Villa Grove Blue Devils high school sports wrap
By Tony Hooker
Volleyball
Overrun by Warriors
Madison Burwell hammered down seven kills and Maci Clodfelder had five, but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Devils dropped a 17-25, 25-23, 20-25 decision to Tuscola on April 20. Do everything senior Kyleigh Block had three aces, three kills, three digs and 11 assists to help the VG cause, while Burwell had 13 digs, and Kalyn Cordes chipped in with nine assists.
Inundated by Storm
In their final contest of the shortened 2021 season, Villa Grove dropped a 24-26, 25-20, 18-25 decision to Salt Fork on April 22. Kyleigh Block stuffed the stat sheet in the final contest of her career, slamming down ten kills, digging 17 Storm swings and dishing out 11 assists. Classmate Madie Burwell didn’t go quietly, powering down seven kills and digging eight shots, while sophomore Maci Clodfelder had ten digs and three kills of her own. Kayln Cordes, a freshman, continued her strong play, dishing out 12 assists, hammering three kills and serving up three aces. Alison Pangburn, another freshman, contributed to the defensive cause with five digs of her own. On the season, the team came up just short of much greater success, losing only two matches in straight sets, while coming agonizingly close in several others that went the distance, much to Coach Block’s dismay. Many underclassmen got valuable experience, and with John Woolley overseeing a strong Junior High program, the future of VG Volleyball looks bright.
VGH Baseball
Cage Tigers
The Hawks kicked off the season right with a wild 23-15 win over Urbana on April 19. Ryan Cheatham went 3-5 with a double and scored five times to lead the way, offensively, while Nick Coffin went 2-3 with a double, five RBI’s and three runs scored to help out. The top of the order was the key to the game, as the number three hitter Noah Davison went 2-3 with a homer and three RBI’s and clean up man Carson Howard scored four times while walking twice and tripling. Mason Wyant got the win, giving up one earned run on three hits over three innings of work.
Wrangle Buffaloes
The Hawks continued their strong start with a 4-3 win over Georgetown Ridgefarm on April 22.
Mason Wyant had a strong start on the mound, fanning seven and giving up only one run in four innings of work. Dylan Ploense got the win in relief, as he gave up just a single tally in two innings of work, and Carson Howard came in to work the seventh for the Hawks. Luke Zimmermann hammered a double, scored a run and knocked in a run to lead the team offensively, while Howard, Jairus Kiser and Jalen Southard each had RBI’s to help the cause.