Coal City Courant

Coalers ready for the first two tests

Published by admin on Tue, 06/11/2019 - 6:25pm

by shawn long
staff writer
The Green Machine fires up 11 weeks from Friday. That’s when the Coal City football team will storm the field at Morris for the 2019 opener.
The Coalers, who finished 2018 as I-8 Large champions with a 10-2 record, fell to Richmond-Burton in the quarterfinals, 17-14. They’ll begin with the same team they had in 2018 when the Redskins cruised to a 21-7 win. Coal City intends to flip that script against the 4A opponent.

Giving back Coaler champions return to instruct youngsters during wrestling camp

Published by admin on Tue, 06/11/2019 - 6:23pm

by shawn long
staff writer
Once a Coaler, always a Coaler. A handful of former Coaler athletes lived up to that mantra last week during the annual Coal City High School youth summer wrestling camp.

ONU’s Southall, Emerson earn All-Region honors

Published by admin on Tue, 06/11/2019 - 6:20pm

by shawn long
staff writer
Former Wilmington softball pitcher Miranda Southall was recently named an All- American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Southall, a junior at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, earned a spot on the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conferene team and now the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-America team.

BREAKING NEWS- Headrick drafted by the Minnesota Twins

Published by admin on Tue, 06/04/2019 - 5:14pm

With the ninth pick in the ninth round of the MLB draft, the Minnesota Twins select, Brent Headrick, a junior starting pitcher from Illinois State University.

Headrick is a former Reed-Custer pitcher who led the Comets to a 2016 state championship.

Campos named All-Conference

Published by admin on Tue, 06/04/2019 - 5:04pm

Former Lady Coaler Leah Campos has earned softball honors during her sophomore season at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.
Campos took the field for 39 games this season and was named a second team American Rivers All Conference selection at third base.
Her season stats include a .400 batting average with 41 hits, 10 doubles, two triples and pair of home runs, 21 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

Forty-eight teams to battle during Braidwood Shootout

Published by admin on Tue, 06/04/2019 - 5:00pm

by shawn long
staff writer
Fans itching for some basketball action are in luck as the 25th annual Exelon Braidwood Shootout will feature 48 teams from 1A and 2A high schools.
The three-day event will start with a girls tournament on Tuesday, June 11, then highlight boys teams June 12 and 13. Games will be played simultaneously on the three courts in the Reed-Custer field house and the R-C Middle School gym.

Interstate Eight Conference names best of I-8 baseball, softball

Published by admin on Tue, 06/04/2019 - 4:57pm

by shawn long
staff writer
Wilmington, Coal City and Reed-Custer all had players named the Interstate Eight All Conference baseball and softball teams.
The north division champion Coalers (27-5, 14-0) had four players chosen for the All-Conference baseball team. Jack Bunton, Keegan Gagliardo, Payton Hutchings and Austin Pullara were given the nod.
Bunton hit .340 with two home runs, 11 doubles, a triple and 26 RBIs. He also scored 24 runs as a junior.

Lady Coalers bow out after regional loss

Published by admin on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 6:45pm

by shawn long
staff writer
The Lady Coaler softball team saw their season come to end Wednesday in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Joliet Catholic Academy as it came down to the last play of the game in the LaSalle-Peru Regional semifinal.
Zoe Wills (6-7) had to pitch her best game of the year, facing state-ranked JCA and she did better than that, blanking them through regulation. Coal City took a 1-0 in the eighth inning but it didn’t hold up.

Redskins avenge the Coalers in regional championship

Published by admin on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 6:44pm

by shawn long
staff writer
The Coal City baseball team beat Morris 3-2 earlier this season thanks to a walk-off single.
So confidence for the Coalers was running high Saturday when the Redskins came to town to decide the 3A regional championship.
But this time Morris avenged the earlier loss, surprising Coal City, 4-2, to end the Coalers’ impressive season too soon.
“Morris had a very good pitcher,” said CC coach Greg Wills. “He pitched very well and the team played very well and did a few more things than we did, enough to earn the win.”

Coalers end on high note, regionals next

Published by admin on Tue, 05/21/2019 - 5:34pm

by shawn long
staff writer
The Coal City baseball team ended its regular season with a 6-1 win over Homewood Flossmoor (18-17) on Monday.
Payton Hutchings, a University of Illinois 2020 committ, was impressive on the mound and at the plate.
The Coaler junior went 2-for-3 with a home run and three runs driven in to lead the Coalers in an unfriendly environment.
Jack Bunton, Austin Pullara and Cade Mueller all had two hits while driving in a run.