Fairfield News

While attempting just three passes, Sigourney-Keota rumbled through Pekin to the tune of 285 rushing yards and five touchdowns on its way to a 42-24 win in last season?s opener.But gone is 2,000-yard rusher and touchdown machine Andrew Utterback, as well as 900-yard runner Evan Hammes, and an improved Pekin team is ready to start 2011 out right. However, don?t expect the Savage Cobras to change their game ...

Van Buren was beat up in a 38-6 loss to Wapello to open the season last week, but now hope that game experience will pay dividends in week two.After all, it had been since 2009 since the Warriors had played a varsity contest and even longer since they recorded a win. A chance for both of those is present again with a trip to Winfield-Mount Union Friday night.The Wolves were 2-6 a season ago, but were still ...

The Fairfield swim team lost half of its roster to graduation a year ago, but in their place come six more newcomers for first-year head coach Jane McMahon.And the six returning members are all seasoned swimmers who will be looked upon to carry much of the load.Senior Abby McMahon and sophomores Baylee Bowman and Jade Greiner are the leaders of that group, and will be asked to swim a wide variety of events ...

Jerrod Belzer is a veteran coach for the Fairfield girls? cross-country team, but steps into a new element this fall.Belzer will also lead the boys? team as the two squads combine under one coach. Known quantities are plentiful on the girls? side, but the runners on the boys? side will be just as new as the head coach.The Trojans return just one of last year?s top seven runners while the girls appear just ...

Nancy Diers has always emphasized winning conference matches, and it has led to a heap of conference championships over the years.The Fairfield volleyball team?s 37-match Southeast Conference win streak was broken last fall, and subsequently, so was the run of four-straight titles.?First things first, we?re looking to get that conference banner back in Fairfield,? Diers said. ?We think we are still the team ...

With Joe Donovan at the helm in his inaugural season at Pekin last fall, the Panthers tumbled to a 2-6 record and suffered their first losing season in nearly 50 years.However, the deck was somewhat stacked against Pekin playing in a tough district with only three seniors on the entire roster. Now all of those underclassmen who gained valuable playing time in 2010 are back to right the ship.?We have to get ...

Conference championships, regional championships, state championships.The Pekin girls? cross-country team has done it all over the past few years, but don?t think they?re ready to call it quits.The Panthers were the Class 1A state champs in 2008, settled for second in Class 2A in 2009 and won another crown in Class 1A last fall. Now with six of seven runners returning from last year?s squad, it doesn?t take ...

Two years ago, Cardinal put together one of the best seasons in school history and played its way to the substate playoffs.Spirits were high for the Comets until 2010 ended with a thud ? an 0-8 season with four of those losses coming by a margin less than a touchdown.New head coach Adam Hadenfeldt now takes over and will try to push Cardinal into taking another step forward. He certainly has the pedigree as ...

Pekin went through the rebuilding growing pains a year ago, and now in 2011, hope to take another step forward.The first part of that process is already completed ? 31 members on the team for second-year head coach Ashley Bartels. Six players return from last year?s varsity rotation, but competition has already picked up for those looking to fill in the rest.?At the varsity level, it?s going to be tough ...

Jerald Harter and Suzanne Smith took over the Cardinal volleyball program last fall and finally provided some continuity.Now with a full offseason in the books, the Comets are looking to reap those rewards.?They bought into what me and coach Smith have been saying all year. They have learned the game and developed a little bit more of a volleyball IQ,? Harter said. ?They have used the offseason to play some ...

For Van Buren, it?s already a step in the right direction.The Warriors are back to playing on Friday nights after taking a year off from varsity football last fall due to low numbers. Those numbers are back up as a total of 39 players ? just missing head coach Rich Wiegand?s goal of 40 ? have been on the field for preseason practices the past two weeks.Wiegand, who was an assistant coach the past three ...

Don?t look for too much to change for Van Buren volleyball in 2011.The Warriors didn?t graduate a single player from last year?s 9-18 campaign, and as head coach Bonnie Watson settles into her third year at the helm, she provides that much more continuity.?The girls are all very comfortable with what we?re doing, and that just helps the speed at which we can practice. We?ve been going through things pretty ...