get on a roll.

ON THE WEB ...

l The H&RsGame Centralblog is backagain this year.Talk about eachweeks games atwww.hrpreps.com/gamecentral.

l The H&Rs sportswriters willbe blogging all season aboutfootball. Check out the talk atwww.hrpreps.com/blog.

WHATS NEXT?

A look at the rest of theweeks game plan:

THURSDAY: Central A&M/TuscolaFRIDAY: Preview of Week 1

THE BEST

GAMESOF THE YEAR

Some games just stand outas must-see because the tra-dition is so intense. Heres alook at a few of those.

Thursday well take a look atgames with heavy playoffimplications.

9.17.10St.Teresa at Maroa-Forsyth

Easily the biggest rivalry of thearea never seems to disappoint.Last year, St. Teresa took advan-tage of late Maroa-Forsyth miscuesto hold onto the win. Theres nodoubt the Trojans will do everythingin their power to protect their homefield against their bitter rivals.

9.25.10Eisenhower at MacArthur

Eisenhower coach Rick Austinhas been building this program fora couple years with the hopes ofsnapping the Panthers losingstreak to MacArthur. With the Generals losing a lot of their talent,this could be the year Austin & Co.get it done.

10.2.10Effingham at Mount Zion

This game has determined ifeither one of these teams run thetable in the Apollo Conference inthe past three seasons. Its likely tohold that importance again thisseason.

10.15.10South Piatt at Cerro Gordo

Every time these teams hook up,its hard to tell who will come outon top. Last season these twoteams split two games, but withonly one match-up in 2010, it willmean even more.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25 | SECTION B

LITTLE PUSH

What will Cerro Gordo, Arcola find in 2010?

Herald & Review photos/Kelly J. Huff

Andy Kerley takes over at Cerro Gordo with a roster with a number of talented players. But will the numbers be enough to get the Broncos back on top?

SportsHerald&Review

The firststate rankings areout and the Okaw Conferencedominates. B2

PollsPushed out

ON THE WEB | WWW.HRPREPS.COM

Arcolas dream seasonUnder new coach Gerald Temples, more guys are out for the team (42

in total) and seniors Harley Lindstrom and Garrison Stenger havenoticed the joy of playing football has returned to practice.

Everybodys attitude toward playing football is different, Stengersaid. Now, they want to come to practice. Its looking good for us.

The hangover from learning new offensive and defensive schemes isshaken off before Little Okaw Valley Conference play starts, and thePurple Riders make a serious run at a wide-open conference race afterwinning two of its first three road games. Ultimately, with the respectlevel for the coaches on the rise, a more positive Arcola team reboundsfrom a 1-8 2009 to make the playoffs and continue the programs qualitytradition. Ws and Ls take care of themselves when kids work hard andare focused on every play and every practice, Temples said.

Thats what were trying to get across to the kids right now.

Arcolas nightmareseason

The transition to a new coach inthe final year of some of the teamsbiggest playmakers is too much tohandle. Temples noticed his teamplaying faster and faster in prac-tice, but it never turns the cornerlike he hoped.

A three-game road stretch inweeks two through five prevents anygrowth from week to week and thegroup scrapes out a couple wins.

Arcolas reality With only one true favorite in the conference Villa Grove because

of a deep senior class Arcola uses that as a motivator throughout theseason.

The 1-8 team from last season didnt reflect the talent this group stillhas, especially with Stenger, Lindstrom and QB Tony

Van Gundy. I think with the talent we have, we canmake a push in the conference maybe

win it, if not come real close, Stengersaid.

A couple wins early against CerroGordo and Tri-County help thisteam believe what Temples is ask-ing them to do works and it finish-es on the bubble for the playoffs.

Our emphasis right now is toget our offensive line put togetherand get them coming off the linequicker and get everybody under-standing their job within theteam, Temples said. Once we dothat, all that other stuff will fallinto place for us.

H&R Staff Writers

Justin Conn and Leroy Bridges

HoosiersWe take a look

through the Big Tenbeginning in Blooming-ton, Ind. B7

Garrison Stenger

After a couple of years away fromthe action, Gerald Temples is back

this time in control at Arcola.

By JUSTIN CONNH&R Staff Writer

MAROA Gary Scott wanted to getnoticed, so he transferred to the coun-tys most visible football program.

Maroa-Forsyth has been to the statechampionship game twice since 2006,winning the title in 06 and finishing sec-ond last year.

Scott transferred from Eisenhower,which won one game in his first threeyears of high school. He and his familymoved to Forsyth after the first semes-ter last year.

I wanted to play for a good programand make my last year something toremember, Scott said. I felt like thatwas the best move for me.

Scott played for the Maroa basketballteam once the second semester began,and also ran track. He began liftingwith the football team at the time, too,and admitted there was an adjustment

period at first.Things are a lot different here,

Scott said. I get pushed a lot harder not just on the field, but off it, too. Thegrading scale is harder here, and we hitthe weights pretty hard.

Maroa coach Josh Jostes said it didnt take long for Scott to get comfort-able.

Hes fit in well with our kids hesone of the guys, Jostes said.

Scott has also been a perfect fit onthe field, giving the Trojans a much-needed boost in the backfield. Herushed 64 times for 260 yards in sixgames last year, and also had 11 catches

for 201 yards at Eisenhower. That versa-tility should serve him well at Maroa,where hell be used out of the backfieldand at times in the slot.

Hes a multi-talented kid he canplay multiple roles, Jostes said. Hehas a chance to have a really specialseason.

A big year for Scott could equalanother big year for Maroa.

Hes got great speed, so teams willhave to respect our running game withhim back there, Maroa senior JoeHockaday said. Teams wont be able toplay our pass as much.

jconn@herald-review.com|421-7971

By LEROY BRIDGESH&R Staff Writer

NIANTIC At first glance, DanRentschler appears to have a badcase of helmet hair.

After his second two-hour prac-tice of the day in 100 degree heat,no one would blame him for thedisheveled look. A double-take,though, reveals his teams logo andsymbol of speed a lightning bolt shaved into his head.

Actually, everyone pretty muchloves it, Rentschler said about theartwork done by senior widereceiver Casey Acree.

Rentschler doesnt carry himselflike a small-town, big-time backwho rushed for the areas third-most yards in 2009. But by the lackof ribbing on his new look, itsclear others appreciate what hesalready done in just two years as arunning back with Sangamon Val-ley.

As a freshman, he gained 906yards on 147 carries (6.2 yards percarry) and scored nine touchdownsfor a one-win team.

Everyone knows that weregoing to run it through Dan,through Dan, through Dan, seniorlinebacker Aaron Bennett said.

Even with all eyes on him as asophomore, Rentschler took anoth-er step in cementing his legacy. InWeek 1 against Nokomis, he brokeout for 235 yards in what turnedout to be the only win of the sea-son. The lack of wins wasntbecause Rentschler stopped pro-ducing. He turned in four moregames of at least 150 yards on hisway to 1,338 yards and 13 TDs.

Now, Rentschlers on the shortlist of players who could win theHerald & Reviews 2010 player ofthe year honor.

For the young guys, they cansee someone like him who does geta lot of notoriety and a lot of peo-ple know him, but hes very hum-ble about it, Sangamon Valleycoach Mike Lee said. He doesntgloat about it. Theres no me, me,me attitude. Hes working hardand our other kids see that.

They saw it all summer long at 8in the morning.

With the help of quarterbackNick Craig and Acree his ridebuddies Rentschler climbed outof bed every day to go lift and runsprints. Theyve also seen it allcamp with Rentschler runningpast whistles and pushing the sledharder than anyone.

Even though he knows hesgoing to be successful, and every-one knows that, hes doing theright things to get even better thanhe already is, Acree said. Youknow that means hes someone youcan trust. Hes out here for theright reasons. Hes out for others,not himself.

Throughout those workouts his2,244 career yards meant nothing.And whatever the total he gainsthis season wont matter either, ifthe Storm cant put together a cou-ple more wins.

First of all, the first goal is wewant to win more games regard-less of my yardage and touch-downs or anything, Rentschler

said when asked if he could break1,500 yards this fall. On a person-al level, I just tried to lift hard inthe offseason and tried to getfaster.

Rentschler opened camp thisyear at 175 10 pounds heavierthan a year ago. Thats a good signconsidering his workload will con-tinue to be demanding for a teamstill trying to develop a passinggame. Lees already talked toRentschler and the offensive lineabout seeing more and more teamsstack the box with eight and ninedefenders.

Lee would like to see his quarter-back make better decisions inthose situations, but if that doesnthappen, he knows Rentschler canstill make plays.

He takes such good care of theball, and hes always full speed atthe line of scrimmage, Lee said.And he always runs 20-30 yards inpractice whether I blow the whistleor not. I might blow it dead early,but he always runs.

Hes that kind of kid alwayslooking for that extra yard.

If all goes to plan, Rentschlerwill be looking for those extrayards on a winning team.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

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Coach you want to play for?

A desire to go out with a bang

Hes a great back. He knows it and so does everyone else, but he doesnt let it go to his head.Aaron Bennett, Sangamon Valley linebacker on teammate Dan Rentschler

2010 PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW l POTY PICTUREWHAT THEYRE SAYING ... MORE TOP CONTENDERS ... JOIN THE FUN ...

Sangamon Valley junior Dan RentschlerSome times I feel like if I dont have a good game or something, that its somewhat my

fault for not doing so well. This year were just going to be as a team and Im not reallygoing to think about having all the pressure on me. Im just going to go out there andwere just going to play football.

Sangamon Valley senior Casey AcreeDans one of those guys people look up too. They know that hes going to do the right

thing; that hes going to work hard. Everybody rallies around each other and thats goingto be really good for us.

Sangamon Valley coach Mike LeeEven in his sprints, he is always running as fast as he can never dogs it at all. He

has himself in tremendous shape.

Herald & Review/Kelly J. Huff

Dan Rentschler, Sangamon Valleys star back, already has more than 2,200 career rushing yards. But the junior would trade those in for a few more wins.

STORM WARNING

Herald & Review

Gary Scott is trying to make the most of his new home withthe Maroa-Forsyth football team. He spent his first three yearsat Eisenhower.

Trent Conlin, Sr., OL/DL, Central A&M St. TeresasScott Davis

Hes almost exactly like Coach (Mark) Ramsey. I like hisviews on things. Hes been a great coach for a very longtime.

Joe Hockaday, Sr., WR/DB, Maroa-Forsyth Tuscolas Rick Reinhart

They run a similar offense to what wedo, and I think as a receiver, it would be funto play in.

Evan Hayes, Sr., RB, Central A&M Maroa-ForsythsJosh Jostes

He gets things going. He puts some electricity into theoffense.

Kyle Johnson, Sr., QB/LB, Eisenhower Maroa-Forsyths Josh Jostes

Ive watched him coaching during 7-on-7s, and he just looks like he loves football.Thats something I love to see in coaches seeing that they want to be there andthat they love their job.

Collin Woollen, Sr., WR/DB, Cerro Gordo St. Teresas Scott Davis

St. Teresa always has great players and theyre alwaystough. He runs a good program.

Garrison Stenger, Sr., LB, Arcola Adam Clapp atTri-County

Worst place to play as a visiting player?

Collin Townsend, Sr., QB, Central A&M Maroa-Forsyth

Its a pretty hopped-up climate there.You always know its going to be a toughgame, and if you make a mistake, theyregoing to let you have it.

Kyle Johnson, Sr., QB/LB, Eisenhower Danville orMattoon

At Danville, youre on that tiny sideline with 1,900 peoplein the bleachers at your back. Then at Mattoon, they putthat fan section right in the inside and you get called allkinds of words, and youre just like, Really?

Logan Stelzriede, Jr., QB, Maroa-Forsyth Tuscola

Its far away, plus theyre good, theyre big and theypound the ball a lot.

Trent Conlin, Sr., OL/DL, Central A&M Clinton

Im just not a huge fan of playing there. For some rea-son, Im not fond of it.

Harley Lindstrom, Sr., RB, Arcola Cerro Gordo

The field is just terrible.

Pat Yoakum, Sr., WR, Tuscola Maroa-Forsyth

I dont want to call anyone out, butMaroas field its got a big crown in themiddle of it. Its awkward to run on. We getto deal with that this year unfortunately.

J.D. McCoy, Sr., OL/DL, Cerro Gordo South Piatt

I hate going there. Its the big rivalry game and they talka lot of trash. We do like to go beat them there.

Hardest hitter?

Phillip Meyer, Jr., WR, Tuscola Tolono Unitys Jor-dan Reinhart, a senior last season

He lays a good hit.

Evan Hayes, Sr., RB, Central A&M Former Tuscolalinebacker Jordan Knerr

He cleaned my plate twice last year.

Collin Townsend, Sr., QB, Central A&M FormerMaroa-Forsyth linebacker Dalton Coventry

I havent really been hit that hard, but Coventry wasprobably the hardest.

Trent Conlin, Sr., OL/DL, Central A&M Coventry

It was only a JV game, but it was still a pretty good hit.

Favorite play?

Harley Lindstrom, Sr., RB, Arcola On run play Just get to run downhill.

Pat Yoakum, Sr., WR, Tuscola My favorite play?Doesnt really matter as long as its in the end zone.

Phillip Meyer, Jr., WR, Tuscola Any of the deepthrows are fun because you just go up to get them.

Kyle Johnson, Sr., QB, Eisenhower When Im run-ning the ball, its the counter. I get behind our big guardand tackle, and Im not going to be touched. Passing, itsstreaks. I like it when everyone runs a streak and I see howfar I can throw it.

J.D. McCoy, Sr., OL/DL, Cerro Gordo Counter left. I pull through, lead throughthe hole and take the running back to theend zone.

Hardest to tackle?

Joe Hockaday, Sr., WR, Maroa-Forsyth St. Teresasenior Ryan Smith

We had a lot of trouble bringing him down. He was aload.

Collin Townsend, Sr., QB, Central A&M TolonoUnity grad Dylan Sturgeon

Sturgeon and Dakota Getz from the year before are thetoughest Ive tried to tackle. Itll be interesting to see who itis this year.

Trent Conlin, Sr., OL/DL, Central A&M FormerMaroa running back Dalton Coventry

I played a little in the Maroa games last year, and hewas big and hard to take down.

Rentschler hungryto reach next level

Evan Hayes, Sr., RB, Central A&M

Matt Palla, Sr., WR, Monticello

Jud Wienke, Sr., QB, Tuscola

Jacob Smith, Sr., RB, Mount Zion

Its not that Jacob Smith didntget the carries a No. 1 back wouldget during his junior season. Hewas the teams second-leadingrusher with 897 yards and 16 TDS,while getting only eight fewertouches than Krys Gray. But now,Smith is the senior guy in thatbackfield and it will feel morelike hes the go-to man.

Yeah, Im very ready forthat, Smith said about being thesenior back. Ive been waitingtwo years.

Combine Smith, whos been abig-time producer, with the most-

experienced offensive line in therun-heavy offense of Mount Zionsand you have a good recipe forsome big numbers for Smith.Duplicating Grays 1,400-yard effortfrom 2009 is well within reach.

Our line is really good atblocking and the running backsfeel a little bit safer knowing thatthey have our backs, Smith said.Were really deep, so it should bea good time.

If Mount Zion is able to over-come last seasons postseasonshortfall, Smith will have a hugehand in that, too.

Jud Wienkes known everyoneon the Tuscola football team hisentire life. But hes just nowstarting to get to know them onthe football field.

After moving away before hissophomore season, Wienkereturned to miss his entire juniorseason with a broken collarbone.Now, the defending Class 1A statechampion is HIS team.

I enjoy football, so I dont tryto get too much pressure put onme for it, Wienke said. Obvious-ly, there (pressure) is being thequarterback, there is a lot moreresponsibility you have to knowa lot more things and you have tobe the leader.

I just dont let it get to me.With the shadow of his brother

John only three years removed,Jud enters the season with mam-moth expectations considering hehasnt played any under centerfor an extended period of time inIllinois. But there are playmakersall over the field for Jud, who isbeing recruited by mid-majorprograms.

Jud is a heck of an athlete,last years QB and now wide outPhillip Meyer said. He has agreat arm. Hes looking reallygood. I think were going to beable to throw the ball wheneverwe need to.

Pallas game is muscle everyattribute he has on the footballfield comes from his strength.

From his ability to get off apress to his sure hands to his speedin pads, Palla is a powerhouse.

Hes more of a 400 or 800 guyin track he doesnt have sprintspeed, Monticello coach CullyWelter said. But on the footballfield, hes fast. The pads dontslow him down.

With his brother Ben at quar-terback, Palla led all players in

receiving last year with 1,186yards and 15 touchdowns, earningH&R All-Area First-Team honors.But a repeat of those numberswill depend in part on the successof new quarterback Will Lieb.

The biggest question iswhether our running game andScott Huisinga on the other sidewill be able to take the pressureoff Matt, Welter said. Hes animportant cog. The trick for meis to figure out how to get him theball as much as we can.

Hayes emerged last year as theareas leading rusher with 1,749yards and 18 TDs. He was a mas-ter at following his blockers tothe outside, then turning on thejets for long touchdowns.

He has good speed andvision, Raiders coach MarkRamsey said. He knows how toread blockers and he has a goodfeel. He consistently gets positiveyards.

Behind Hayes, A&M returnedto the playoffs and advanced tothe quarterfinals.

We put the weight on hisshoulders, and he carried it,

A&M quarterback CollinTownsend said.

The reigning H&R Area Playerof the Year was easily the areastop workhorse with 260 carries.That wont go down this season.In fact, his numbers could beeven more impressive. Ramseysaid Hayes has gotten strongerand better at breaking tackles.Senior lineman Trent Conlin hasseen the difference.

He can juke and make it to theoutside, Conlin said. But he canalso lower his shoulder and runsomeone over, and hes not afraidto do it.

Harley Lindstrom, Sr., RB, Arcola

Lindstrom quietly broke the 1,000-yard marklast season, and if the Purple Riders canimprove on a down year, his numbers will goup.

Phillip Meyer, Jr., WR, Tuscola

Meyer dazzled at QB for the Warriors lastseason and theres no doubt he will make plen-ty of plays on the outside now.

Logan Stelzriede, Jr., QB, Maroa-Forsyth

Hes already got experience in a state titlegame and if he takes another step in his devel-opment, not many area QBs will be better.

Ryan Smith, Sr., RB, St. Teresa

Smith split quite a few carries with a coupleof backs last season, but with more of the loadon his shoulders this year, his numbers shouldbe impressive.

And dont forget about these guys ... Running back makesmove with an eye on a big senior season

Weve loaded up the chancesfor you to show off your skills andwin some prizes. And, as someof our past winners have demon-strated, you dont even have toknow all that much about foot-ball.

All you have to do is sign up.

n H&R preps football pickem2010 lets you pick from area highschool games each week. Takeon the H&R experts or form agroup of friends and battle it out.

New this year: Winners eachweek will pick up prizes fromPepsi and Papa Murphys.

To register, head towww.hrpreps.com/pickem.

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Our Top Fan Contest is look-ing for the craziest or most loyalfan in the H&R area. It gives youan opportunity to send photosand provide a brief reason whythat person deserves to be ourtop fan.

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n Alsotake part intalkingabout thegames eachweek in our Game CentralBlog (www.hrpreps.com/game-central) or give our writers somefeedback atwww.hrpreps.com/blog.

n On game night, sign up tofollow our writers as they keepyou update throughout the nightfrom game sites around the area.Catch us atwww.twitter.com/hrpreps.

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Mount Zions dream seasonEighteen seniors ride the backs of deep offensive and defensive lines

to a third straight undefeated Apollo season and a playoff run that eras-es the heartache Mount Zion experienced in 2009.

Braves coach Dave Smith was all smiles during the first week of prac-tice because he hadnt experienced a better week of practice in his twoprevious years at the school. He credits the building blocks on the lineof scrimmage that his team, which lives and dies with running the ball,thrives on. Klinton Babb, Joe Butler, Chris Grimestead and MitchellMcElroy are four of the horses with their hands in the dirt.

It changes the game completely, Babb said about having experienceon the line. If you can trust the person next to you, that makes it somuch better because you can do your responsibility and know you donthave to pick up any extra slack.

In the backfield, Mount Zion doesnt lose a step after losing KrysGray. Jacob Smith establishes himself as a 1,000-yard back and quarter-back Jack MacIntosh stabilizes his play for his final season.

Yeah, Im very ready for that, Jacob said about being the go-toback. Been waiting two years. We also have a couple other great backs Toby Walter, Joe Butler and Lucas Gray. We are going to be prettydeep in our backfield, too.

Mount Zions nightmare seasonSure, Mount Zion went undefeat-

ed in the regular season, but itsreferred to the first-round playoffloss to Freeburg as a nightmare.It practically haunts me every-day, Babb said. After all, theBraves were heavy favorites play-ing on their home field. Perhapsthe run of great backs ends andMount Zion repeats that scenarioand it haunts the senior class for-ever.

Reality Experience is invaluable and

after what this group wentthrough in the playoffs a year ago, the Braves are motivat-ed to expel Oct. 30, 2009, from their minds for good. Theleadership is in all the key spots, which helps Mount Ziondefend its home field against Effingham and rolls throughthe Apollo for the third straight season. Only this time,Mount Zion wins at least one playoff game

There was only one team in 4A that was happy with howlast year ended, coach Smith said. We were not one ofthose. We did not meet our goals and we did not play to ourlevel in that Week 10.

Every day we talk about getting better for tomorrow,and thats what were doing.

Along with the playoff success, Jacob Smith turns in a1,000-yard season.

H&R Staff Writers

Justin Conn and Leroy Bridges

Nine months after the

wild story started, Tiger

and Elin finalize their

divorce. B2

THE AREAS TOP

WIDE RECEIVERS

Matt Palla, Sr., Monticello

Palla utilized his size to bullyopponents last season on his

way to beingthe areas mostproductive wideout. With thedeparture of fellow all-areareceiver CaleHuisinga, Palla

has an opportunity to really pileup the stats.

Phillip Meyer, Jr., Tuscola

Meyer was a quality fill-in QBfor the Class 1A state champs,but his speed and athleticism willshine at receiver for the Warriors.Expect him to get the ball inspace and do plenty with it.

Pat Yoakum, Sr., Tuscola

With Meyer distracting oppo-nents on the other side, Yoakumwill continue to hurt defenseswith his speed. With Jud Wienkeat QB, his numbers will beimpressive.

Marcel Murray, Sr., St. Teresa

As one the fastest guys in thearea, Murray is one of the bestdeep-ball threats around. Lastseason he averaged 16 yards acatch, while scoring five times.

Joe Hockaday, Sr., Maroa

Hockaday totaled just 169receiving yards last season, butenters the season as MaroasNo. 1 target. Couple that with thecomfort level QB LoganStelzriede has throwing to himand Hockaday will have success.

THE TEAMS MOST

LIKELY TO ...

... play a meaningful game inlate October.

Pana

The Panthers have made theplayoffs the pasttwo seasonsunder Al Stupekand look likethey will chal-lenge for a spotagain. They

replace 14 lost seniors with 14new ones.

Flora

The Wolves are trying to makeit four straight playoff appear-ances and they have a good shotat that with three-year startingquarterback Trent Tackitt andcoach Skip Dillons power run-ning game

Cumberland

The Pirates have become play-off mainstays. After only threeconference losses last season,an easy non-conference sched-ule down the stretch shouldmean another postseason.

Cerro Gordo

The Broncos strength is theiroffensive and defensive fronts,which bodes well for a late-season push to the playoffs.

Taylorville

If the Tornadoes can survive abrutal schedule against Class 5Aand 6A teams in the CentralState 8, theyll be a beast in the4A playoffs.

Vandalia

The Vandals have the type ofdefense to weather the ruggedSouth Central Conference withfive wins and give opponentstrouble in the playoffs.

ON THE WEB ...

l The H&RsGame Centralblog is backagain this year.Talk about eachweeks games atwww.hrpreps.com/gamecentral.

l The H&Rs sportswriters willbe blogging all season aboutfootball. Check out the talk atwww.hrpreps.com/blog.

WHATS NEXT?

A look at the rest of theweeks game plan:

WEDNESDAY: Arcola/Cerro GordoPlayer of the Year candidates

THURSDAY: Central A&M/TuscolaSchedules for all the teams

FRIDAY: Preview of Week 1

THE BEST

GAMESOF THE YEAR

Heres some games thatshould be some of the biggestand most important conferenceshowdowns of the season.

Wednesday well take a lookat games between traditionalrivals.

Week 7 10.8.10Tuscola at Maroa-Forsyth

If Tuscola can get by St. Teresain Week 2, this game will be amonster matchup late in the sea-son. Maroa was shut out last yearin Tuscola and the Trojans wouldlove to spoil any undefeated hopesthe Warriors have at this point.

Week 7 10.8.10Marshall at Casey-Westfield

Casey will be more than readyfor this game after Marshall endedthe Warriors season last year. Thekey for Casey in 2010 is makingsure it takes care of business in theregular season and in the postsea-son against Marshall.

Week 8 10.15.10Maroa-Forsyth at Central A&M

Central A&M is well aware ofwho ended its season in 2009.After dropping a heartbreaking lossto the Trojans midseason and thenlosing again in November, theRaiders will be stoked to turn thetables on Maroa in Moweaqua.

Week 9 10.22.10Monticello at St. Teresa

Monticello snuck up on the Bull-dogs last season, hung 28 pointson them and sent them home witha loss. There wont be any sneak-ing up on St. T on its home fieldnow that the Sages have turnedheads.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | TUESDAY, AUGUST 24 | SECTION B

ON COURSE

What will Mount Zion, Effingham find in 2010?

Herald & Review photos/Kelly J. Huff

Jack MacIntosh will again be in charge of a Mount Zion team that is loaded with experience. How the Braves respond to last years playoff loss will be critical.

SportsHerald&Review

Bears find a veteran backup at quarterback. B5

New QB Moving on

ON THE WEB | WWW.HRPREPS.COM

Effinghams dream seasonThe Hearts knock off Mount Zion, go undefeated in the regular season

and make a run to the semifinals.If our seniors improve as leaders and playmakers, and our juniors

improve themselves as good football players, we have a chance to be aspecial team, Effingham coach Mike McDonald said.

Behind an offensive line that jells early, quarterback Alex Steppeimproves on the potential he showed last season and becomes a danger-ous run/pass threat. Grant Johnson develops as a hard-nosed runner foran offense much more consistent than last years.

Defensively, the Hearts put on a similar show as last year behind adominating linebacking corps including Sean Dammerman, Bo Nos-bisch and Tyler Doty.

We think we have some of the best linebackers around, McDonaldsaid. But our front line must do their jobs to give our linebackers thechance to be playmakers.

Effinghams nightmare seasonThe offense fails to keep the defense fresh, the Hearts get beat by

Mount Zion and upset by Robinson and Charleston, then fail to get pastthe first round of the playoffs.

The offensive line, talented but still unproven heading into the season,cant protect Steppe or make holes for Johnson. Thedefense holds its own, but tires late in games against thebetter teams.

Reality For a team rebuilding at the skill positions last year,

Effingham had an outstanding year, going 9-2 and advanc-ing to the second round of the playoffs.

This years team has just as much talent, and moreexperience.

The Hearts continue to dominate defensively, and theoffense gains momentum as the season progresses withTravis Fulk, Aaron Adams, Chad Percival and Jeff Vinotcoming together on the line.

The key to our season lies within the trenches,McDonald said. Our offensive line has to come together.

We have talented players, butthey have to learn to be aggres-sive at all times.

A tough, more competitive lossto Mount Zion precedes a stronglate-season run. Though Effing-ham actually finishes the regularseason with one more lossbecause of a tougher non-confer-ence schedule, the Hearts benefitby reaching the quarterfinals forthe first time since 1987.

Nice start In Mike Quades

debut as manager,Cubs have their waywith Nationals. B3

Jacob Smith will be the No. 1back for Mount Zion this season.He will have a dynamic show-down with Effinghams SeanDammerman on Oct. 2.

Eisenhowers dream seasonEisenhower ends its five-year run of not winning more than one game

in a season by breaking through, winning five games and making itsfirst playoff appearance since 2004.

Kyle Johnson steps up as the team leader on both sides of the ball, lead-ing the team in total offense at quarterback and tackles at linebacker. Eisen-howers big, experienced offensive line finally physical enough to competein the Big 12 protects Johnson and blows open holes for the Panthers sta-ble of running backs, including Micah Winters and Brandon Williams.

Eisenhowers nightmare seasonThe Panthers get off to a slow start and the confidence theyve built

during the past year crumbles.Then, injuries and other intangibles leave an already thin roster short

at key positions.Against the Big 12, there isnt much room for error, and Eisenhower

suffers its third winless seasons in four years.

Eisenhowers realityTheres a distinctly different feeling among Eisenhowers players and

coaches this season. While, in years past, the Panthers had an anythingspossible type of optimism, this year they believe they can be a playoff team.

Theres been a progression. Two years ago in Austins first year the Panthers were young and couldnt compete. Last year, with a littlemore seasoning, they competed, but couldnt finish off wins.

This year, Eisenhower is senior-led and confident it can win games.We trust each other now, Johnson said. Weve had leaders establish

themselves, which we hadnt seen a lot. We have leaders at every posi-tion. Thats led to less arguing and getting down on each other. Werehaving fun now thats the biggest difference. When we have fun, weplay good football.

The problem is low numbers and a tough schedule the onlygimme in the Big 12 during the past few years has been Eisenhower.

In the end, the offense is much more consistent through the first fivegames of the season, and the Panthers manage to go 3-2 in the stretch. Butgames against the conferences powerhouses push the Panthers thin rosterto its limits. Eisenhower beats Urbana in Week8, but falls one game short of the playoffs.

Cubs coach Piniella,

who intended to retire

from baseball at end of

season, steps away from

team early to take care of ailing

mother B4

THE AREAS TOP

RUNNING BACKS

Evan Hayes, Sr., Central A&M

The most productive rusherfrom a year ago, Hayes will havea bit more pressure to producethis year. Can he eclipse the1,500-yard mark with defensesstacking the box against him? Itwill be fun to watch.

Jacob Smith, Sr., Mount Zion

The Mount Zion bruiser hasbeen waiting forhis opportunityto be the fea-tured back for acouple years asthe Bravesenjoyed somegood rushers.Nows his chance, and he seemsadamant on taking advantage.

Dan Rentschler, Jr.,

Sangamon Valley

As a sophomore, Rentschlerwas the only constant for theStorm during a rough 2009. Thisseason all eyes are on him as hehopes to hit the 1,500-yard markand enjoy more wins.

Gary Scott, Jr., Maroa-Forsyth

The Eisenhower transfer hasbeen one of the hottest topics thissummer. Now that hes surround-ed by one of the areas most suc-cessful teams, it will be interest-ing to see what Scott can do.

Ryan Smith, Sr., St. Teresa

Smith averaged a robust 7.4yards per carry last season andgot only 110 carries. He will still

split some carrieswith St. Tsfullback, but aheavier loadwill result inat least a

1,000-yardseason.

THE TEAMS MOST

LIKELY TO ...

... win double-digit games.

Mount Zion

The Braves have reached atleast 10 games for the past fourseasons and nine of the past 10.Considering they are senior-heavy and have won the Apollowith an undefeated record thepast two seasons, this is agimme.

Effingham

Another Apollo team that hasdominated is the Hearts. Forseven straight years, Effinghamhas qualified for this category.Now, can it turn that into a deepplayoff run?

St. Teresa

The Bulldogs havent had anytrouble amassing wins, especiallyearly in the season. Since 1996,St. Teresa has lost only five timesin September. A couple wins inNovember would mean a lot afterlast postseasons one-and-done.

Monticello

In a storybook season last fall,the Sages went from winless to a7-2 playoff season that featured afirst-round win. Another year undercoach Cullen Welter will continueto develop the talent-rich program.

ON THE WEB ...

l The H&RsGame Centralblog is backagain this year.Talk about eachweeks games atwww.hrpreps.com/gamecentral.

l The H&Rs sportswriters willbe blogging all season aboutfootball. Check out the talk atwww.hrpreps.com/blog.

l The prep football pickemcontest lets you pick from areahigh school games each week.

To register, head towww.hrpreps.com/pickem.

WHATS NEXT?

A look at the rest of theweeks feature teams and othercoverage as the preview rolls on:

TUESDAY: Effingham/Mount ZionWEDNESDAY: Arcola/Cerro Gordo

Player of the Year candidatesTHURSDAY: Central A&M/Tuscola

Schedules for all the teamsFRIDAY: Preview of Week 1

THE BEST

GAMESOF THE YEAR

Heres some games thatshould be some of the biggestand most important conferenceshowdowns of the season. Inthe next three days, well takea look at games betweentraditional rivals, matchupswith playoff implications andmore conference showdowns.

Week 3 9.10.10Arcola at Cerro Gordo

Typically a game that helpsdecide the LOVC, both teams arecoming off sub-par seasons. Bothlook primed to return this year, buta loss here would deal an earlyblow to two teams that will be onthe fringe of the playoffs.

Week 6 10.1.10Central A&M at Tuscola

Theres no way Tuscola has for-gotten how it lost to the Raiderslast season. Warriors coach RickReinhart had never lost a game inthe closing seconds after havingan opponent run his own blockedfield goal in for a score.

Week 6 10.1.10Pana at Greenville

The Panthers have been amongthe most successful teams in theSouth Central Conference the pasttwo seasons, but cant get over thehump against the three-timedefending conference champion.After two losses to the Comets lastyear, Pana wants this one badly.

Week 6 10.1.10Tolono Unity at St. Teresa

A year ago, Unity put it to theBulldogs behind a monster effortfrom big-time athlete DylanSturgeon. With Sturgeon gone,St. T will be looking to return thefavor in Decatur.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | MONDAY, AUGUST 23 | SECTION B

CITY HOPES

What kind of season will it be for Eisenhower, MacArthur?

Herald & Review photos/Kelly J. Huff

MacArthur will need leadership from seniors like defensive lineman Damon Cross to lead the Generals to the playoffs after losing some vital pieces to graduation.

SportsHerald&Review

The H&R videographerstackled Maroa-Forsyth andSt. Teresa practices. Go towww.hrpreps.com/video.

On the WebSO LONG, LOU

ON THE WEB | WWW.HRPREPS.COM

MacArthurs dream seasonCoach Derek Spates and the Generals become the citys first group to

make the playoffs for the third straight season with seven or eight winsafter plugging some huge holes left by last years seniors.

The departures of QB Robert Smith, RB LaDarion Shelby, WRs JalenSpates and Kieston Greene and kicker Miles Henderson open up oppor-tunities for seniors Quinton Simmons (QB), Kiston Lee (WR) and MicahSeals (RB), and they take full advantage.

I feel like this is a very important time for me to step up and be aleader, Simmons said about going through preseason practice. I amreally ready and able to lead this team.

With Simmons and Seals easing the transition from a loaded seniorclass, Spates gets quality play from his youth, which has seen a bigjump in talent since he took over the program three years ago.

In our conference, youre never totally comfortable with a lot of sopho-mores playing, Spates said. But I think our guys who are coming up, werun the same schemes, the same offense since theyve been here, so theyrecomfortable with what it is we do and what it is we need to execute.

MacArthurs nightmare seasonThe season stalls before it ever really gets going. MacArthur strug-

gles in Week 1 when it hosts Bloomington. The quick start to give Sim-mons and Seals a boost of confidence never happens and the young Gen-erals finish with only a couple of wins. The hope of making history withthree straight playoff appearances has to begin again in 2011.

MacArthurs realityA series of games in October are pivotal in MacArthurs quest for the play-

offs. The Generals fail to knock off any of the Big 12s top teams, but make aserious run at the postseason with a team that gets better every week.

I just want to come together and play solid,mistake-free football, Spates said. The play-

makers will separate themselves duringthe game. Hopefully some of those

guys will come out in Week 1.Seals, whos built similarly to

Shelby but is a different type ofrunner, uses his vision andbreak-away speed to win a cou-ple games for the Generals onhis way to 700 yards.

Ive been watching (Shel-by) since I was coming in as afreshman and I saw how hedid it when he was playingvarsity and Ive just beenfollowing his lead.

H&R Staff Writers

Justin Conn and Leroy Bridges

RyanSmith

Effingham QB Alex Steppe

Eisenhower QB Kyle Johnson

MacArthur coachDerek Spates

Cards winSt. Louis gets best

outing of season fromstarter Garcia as Cardinals rollto victory B3

Cutler throwsTD pass, Forteruns for twoscores C6

Maroa-Forsyths dream seasonWith plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball, Maroa-Forsyth

makes a trip back to state.A year after relying on receiver Wyatt Washburn for most of its yards

through the air, Maroas passing game becomes more diverse withreceivers Joe Hockaday, Wesley Beach, Toby Propst and when hereturns from injury for Okaw Blue play Shawn Outlaw.

We dont have just one now we have a bunch of guys who cancatch the ball and make plays, Maroa junior quarterback LoganStelzriede said.

Stelzriede emerged in Maroas third game last season and never relin-quished the starters role. More is expected from this year and he deliv-ers with help from a running game featuring Eisenhower transferGary Scott.

Defensively with Aaron Ford, Beach and Justin Harrelson back onthe defensive line, Tyler Marsh returning at linebacker and a group ofuntested but athletic defensive backs led by Hockaday the Trojans

pressure the quarterback and force turnovers on a regular basis.

Maroas nightmare seasonA lack of leadership and some of the problemsthat plagued the Trojans early last season keep

them from fully meeting their potential andthey drop games to St. Teresa, Tuscola and

Central A&M.The Trojans still manage to make the

playoffs. But with expectations so highfrom their recent run of success, afour-loss season and first-round playoffloss is met with disappointment.

The realityTheres a reason Maroa has been

among the best teams in the state thepast six years. Maroa coach JoshJostes has a system built on getting the

ball to the teams playmakers in openspace, and they do the rest.

Its not rocket science, Jostes said.This year, Hockaday and Scott step

up as the main weapons, compete fora conference title and the Trojans

advance to the quarterfinals for the sixthtime in the last seven years.

Theres pressure on these guys to perform,Jostes said. Those past successful teamsworked their butts off to accomplish what theydid, and these guys need to learn they have to dothe same.

But we feel like our skill kid group is as goodas past teams. We have six or seven wideouts a

lot of teams would like to have. Skill kids are nevera problem for us.

St. Teresas dream seasonSt. Teresa coach Scott Davis preseason keys to a successful year

the ability to run the ball and play good defense carry the Bulldogs toChampaign in what is the teams first state appearance under Davis.

Behind a senior offensive line that lost two starters, the running backduo of Ryan Smith and Jeremy Ruderman combine for 2,500 yards. Ifour running game is not the strength of St. Teresa, then were in trou-ble, Davis said. We have two pretty good senior running backs that weexpect big years from.

Meanwhile, quarterback Nick Brinkoetter finally settles in under cen-ter as the lone starter and helps with wins at Tuscola and Maroa-Forsyth.

Defensively, Davis unleashes a group led by Ruderman and KyleLeckrone that frustrates opponents with a relentless pass rush. If anexperienced secondary (made up of Marcel Murray, Eric Althoff, JustinRichards and Matt Miller) makes plenty of plays after a rough 2009,St. T will be able to pressure at will.

St. Teresas nightmare seasonThe defenses inability to stop big-time opponents

continues to wreck another St. Teresa season. Aftergiving up 94 points in three losses a year ago, roadgames at Tuscola and Maroa-Forsyth in Weeks 2and 4 end with the Bulldogs giving up morethan 30 points in each one. All the confi-dence this senior-led team had is wipedout by a 2-2 start and another earlyplayoff exit sends out a talented seniorclass in sour fashion.

The realityEveryone will get a great glimpse

at what path St. Teresas season isgoing to go down when it visitsdefending Class 1A state champ Tus-cola in Week 2. Last season, the Bull-dogs beat the Warriors 14-13 in animpressive 5-0 start but faltered downthe stretch, going 2-3 in their final fivegames. If St. T competes in thesecond game of the year, it will takesome confidence from that game intoits road battle against rival Maroa-Forsyth. The Bulldogs are hoping towin their third straight against the Trojans.

Winning one of the two tough road gamesearly will propel this team to some quality homegames against Tolono Unity and Monticello thatcould lead to revenge wins after rough setbacksin 2009. An eight-win regular season followed bya couple playoff wins would delight this fanbase thats still trying to shake last season.

I just know that when the season starts,were ready to go, Davis said. We work hardin the offseason. Our kids are excited when it comesto the start of the season.

THE AREAS TOP

QUARTERBACKS

Jud Wienke, Sr., Tuscola

Everyone caught a glimpse ofwhat Wienke, right, is capable ofin last years state-title game.Hes finally healthy, has an offen-sive line that will keep his jerseyclean and receivers who willallow him to show off his arm.

Logan Stelzriede, Jr.,

Maroa-Forsyth

Stelzriede was sharp last sea-son completing, 60 percent of hispasses for 1,522 yards and 15TDs. Hes a year older and willneed to make plays for the Tro-jans to continue their success.

Collin Townsend, Sr.,

Central A&M

The areas second-mostproductive QBneeds to up his43 percent com-pletion rate from2009, consider-ing there isnt aton of pressureon him and thepassing game. If he can be moreefficient, it will open up somespace for the run game.

Heath Huisinga, Jr.,

Casey-Westfield

Huisinga hasnt played a varsi-ty snap, but hes excelled in theWarriors QB-friendly spread passattack system in his first two yearsof high school. Look for him tohave a quality first varsity season.

THE TEAMS MOST

LIKELY TO ...

... go to Champaign for a shotat a state title:

Tuscola

Everything that could go wrongfor Tuscola last year did, and theystill won the state title. This year,quarterback Jud Wienke ishealthy, both sides of the line arerock solid and the receiving corpshas playmakers reminiscent ofthe 2006-07 teams.

Casey-Westfield

Most teams returning just twooffensive starters wouldnt makethis list. The Warriors arent mostteams. Casey hasnt lost a regu-lar-season game in the Little Illinisince 2006, and has advanced toat least the quarterfinals everyyear since 2003.

Maroa-Forsyth

The Trojans have questionmarks entering the season aboutleadership and line play followingtheir Class 2A runner-up finish,but they also have great athletes lots of them. The systemexploits matchup problems thoseathletes cause, and a potentiallydominating defense makes theTrojans a threat for a state run.

Central A&M

The Raiders beat the defendingClass 1A state champs last year,but a rematch never materializedwhen A&M was just above the 2Acutoff. Now in 1A, if it can fill holeson the line left by graduation,

A&M has theskillplayers tochallengeTuscola.

ON THE WEB ...

l TheH&Rs GameCentral blog isback again thisyear. Talk abouteach weeks games atwww.hrpreps.com/gamecentral.

l The H&Rs sportswriters willbe blogging all season aboutfootball. Check out the talk atwww.hrpreps.com/blog.

l The prep football pickemcontest lets you pick from areahigh school games each week.

New this year: Winners eachweek will pick up prizes fromPepsi and Papa Murphy's.

To register, head towww.hrpreps.com/pickem.

WHATS NEXT?

A look at the rest of theweeks feature teams and othercoverage as the preview rolls on:

MONDAY: Eisenhower/MacArthurTUESDAY: Effingham/Mount ZionWEDNESDAY: Arcola/Cerro Gordo

Player of the Year candidatesTHURSDAY: Central A&M/Tuscola

Schedules for all the teamsFRIDAY: Preview of Week 1

THE BEST

GAMESOF THE YEAR

Heres some games thatcould turn out to be some ofthe best football fans will seeplayed all season. In the nextfour days, well take a look atgames between traditionalrivals, matchups with playoffimplications and conferenceshowdowns.

Week 1 8.27.10Mount Zion at Mahomet-Seymour

The Braves 18-gameregular-season winning streak willbe on the line against Corn Beltpower Mahomet-Seymour. Thegame is a much-needed regular-season test against a school out-side of the Apollo Conference.

Week 2 9.3.10Monticello at Maroa-Forsyth

The Sages appeared to turn acorner in the second half of thismatchup last year after Maroadominated the first half. With twocoaches who like to throw the balland plenty of athletes on bothteams, this should be a crowd-pleaser.

Week 2 9.3.10St. Teresa at Tuscola

Possibly the areas hardest-hitting game last year was decidedby a blocked extra-point. It could bethe main obstacle to an undefeatedseason for Tuscola.

Week 3 9.10.10Central A&M at Monticello

The Sages went on the road lastseason and won the battle ofteams that surprised people, 22-21.Will the Raiders defense be ableto quiet the Sages offense athome?

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | SUNDAY, AUGUST 22 | SECTION C

DREAM ON?

What kind of season will it be for St. Teresa, Maroa?

Herald & Review photos/Stephen Haas

St. Teresas Kyle Leckrone will be a part of a strong defensive pass rush for the Bulldogs, who hope to rebound from their 2009 first-round Class 3A playoff exit.

CentralA&MsMattDavis

SportsHerald&Review

Logan Stelzriede is at the helm for Maroa-Forsyth this year.

Defense shows improvementin second Illinois scrimmage C7

St. Louis picks upwin over Giants C3

A big step

up for

Illinois

Carpenter leads CardsBears offense looks solid in loss

ON THE WEB | WWW.HRPREPS.COM

CREDITS

l Photos by Stephen Haas and Kelly J. Huff.l Scenarios by Leroy Bridges and Justin Conn.

ON THE WEB

l The H&Rs Game Centralblog is back again this year.

Talk about each weeks

games at www.hrpreps.com/

gamecentral.

l The H&Rs writers will be blogging all seasonabout football. Check out the talk at

www.hrpreps.com/blog.

l The prep football pickem contest lets you pickfrom area high school games each week.

To register, head to www.hrpreps.com/pickem.

l Our Top Fan Contest is looking for the craziestor most loyal fan in the H&R area. It gives you an

opportunity to send photos and provide a brief

reason why that person deserves to be our top fan.

You have eight weeks to submit, and then well

choose one entry.

To enter, go to www.hrpreps.com/topfan.

Every team enters the year with hopes of a dream season. Some make the dreams

come true. Some dreams turn into nightmares. Most fall somewhere in between.

Whats going to happen for your favorite team this year?

2010 PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW

C4 | PREPS | SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010 | DECATUR, ILLINOIS DECATUR, ILLINOIS | SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010 | PREPS | C5

ARGENTA-OREANA

Dream season

Argenta knocks off one of the conferencespowers-that-be and makes the playoffs in what iscoach Tom Saunches final season. This year, theBombers have the most overall talent since the2006 team that went 7-3. The offensive line couldbe one of the best in the conference with anchorsTrent Trudeau and Ethan Johnson. Theyll breakopen holes for Dylan Whicker, who missed all oflast season with an injury but rushed for 728 yardsand 7 TDs as a sophomore.

Nightmare

A repeat of last year. Though Argenta showedplenty of heart in winning four games despite arash of injuries, the Bombers dont want a repeat ofthat. Even with a healthy season, Argenta wouldhave to knock off either Tolono Unity, Monticello,Central A&M, Maroa-Forsyth or Tuscola to becomeplayoff eligible.

Reality

Argenta sends Saunches out with an OK seasonof three to five wins but cant crack the confer-ences elite.

ARTHUR-LOVINGTON

Dream

The Knights stay competitive and manage a fewwins. To make it happen, the Knights who lost 11seniors from last years 5-4 team will need someyoung players to emerge fast. Arthur does havesome size on the line, but its skill players will haveto grow up fast.

Nightmare

A key injury or two lightens whats already a dan-gerously small roster of 22 players, and the Knightssuffer through a long, rough season.

Reality

Coach Dale Schuring and company battlethrough a winless 2010 while building a foundationfor next season.

LINCOLN

Dream

The Railers play like the team that nearlyknocked off Springfield in Week 8 last year, staycompetitive against the Central State Eights eliteand win four games.

The key is the emergence of quarterback JamesLeisinger, who started the Railers final threegames last year. Last years leading receiver,Darvez Stancle, and converted quarterbackStephen Duncan give Leisinger two go-to receivers.

Defensively, the defensive line combination of285-pound Tedarion Carter and 290-pound SawyerConrady clog the middle and stuff the run.

Nightmare

The offense fails to take off under Leisinger andthe Railers dont develop a running game. Theresult is a second straight winless season.

Reality

The Central State Eight is particularly tough rightnow, making it difficult for any up-and-comingteams to break through.

Lincoln competes in most games with a bal-anced offense, experienced offensive line and run-stopping defense, but manage only two wins.

FLORA

Dream

The Wolves win a playoff game for the first timein school history. It should have happened last year,when Flora went 7-2 in the regular season. But arough first-round draw in Central A&M extended theWolves futility to nine appearances without a win.This year, run/pass threat Trent Tackitt is in his thirdyear at QB and hes surrounded by returning talent.Plus, coach Skip Dillon always seems to find aworkhorse at running back. It could be seniorCristian Hannel this time around.

Nightmare

Tackitts senior season doesnt unfold asplanned when the Wolves cant build a steadyrushing attack. World-beaters Casey-Westfield andMarshall take away any momentum Flora had builtfrom last season and it causes the Wolves to missthe playoffs.

Reality

The Little Illini is top-heavy, so there arent manytough games to prepare the Wolves for the playoffs.Another tough early playoff matchup is likely, andthat will end Floras season with seven or eight wins.

MERIDIAN

Dream

Senior QB Tye Manns blooms into the dual-threat playmaker that coach Eric Hurelbrink hopedhe would and wreaks havoc on defenses in theOkaw. The Hawks get quality play from someyoungsters and upset the balance of the confer-ence. A surprise could include a road win againstMonticello, St. Teresa, Maroa-Forsyth or Tuscolaand a playoff bid.

Nightmare

The schedule abuses Manns and the Hawkslose any momentum before they can even remem-ber that the season has started. Tough road gamescome in Weeks 1, 3, 5 and 8 and the team doesnteven manage wins at home against teams Meridi-an annually beats.

Reality

Manns does some good things that help easethe pain from brutal road losses. The end result is atwo- or three-win season.

MATTOON

Dream

An experienced offensive line jells quickly, lead-ing to breakout years from running back TreyeWilliams, quarterback Shaunesy Carlen, below, andreceiver Michael Heller, and Mattoon gets off to ahot start.

Against its Big 12 competition, the Green Wavefights its way to a 4-4 record heading into its seasonfinale with Normal West.

Nightmare

The defense cant get the opponents offensesoff the field, and Mattoons offense isconsistently forced to play catch-up.A slow start puts the Green Wavein an uphill battle when it gets toa brutal second part of itsschedule.

Reality

Mattoon is involved inshootouts all season, givingits fans an exciting, but attimes frustrating season. AgainstBig 12 opponents, wins are hard tocome by and Mattoon ends up withtwo or three of them.

OLNEY EAST RICHLAND

Dream

This years seniors lay the foundation for theunderclassmen to turn things around for a teamthat hasnt been to the playoffs since 2000. Num-bers within the program are solid and the Tigershave two exciting young players in sophomorequarterback Justin Bailey and sophomore receiverBrook Pampe. It will be up to seniors GabeMcVaigh, Jake Combs, Steve Levitt and WesHagen to get it going in the right direction with acouple wins this year.

Nightmare

Defense continues to struggle. Offense wasntthe problem for the Tigers last year they aver-aged 17.3 points per game. But Olney couldnt stopthe run and allowed 38 points per game. That startsup front on the line a unit the Tigers will needsignificant improvement from before they cancompete in any game.

Reality

Bailey and Pampe create some excitement byshowing glimpses of what the Tigers have comingback next year, but they cant find a win.

OBLONG

Dream

First-year coach Randy Littlejohn takes over awinless team from 2009 and is able to let his youngteam mature throughout a rocky season. Despitethe lack of wins, Littlejohn leans on sophomorequarterback Anthony Johnson and sets the founda-tion for a quality 2011.

Nightmare

All the losing prevents the team, especially John-son, from gaining any valuable experience. And thefourth coach of the Panthers in the past 10 yearsbegins another rough stretch.

Reality

Seniors James Schlosser (lineman and line-backer) and Seth Tracy (lineman) bring Johnsonalong to make sure the season doesnt go to waste.

ROBINSON

Dream

The rebuilding project for Tim Nolen takes anoth-er significant step by winning a playoff game. In2009, the Maroons won five games and made theplayoffs for the first time in seven years. Despitelosing 1,000-yard back Bryan McCullough, Robin-son snaps a nine-year playoff win drought behindseniors A.J. Woods (defensive end), Mike Smolins-ki (defensive end), Pat Parkhurst (offensive guard)and Taylor Goodwin (defensive tackle).

Nightmare

After winning more than one game for the firsttime in three seasons last fall, the Maroons revertback to old ways. McCulloughs production out ofthe backfield isnt replaced and Robinson managesonly a couple wins.

Reality

Robinsons senior talent should produce enoughto get some wins in a weak conference, leading theMaroons to their second straight playoff appear-ance before a first-round exit.

PANA

Dream

Pana continues to show the ability to reload,replacing last years 14-member senior class with14 more seniors.

The Panthers philosophy under Al Stupek ofdepending on several players carrying the ball, ratherthan having one workhorse, is again effective behindmulti-talented Phillip Arnold and Brett Amling.

Behind an offensive line that lost Alan Handy andChad Miller, but returns Nick Spracklen, Zack Etterand Jared McMillen, the Panthers compete for a con-ference title and make another extended playoff run.

Nightmare

The Panthers cant find cant find a replacementfor the all-around playmaking abilities of CodyMcLaughlin at quarterback, and Pana cant getover the hump in close games like it has the pasttwo seasons. The result is a three-win season.

Reality

Pana doesnt have the all-around talent of lastyears team, but still remains confident in closegames and fresh because the Panthers dont leanon one or two players. The Panthers avoid injuries,win six regular-season games and claim a playoffvictory.

SULLIVAN-OKAW VALLEY

Dream

Sullivan has won just one game the past threeseasons, but the experience at key positions getsthis team to two or three wins. QB Chad Frerichsbecomes more consistent and RB Seth Sweeneybecomes an 800-yard back.

Nightmare

The roster exploded from 40 in 2009 to 73 thisyear, and that causes a bit of trouble preparing theplayers for the rigors of Okaw Valley Conferenceplay. The increased numbers bode well for thefuture but hold back the team and its another zero-or one-win season

Reality

Clearly, this program is headed in the right direc-tion with the huge jump in numbers. In the meantime, Frerichs, Sweeney, lineman Cody Robinsonand linebacker Erik Scott help add some momen-tum with a three-win year.

SOUTH PIATT

Dream

The Wildcats win the LOVC title. With a 19-mem-ber senior class led by quarterback Randy Cristand linebacker Josh Peeler, South Piatt improveson last years five-win playoff season. Runningback Steve Bryan, lineman Matt Lee and defensiveback Colin Auth are big losses, but the Wildcatsplug and chug at every position.

Nightmare

South Piatt gets off to another slow start and this time cant recover. Last year, the Wildcatslost four of their first five games before getting intothe playoffs with a four-game win streak. With Tri-County and Villa Grove in Weeks 3 and 4, the Wild-cats are challenged early and dont respond.

Reality

In the wide-open LOVC, South Piatt winsenough games to make the playoffs again, but itsa struggle.

WARRENSBURG-LATHAM

Dream

The Cardinals compete in every game, endingup with four wins, including one on the road.Behind four players who saw varsity time at the skillpositions including senior running back DakotaMcKenzie and several players who step up, War-rensburg battles as the underdog in every game itplays.

Nightmare

The program doesnt take a step in the rightdirection, which is a lost opportunity for theyounger players who are taking over the program.After going 1-8 in 2009, another one-win seasondoesnt sit well.

Reality

With home games against Sullivan-Okaw Valleyand Clinton, Warrensburg could end up with twowins. That would make the Cardinals 16-41 in thepast seven years.

TAYLORVILLE

Dream

The eight starters back on both sides of the ballbuild on last years four-win season, surprise a cou-ple of the Central State Eights top teams and theTornadoes make it back to the playoffs.

Senior running back Blaine Lacy has a monsteryear behind a powerhouse offensive line thatincludes Rey Rodriguez and Luke Wehmhoff.

Nightmare

The CS8 competition proves too tough and Tay-lorville, despite winning its first two games, finisheswith just three wins.

Lacy and senior quarterback Beau McDonaldpost solid seasons, but cant make enough of animpact against Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield,Jacksonville, Chatham Glenwood or Rochester.

Reality

Taylorville takes several of the conferences bestteams down to the wire maybe even pulling offan upset but cant top last years four-winseason.

VANDALIA

Dream

Led by the passing combination of Marty John-son to Daniel Bell, a team that took its lumpsthrough a three-win season last year returns theVandals to the playoffs.

Defense is Vandalias real strength, and the Van-dals hold most of their South Central Conferenceopponents to two touchdowns or less led by line-backers Bryan Hosick and Nathan Henna, and line-man Levi Ulmer.

Nightmare

Vandalias flexbone running game cant provideoffensive balance and the Vandals struggle toscore like they did the final three games of last sea-son.

The defense strong through the first threequarters of games wilts late and Vandalia strug-gles to another three-win season.

Reality

The parity in the South Central leads to closegames and some unpredictable finishes. But with ateam built on the strength of its defense, the Van-dals slug it out and win enough games to return tothe playoffs.

MONTICELLO

Dream

The Sages add another chapter to the programsstory of rebirth under second-year coach CullenWelter with a couple playoff wins. Welter lost a cou-ple big-time players in receiver Cale Huisinga, QBBen Palla and RB Tyler Lieb, but he plugs in a cou-ple new faces and moves on. Wideout Matt Pallaleads the area in receiving again and the offense isable to establish the run better with an experiencedline. In a new wrinkle, the Sages are stout defen-sively, too, as they return seven starters and pos-sess some good speed on that side of the ball.

Nightmare

The lack of upperclassman depth (only 11 sen-iors and 13 juniors) becomes obvious as Weltercant find enough playmakers to fill the voids left atthe skill positions. The experience on defensedoesnt show and the Okaw continues to feast onMonticellos run defense.

Reality

Another year under Welter wont hurt as theSages are just as explosive offensively as theywere in 2009. The defense is improved and Monti-cello is once again a factor in the Okaw and a play-off team that finishes with seven or eight wins.

SANGAMON VALLEY

Dream

Junior running back Dan Rentschler continueshis progression as one the best backs in the areaby surpassing the 1,500-yard mark and finding theend zone 20 times on his way to county player ofthe year. Unlike in 2009, he gets some help fromthe quarterback position, whether thats returningstarter Nick Craig or transfer Arik Bueltmann, andthe offense wins some games for the Storm. Afterwinning one game a year ago, Sangamon Valleycomes close to making the playoffs, but its strengthof schedule prevents that.

Nightmare

There is no answer at quarterback in partbecause of poor offensive line play and defensesstack nine guys in the box and force Rentschler tobeat them. Rentschlers good enough to makesome plays, but ultimately the result is the same as2009 and the team wins only one game with littleprogress.

Reality

Coach Michael Lee gets some better results witha more experienced bunch, especially from the QBposition, and fans are pleasantly surprised with athree- or four-win year.

SHELBYVILLE

Dream

With the conferences most difficult first fivegames of the year, the Rams take one of them andare able to regroup after the tough early stretch.Jake Duck and Damien Coleman help anchor aline that gets Luke Hatfield and Jake Keown goingdown the stretch and Shelbyville wins three of itsfinal four games.

Nightmare

The early season difficulties get to the Rams andthey never recover. With Tuscola, Maroa-Forsyth,Central A&M and St. Teresa all in the first fiveweeks, confidence is in the gutter after some badlosses and the season ends with only one win.

Reality

The Rams arent able to pull off any big upsetsbut three wins, two coming late, help the seasonend positively.

CASEY-WESTFIELD

Dream

The Warriors cap a decade of dominance bywinning the schools second state title. Casey haslost a total of eight games in the past six seasons,and reloads annually with the type of talent it takesto make a run at a championship. Seniors ClintonScott and Hunter Whaley will provide the leader-ship this season, and junior quarterback HeathHuisinga will take the reins of the Warriors spreadoffense

Nightmare

Casey finally hits a rebuilding year. The Warriorsreturn only two starters, and coach Keith Sinclairanticipates contributors coming from all four class-es. Even in a down year, Casey is a shoo-in tomake the playoffs. But the Warriors may have atough time carrying their 28-game conference win-ning streak through another year, or extending itsstreak of quarterfinal appearances to eight.

Reality

Casey continues its run to the quarters andmakes a serious run to state but falls just short with11 or 12 wins.

CHARLESTON

Dream

All those heartbreaking losses from the past two seasonsbecome wins and Charleston becomes the Apollos breakoutteam.

Quarterback Levi Ebbert comes of age in his senior season atquarterback and spreads the ball around to Charlestons largegroup of small but sure-handed receivers, and 150-pound run-ning back L.J. Welsh uses his speed to break some big plays.

The Trojans backbone is a stingy, hard-hitting defense ledby linebacker Chris Creek. Charleston rides that combinationto a 7-2 regular season and rolls in the playoffs similar to 2008 when the Trojans advanced to the quarterfinals.

Nightmare

Without a workhorse at running back and with no receiverstepping up as a main playmaker, Charleston struggles to scoreand again loses several games by seven points or less,leading to a third straight 4-5 season.

Reality

Unlike the past two seasons, Charlestons defense isloaded this year. The linebackers are fast and hard-hit-ting, the defensive backfield is deep and athletic andthe line includes three-year starter David Haller at endand 275-pound Jacob Schrock at one of the tacklepositions. The Trojans turn a couple of those closelosses to wins and make it back to the playoffs.

CLINTON

Dream

The Okaw Valleys sleeping giant awakes andmakes its first playoff appearance since 2004. InJohn Haydens first season as coach in 2009, theMaroons won two games. But theyve had a fullyear under his system, and return most key playerson both sides of the ball, including quarterbackAaron Ennis and running back Byron Conner.Theyll be tested early with games against Maroa-Forsyth and Central A&M, which they hope pre-pares them for their Okaw Black slate.

Nightmare

The pall that seems to follow this programremains. The schedule is stacked against Clinton,and its too much to overcome. The Maroons pickup only one win and take a step back after whatseemed to be a step forward last season.

Reality

The Maroons see some more positive signs inHaydens second year, but its nothing to upset thepecking order in the Okaw as Clinton finishes withtwo or three wins.

CUMBERLAND

Dream

The Pirates con-tinue to baffle teamswith their defense,which returns ninestarters from a unitthat allowed only14.3 points a gamein 2009. BacksBraden Shaffer andClay Wilson lessen the blow of losing one of theareas best rushers in Silas Gabel as Cumberlandoverthrows Casey-Westfield as the conferences topteam and the Pirates go on a deep playoff run.

Nightmare

A fourth straight playoff appearance comes upempty after the offense fails to fill the void left byGabel, QB Cole Miller and lineman Jim Kruse. Thedefense plays its heart out but ultimately, thePirates cant find the end zone.

Reality

Shaffer and Wilson combine for Gabels produc-tion and Cumberland makes the playoffs and finish-es the year with six or seven wins.

NEWTON

Dream

The Eagles return to the playoffs for the first timesince 2007. The key will be building around seniorquarterback Brian Emmerich, who showed flashesof brilliance in leading Newton to a 2-1 start lastyear. Blocking shouldnt be a problem with seniorsDerek Casey, Dylan Casey and Mark Fehrenbacherreturning to the line. Newton finds a running gameand a main target for Emmerich and the offenseleads this resurgence.

Nightmare

Turnovers and inconsistency continue to plaguethem. Interceptions were a problem for Emmerichlast year, and were a major contributor to theEagles scoring just 14 points in their final sixgames. A tough non-conference schedule thatbegins with Fairbury Prairie Central is foreshadow-ing to a season that ends with Breese Mater Deiand only a couple wins.

Reality

Emmerich should be improved with better deci-sion making, but the run game isnt consistentenough for the Eagles. A playoff appearance isntin order for this four-win team.

NOKOMIS

Dream

The senior quarterback and running back comboof Hayden Brownback and Tyler Morse lead thisteam to its best season since 2007, coach GabeCesarettis first year. They enjoyed the playoffs anda 5-5 record that year, which is exactly how thisrebound from a one-win season goes.

Nightmare

The Redskins dont find the leadership theyneed to win a couple close games and it results ina winless season. That would make them 2-25 inthe past three seasons.

Reality

Despite winning only one game in 2009,Nokomis was competitive in several games. If it cancompete in Week 1 against Sangamon Valley, theconfidence and a senior backfield will result in twoor three wins.

WEDNESDAY

Arcola and Cerro Gordo

TUESDAY

Effingham and Mount Zion

MONDAY

Eisenhower and MacArthur

THURSDAY

Central A&M and Tuscola

MacArthurs Jamal Nasir Effinghams Grant Johnson Arcolas Tony Van Gundy Central A&Ms Colton Callan

MonticellocoachCullenWelter

Argentas Cam Cripe

CharlestonquarterbackLevi Ebbert

Senior Dalton Bauguss

SangamonValleys

Casey Acree

ON THE WEB | WWW.HRPREPS.COM

BY JUSTIN CONN and LEROY BRIDGESH&R Staff Writers

The march to Champaignbegan months ago in theweight room, but the officialfootball work for high schoolteams begins today on prac-tice fields across the state.

As always, the first daybringsoptimism particu-larly com-ing off a

season inwhich two

area teams,Maroa-Forsyth

and Tuscola,made the state

finals. Even theteams that struggled

last year are circlingfive winnable games on

their schedule and feelthe playoffs are a realisticgoal.

Some coaches, fans andteams know exactly whatthey have and what couldhappen if things go well.Others arent so sure andwill start to put the piecesof their puzzle togetherwith their eyes set on Aug. 27.

During the next 16 days, players will grindthrough long days enduring the wrath oftheir coaches and heat indexes expectedwell over 100 degrees. Through it all, theirsights will be set on laying the groundworkto a championship season. No practice willbe easy, but the sacrifice that leads to win-ning is well worth it.

With the help of some area coaches, wetake a look at our 10 biggest questions head-ing into the 2010 season.

For that list, go to Page B4

SportsHerald&Review

BSIDELINES

www.herald-review.com

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Former Illinois

coach survives

rough first year/B5

Compiled from H&R staff and news service reports Bears back Forte

happy to have somehelp in camp/B5

Questions or comments regarding this section? Contact Sports Editor Mike Albright at 421-7909

Speak up

Vote online at:

www.herald-review.com/sports

Come and meet the Illini Illini football fans can meet the

team on Saturday, Aug. 28 in the

Great West Hall of Memorial Stadi-

um.

Fans can arrive early

to watch the teams

game day rehearsal

from the west stands

from 9:30-11:15 a.m.

before heading to the

Great West Hall to get autographs

and photos with the players. Team

posters will be available for the play-

ers to sign and fans can bring their

own items to be autographed. That

session will run from 11:15 a.m. to

1:15 p.m.

Admission is free and parking will

be available in the northeast and

northwest lots of Assembly Hall.

And no hairsprayWith NFL training camps in full

swing, Survivor survivor Jimmy

Johnson offered an apt comparison

in describing his experience doing

the CBS reality

show in

Nicaragua.

He said it was

tougher than

three-a-days.

At least if youre

going through

those practices,

you get a good

nights sleep and

you have food in your stomach,

Johnson said. We got no sleep,

and there were days we were exist-

ing on less than 100 calories a day.

The former coach spent more

than a month this summer with Sur-

vivor as one of 20 castaways. The

season premiere will air Sept. 15.

Page B5

Ozzie: Wheres our respect?White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen

apparently thinks his team isnt get-

ting enough respect.

The outspoken skipper went off

on another tangent before Tuesdays

game against the Minnesota Twins,

the first of three between the AL

Central co-leaders, saying his team

deserves more credit and doesnt

feel the support in Chicago.

Guillen sarcastically waved off

headlines hyping the Twins arrival

and when his wife mentioned Min-

nesota visiting, he responded by

saying, Good, you dating some-

body from there?

Guillen went on to say he feels

more proud of this ballclub than

any team I ever managed and even

vowed to write a book about this

season.

All Hail, JoePa?Penn State football coach Joe

Paterno has been nominated for the

highest civilian award in the country.

Congressmen

including Glenn

Thompson, Mark Critz

and Tim Holden say

the Hall of Fame

coach deserves a

Presidential Medal of

Freedom for his serv-

ice to the Nittany Lions, the universi-

ty and the State College community.

Their nomination letter to Presi-

dent Barack Obama says Paterno

personifies sportsmanship on the

field and academic achievement in

the classroom while also noting

Paternos philanthropic efforts.

Paternos 394 career victories are

most among college coaches.

Should the Cubs

make Alan Tram-

mell the interim

manager now?

KEY

DATES

Today

August 27

October 23

November 26

expect

footballseason

Whatcan we

from theupcoming

Teams aroundthe state canstart practice.

First day forregular-seasongames.

Playoff pairingsare announced.

Class 1A-4Achampionshipgames.

LETS GET IT STARTED

Will there be a

different Okaw

Valley Conference

team that emerges

this season?

Can Mount Zion

go through the

Apollo Conference

undefeated for a

third straight sea-

son?

Will Eisenhower

break its five-year

losing streak to

MacArthur?

?Associated Press

Scott Rolen and Jonny Gomes, right, of Cincinnati pull St. Louiscatcher Yadier Molina away from batter Brandon Phillips during analtercation in the first inning of Tuesdays game.

Cardinals fight their way back into firstCINCINNATI (AP) From their first-

inning scrum to the final out, the St.Louis Cardinals sent a message: Dontdemean the defending champs. Not with-out expecting a fight.

Yadier Molina jawed with CincinnatiReds second baseman Brandon Phillipsin the first inning Tuesday night, spark-ing a benches-clearing fight, and the Car-dinals followed their catchers lead to an8-4 victory that moved St. Louis back intofirst place in the NL Central.

When it was over, there were cuts andscrapes and a sense that the Cardinalshad gotten the better of it all.

I know our guys, manager Tony LaRussa said. This is not the first timethat weve been challenged. You just goup and down our roster weve got abunch of guys that are very tough char-acters. Like I say, theres times that youbeat us, were not good enough. But

youre never going to scare us and werenever going to back down.

The fight brought out their best. St. Louis has won the first two games

of the showdown series between teamslocked in a tight race since May. The Car-dinals moved a season-high 14 gamesover .500 and a few percentage pointsahead of the Reds, who had led the divi-sion for the last eight days.

The defending champions improved to9-5 against the Reds this season, the onlyteam in the NL Central that has beatenthem so thoroughly.

Theyre in first place, but we showedweve got good talent and were going tocompete, Molina said. We did today. Webattled.

By contrast, the Reds responded to thedustup with one of their worst games,

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) Forget chasing the No. 1ranking. Phil Mickelsonwas more worried aboutbeing able to get out of bed.

Mickelson revealed Tues-day he has psoriatic arthri-tis, which causes hisimmune system to attackhis joints and tendons andproduced such intense painhe couldnt walk. Henoticed the first symptomsfive days before the U.S.Open, and the pain eventu-ally got so bad he made avisit to the Mayo Clinic.

Weekly shots havebrought the disease undercontrol, and Mickelson saidthere shouldnt be any neg-ative impact on his long- oreven short-term health.

Im surprised at howquickly its gone away, andhow quickly its been ableto be managed and con-trolled, he said. I feel 100

percent, like I say. Butwhen Im laying there onthe couch and I cant move,you know, yeah, I had someconcerns. But I feel a lotbetter now.

As if that bombshell wasnot enough for the day,Lefty dropped another one:the burger connoisseur isnow a vegetarian.

I know, I know, he said

as reporters laughed. Aslong as I believe thattheres a possibility that itwill help me overall, yeah,Ill continue to do that. If itwill somehow keep this inremission or stop it fromcoming back, yeah, Ill beable to do it. But I haventbeen put it to the real test.

B