Villa Grove sports wrap
By Tony Hooker
Boy’s golf
Zack Buesing fired an 84, qualifying him for the sectional meet, as Villa Grove participated in the IHSA class 1A regional golf tournament at Moweaqua. The Blue Devils, who tied for eighth with the home school, also received a 100 from Jake Gilles. Nick Wilson chipped in with a 103. Liam Barr had a 105, Noah Davison fired a 106 and Jalen Southard ended his season with a 117.
Girl’s Golf
Maci Clodfelder fired a 114 to lead her team at the Charleston regional. Kylie Block and Addsiyn Wilson chipped in with 125’s, Logan Lillard had a 127, Zoey Thompson Burton chipped in with a 141 and Alison Pangburn had a 144. All the golfers are to be commended for their improvements during the season, which for most was their first year of competition.
Boy’s Cross Country
Zach Ruwe finished fourth, covering the three-mile course in a personal record 16:53. Rowan Denmark-Collins showed his continued growth as a runner, finishing in 17th place and Daniel Olson continued to improve, setting another PR in 19:02 to finish 21st. Lukas Carey ran a PR 19:33, Aidan Ashbrook broke the 20 minute mark, finishing 26th with a PR of 19:52. Ethan Meneely ran 27th in 19:55 and Logan Chapman shattered his PR by nearly three minutes, finishing 32nd in 21 minutes flat.
Girl’s Cross Country
Lilli Montgomery placed fifth in 21:56, Emma Buesing ran 13th in 22:56, Hailey Stutz was 19th, setting a personal record of 24:29 and Madison Logan ran 22nd in 25:48.
Villa Grove JH Boy’s Cross Country
Kurt Zimmerman finished first in a time of 12:30 at a triangular meet versus Heritage and Philo St. Thomas on October 6. Jackson Gilles was seventh, Tucker McGarigle finished ninth, Nolan Shadwick was tenth, Logan Hauersperger finished 11th, Kendrick Roy was 12th, Maddox Piercy ran 13th and Blake Davis finished 14th.
VGJH Girls Cross Country
Hayden Thomas ran her best time of the season to finish third at the Heritage triangular. Eva Piercy was sixth and Lilly-Lynn Davis finished seventh.
Coach Jim Kestner was pleased with the results, and also looking forward to the final two weeks of the season. The high school squads will compete at a meet at PBL on October 13 before tuning up for the regional meet, to be held at Hickory Point Golf Course in Decatur on October 24. “Our athletes are excited and driven to be at the top of their abilities, and I look forward to seeing them realize the benefits of a season of hard work!” Kestner enthused.
