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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
From left, Ryker Grauer, Brayden Elliott and Austin Kasper of the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley football team. The undefeated Falcons are ranked seventh in the state in Class 1A and play at Tuscola this Friday night.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Six area high school football programs are ranked in the Top 10 of their respective classes in the latest Associated Press statewide poll that came out Wednesday. And all six can clinch a playoff berth with a win on Friday night.
➜ 2. St. Joseph-Ogden is ranked third in Class 3A, while fellow unbeaten Paxton-Buckley-Loda is tied for No. 6 in 3A. Undefeated Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin and Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond are ranked in 2A, with BHRA sixth and ALAH eighth. In 1A, LeRoy is fourth and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley is seventh.
➜ 3. Tune your radio dials to WHMS 97.5-FM at 7 p.m. Friday to hear Joey Wright on the call when SJ-O football plays at Bloomington Central Catholic.
States where Dan Hartleb and the Illinois baseball team will play Big Ten games in 2025: Florida, New Jersey and Washington.
Numbers game: 30
Big Ten baseball games that Illinois coach Dan Hartleb and his program will play during the 2025 season. The Big Ten announced the league slate on Wednesday, up from 24 games in previous seasons. Illinois opens Big Ten play with a three-game series against Michigan from March 7-9 in Vero Beach, Fla. Home series are against Maryland, Indiana, Purdue and UCLA, with road trips to Northwestern, Michigan State, Washington and Rutgers.
Chris Tamas and his Illinois volleyball team hosts No. 2 Nebraska tonight at Huff Hall in Champaign.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Nebraska at Illinois volleyball. The Illini will need to upset the second-ranked Cornhuskers on Thursday night at a sold-out Huff Hall in Champaign if they want to avoid their first 0-3 Big Ten start since the 2000 season.
➜ 2. 2025 NCAA men’s golf regional. Pretty cool that Atkins Golf Club in Urbana is one of six sites that will host an NCAA regional next spring, with Illinois announcing this on Wednesday. It’s the first time in program history the Illini will host a regional, with the event taking place May 12-14, 2025.
➜ 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons. Ex-Illini Chase McLaughlin is 7 of 7 on field goals for the Buccaneers this season before Thursday night’s kickoff.
Kim Zahrn and her husband, Tony.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with St. Thomas More girls’ golf coach Kim Zahrn. Her Sabers placed second on Tuesday at the Class 1A Monticello Regional and will golf next Monday in the Effingham Sectional:
âžœ 1. My favorite sports teams are … the Illini basketball teams.
âžœ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Brad Underwood, Ed Beard and Tony Zahrn.
âžœ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … slow-pace golf and negative thoughts on a golf course.