Clinton Too(hill) much for Sullivan

DECATUR - With senior and team leader Brooklyn Gregory out with an injury, Clinton fans wondered who would take charge in their Okaw Valley Conference tournament opener against Sullivan Saturday, Jan. 22.

The answer was freshman point guard Haley Toohill.

In her first ever conference tournament game at the high school level, Toohill poured in a career-high 26 points as the Lady Maroons advanced to the tournament semifinal with a 60-46 victory over the Redskins at St. Teresa High School.

"I couldn't have done it without my teammates, it was really a team win," Toohill said.

It was Toohill's first conference tournament game as a high schooler, a date she said was circled on her calendar for about a year.

Right off the bat, she was lights out from beyond the arc, hitting three treys in the first quarter as Clinton held an 18-13 advantage after the stanza. She added another five points in the second, giving her 17 for the half and a 29-20 lead for the Lady Maroons.

"She came out shooting the ball real well," Clinton head coach Josh Williams said. "With Brooklyn out, we need someone who can step up and score for us and this time it was Haley. It's often Haley."

"She works so hard, staying after practice at the gym, working on her shots. She just gets better and better as the season goes on."

With 33 seconds remaining in the first half, Toohill held on to the ball until the nine second mark and made a swift pass to Alicia Mitchell, who layed it in for the final points of the half, preventing Sullivan from getting a legitimate shot off at the buzzer.

Mitchell had ten points for Clinton.

"Alicia gave us some good minutes and played real well," Williams said. "We like to take it down to get the last shot (of the half). Sometimes our kids get anxious, but we are working on it and it's something we need to do when we get to the regional."

Toohill continued her dominance into the third quarter, accounting for the first four points of the second half, pushing the Clinton lead up to 13 at 33-20. But the Redskins stayed within striking distance, only trailing by eight (40-32) at the end of the quarter.

And even with Toohill out for the final few minutes after picking up her fifth foul, her teammates closed it out. Mitchell, Madi Bevins and Hannah Holt all hit key shots from the free throw line, and Clinton pulled away with the 60-46 win.

Sullivan only led at two points during the contest, hitting the game's opening basket for a quick 2-0 lead and briefly holding a 13-12 lead late in the first quarter.

Amber Miller added seven points for Clinton. Holt and Bevins each had

With the win, the Lady Maroons advanced to play Warrensburg-Latham in the tournament semifinal Monday night.

"We're going to have to rebound, and we're going to have to make shots," Williams said. "And we need to figure out their pressure, with the 1-2-2 press. If we can get through that, our guards can keep their heads up and our bigs make good cuts, we should be okay."

Photo: Haley Toohill scored 26 points in the Lady Maroons' win over Sullivan Saturday night in Decatur.

Maroons win two in a row

WARRENSBURG – Two weeks ago, even the most optimistic and loyal Maroon fans would have had trouble believing the football team would enter the Okaw Valley Black schedule with a .500 record. In games against Maroa-Forsyth and Central A&M, Clinton was outscored by a combined total of 97-7.

The last two weeks have gone much better. After a 15-12 win over Argenta-Oreana a week ago, the Maroons put together their first win streak since the 2008 season with a 21-14 triumph over the Cardinals in Warrensburg.

“It was an ugly win, but we’ll take it,” Clinton head coach John Hayden said. “Defensively we played well, but struggled to get the ball in the end zone on offense at times.”

Much of the action for both teams occurred during the second quarter after a scoreless first. The Cardinals had a touchdown run to open the game’s scoring early in the period, but Clinton responded with a long drive that resulted in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Ennis to Cory Collins.

But just when it looked like the Maroons had taken the momentum back after tying the contest, Warrensburg quarterback Craig Munson ran for a 76-yard touchdown on the Cardinals’ first play from scrimmage following the Clinton TD.

“We had some kids over pursuing on that play,” Hayden said. “They played it a little too much, but they didn’t panic. I was happy with the way we responded.”

Clinton responded less than a minute later when Kadarius Sneed found the end zone on a 45-yard run. Sneed rushed for a team-high 67 yards. But the extra point was blocked and Warrensburg held a 14-13 lead at halftime.

The Maroons looked to take the lead with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, but they were stopped on a fourth and goal situation from the Cardinal four-yard line.

Although the Maroons missed out on that opportunity, they cashed in at the 9:51 mark of the fourth quarter when Aaron Ennis rushed for a one-yard touchdown. An Ennis pass to Keiron Sneed for the two-point conversion put the Maroons up 21-14.

On the touchdown drive, receivers Jocelyn Hopkinson and Byron Conner came up with big plays, although one was brought back due to a questionable holding call.

Warrensburg had the ball on the Clinton 15 with 2 minutes, 43 seconds remaining and a fourth and five situation. The Maroons stopped the Cardinals and never let them have the ball back.

An 18-yard Ennis pass to Jocelyn Hopkinson on a third and long with 2:16 all but clinched the victory for the Maroons.

“Jocelyn had some key clutch catches for us,” Hayden said. “He had some big plays and kept the ball in bounds on that third down catch, which was huge.”

Clinton’s road win evened their record at 2-2, matched the team’s win total from last season and more importantly gave them momentum heading into the conference season.

The Maroons will visit Monticello Friday evening for the first game of the Okaw Valley Black schedule. With the Sages, St. Teresa and Tolono Unity among the Maroons’ next few games, the slate only gets tougher for Clinton.

“We want to keep the momentum going,” Hayden said. “I feel like we’ve been improving each game and moved the ball better offensively Friday night than we had all year.

“Monticello is a good program, so we need to bring more intensity when we play them. We are sticking with the same philosophy, just trying to clean up a few things offensively.”

The Maroons return home a week from Friday when they host Shelbyville in the team’s annual Homecoming Game.

Photo: Byron Conner returned to the Clinton lineup after missing the previous week due to a concussion.

Trojans dominate Maroons, again

CLINTON - All summer long, the Clinton Maroons football team had been eyeing Maroa-Forsyth. They were out for revenge. Maroa had beaten the Maroons 42-7 in the 2009 season opener, John Hayden's first game as head coach of Clinton. At practice from June to August, Hayden would remind the players about 30-40 times per practice that the Trojans had easily handled them last year.

"I just want to run it in and see how they are going to respond," Hayden said a week before the rematch in Clinton in 2010.

Hayden would yell the phrase "42-7" over and over again each practice.

Then came August 27 - the rematch. Could Clinton respond after taking such a beating last year?

In a word, no.

It wasn't 42-7, it was worse. 49-7. Ouch.

Maroa dominated from the opening kickoff, scoring 23 points in the first quarter and holding a 36-0 lead just seconds before halftime.

On the last play of the first half, Clinton got on the board for the only time opening night. Byron Conner caught a 25-yard Aaron Ennis pass and used his speed and quickness to dash for a last second touchdown. It was a great play, but unfortunately for the Maroons, it was their only highlight.

Muffed punts, fumbles, big Maroa plays and dropped passed were the norm for Clinton on opening night.

Outside of Conner's big play, the stellar defensive output by Colton Nixon (sack, tackle for loss) was the only bright spot.

Now the Maroons must move on and put their focus elsewhere, on Central A&M. The Maroons visit Moweaqua for a homecoming of sorts for Hayden, who was an assistant coach on the 1997 state championship Central A&M team.

Photo: Clinton's Kadarius Sneed (28) was unable to get the ground game going against the always-tough Trojans defense.

Clinton Legends: Tyrone Byrd

“Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”

-Dan Gable

 The famous quote from the University of Iowa wrestler that was one of the greatest ever is a mantra for another Big Ten great, Clinton’s very own Tyrone Byrd.

A two-time IHSA state champion, three time all-stater and four-time NCAA qualifier, Byrd has certainly etched his name among the best wrestlers to ever come from Clinton. You may also hear his name in the discussion of Clinton’s all-time greatest athletes. A Clinton legend? Without a doubt.

The Gable quote may best describe Byrd’s life. Since he was a second grader with the Big Springs Wrestling Club in Pennsylvania in 1990, wrestling has been his passion.

“I believe in the discipline,” Byrd said. “It has been part of my life, and I have made it continue to be a part of my life. It has continued to be my passion.”

After moving from Pennsylvania at age six, Byrd began wrestling in Clinton at 89 lbs. with the Dewitt Sportsters, a program now known as the Clinton Wrestling Club.

“It was a great experience for me,” Byrd said. “A lot of the success we had in high school had to due with the fact that all of us on those teams grew up and wrestled on that club together.”

While wrestling for the Clinton Wrestling Club from 1990-1994, Byrd was a two time state qualifier. While Byrd was very proud of the accomplishments at the time, his wrestling resume would get better each year after. His time at the Clinton kids club also marked the era in which he met and began competing with his eventual high school Maroons teammates, a group that would eventually go on to form one of the greatest athletic groups in Clinton history.

“We were a tough bunch of kids, we knew each other and beat on each other for so many years,” Byrd said. “We wanted to bring the toughness out of each other.”

From 1994-1997, Byrd wrestled for the Clinton Junior High team, qualifying for the IESA state tournament all three years and twice finishing second in state. In 1996, he was second overall at 112 lbs. The following year, he was second in state at 135.

“We also had a lot of team success in junior high,” Byrd remembers. “We had a lot of state placers and came close to bringing home a team trophy one year.”

Byrd and his teammates competed in junior high for then wrestling coach John Pine, who now serves as the school’s principal.

Byrd credits Pine as one of the individuals that brought out the toughness in the group.

“He definitely did a good of that,” Byrd said. “He helped us prepare for the next level.”

It was at that next level that Byrd’s career really flourished into stardom.

In 1997, Byrd walked into Clinton High School excited to compete for coached Rob Ledin and Dan Barclay, who were in the midst of building one of Clinton’s greatest programs.

“They were great coaches and I was walking into a great situation,” Byrd said. “They knew how to get the most out of us. I’ve been very blessed to have great coaches, from the kids club all the way up thru college.”

In 2001, he walked out of the school as perhaps the greatest wrestler in the program’s history.

In 2000 and 2001, he was the individual state champion at 171 lbs. He was a four time state qualifier, three-time all state wrestler and two-time team MVP. He was awarded as the IWCOA Outstanding Wrestler of the Year and a USA Wrestling All-American in 2001. From 200-2001, Byrd compiled a rare 73-match win streak. Not to mention a career record of 105-15, with 94 career pins.

The Clinton team finished second in state in 2000 and third in 2001.

“We had so many kids that were great, so many state qualifiers,” Byrd said. “High School was a great experience. I look at my teammates and think that because I won two state titles, I get recognition as being one of the better wrestlers to come from the program. I don’t know if I agree with that. I look at guys like Jacob Fatheree, who was a phenomenal talent and Jeremy Ryerson, who was one of the hardest workers in Clinton. I don’t think I was better than either of them, I was just fortunate enough to win two state titles. They didn’t do too bad themselves, each won one.”

Byrd made his presence known in Clinton outside of the mat as well. He was a state qualifier in track (Pole Vault) and a three-year varsity starter for the Clinton football team at running back and free safety. In 2001, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and was named to the IHSA All-State team.

His accomplishments on the gridiron earned him scholarship offers from small colleges. But Byrd knew his talents, and his heart, were on the wrestling mat. Byrd would become the first Clinton athlete of the new century to play a major sport at the University of Illinois.

“It’s wrestling,” Byrd said. “It’s not a big revenue sport and I knew that going in to it. I decided that I wanted pursue a wrestling career because of my passion for the sport. I understood it was not going to have the same glam as football or basketball. The whole nation isn’t going to know your name, but the wrestling community certainly will.”

Byrd continued his success for the Fighting Illini from 2001-2006. He was a four-year starter and four-time NCAA qualifier. He was a two-year team captain and voted the Illini Co-MVP in 2006, wrapping up his wrestling career with 90 wins for the Big Ten school.

His most accomplished year was 2006, his final on the mat. That year, Byrd was the Big Ten and Midlands Runner-Up at 197 lbs.

He was a part of a team that won Big Ten Championships in 2004 and 2005 and a runner up finish in 2006. The 2005 championship sticks out as his greatest memory of college.

His accomplishments at Clinton and in Champaign earned him the honor of being named Central Illinois Athlete of the Decade for Wrestling.

Since his graduation from the University of Illinois in 2006, Byrd has been a wrestling coach. He began as a varsity assistant for Mahomet-Seymour, reuniting with Rob Ledin, who coached him in Clinton. After spending one year as an assistant at Richmond-Burton High School, Byrd accepted the head-coaching job with Lincoln-Way East High School in Mokena.

He has already seen success with the Knights, coaching three state placers in his first two years at the helm of the program. In addition to coaching wrestling, Byrd is a physical education teacher.

“We are trying to raise the bar. Our eventual goal is to win a team state title,” Byrd said of his expectations for the wrestling program. “But beyond all the wrestling, the biggest thing for me as a coach is that we are building young men. We are building moral character, great students and great citizens. I want them to walk away from this as better people.”

“If someone never wins a state title or places at state, but walks out of here a good person, I feel we have won.”

Byrd credits former Clinton coaches Ledin and Barclay as influences in pursuing a career in coaching.

“I owe it to those guys,” Byrd said. “I wanted to do the things they did for us. My goal is to have the team here at Lincoln Way-East work as hard as we did in Clinton in 2000 and 2001.”

Although he hopes to retire at Lincoln-Way East, Byrd has and always will call Clinton home. His family lives here and this is the place he first made a name for himself. Even though he coaches at another IHSA school, Byrd remains interested in the Clinton program and hopes they fare well.

“I think it’s headed in the right direction,” he said. “They have some good coaches in there. (Head Coach) Chris Little is an Illinois graduate and was actually my roommate. Bobby Hill and I grew up wrestling and I’ve known of him since kids club. I think he’s going to do a great job with the junior high.”

Byrd conducted a wrestling camp for four years this decade. With his former college roommate and teammate Little at the helm, Byrd has high hopes for his alma mater.

“I would love to see them win a state title and see them accomplish something we couldn’t,” Byrd said. “Whenever I go down state with my kids, I always look for the Clinton guys and I always root for them.”

Byrd is married to Jennifer (Vandervort) Byrd, another Clinton High School graduate. The two are the parents of two and a half year old Jalen James Byrd.

His legal guardians are Clinton residents Jerry and Lori Benedict.

“I’ve been blessed with the people that have been around me,” he said. “The great moments I have are for the people who have put time in to me, from my family, to my friends, to my coaches, and teachers who made sure I was making great choices.”

Wrestling has always been a part of Byrd’s life. Throughout life, Byrd had the sport to get him through the tough moments. And that’s why he made a point to continue with the sport through coaching.

“I had a tough childhood, and wrestling really helped me focus on something else,” he said. “It was my out. What I got out of the sport, is what I want to give back.”

As much as anyone else, Byrd is a testament to the truth of Gable’s famous quote. 

“Wrestling is me. It’s my passion, I care about, I believe in what it does for you and the discipline that it forms. All the hard work, the stress, and the pressure makes everything else seem easier.”

Greatest Clinton Athlete of 2000s?

While working on a Clinton wrestling story from the early 2000s, I began to wonder about who the greatest athletes in the town over the last decade have been.
That's why I listed it as the Clinton Journal's latest poll question. I started out by giving five suggestions. Four of the ones I suggested, along with another that was not mentioned, have received votes in the first week of the voting. The voting will be open thru August, and the winner will be announced in mid-September. Here are the five suggestions.

A) Tyrone Byrd (Wrestler, Class of 2001): Byrd won two individual IHSA state titles on the mat, and was a Big Ten runner up in 2006, while wrestling at the University of Illinois. He was named Central Illinois' Wrestling Athlete of the Decade.
B) Rachel Anderson (Track sprinter, Class of 2004): Anderson followed a stellar career at Clinton High School with leading Illinois Wesleyan University to indoor and outdoor NCAA Division III championships. She was named NCAA Division III Female Track Athlete of the Year in 2008.
C) Kamren Ferguson (Softball pitcher, Class of 2004): Ferguson was stellar on the mound, throwing 91 consecutive scoreless innings for the Lady Maroons in 2004. Kamren anchored a regional champion Clinton team that year. She went on to have a solid collegiate career at Western Illinois University, leading the Leathernecks to a second place finish in the Summit League in 2009 and 2010.
D) Ontario Sneed (Football player, Class of 2005): Sneed had a great career and later competed at Central Michigan University.
E) Kylie McCulley (Volleyball player, Class of 2006): McCulley was an all state-player for Clinton in 2005 and 2006 and was a two-year starter for the Fighting Illini volleyball team.

In addition to the five mentioned, Kameron Bell, a 2005 Clinton graduate and basketball player at Eureka College, received a vote.

Alwood's start lifts Maroons

FORSYTH - For a team that has been involved in slugfests all year round, it was nice to see the Clinton Maroons baseball team get a win with only five hits in their most important game of the season Tuesday. The Maroons received timely hits from Jordan Good and Ashton Tedrick to build a 6-1 lead over Maroa-Forsyth and withstood a late Trojan rally to preserve a 6-4 victory. 

David Alwood pitched five innings and was the winning pitcher. It had been his first start of the 2010 season. 

"David wanted a chance to start at some point this year, but I don't think he was expecting it to come on the first day of regionals," Clinton head coach John Hickman said. "But we had talked about it Friday and Saturday and everyone seemed on board with it. He had the freshest arm among all of our starters."

A few fielding errors forced the Maroons to use Aaron Ennis in relief. Ennis did a fine job pitching almost two innings and recording the save. 

Tedrick's two-run double in the top of the fifth put Clinton up by five, giving them a cushion they would need against a Trojan team that has proven they can come back. 

The Maroons also played well the following day in their 5-1 regional semifinal loss to Central Catholic Wednesday. Josh Merrick pitched well, but Clinton could not come up with the timely hits they did Tuesday night in Forsyth. 

Clinton will play again on Memorial Day, May 31 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Their opponent will be Hudsonville High School. 

Game of the Week: Monticello at Clinton (SB)

Although Maroa-Forsyth is only six miles to the south, an argument could be made that the Monticello Sages, and not the Lady Trojans, are the Clinton Lady Maroons’ chief Okaw Valley rival.

Senior and Junior Lady Maroon players remember well how the 2008 and 2009 seasons came to an end.

In 2008, the Lady Maroons were three outs away from winning the regional championship and advancing to the sectional for the first time in four years.

Ace Shelbi Rentmeister was on the mound and Clinton had a one-run lead in the top of the seventh. But Shelbi injured herself in the previous inning and the Sages scored two runs before the Lady Maroons could record an out. Clinton couldn’t get anything going and Monticello celebrated their regional championship on Clinton’s turf.

The two teams met the following year in Monticello for the regional semifinal. The Maroons and Sages may have been the two best teams in the Okaw that year, but it was the Sages walking away with an 11-1 five-inning victory in Rentmeister’s final high school start.

The Lady Maroons look to enact a measure of revenge Thursday night when the Sages invade Clinton.

Perhaps the best Clinton softball moment of the Emily Starkey era came in 2003 when the Sages boasted a 30-0 record before falling to Clinton at home in the final Okaw Valley Championship Game ever played.

These two teams have history. And the next chapter will be written Thursday.

Two five-run innings give Clinton win

CLINTON - The Clinton Lady Maroons looked the best they had all year Thursday night in their conference opening 12-2 win over Central A&M at the Clinton softball field. 

It didn't hurt that Central A&M had a hard time in the field. 

Lacey Lord had two two-run RBI doubles, one in each of the first two innings. Both times, Alicia Mitchell and Emily Kroeger scored on the hits. It looked like Clinton could have put 30 on the board in the first two innings. Instead, they settled for five in each frame to give them a 10-1 lead.

Bailey Walker did well on the mound, striking out two and earning the win in six innings pitched. She will b e called upon a lot this season since head coach Emily Starkey decided that it was in the team's best interest to keep All-State second baseman Meghan Matthews at her strongest position. Sharing the pitching load with Walker this year will be fellow-freshman Jessie Shride. 

For a conference opener, Tuesday was all Starkey could ask for.

"The team did an amazing job in their first conference game," Starkey said. "I was really pleased with the way they came out and hit the ball. We had a few errors defensively, but overall we played well in the field too."

Mitchell has been a great addition to the team this year, especially  helping out on the basepaths. The Maroons' final run in the win was all her. She reached base on a strikeout-error, then stole second and third, and came home on a passed ball, one of many Red Raider miscues on the day. 

The Lady Maroons will visit Decatur MacArthur for a Saturday nonconference double header beginning at 10 a.m. The game they may be looking forward to more is Monday night's showdown with Maroa-Forsyth and All-State pitcher Kayti Lundin. 

Photo: Clinton hurler Bailey Walker (16) was solid Thursday, striking out two Red Raiders from Central A&M. 

Sixth inning propels Lady Maroons

CLINTON - Two outs? No problem for the Clinton Lady Maroons. The Lady Maroons scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning tonight to pull ahead of Hartsburg-Emden, and held on to win their second game of the season, 9-5.

Tied at five with two out in the bottom of the sixth, Alicia Mitchell hit the go-ahead RBI single that scored Emma Donnelly. Freshman Morgan Hickman then hit a two-run double that scored Mitchell and Emily Kroeger, and Hickman herself scored the final run of the game on a Lacey Lord single. A few Hartsburg-Emden defensive mishaps aided the Lady Maroons, who will play Fisher tomorrow evening in what will be their third game in as many days.

"It was a good team win," Clinton head coach Emily Starkey said. "They are getting better and taking steps forward everyday."

Bailey Walker started on the mound for Clinton and struck out eight batters. Meghan Matthews came in relief of Bailey in the fifth inning to get the win.

"Bailey started the game well for us and Meghan finished it off nicely," Starkey said.

Matthews began the game in the outfield, which was one of a few defensive changes Starkey made prior to the game.

"We switched things around to tighten our defense and it worked, the girls all did a nice job," Starkey said.

Emma Donnelly and Lacey Lord each had three hits and two RBI to lead the Lady Maroons offensively. Morgan Hickman also had two RBI for Clinton (2-4).

Photo: Clinton hurler Meghan Matthews (3) got the win in relief for the Lady Maroons Tuesday night against Hartsburg-Emden.

Lady Maroons rough opener

CLINTON - The post-Shelbi Rentmeister era began on a sour note for the Clinton Lady Maroons Friday night. Five fourth inning runs by the Heyworth Hornets proved to be too much for Clinton, a team that hadn't lost an opener since 2006.
Abby Van Winkle and Emily Lyons combined for five RBI on two hits in the third inning that broke open a 2-1 game. A Dakota Springer RBI single in the fifth gave Heyworth their eighth and final run of an 8-1 victory.
Clinton's lone run came in the first when leadoff hitter and starting pitcher Meghan Matthews scored on a single from Ashley Toberman.
Matthews did well on the mound in her first career varsity start as a pitcher. A disastrous fourth inning spoiled outing. Meghan worked herself out of a pair of jams in the third and fifth innings.
Clinton head coach Emily Starkey said that while the team's infield will stay pretty much the same throughout the year, the outfield will be a rotation until they are confident with what they have.
With the losses of Rentmeister, Casey Barretts and Kristen Wherry, this team may take a few games to gel. But Starkey is confident the team will pick it up as the season progresses.
I agree. The team still has experienced talent in Matthews, Rachel Austin and Emma Donnelly. But what they have now that they haven't in a few years is potentially a star-studded freshman class. Morgan Hickman started at second base Friday and probably will for the next four years. Bailey Walker hopes to fit in well as the team's number two pitcher before taking over as the ace in 2011.

Photo: Clinton outfielder Alicia Mitchell runs the bases during the Lady Maroons' 8-1 loss to Heyworth Friday evening in Clinton. 

Clinton troop returns home

CLINTON - Clinton native and United States Air Force member James LoPresto returned to his home town this week and was greeted with a reception Wednesday night at American Legion Post 103. James, center, stands with his parents, James LoPresto, Sr. and Cheryl LoPresto. 

LoPresto, a former Eagle Scout, served ten months in Iraq. 

My ballot for Clinton end of year awards

The voting has ended and the results have been sent off to press. Clintonians will find out tomorrow morning who won the awards for story, team, coach, college player, and athletes of the year. The following is who I would have voted for if my vote counted.

Male Athlete of the Year - Byron Conner.....The most consistent player on the Clinton High School football team, also a state qualifier in the 100 yard dash. I've never met him personally but I've heard nothing but great things about him. Ian DeJaynes is a great athlete as well but I think most of what he did was pre-2009.

Female Athlete of the Year - Meghan Matthews.....Clearly the best all-around female athlete playing in Clinton right now. She has star power in softball and is a leader on the basketball and volleyball courts. I was not surprised she won in a landslide. But I was hoping to see more votes go to Carly Hickman. Hickman broke the CHS shot put record in 2009 and also qualified for the YMCA Nationals as a swimmer. Like Matthews, she excells in multiple sports.

Coach of the Year - Marty DeJaynes.....This is the toughest category for me because I have a great deal of respect for a number of coaches in Clinton and I think a lot of them did a great job in 2009. But I will go with Marty because basketball either my favorite or second to favorite sport. His seventh graders won all eleven Okaw games and were one game away from the state finals. He knows how to get the best of everyone on the court. Having him coach seventh graders, who are just getting accustomed to competing for their school is going to pay off big time for the entire Clinton basketball program. All of the candidates listed in Friday's paper are also deserving of this award.

College Athlete of the Year - Kylie McCulley.....Strictly as an athlete coming from Clinton High School and playing for the University of Illinois, is it wrong to compare Kylie McCulley to Gene Vance? Vance was one of the best players on the famed Whiz Kids teams of the 1940s. Kylie was one of the best volleyball players for the fifth ranked Illini in 2009. She is a phenomenal athlete and great to watch. If their was a professional volleyball league like there is for basketball (WNBA), Kylie would be there. Watching Kameron Bell the other night play for Eureka was fun too. He looked to be the most passionate player on the court when the Red Devils took on Lincoln Christian University Wednesday night.

Story of the Year - Evans and Schumacher win state titles.....Having two state titles in a year would be a great success for Clinton. Carson Schumacher (shot put) and Steven Evans (discus) gave Maroon fans two in one day when the two won IESA state titles in May. A great positive story for the town. I think if the Twin City Dawgs were approved by the Clinton School Board to use the football field, that may have been as big as the two state champions. But the school board, unreasonably, said no. How fun would it have been to spend Saturday nights in the summer watching semi-pro football just blocks from your home?

Team of the Year - Freshman Volleyball.......I'm not comfortable voting against the Seventh Grade Girls Basketball. I enjoyed watching Marty's group of Lady Maroons dominate Okaw competition and I became a big fan by the end of the season. Admittadly, I only went to see one freshman volleyball game this year. But 15-0? Perfect? How could they not be the best Clinton team this year? Zero losses, as in Mercury Morris' neighborhood.

The largest small town in Central Illinois

As Mayor Ed Wollet said, "Clinton is the largest small town in Central Illinois."

Located less than 10 miles from the geographic center of Illinois, Clinton is a Lincoln town with a ton of history. The town is located at the center of a diamond of big cities on the map. To the east is Champaign, Decatur lies 26 miles to the south, Lincoln is about a half hour drive west on Rt. 10 and Bloomington-Normal is just a short drive up 51.

Clinton has over 7,000 residents, but the feel of a small town. Historically, it is most known for being the site of President Lincoln's famous speech where he said "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."

The center of the town is a square that reminded me of the set they used to film the 1950s scenes in Back to the Future. Clintonians know it as the downtown square, or just "the square."

The Square is the center for many prominent businesses such as Watkins Jewelry, The Yak Shak, The Loft, Brady Realtors and Snapper's Bar and Grill. The old courthouse was located at the center of the square.

Snappers is the most popular bar in Clinton, catering to sports fans. Snappers is a nice place, but I prefer Breaker's, a bar on Madison Street. Instead of sports, they often have Headline News on television. But the most appealing part of the place is the fact that it is the only place in Clinton that serves breakfast all day.

It has a beautiful lake and state park within miles of the town. It is also home of the central Illinois landfill.

Many contraversies have come through Clinton over the years. It was the DeWitt County prison that escapee Clayton Lee Waagner made his break in 2002. It is also the home of Amanda Hamm, a local woman that served 5 years in prison after being found guilty of child endangerment when her three children were drowned in Clinton Lake.

Although it may be known as a small town, Clinton has produced people who went on to accomplish great things. Gene Armstrong worked for NASA, Gene Vance played in the NBA and was one of the University of Illinois "Whiz Kids," Joe Axelson, Jr. became general manager of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and was named the first ever NBA Executive of the Year in 1973.

In the mid 20-th century, Clinton was a booming railroad town. It's famed Clintonia movie theatre was destroyed in 1989 after an abundance of snow forced the roof to collapse. The town just recently built a new theatre in 2008.

It seems like no matter where you go in Clinton, you will run into someone you know. The atmosphere is much more laid back than in Chicago or the suburbs. Friendlier for sure.

Lady Maroons impressive in win over Shelbyville

Over the last two years, the Clinton High School Girls Basketball team won a combined six games. At the rate they are going now, they may have more than six wins by the end of the month. 

Shelbyville isn't the toughest competition in the Okaw Valley this year by a long shot, but for Clinton, Thursday night's 57-41 win over the Rams was a blowout. And not the kind they are used to. This time, they were in control. 

Meghan Matthews had 15 points, which is no surprise because of the experience she has. But Alicia Mitchell, who may be the hardest worker on the team had a career night, totaling 13 points. 

A 15-0 run during the late first and early second quarter erased a 5-0 Shelbyville lead. 

Will Clinton win the conference this year? No. Will they be above .500? Iffy. Are they better than they were last year? Absolutely.  And most importantly, are they headed in the right direction? Without a doubt. 

Josh Williams has done a great job as head coach so far but even he will tell you "they have along way to go." 

The team does have a long way to go, but they are off to a good start.